Road Recipes: Thanksgiving Leftover Empanadas
Nothing beats a fridge full of Thanksgiving leftovers. This year, make your leftovers road trip-friendly by baking them into empanadas perfect for eating on the go. This is a recipe the whole family will love, especially on the road. This yummy recipe is easy to make and fun to eat. Each empanada packs a full Thanksgiving meal in one tiny pocket. Experiment with different flavor combinations. Pack these hand-held pies to get a taste of home when you’re on the road.
Empanadas is a dish of Spanish cuisine made of pie dough with ingredients that vary from different Latin countries. This crispy, flakey, pockets of joy pastry dish can be filled with various ingredients, making it the perfect recipe to make and take while on the go. Have an empanada assemble party where everyone builds their own version. There is no right or wrong in what leftover ingredients you add to this dish, this part should be fun! Bring out your inner chef and see what great savory flavors everyone comes up with.
Here’s everything you need to make Thanksgiving Leftover Empanadas:
· 1 14-oz. pre-packaged refrigerated flour dough
· 1 cup of each leftover dish (think turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, mac n’ cheese, or whatever Thanksgiving leftovers you may have)
· Salt and pepper to taste
· 1 cup of melted butter
Step 1: Roll out dough on a flat, floured surface, and roll each piece of dough very thin on a lightly floured surface until you have a 6-inch-wide circle.
Step 2: One dough at a time, spoon a small amount of each leftover filling into the center of each dough circle.
Step 3: Fold the circle in half over the filling and use a fork to gently press the edges together. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and filling and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Step 4: Once the empanadas are folded, brush the tops of each empanada with melted butter.
Step 5: Place the empanadas in the oven and bake at 375°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Step 6: Serve warm with gravy and cranberry sauce on the side.
You can store the empanadas in the refrigerator for up to three to four days long. You can heat them in a toaster oven for four to five minutes or in an oven at 400°F for five to eight minutes.
Need to save them for a later date? You can easily freeze these empanadas and eat them later. Instead of putting them in the oven, just pop them in your freezer. Freeze the empanadas overnight, then transfer to an airtight freezer bag and store them for up to three months. When you’re ready to eat the empanadas, just lay the frozen empanadas directly on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake them for 30 mins at 375°F.
Let us know how your empanadas turned out! Post your road recipe on social media and tag @motel6.
