DINNER TONIGHT: HEALTHY TURKEY EMPANADAS

Empanadas are tasty hand pies common all over Latin America. Today, I’m excited to be teaming up with Foster Farms® to share a version you’ll want to make ASAP for a few really good reasons 1. It only requires a handful of ingredients 2. We’ve used organic ground turkey for a healthy twist and 3. They’re easy and fun to eat on game or movie night, or take with you for a picnic or snow day!

However, there are no excuses necessary for throwing these cutie (hand) pies together. Take a peek at the recipe and step-by-step pics below!

Making and rolling dough is usually one of my least favorite tasks in the kitchen, but this recipe comes together in under 10 minutes and is so easy to work with!

FOR THE DOUGH, YOU’LL NEED:

1. 1 cup water
2. 3/4 cup shortening
3. 2-3/4 cups flour (plus more for rolling)
4. 2 teaspoons kosher salt

HERE’S HOW:

1. Add water and shortening to a saucepan and heat over medium until shortening has melted (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk flour and salt together. Using a measuring cup, make a well in the center of flour mix.

Slowly stir shortening and water into the mixing bowl until dough forms. Knead mixture with your hands until dough is well combined and has a smooth texture (about 1 to 2 minutes). Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let chill for 2 hours.

While the dough finishes chilling, it’s time to make the filling. And apparently rhyme too! Ha!

FOR THE FILLING, YOU’LL NEED:

1. 1 large bell pepper (or 1-1/2 small peppers), finely chopped
2. 1 large sweet onion (or 1-1/2 small ones), finely chopped
3. 1/3 cup coconut oil (or olive oil)
4. 1 lb. Foster Farms® Organic Ground Turkey
5. 2 teaspoons ground cumin
6. 2 teaspoons paprika
7. salt and pepper to taste

HERE’S HOW:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add peppers and onions to pan and sauté until golden brown. Add spices and cook for an additional couple minutes or until fragrant. Transfer to a medium sized mixing bowl. Add meat to pan, season with salt and pepper and cook until browned. Add to mixing bowl and let cool while doing the next step.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper (optional). Divide dough into 12, 2-inch balls (see pic below). On a lightly floured surface, roll dough balls into 5-inch circles.

Scoop 1/4 cup of filling into the center of each rolled dough. Fold in half and press edges together with your fingers and then a fork. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

My little kitchen helper and taste tester!

Once you get comfortable making the dough, the filling combinations are endless! Poppy wasn’t a fan of the bell peppers so next time I might swap them out for a veggie she enjoys or allow all the kids to make their own fillings. With so many people and varying taste buds in our family, I love a recipes that can be customized!

Which is also one of the things I appreciate about Foster Farms®. We’ve been cooking up and serving their products in our kitchen for a long time and love that they have such a great selection of organic meats. The Foster Farms Organic Ground Turkey we used is USDA Certified Organic with No Antibiotics Ever!

Makes it easy to switch up our favorite recipes or use ingredients that we already have on hand while also knowing we’re feeding our family the best!

XO, Rae

P.S. — A big thank you to Foster Farms® for inspiring this post and to you guys for supporting the brands that make blogging possible! As you guys already know, I don’t do many sponsored posts so you know that when I do, it’s because it’s with a brand I already know, trust and love!

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(One more pic of Poppy helping grab all of our fresh ingredients at Safeway ;)

 

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Foster Farms®.

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