These bean and cheese empanadas are a delicious vegetarian appetizer recipe. Gluten-free corn dough filled with refried black beans and white cheese and fried in a half-circle.

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About Bean and Cheese Empanadas

Empanadas are a very popular food in Costa Rica, both because they are easy to make at home, but also because you can buy empanadas on the street in practically every location imaginable.

Bean and cheese empanadas (empanada de frijol con queso) are a popular vegetarian type of empanada. Most other empanadas just have a single filling, but the bean and cheese are a fun take on the traditional filling. In Costa Rica, we generally use refried black beans flavored with Salsa Lizano and a salty homemade white cheese. 

When I make these in the States I just add a little bit of salt to the gluten-free empanada dough and then use mozzarella. 

Bean and Cheese Empanadas Recipe

Ingredients:

• tortilla press
• pan for frying
• cooking oil for frying
• 2 cups Maseca
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1.5 cups water
• 8 slices of mozzarella
• 1 cup of Costa Rican refried black beans

Instructions:

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together Maseca with the salt. Add water and combine to make your empanada dough. Combine until there is no visible flour.

Make 8 equal-sized dough balls. Press each one into a circle in your tortilla press.

Now you will fill the empanadas. I place one slice of mozzarella on half of the empanada dough circle, then put about 2 tablespoons of the bean filling on top.

Seal each empanada shut with your finger, making sure there isn’t a hole. If there is, the empanada will fill with oil when you cook and it’s not too delicious.

Heat the cooking oil in a pan until it’s about medium-hot. Place as many empanadas as will comfortably fit in the pan (meaning they can fry without touching) and fry for 5-7 minutes. Your bean and cheese empanadas should be golden brown on the outside but the dough should be thoroughly cooked on the inside.

Drain excess oil and serve.

Additional Costa Rican Black Bean Recipes:

• Black Bean Empanada
• Costa Rican Style Slow Cooker Black Beans
• Costa Rican Black Bean Soup Recipe

Substitutions

You can experiment with the types of cheese you want to use in the empanada. You can also use different cooking oils such as canola oil or peanut oil. That just comes down to personal preference.

I sometimes use queso fresco or queso panela in place of mozzarella.

You can buy Costa Rican refried black beans in a can. 

So many filling substitutions! Here are a few of my favorite Costa Rican empanada recipes:

• Potato Empanada Recipe
• Cheese Empanadas
• Shredded Beef Empanadas

Did you know we have dessert empanadas too? 

• Costa Rican Pineapple Empanadas
• Dulce de Leche Empanadas
• Empanadas de Chiverre

Variations

You can top these empanadas with shredded green cabbage and then squirt mayonnaise and ketchup all over the top. This becomes an empanada arreglada! You generally eat an empanada arreglada with a fork. And lots of napkins.

Serving Suggestions

Serve with good company. I like to make a bunch of different types of empanadas with all the odds and ends in the fridge. Then we eat them with coffee, tea, agua dulce or another type of hot drink. 

I even make a huge batch for dinner and we eat them with butternut squash soup or a big salad. Makes a nice vegetarian recipe- especially during Lent!

Our most popular Costa Rican recipes:

• Costa Rican Arroz con Pollo Recipe
• Costa Rican Black Bean Dip Recipe
• Traditional Costa Rican Gallo Pinto Recipe
• Costa Rican Tres Leches Recipe

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