Sweet Potato & Cream Cheese Empanadas {Recipe}

Recently, I’ve been making a lot of empanadas at our house, which we call pastelillos. My kids are really loving the pastelillos de pizza (pizza empanadas) I introduced to them and they’re also fond of pastelillos de queso (cheese empanadas). The other day I wanted to play with the flavor of sweet potatoes to see if I could get the kids to eat more of them and thought about adding cream cheese to them. They’re already fans of cream cheese, so I figured this combination would work well. I was not disappointed and am rather surprised at just how tasty these sweet potato and cream cheese empanadas turned out! Try them for yourself with the easy recipe below!

Sweet Potato & Cream Cheese Empanadas Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled, cubed, and rinsed
• Salt, to taste
• Cinnamon, to taste
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• Empanada discs, 1 package thawed per instructions – Depending on where you live, you may find these in the freezer section with other Latin/Caribbean products.
• Olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place sweet potatoes in a microwave steam cooking bag and steam according to directions. I steamed my potatoes for 6-7 minutes, but you should adjust the time depending on how full the bag is and what the directions suggest. (Alternatively, boil the sweet potatoes until fork-tender.)
3. Pour sweet potatoes into a large bowl and begin to mash.
4. Add salt and cinnamon to taste. Continue mashing, making sure to mix ingredients.
5. Line empanada discs on baking sheet, leaving ample space between each one.
6. Add about 1 Tbsp of mashed sweet potatoes to an empanada disc. Then, layer desired amount of cream cheese on top.
7. Fold each empanada disc half-way to make a half-moon shape and pinch closed with a fork around the edge.
8. Brush each empanada around the edges and over the top with a little olive oil and bake in preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. (Note: You can fry your empanadas too, which is how they are traditionally cooked.)

Enjoy your empanadas as an appetizer, quick snack, or fun way to get the kids to eat sweet potatoes! You can even serve these with a sauce or dip of your liking for a different taste.

What is your favorite empanada flavor or recipe?

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™