When we moved to Florida almost two summers ago, I fully expected to fall in love with daily views of palm trees, sunny winter mornings, and all the vitamin d. All of those things are true, with an added bonus, falling head over heels in love with Cuban food.
Living in Tampa has fully immersed us in local Cuban cuisine, from finding our favorite mom & pop sandwich stands, to trying every empanada and picadillo recipe throughout the city to find out favorite. Please don’t get me started on the tostones and yucca fries dunked in garlicky-cilantro sauce. I could swim in bowls of it for days.
Empanadas are sold everywhere here, from Cuban bakeries, the deli department at the grocery, and even some pizza shops, too! You can buy the empanada dough in sheets and pre-cut rounds in the freezer section too. I’ve had fun utilizing that option, and making my own at home, filling them with ground chicken or turkey, raisins, green olives, and a flavorful tomato sauce. I’ll link some authentic recipes that I love here, and here, for you to try.
Today I’m sharing my recipe for a breakfast empanada! They’re filled with eggs, veggies, black beans, melty cheese, and Jones Dairy Farm All Natural Golden Brown Turkey Sausage. Jones Dairy Farm Turkey Sausage is packed full of flavor with minimal ingredients, browns beautifully, isn’t greasy, and has no additives or preservatives. I love using the turkey sausage in this recipe because it works so well with the flavor of the peppers, onion, and black beans, too. You can find a list of Jones Dairy Farm products near you, here.
This blog is done in long term partnership with Jones Dairy Farm. Thank you for supporting thatswhatsheeats, all thoughts, opinions, and recipes are my own.
I utilize frozen empanada dough, but you can make your own with the recipe linked here. After sautéing the Turkey Sausage in a skillet, I brown peppers and onions, add black beans, the chopped turkey links, and scramble in eggs and cheese. Once the mixture is cool enough to touch, spoon about two tablespoons of filling into the middle of each wrapper, and fold over, sealing with the press of a fork, or braiding over, whichever you prefer. I like to brush my empanadas with egg wash and bake until golden brown.
What do I need to make this recipe!?
– empanada dough
– ingredients for the filling, eggs, cheese, sausage, and veggies that you love
– a baking sheet
While they bake, I blend up a cilantro & garlic yogurt sauce for dipping, and breakfast is ready. These empanadas reheat well throughout the week and are perfect to store in the freezer to grab and go a few weeks from now! The recipe is really versatile, so feel free to add whatever you have in the fridge, like zucchini, spinach, mushroom, whatever vegetables you like. All you need for this recipe is a baking sheet with non-stick spray or parchment, a skillet, and a small scoop or tablespoon for filling. Let’s Dig In!
Breakfast Sausage Empanadas
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
Description
Inspired by savory Cuban Empanadas, with a breakfast filling.
Ingredients
1 package Jones Dairy Farm All Natural Golden Brown Turkey Sausage
1 package frozen empanada dough, roughly 16 empanadas
3 eggs, beaten, with 1 tablespoon set aside to brush on top
½ cup black beans
1/3 cup bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup onion, diced
½ cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 T olive oil
Cilantro Yogurt
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup olive oil
2 tsp salt
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400. In a large skillet, add olive oil, and sauté Turkey Sausage for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from pan and let cool, then chop.
2. In the same skillet, add peppers, onions, and sauté for 2-3 minutes until translucent, then adding the black beans and chopped sausage, heating through for another 2-3 minutes. Push mixture to the side, and turn heat to low, adding scrambled eggs, and cheese. Cover the pan and let cook through for 5 minutes, then mix all ingredients together and remove from heat.
3. Once mixture is cool to the touch, spoon 2 tablespoons of filling into the middle of each empanada wrapper, and fold over to close. Press the edges down with a fork for a crimped look or roll over to make a braided look. Brush the tops with the remaining beaten egg, and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
4. While the empanadas are in the oven, blend the sauce. Add yogurt, cilantro, garlic, salt, and olive oil to a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. Serve with warm empanadas and enjoy!
Keywords: empanadas, breakfast
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do and can’t wait to see you make it in your home! Be sure to tag me on Instagram, @thatswhatsheeats, so I can keep up with your foodie journe
Thanks for reading,
-Aubrey
#thatswhatsheeats