Butternut Squash Goat Cheese Empanadas with avocado dipping sauce are the ideal hearty, warm, and cheesy vegetarian handheld pies. Filled with plenty of vegetables and tangy goat cheese, the flavors dance across your taste buds in the best way! Going vegetarian for a night has never been tastier.
For me, butternut squash is not one of those vegetables I bust out only when it first comes in season back in fall.
I am a HUGE fan of butternut squash all year long, particularly when I am going for a vegetarian option for lunch or dinner. It’s hearty and flavorful, with just the right amount of sweetness.
Not to mention the squash pairs so well with so many different preparations and ingredients, it’s quite versatile.
You get a whole lot of that butternut squash goodness in every bite of these tangy and savory empanadas!
This is quite honestly my favorite vegetarian meal option I’ve made in a long time. The squash and beans pair together in a hearty way (just like these roasted butternut squash black bean tacos!) so you feel nice and full once you gobble them up.
However, with the jalapeño and spice mixture that’s tucked inside, you get a tasty punch of spice and a heat that lingers on the back of your tongue between bites.
Then there’s the goat cheese. Now you all know I LOVE goat cheese, so that tang is oh-so appreciated to shake things up inside these baked empanadas.
Seriously, it’s so so good. Then it’s pushed over the top of goodness with the avocado dipping sauce that provides the right cooling elements to balance out the heat of the spices and jalapeño inside.
When it comes to making a simple dinner, this is definitely the one to make. It’s so easy and comes together in about an hour, with about 50 minutes of that being passive cooking time.
That means you get to sit down and enjoy a glass of wine with a good book!
Who says you can’t get a little “me time” while you cook?
Are you tired of the dinner routine?
Stuck in a rut or looking for fun new recipes to try?
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Tip: You may also like our grilled squash with chili crisp recipe or this pastelitos de hongos recipe from Karla Tatiana Vasquez’s SalviSoul Cookbook.
Butternut Squash Goat Cheese Empanadas Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Avocado peeled and pitted
- 1/2 cup Fresh Cilantro Leaves
- 3/4 cup Sour Cream
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Lime Juice
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 cup White Onion diced
- 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cayenne Pepper
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 1/2 cups Black Beans drained and rinsed
- 3 cups Diced Butternut Squash
- 1 Jalapeño seeded and minced
- Salt and Pepper For the Empanadas
- 2 Refrigerated Pie Crust
- 1/3 cup Goat Cheese crumbled
- 1 large Egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300˚F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a food processor or a high-speed blender, add avocados, cilantro, sour cream, milk, salt, black pepper, and lime juice. Purée until smooth. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add onion, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Cook until onions are softened, approximate 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic, cooking until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add butternut squash, beans, and jalapeño. Cook until squash is cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Roll out pie crusts to be about 1/8-inch thick. Cut 4-inch circles in the dough. Add a tablespoon or so of the squash mixture to the center of each circle. Sprinkle with goat cheese crumbles, even distributing between the circles.
- Fold each circle over the filling, forming a half-moon shape. Crimp the edges with a fork. Add empanadas to the sheet pans, spacing them apart evenly.
- Add egg and 1 Tablespoon water to a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Brush the tops of the empanadas with the egg mixture.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm with avocado dipping sauce.
Notes
- I used store-bought pie crusts, but you can use homemade if you would like.