A looooooooong time ago, I made these mushroom pecan empanadas and shared them on the blog. This was early in my journey of plant-based eating, and I have decided to re-do the recipe. Today, we will check out my new baked mushroom lentil empanadas recipe!
Pecans were an unusually but tasty protein source for empanadas. I decided to use lentils instead because they make the fillig more moist, and a better protein to calorie ratio. I also swapped whole wheat pastry flour for the white whole wheat flour because I could use more of it and still achieve the desired texture. Yay for whole grains!
This is a time consuming recipe, largely because you have to roll out the dough. I cut the recipe in half from the original version to cut back on how much time it takes from start to finish.
For me, this recipe is a great way to spend a relaxing afternoon in the kitchen. I pull my favorite rolling pin out of the drawer and focus on the task at hand, letting each turn of the rolling pin push away the million other things going on in my mind.
Every baker has a favorite rolling pin, and I love a small diameter pin for this job. This J.K. Adams Gourmet Rolling Pin is perfect for empanadas. The small diameter just works when you only need to roll out a 6 inch circle, not a 16 inch pie crust.
Tips and tricks for the Baked Mushroom Lentil Empanadas recipe:
- Cutting circles out of the dough doesn’t work well for this recipe. The dough needs to rest for 30 minutes before it can be re-rolled so all the extra dough leftover from cutting circles can’t be worked with for another 30 minutes. Divide the dough into portions and roll each out seperately. They won’t be perfect circles, but they will still taste good!
- Brush each empanada with the egg wash immediately when finished making it. This will prevent it from drying out while you work with the rest of the dough.
- Weigh/measure the ingredients. Usually don’t look that closely at things like onions and mushrooms. Just toss the extra in, right?! Well, a little extra will end up being tossed because you will run out of dough to stuff it in.
- ⅔ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup cold water
- ¼ cup dry lentils
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 oz mushrooms
- ¾ cup onion, diced
- ¼ tsp each: salt, pepper, and cumin
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ⅓ cup green salsa
- ⅓ cup shredded swiss cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1-2 tsp water
- More green salsa for serving
- In a food processor combine flours, salt, and baking powder. Pulse to combine.
- Mix together olive oil and cold water.
- With the food processor running, pour the olive oil mixture down the chute and process until the dough sticking together into a ball slightly. It will stay a little crumbly.
- Transfer dough to a working surface and knead it with your hands until it comes together and forms a consistent ball. Press the ball into a 6 inch disk. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile combine lentils and bay leaf and cover with water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 15 minutes.
- Process mushrooms in the food processor until finely chopped. Add them to a skillet with the onion and a splash of olive oil. Saute until the mushrooms liquid has evaporated.
- Mix in salt, pepper, cumin, garlic, green salsa, swiss cheese and cooked lentils.
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Divide the dough into 8 portions by cutting it in half, cut each half in half, and cut the quarters in half. Keep the dough covered so it doesn’t dry out while you work with each portion.
- Roll each portion into a ball and press it against a flour dusted working surface with the palm of your hand. Use a rolling pin and roll one stroke up, then turn the dough 90 degrees, and make another stroke up. This will help the dough form a circle. Continue until you have approximately a 6 inch circle. If it doesn’t make a circle, do NOT ball it up to start over. The dough will need to rest again before it will stretch out into shape. Oddly shaped empanadas still taste good 😊
- Mix together the egg and 1-2 tsp water. Brush the edges of the circle with the egg wash mixture. Add a scant ¼ cup mushroom filling to one side and fold the dough over the top pressing it together with your fingers. Go back over the edges pressing with the tines of a fork to seal it and give the edges some texture. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with more egg wash.
- Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Bake in the preheated oven for 24 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Serve with extra green salsa.
