These delicious little pastries are so worth the time and effort to prepare them! The flaky, tender crust and the flavorful black bean filling take a little while to prepare, but the techniques are simple to execute.

This has two components: a pie-crust-like dough, and cooked beans. You could sub your own pie crust dough and you could sub your own bean filling. The process is the same, regardless! Tonight, I chose a whole grain dough. For the filling, I felt like a sweet and savory combo so I chose golden raisins and black beans with bold spices like cumin and garlic.

To start, either soak your beans overnight or boil for 10 minutes and soak for 1 hour, covered. Once you’re ready to cook, cut some bell pepper and onion, mince some garlic, and have your seasonings on standby. Heat a small amount of oil on medium high heat and cook the bell pepper and onion for a couple minutes followed by the garlic. They should soften but not gain any color.

Add the canned tomato and chilies and drained black beans.

Add 2-3 cups of water and simmer, covered for an hour or so until the beans are tender. You want them to not have much excess liquid which means you have to keep an eye on them during cooking to make sure they don’t get TOO dry.

While the beans are cooking, prepare your dough. Cold butter for this one! I like to use a food processor because it is faster and also easier to keep the dough cool. Add the flours, salt, and cold butter (cut into tablespoons) into your food processor. Pulse until the butter is incorporated.

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Add the egg and turn on your food processor. Drizzle in the water until just incorporated.

Place the dough in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes. It works best to allow the filling to cool slightly before filling your empanadas but it is fine if the filling is still quite warm.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Turn your dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press it together. Divide the dough into 10-12 equal pieces. It is best to cut the dough as opposed to tearing it. I used a tortilla press but you can also use a rolling pin. Add flour as needed to prevent sticking and flatten your dough pieces into 1/8-1/4 inch thick circles.

Now to fill them! Hold a circle in the palm of your hand and spoon about 2-3 tablespoons of filling into the center. Fold in half and start pinching from one end to close the seam. Fold each pinch inward as you move along the edge of the empanada to make a rope-like pattern. Each pinch should fold over the end of the previous pinch.

You can also just press the edges together to seal but this method both looks nicer and holds better. Repeat with the remaining circles. If you end up with excess filling, serve it over rice, a salad, or with chips! Place your empanadas on a baking sheet or silicone mat and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

If you’re like me, waiting to eat them is the hard part but I HIGHLY recommend giving these a few minutes before digging in!

I’m telling you, if you have never had raisins in savory dishes you are totally missing out. They absorb liquid so they have tons of flavor and the sticky, chewy, sweetness adds such an amazing layer to both taste and texture. Hope you all enjoy!

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