We are constantly on the prowl for good things to put in our lunch boxes, and it seems that other parents (and for that matter, people without children) are requesting new lunch choices as well. Make sure and check out the “lunchbox” category in my sidebar for other ideas to fill your lunch bag.
These empanadas, or calzone if you are Italian, are comforting and full of flavor. If your mini-chef will eat straight up greens, add in some sauteed greens here, too. I left the recipe really pleasing for most kids’ palates, since the green things they love typically include sweet petit pois and broccoli.
In fact, as you might have guessed from the pictures, we had a little bit of trouble actually getting the empanadas filled. The mini-chefs kept doing a big handful for themselves, a little handful for their empanada. So, maybe I should advise you to make even more filling than strictly necessary so that at least some of it makes it into the final dish.
Make these in bulk and freeze them. They are delicious heated up for a few minutes in a 300 degree oven, wrapped first in parchment paper and then in foil, or sent along in a lunchbox at room temperature.
Multigrain Empanadas with Herbed Potatoes, Broccoli, Peas, and Cheddar
*one recipe of Ari’s Honey Wheat Pizza Dough with the following added before the rise:
-three mini-chef handfuls of raw millet
-two or three mini-chef handfuls of raw quinoa
*one recipe of Lemony Potatoes with Fresh Herbs
*1 1/2 cups peas, steamed just till slightly tender
*2 cups of broccoli, steamed till just tender and chopped
*2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (sharp is delicious, but even mild is tasty)
*extra flour for rolling out the empanadas
Big Person: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
After the final punchdown of the dough, flour your counter or a large cutting board and separate the dough into 2-inch balls.
Together: Give each mini-chef a dessert plate to sprinkle a little flour upon and have them dip their hands in the flour as well. If they put a mountain of flour on their plate, help them put most of it back in the communal flour bowl and explain that too much flour will make a big rock instead of an empanada.
Hand a dough ball to each mini-chef involved. Roll it around in your hands, sculpting in a “perfect” sphere. Then, slap it down into a pancake with the palms of your hands. Next, you will stretch that pancake out to the size of your dessert plate by starting moving around the circumference of the circle. No worries if there is a hole or two, just press the dough back together to patch up the hole.
Once you have your dough base, begin to add the filling. Add a tablespoon or two of the potatoes, a teaspoon of the peas, a tablespoon of the broccoli, and a big pinch of the cheddar cheese.
Fold the circle into a half-moon shape. Press the empanada dough together at the edges with your finger. For smaller Yummies, you can help them crimp the outer edges of the empanada with a fork, or for older Yummies, have them make a scalloped edge with their fingers.
Place each empanada on the baking sheet so that they are not touching another empanada. Top each with a little bit of the shredded cheddar cheese.
Big Person: Put in the oven and bake for 18-25 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Take out of the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
