If you have a hungry crew, you're in luck! This shrimp sausage pasta recipe makes enough for at least 8 VERY hungry adults. Leftovers rock too! We know you're busy so let's bring on the 30 Minute Meals with easy clean up too.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Shrimp - peeled and deveined. We like to use large (around 30 to 40 shrimp per pound) shrimp or prawns.

Fresh uncooked Italian sausage - we used a mild Italian sausage so we could control how spicy the dish is.  Are you a "Chili Head"? Use the HOT Italian sausage - It's so good. You can use sausage links but sausage not in the casing is even more convenient. Andouille sausage, chicken sausage or chorizo are all delicious substitutions. If you decide to use pre-cooked sausage links, you can just slice and brown them in the pot.

Dried Pasta (uncooked noodles) - Don't you just love corkscrew or fusilli pasta (rotini)? This shape holds the sauce in all the delicious swirls. However, you can use any shaped noodle you desire or even broken spaghetti like in our vegan One Pot Creamy Kale Pesto recipe.

Cooking time may change slightly depending on what shaped noodle you are using. We have not tested this recipe with gluten-free pasta but that is also an option. If you need to keep this shrimp and sausage pasta recipe gluten-free, choose a good brand of gluten-free pasta that does not break up when cooked with sauce.

Chicken broth - or you can use vegetable or bone broth to cook the pasta - all in one pot.

Dairy-free or Dairy of choice - Just a little splash is all you need. It mellows out the tomatoes and makes the pasta a little saucy. You can make this one pot wonder with or without cream and substitute your dairy alternative of choice. We used almond milk. The purpose of the almond milk is to give the sauce a little creamy richness just like in our Tagliatelle alla Bolognese.

Tomatoes - Canned (tinned) tomatoes are one of our household staples. We always have around so we can throw together a quick chicken tortilla soup or a rustic chicken cacciatore. In addition, we also added garden vine ripe tomatoes at the end to add a pop of freshness.

Seasoning & Aromatics

Onions and Garlic - but of course, right? If you are out of the fresh ingredients, you could use a little onion and garlic powder.

Smoked Paprika (pimentón)- is key to making this shrimp and sausage pasta flavorful. It's both smoky and spicy because it is made from smoked peppers that are dried over oak fires. We're all about using what you have on hand. However, if you have the option of a smoky paprika - choose that one. As you probably already know, there are 3 types of paprika

1. Regular paprika - very mild in flavor
2. 8 different types of Hungarian paprika
3. Spanish Paprika - this one is the one we used and it's a little smoky and mildly spicy.

Even Spanish paprika can differ. There are mild, mildly spicy, and spicy options. A viable substitute for smoked paprika is crushed ancho powder or chipotle powder.

Dried Red Pepper Flakes - add as much or as little as you desire. You can skip it if you prefer your dishes mild.

Spinach - yep, we are sneaky like that! Adding vegetables into the spicy fusilli pasta. The heat from the pasta cooks the spinach right before serving. Is it required? No- but we try to sneak into vegetables into recipes that the kids love.

Step by Step

• Season the shrimp with smoked paprika and salt and pepper.
• Add a little olive oil to a Dutch oven or large pot with lid.
• Sear shrimp on both sides until no longer translucent. Remove from pot.

• Add the onions and garlic and fry until aromatic.
• Remove sausage from casing and add to the pot and fry until golden brown.

• Add the chicken broth, canned tomatoes and almond milk to the pot.

• Add the pasta and cover. Check on the noodles at the 6 minute mark. Stir and access if you need to add more broth. Simmer for a total 12 to 14 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.

• Turn off the burner and add fresh tomatoes, cooked shrimp, and fresh spinach.
• Stir and serve.

Equipment

Do you have a large soup kettle or Dutch oven with a lid? That is all you will need for to make a delicious shrimp and sausage pasta. Our Dutch oven was a 5.5-quart size capacity.

Why does one pot pasta get saucy?

Did you know that pasta releases starches when it cooks? If you have ever boiled noodles in a pot before, did you notice how the water gets cloudy? Those are the starches. When you cook your noodles separately, most of those starches are drained into the sink.

However, when you cook a one-pot pasta, all the starches stay in the cooking vessel. This creates a luxurious creamy sauce along with the tomatoes and dairy free or dairy of choice.

What to serve with it?

A tossed garden salad with our Lemon White Balsamic Vinaigrette would pair nicely as a simple side dish. If you decide to serve this shrimp and Italian sausage noodle dish while entertaining, try our Bruschetta as a starter and our individual serving Rich and Creamy Tiramisu for dessert.

Recipe Tips

• Choose a heavy-duty large pot (5.5 quart) with a well-fitting lid or Dutch oven to prepare your smoky paprika pasta.
• Do not overcook the shrimp! Remove the shrimp from the pan straight away after they are cooked. The heat from the pan, even off the heat, will continue to cook the shrimp.
• Removing the Italian sausage links from the casing allows all those delicious flavors and spices to mingle in the corkscrew pasta.
• One you have all your ingredients into the pot bring in up to a boil and then turn your burner down to a simmer.
• Stir your noodles mid-way in the cooking process to access and prevent sticking and check for tenderness of pasta.
• If you have had your burner on too high and most of liquid has disappeared during the halfway point, add ½ cup more chicken broth to the pot. Make sure it is on simmer.
• Each brand or type of noodle may have a slightly different cooking time depending on the thickness of the noodle.
• The sauce will thicken even more after it is done cooking, just like our one pot tortellini. A little brothy sauce is a good thing.
• If there is still too much liquid after the noodles are al dente, just open the lid to your cooking pot. Cook pasta for a minute or 2 or just until it is just saucy. However, we have found that if you just leave the dish sit off the heat for a minute it will thicken up on its own.

Variations

• Make it cheesy by adding in a little parmesan cheese at the end of the cooking process.
• You can also substitute real milk or cream for the almond milk if you do not have a dairy sensitivity.
• Experiment with different shapes of short noodles. We love fusilli pasta (also known as rotini). All the delicious flavors cling to the little curves of the corkscrew.
• If your family likes spicy food, try adding andouille sausage, chorizo, or even hot Italian sausage instead of mild sausage.
• Keep the recipe a little lower fat by using turkey sausage.
• Do you need a low carb or keto diet version? You may want to try our Low Carb Shrimp and Sausage Skillet with load of veggies.
• You can also make it vegan by substituting the Italian sausage and shrimp with mushrooms and a vegetable broth. Then, add herbs and spices like fennel seeds and Italian seasoning.

Storage Recommendations

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Just heat up the leftovers in the microwave or in a pot to enjoy. If the noodles absorbed most of the sauce, you could add a tablespoon of water or so to help loosen it back up.

Alternatively, you can freeze your leftover shrimp and sausage pasta in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.

Is it a goulash?

This easy one pot recipe was a huge hit with our family. We hope your family loves it too. We placed the Dutch oven pot on a hot pad right on the kitchen table to serve it up family style. The first thing they asked was, "Is this a goulash?" You know it could be called a sausage goulash or Italian or Spanish pasta recipe. However, no matter what you want to call it, we call it delicious.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

Are you ready to make a 30 minute easy saucy sausage pasta recipe your whole family will love? Let's get cooking!

More Delicious Pasta Recipes

Mini Sweet Roasted Pepper Pasta

Speedy Spinach Pesto Pasta

Creamy Kimchi Pasta

One Pot Paprika Pork

Camote Bihon (Sweet Potato Noodles)

Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.

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One Pot Shrimp and Sausage Pasta

One Pot Shrimp and Sausage Pasta is a quick and easy weekday meal made with paprika shrimps, Italian sausage, corkscrew pasta, spinach, tomatoes, and a dairy free red sauce.

Course Mains

Cuisine Italian, Spanish

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 469kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Equipment

• 1 Large Dutch oven or soup pot with lid. (best if at least 5.5 quarts)

Ingredients

• 1 pound shrimp large (peeled and deveined)
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika reserve 1 teaspoon for the pasta
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 1 onion peeled and chopped - small
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic peeled and minced
• 1 pound Italian Sausage
  mild or can exchange with hot Italian sausage
• 3.5 cups chicken broth reserve ½ cup for midway of the cooking process. Low sodium.
• ½ cup almond milk or dairy or non-dairy of choice
• 14.5 ounce tomatoes diced (canned/tinned)
• 1 pound pasta fusilli (rotini, corkscrew) or pasta noodle of choice
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes or to your desired heat level

Toppings

• 2 cups spinach
  fresh
• 2 large tomatoes
  fresh chopped
• basil or parsley to garnish (optional)
• parmesan cheese optional - we omitted this as we do not do well with dairy.

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Season the shrimp with 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (reserve the other teaspoon for the pasta), salt and pepper.
• Add olive oil to a large pot that has a tight fitting lid (at least 5.5 quart). Sear shrimps over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until no longer translucent. Remove shrimp from the pot and set aside.
• Place the onions and garlic into the same pot you cooked the shrimp. Cook for a minute or until aromatic. Squeeze the Italian sausage links out of the casings right into the onion and garlic mixture. Break up the sausage with your spatula and fry for about 3 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Add 3 cups of chicken broth (reserve ½ cup for midway of the cooking process), canned tomatoes, almond milk (dairy or non-dairy of choice), and the dry uncooked pasta to the pot.
• Season the sausage pasta in the pot with 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, dried crushed red pepper flakes (to your desired spice level) and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 6 minutes.
• At the 6 minute mark, open the lid of the pot and stir the sausage pasta. Is the pasta sticking or is all the liquid almost absorbed - if so, add the remaining ½ cup of chicken broth. If there is still liquid in the pot and the pasta is not sticking, there is no need to add the remaining chicken broth.

  Keep heat on simmer and continue cooking for another 6 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Total cook time of approximately 12 to 14 minutes - depending on the type of pasta used. Turn heat off. If you have an electric cooktop, also remove pot from the burner.
• Add the fresh spinach, chopped FRESH tomatoes and cooked shrimp. Stir just until the spinach wilts.
• Garnish with basil, parsley and or parmesan cheese if desired.

Video

Notes

Recipe Tips

• Choose a heavy-duty large pot (5.5 quart) with a well-fitting lid or Dutch oven to prepare your smoky paprika pasta.
• Do not overcook the shrimp! Remove the shrimp from the pan straight away after they are cooked. The heat from the pan, even off the heat, will continue to cook the shrimp.
• Removing the Italian sausage links from the casing allows all those delicious flavors and spices to mingle in the corkscrew pasta.
• One you have all your ingredients into the pot bring in up to a slight boil and then turn your burner down to a simmer.
• Stir your pasta mid-way in the cooking process to access and prevent sticking and check for tenderness of pasta.
• If you have had your burner on too high and most of liquid has disappeared during the halfway point, add ½ cup more chicken broth to the pot. Make sure it is on simmer.
• Each brand or type of pasta may have a slightly different cooking time depending on the thickness of the noodle.
• The sauce will thicken even more after it is done cooking. A little brothy sauce is a good thing.
• If there is still too much liquid after the noodles are al dente, just open the lid to your cooking pot. Cook pasta for a minute or 2 or until the pasta is just saucy. However, we have found that if you just leave the pasta sit off the heat for a minute it will thicken up on its own.

Storage Recommendations

Refrigerate leftover pasta in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Just heat up the leftovers in the microwave or in a pot to enjoy. If the pasta absorbed most of the sauce, you could add a tablespoon of water or so to help loosen it back up.

Alternatively, you can freeze your leftover shrimp and sausage pasta in a freezer save container for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 469kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 485mg | Potassium: 671mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1831IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2mg

The post One Pot Shrimp and Sausage Pasta appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

Spiced Pumpkin and Date Empanadas (hand pies) are like taking a bite of autumn without all the guilt. Delicately sweetened with date paste and baked instead of fried. Delicate flaky pie dough followed by a creamy spiced pumpkin bite that is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

It's Officially Pumpkin Everything Now!

We have been busy baking our Healthy Pumpkin Muffins and Easy Pumpkin Empanadas. It's this special time of the year that is cool enough to actually turn on the oven. We crave nourishing and warming spices and enjoy all that the fall harvest has to offer. A delicious bowl of comforting Roasted Chestnut Pumpkin Risotto is like getting a warm hug from your mom.

If you are getting ready to carve your pumpkin, do not throw out your seeds. The boys love Roasted Cajun Pumpkin Seeds even more than candy on Halloween. If you want a grab and go snack for work or school lunches be sure to try our Easy Roasted Pepitas.

Why You Are Going to Love Easy Pumpkin Empanadas

The first bite is like taking a bite into autumn as it has a of the flavors that remind you of the change of seasons. First the buttery, flaky and delicate crust is the first to hit your palate followed by the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, mace and nutmeg which is a perfect complement to the slightly sweet and spiced pumpkin.

The dates add another dimension of flavor and give this dessert a delicate natural sweetness just like our apple oatmeal date cookies.  Delicious either hot out of the oven or at room temperature.

You can pick up a spiced pumpkin and date empanadas with one hand and have an Instant Pot Apple Cider (or something a little stronger for the adults) in the other. If you want to try a Spanish savory version of an empanada be sure to try our Beef Empanadas with our Spicy 5 Minute Chimichurri Sauce.

Portable Convenient Thanksgiving Hand Pies

These delicious mini pumpkin pies are not just for Thanksgiving but for any autumn or winter delicious treat. After all, you can be serving these little date sweetened desserts hot out of the oven in under 30 minutes flat. You got to love that!

The best part about these delicious dessert empanadas is their portability. All you need is one empty hand and you are good to go. If your family gatherings are anything like ours, there is not even a table large enough to sit everyone down for a proper pumpkin pie with messy whipped topping.

Whether you are sitting, standing or walking, everyone can enjoy a delicious bite of a portable pumpkin spice hand pie. They are also fantastic as a dessert to pass.

Traditional Pumpkin Pie vs Pumpkin Empanada?

Unlike baking a whole pumpkin pie that can take up to an hour to bake, our Easy Pumpkin Empanadas only take about 18 minutes to bake. Traditional whole pumpkin pies are made with a ton of sugar and lots of dairy.

Little hand pies can help with portion control. In addition, no plates to wash. We used NO REFINED sugar in our little mini pumpkin pies, but instead replaced it with natural date paste and a little honey. Dairy is not our friend. Instead, we used just a little non-dairy almond milk in the pumpkin mix.

So, there you have it! The main difference between a traditional pumpkin pie and a pumpkin empanada is that the hand pies are a heck of lot easier to make and a little healthier too.

Time Saving Empanada Hacks

1. Use refrigerator pie dough in a box. They have 2 pie crusts and are usually around 14 oz (396 grams) for a box. If you need a gluten free pie crust, be sure to try Fearless Dining's Gluten Free Pie Crust Recipe. Please note that a gluten-free crust is more finicky than a regular crust to work with so be patients and roll between 2 sheets of waxed paper.
2. Assemble your pumpkin hand pies in advance and freeze them before baking. Then, on the day that your guests arrive, you can bake them for about 25- 28 minutes straight from the freezer to the oven. They need a little extra time in the oven, if frozen.
3. Buy and use pre-made pumpkin pie spice blend at the grocery store. (We have included a recipe if you choose to make your own below).
4. Purchase date paste or make in advance at home and store in the refrigerator for all of your baking needs.

How to Make Homemade Date Paste

1. Boil water enough to cover the dates
2. Let dates set in hot water for about 15 minutes or just until softened.
3. Drain water from dates but reserve the water to help thin out the paste. (
4. Place dates in food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
5. Date paste can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container for about 1 month. Date paste can last up to 6 months in the freezer in a freezer safe container or baggies.
6. Consider making 2 cups worth so you can have extra on hand to add to your oatmeal and other baked treats.

How to Make Pumpkin Empanadas

1. Mix plain pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice mix, salt, almond milk, honey and date paste until well incorporated. 
2. Roll out your pre-made refrigerator pie crusts a little thinner.
3. Find a round bowl or large cup as your stencil and cut into circles. The size bowl we used was 5.5 inches (14 cm).  You want your round stencil it to be big enough for your pie to fit in one hand but not so small that it is difficult to stuff and seal.
4. Use your bowl or cup as a stencil and cut with a butter knife around.
5. Egg wash the ends of the round circles to help seal the Easy Pumpkin Empanadas with Pie Crusts.
6. Place about 1-2 tablespoons of date sweetened pumpkin pie filling over ½ of the pie crust. Keep at least 1 inch away from the sides. Do not overfill as it will be VERY difficult to close and seal the hand pie. The amount of pie filling needed for each depends on how big of a bowl stencil you used.
7. Fold the empanada in half and press down with your fingers to seal around the edges.
8. Next, either use your fork to crimp the edges and seal or use a fold over technique as shown in the video below.
9. Use a fork to place a couple of holes in the top of the crust so the steam has some place to escape during the baking process.
10. Brush the tops with a little egg wash and bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
11. If you like you can eat plain on the go or with a little Homemade Coconut Whipped Cream on top.

Healthish Empanadas

Traditionally, empanadas are fried.  Do you like fried foods or dealing with the aftermath in the kitchen? We thought not. Instead, we opted to bake to save on fat and calories and clean up was a snap.

Our Spiced Pumpkin filling is made without any refined sugar. Instead, we used natural date paste and a little raw honey to delicately sweeten the pumpkin. Refined sugars, like granulated sugars and brown sugars, can cause your glucose levels to spike and then crash. Dates are less likely to cause a spike in your blood glucose levels according to NIH.

In addition, dates are high in fiber, iron and most importantly are delicious. Did you know there are over 200 different types of dates? Wow! You can use whatever is convenient for you just make sure they are pitted so that it is less work for you. If you live near a Middle Eastern Market, they usually have date paste already made in packages. This is super convenient.

If you have Chinese Red dates, be sure to try our Goji Berry and Red Dates Herbal Tea or you can make jujube paste. The perfect tea to nourish your body and revitalize your blood during the change of seasons.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

More Autumn Desserts

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins (Dairy Free and Sugar Free)

Chinese Pear Dessert Soup 

Best Orange Almond Flourless Cake

Apple Pie Pot Stickers

Easy Peasy Baked Apples

Coconut Rice Pudding with Cardamon Spiced Honey Pears

Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.

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Easy Pumpkin Empanadas

Easy Pumpkin Empanadas with pie crust are date sweetened, dairy free and can be on your dessert table in under 30 minutes.  Perfect hand pies for autumn. Learn our hacks for sealing empanadas and recipe shortcuts.

Course Desserts

Cuisine Spanish

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Total Time 28 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Calories 244kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Equipment

• baking sheet

Ingredients

Pumpkin Empanadas

• 14 oz pie crust dough pre-made refrigerator pie crust dough (found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Each package usually contains 2 individually wrapped crusts.)
• ⅓ cup flour all purpose to keep dough from sticking
• 15 oz pumpkin puree plain
• 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  recipe below
• ¼ teaspoon salt
  
• ½ cup date paste (about 16 dates (113 grams) or ½ cup tightly packed dates soaked in hot water for 15 minutes then pureed with ⅛ of the water until smooth)
• 3 tablespoon honey (or other sugar substitute of choice)
• 2 tablespoon almond milk or dairy free creamer
  or dairy or non-dairy of choice
• 1 egg beaten
• 2 tablespoon date sugar optional - for sugar cinnamon topping
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon optional - for sugar cinnamon topping

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice (skip if using store bought)

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  dried ground
• 2 teaspoon ginger
  dried ground
• ½ teaspoon cloves
  dried ground
• ½ teaspoon allspice
  dried ground
• ½ teaspoon mace
  dried ground
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg dried ground

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make Pumpkin filling

• Pumpkin Spice: If using store bought or pre-made pumpkin pie spice, skip this step. If you want to make homemade pumpkin spice, add dried cinnamon, ginger, cloves, all spice, mace and nutmeg in a bowl. Reserve 2 teaspoons for recipe and store the remaining in a sealed container for up to one year.
• Date Paste: If using store bought or pre-made date paste, skip this step. If you want to make homemade date paste, check out our recipe. https://www.hwcmagazine.com/recipe/how-to-make-date-paste/
• Mix pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, salt, puree dates, honey and almond milk or dairy or non-dairy of choice together in a bowl until well incorporated. Set Aside
  

Assemble Easy Pumpkin Empanadas

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C)
• Open up refrigerated pie crusts. These come in a box in the refrigerator section of your grocery store. Generally speaking, there will be 2individually wrapped pie crust in each box. You will be using both of them.  Flour your work surface and rolling pin. Gently roll pie dough crust a little thinner.
  
• Find a round bowl or large cup as your stencil and cut into circles. The size bowl we used was 5.5 inches (14 cm).  You want your round stencil it to be big enough for your pie to fit in one hand but not so small that it is difficult to stuff and seal.
• Use your bowl or cup as a stencil and cut around the edges with a butter knife. Remove excess dough. Roll all excess dough into a ball. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until all of the pie crust dough is used.  Make as many round circles as you can with the pie dough. We made 10 circles.
  
• Brush beaten egg around the edge of the round pie crust dough circles. The egg will help seal the Easy Pumpkin Empanadas.
• Place about 1-2 tablespoons of date sweetened pumpkin pie filling over ½ of the pie crust. Keep at least 1 inch away from the sides. Do not overfill as it will be VERY difficult to close and seal the hand pie. The amount of pie filling needed for each depends on how big of a bowl stencil you used.
  
• Fold the empanada in half and press down with your fingers to seal around the edges.
• Next, either use your fork to crimp the edges and seal or use a fold over technique as shown in the video below.
  
• Use a fork to place a couple of holes in the top of the crust so the steam has some place to escape during the baking process.
• Brush the tops with a little egg wash and bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
  
• OPTIONAL: Mix date sugar (or alternative sweetener and cinnamon in a little bowl) Sprinkle pumpkin empanadas with a little date sugar and cinnamon, if desired.
• Enjoy! Can be served hot out of the oven or room temperature
  

Video

Notes

Easy Pumpkin Empanadas can be enjoyed straight out of the oven or at room temperature.

They can be kept at room temperature for 2 hours. Then, they can be stored in the refrigerator up to 3 days. We do not recommend freezing BAKED empanadas as they can get soggy. However, if you want to reheat them, bake them in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 8-10 minutes. Please cover with little sheet of aluminum foil to prevent over browning. 

Time Saver: Assemble your pumpkin hand pies in advance and freeze them BEFORE baking. Then, on the day that your guests arrive, you can bake them for about 25- 28 minutes straight from the freezer to the oven. They need a little extra time in the oven, if frozen.

You can use store bought pie crust instead of making homemade. To save time, you can use store bought pumpkin pie spice and date paste too.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 233mg | Potassium: 180mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 6642IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Easy Pumpkin Empanadas (Date Sweetened) appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

Spicy - Zesty - Garlicky

Really anything that has the description of garlicky, we are in! How about you? In addition, this sauce is low carb so we have been slathering it on everything.

This is going to be a quick, down and dirty post as this sauce takes only 5 minutes to prepare so all you need to do is to scroll down to check out the ingredient list and you are good to go. Chimichurri sauce is a fresh sauce made primarily from parsley, garlic, red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. We added in a little fresh red chili along with dried red pepper flakes to give it an extra kick.

Spanish Tapas Party

This week we are celebrating a Spanish Tapas party and you are invited. Have you had a chance to check out our Beef Empanadas recipe? Spicy 5 Minute Chimichurri Sauce is the perfect fresh topping for these flaky crusted spicy beef empanadas.

With the holidays around the corner, a Spanish Tapas party is always a good idea. Delicious little treats like our Spanish meatballs, a tray of Spanish meats, cheeses and olives, beef empanadas and sangrias make for an easy and fun gathering theme. Don't forget dessert! Our Best Orange Almond Flourless Cake is the perfect sweet ending to a fun evening.

Spicy or Mild?

The best part about making your own Spicy 5 Minute Chimichurri Sauce is you can make it as spicy or mild as you like it. Try this spicy sauce on our Thai Style Grilled Flank Steaks for one delicious bite.

We have had chimichurri sauce literally all over our hands in Bangkok, Thailand at the El Gaucho steakhouse. Yep, you guessed it. They used those little but mighty bird chilies in the mix.

Felt like a fire breathing dragon after our first bite, but so tasty. If you like the idea of adding a little heat to your recipes, be sure to try our homemade Asian chili garlic sauce.

Traditional Chimichurri Sauce

The best way to make chimichurri sauce is to chop your ingredients by hand. You can, if you wish, throw the fresh vegetable ingredients to be chopped in a food processor.

However, do not add the oil and vinegar to the mix. This should always be added separately as it changes the appearance of the sauce. We would much rather quickly clean a cutting board and knife then to have to hand wash a food processor, knife and a cutting board. That is just how we roll.

How to Use Spicy Chimichurri Sauce?

Our favorite way to eat chimichurri sauce is drizzled on…

Steaks

Eggs

Empanadas

Fish

Marinade for poultry and meats

Topping for chili and soups

In your favorite Italian salad dressing

Marinade for fresh mozzarella balls

Sauce for pasta with fresh tomatoes

And the list goes on.

What is your favorite way to eat chimichurri sauce? 

Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.

Thai Recipes

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Spicy 5 Minute Chimichurri Sauce

Spicy 5 Minute Chimichurri Sauce is your new go to gluten-free and vegan GREEN SAUCE you are going to want to slather on everything from steaks, empanadas to eggs.

Course Sauces and Dressings

Cuisine Spanish

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 125kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Ingredients

• ¾ cup Parsley
  chopped finely - about 2 cups packed not chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic
  peeled and minced
• 1 teaspoon Oregano
  dried
• 1 Red Chili pepper
  finely chopped to taste (optional)
• ½ teaspoon Red pepper flakes
  or to taste
• 3 tablespoon Red wine vinegar
  
• ¾ cup Olive oil
  
• Salt and pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Add finely chopped parsley, garlic, dried oregano, red chili pepper, red pepper flakes, red wine vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
• Let the flavors mingle for 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

Best if used within 24 hours but can store in the refrigerator up to 36 hours and then you should dispose. Fresh chopped garlic does not keep long if not completely submerged in vinegar.

Both flat leaf parsley and curly parsley are okay. Flat leaf is more traditional but use what you have on hand.

Adjust the fresh red chili and dried red chili flakes to your desired heat level. Both are optional.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 125kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 376IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Spicy 5 Minute Chimichurri Sauce appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

Spanish Empanadas are the perfect one handed tapas to serve at a gathering. You are just going to love that first bite into the flaky crust and the hearty savory beef mixture. We love serving our beef empanadas hot out of the oven and with a side of our Spicy 5 Minute Chimichurri Sauce. Your guests are going to love you and your homemade empanadas too!

Spanish Tapas Party

It is Spanish Tapas Night here at Healthy World Cuisine. Pour yourself a tall fruity sangria and come and join the fun. Last week, we started our fun Spanish night with the Best Orange Almond Flourless Cake dessert.

Hey, why not right? Life is short- Eat Dessert first for a sweet ending to your party! Coming soon to a monitor near you will be our fast and easy chimichurri sauce recipe, baked Spanish mushroom tapas. Be sure to check out our recipe for our Spanish Meatballs with Peppers and Tomato Wine Sauce is a hit at any gathering.

History of Empanadas

Empanada treats are prevalent in Spain, Portugal, Latin America, Argentina, Philippines and Caribbean and other places around the world and are a type of stuffed pastry. These delicious stuffed treats are often served at parties or festivals either as a starter or as part of the main meal.

In addition, they have many different fillings depending on where they are originated from. Did you know that they can be either baked or fried. To keep this recipe a little healthier we will be baking them.

Fillings

Traditional fillings include beef, raisins, olives, hard boiled eggs and such. When you are cooking for 25 guests with 25 different taste palates, it is best to exclude those questionable filling like raisins and hard boiled eggs. Instead, we added in red bell pepper and it was a hit. If you like the idea of a hand pie, be sure to try our Easy Pumpkin Empanadas as a dessert option.

Argentina Recipe

We have a very dear friend from Argentina. She makes the most wonderful ground beef empanadas you have ever tasted. A recipe passed on to her from generation to generation is like gold.  You are so lucky.  She has shared her beef filling recipe with us today.  We have never tasted anything that has even come close to it since.

Simplify Your Party Hosting Strategy

We thought about making our own flaky empanada crust for our beef empanadas from scratch as we have done numerous times before. Actually, this beef empanada recipe was first posted back on September 20, 2011 and since then we have learned many lessons along the way.

First important lesson when hosting a gathering is to delegate.

Second important lesson is to do as much as possible in advance.

Third is to simplify everything you can. For example, if you are not feeling up to make individual hand pies, try our simple cheeseburger puff pastry rolls instead.

If you have been following Healthy World Cuisine you may have remembered that we made the empanada dough from scratch. Crazy! Right? Hosting 25 people and making everything from scratch. Actually, that might be referred to as insane. We took a very easy and delicious short cut and used store bought refrigerated pie dough. Yes, we did and no one was the wiser.

Helpful Hints for Making Empanadas for a Crowd

• Buy pre-made pie crusts - you can thank us later
• Make your beef mixture in advance and allow to cool completely before stuffing your empanadas.  We did this the day before and refrigerated the beef filling. The reason being is that the dough will become soggy and your empanadas will be difficult to seal and work with.
• Keep your pie dough refrigerated until just ready to use. If your pie dough gets warm, it becomes difficult to work with and sticks on things and more apt to tear.
• Do NOT over stuff your empanadas. You want to keep about ½ inch away from the sides. If the beef mixture gets on the section you are trying to seal, then it could pop open during the baking of the empanadas.
• You can use the edge of the fork to seal or use the same fold over crimp like you do for a dumpling or pie crust. The edge of the fork is easiest and quickest method. The fold over method is a little more complicated.
• We used egg wash to seal the edges of our beef empanadas and also brushed on top to give a beautiful golden color when baked.
• Make sure you poke a little fork hole near the edge of the empanada to allow the steam to escape, just like you would with an apple pie.
• Pre fill and crimp edges of your beef empanadas and store uncovered in the refrigerator until ready to bake later that day. You can store like this up to 8 hours in advance. As a matter of fact, you will have better results with the baking process if your beef empanadas are chilled 30 minutes before baking. Less likely to pop open during the baking process.
• You can stack up your baking sheets in the refrigerator if you place 2 little tiny bowls that are deeper than your empanadas on each of your baking sheets. (Rocking awesome idea from the hubby!)
• Alternatively, you can stuff your empanadas and crimp. Then, you can place on a baking sheet uncovered and freeze until firm and then place in a freezer safe container up to 3 months. You can then bake directly from the freezer, making sure to give them a quick egg wash before you put them in the oven.
• Beef empanadas can be baked before your guests arrive and eaten at room temperature but we really like them hot out of the oven.
• Once your guests arrive, pour them a fruity sangria and pop your beef empanadas in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and enjoy. Repeat process until your guests are full or you run out of empanadas.
• This beef empanada recipe makes 34 medium sized empanadas. We used about a 5.5 inch bowl to make our pastry circles from the pre-made pie crust. By the time you fold them in half and then crimp, it is the perfect hand held size beef empanada.

Be prepared to be hunted!!!

You may be asking, "What the heck?" Yes, be prepared to be hunted down and stalked like a wild animal once your guests hear the timer for the oven and freshly baked empanadas are coming out of the oven. We have an island in the center of the kitchen and the oven on the opposite side.

As it was quite crowded in the kitchen and living room area, we placed the freshly baked beef empanadas and placed them on a serving platter with a bowl of chimichurri sauce and walked around offering our guests a taste. Little did we know we had a parade of followers trying to catch up to the beef empanadas tray to grab another taste.

Step By Step Beef Empanadas

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

More Appetizer Recipe Ideas

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Beef Empanadas

Easy Beef Empanadas are made with pre-made light and flaky pie crusts stuffed with seasoned ground beef, olives and spices and baked to perfection.

Course Appetizers/ Snacks

Cuisine Spanish

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 34 empanadas

Calories 227kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion chopped
• 4 cloves garlic peeled and minced finely
• 1 pound ground beef
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons water or beef broth or red wine - 3 tablespoons to thin out the tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 cup green pitted olives sliced
• 8 pie crusts 4 pre-made packages (8 unbaked pie crusts)
• 1 egg beaten
• oil spray to prevent sticking on tray
• Spicy 5 Minute Chimichurri Sauce optional

Instructions

• Place oil in frying pan and heat up to medium heat. Add onion and garlic and fry until aromatic. Add ground beef and salt and pepper to taste and cook for about 3-5 minutes until browned. If excess oil, drain the fat from the pan.

  Add chopped red bell pepper, tomato paste, (water, broth or wine to thin out a little), paprika, oregano, cumin and green pitted olives and cook for 2 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed.. You want the mixture to be slightly saucy but not wet as you do not want the empanadas to leak from the crust. Allow Beef mixture to cool.
• Remove the pre-made pie crust from the carton and lie flat on your counter or cutting board. Use a 4 inch bowl to cut out round circles. (We were feeding a huge crowd so we made 34 empanadas). Place a little egg wash or water around the edge of each pie crust circle.

  Place 2 tablespoons cooled beef mixture into each circle on one side. Close the empanada in half. Press your fingers around the edges. Then you can either use a fork to go around the edges to press and seal or crimp the sides by folding over the edges. Take a fork and place a couple of little holes near the crimped edges to allow the steam to escape during the baking process. Continue this same process with the remaining empanadas.
• Place your prepared empanadas in the refrigerator for 30 minutes prior to baking. Pre-heat oven for 375 degree F (190 degrees C) Brush your empanadas with egg wash. Bake Empanadas for 18- 20 minutes uncovered or until golden brown.
• Serve beef empanadas hot out of the oven with an chimichurri sauce if desired. enjoy!
• You can make your beef empanadas up to the point of baking up to 8 hours in advance and store in the refrigerator until your guests arrive and then bake when your guests arrive.

  You may also freeze unbaked beef empanadas on the baking sheet. Once the empanadas are frozen solid you can place in a freezer bag or plastic sealed container up to 3 months. You can then bake directly from the freezer. Do not unthaw.
• Empanadas can also be eaten at room temperature but they are absolutely fantastic hot out of the oven.
• You may wish to add raisins or hard boiled eggs slices to your empanadas if desired.

Notes

Helpful Hints for Making Empanadas for a Crowd

• Buy pre-made pie crusts - you can thank us later
• Make your beef mixture in advance and allow to cool completely before stuffing your empanadas.  We did this the day before and refrigerated the beef filling. The reason being is that the dough will become soggy and your empanadas will be difficult to seal and work with.
• Keep your pie dough refrigerated until just ready to use. If your pie dough gets warm, it becomes difficult to work with and sticks on things and more apt to tear.
• Do NOT over stuff your empanadas. You want to keep about ½ inch away from the sides. If the beef mixture gets on the section you are trying to seal, then it could pop open during the baking of the empanadas.
• You can use the edge of the fork to seal or use the same fold over crimp like you do for a dumpling or pie crust. The edge of the fork is easiest and quickest method. The fold over method is a little more complicated.
• We used egg wash to seal the edges of our beef empanadas and also brushed on top to give a beautiful golden color when baked.
• Make sure you poke a little fork hole near the edge of the empanada to allow the steam to escape, just like you would with an apple pie.
• Pre fill and crimp edges of your beef empanadas and store uncovered in the refrigerator until ready to bake later that day. You can store like this up to 8 hours in advance. As a matter of fact, you will have better results with the baking process if your beef empanadas are chilled 30 minutes before baking. Less likely to pop open during the baking process.
• You can stack up your baking sheets in the refrigerator if you place 2 little tiny bowls that are deeper than your empanadas on each of your baking sheets. (Rocking awesome idea from the hubby!)
• Alternatively, you can stuff your empanadas and crimp. Then, you can place on a baking sheet uncovered and freeze until firm and then place in a freezer safe container up to 3 months. You can then bake directly from the freezer, making sure to give them a quick egg wash before you put them in the oven.
• Beef empanadas can be baked before your guests arrive and eaten at room temperature but we really like them hot out of the oven.
• Once your guests arrive, pour them a fruity sangria and pop your beef empanadas in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and enjoy. Repeat process until your guests are full or you run out of empanadas.
• This beef empanada recipe makes 34 medium sized empanadas. We used about a 5.5 inch bowl to make our pastry circles from the pre-made pie crust. By the time you fold them in half and then crimp, it is the perfect hand held size beef empanada.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1empanada | Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 186mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 199IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Beef Empanadas appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

When you bite into our Best Orange Almond Flourless Cake, you are first going to love the fresh citrus aroma. Next, the crunch of the almonds and then the super moist decadent cake. This cake is a refreshing change as it is not too sweet, only lightly sweet but full of flavor. Can you believe it but there are only 5 ingredients to this cake? Really, only five little ingredients and you probably have them in your pantry right now. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get baking!

This last weekend we hosted a gathering with our friends and Spanish Tapas was our theme. We served empanadas, Spanish meatballs, stuffed mushrooms and had a massive cheese, meats and olive board for everyone to nibble on. Oh, and don’t forget about the Sangria’s! We had lots of those too. For dessert, we prepared our Best Orange Almond Flourless Cake for the birthday girl and it was inhaled. We are so glad we made 2 cakes as it is also fantastic with a cup of coffee or tea the next morning.

When we were growing up Lemony Lemon cake was our absolute favorite cake in the world. Yep, we even love it more than chocolate. We know what you are thinking, how can citrus be better than chocolate. Citrus really involves all your senses, much like chocolate. We are all about texture, taste and aroma.  These 3 traits for us either make or break a dessert. Heck if we are going to go all out and turn on the oven and bake, it better be darn fabulous.

As you know, we are mostly a savory crew here but when we make desserts they need to take us on a culinary journey to another land. How many of you been to Spain? It needs to be on a culinary bucket tour for sure, right? We enjoy many Spanish Desserts like flans, rice puddings, Tarta de Santiago, special Spanish Cheesecakes, churros and many others. However, the problem with many of these desserts is that it should be made the day of and are difficult to serve to a crowd. We wanted a something we could make the day before and would be perfectly portable for a tapas crowd and that is our Best Orange Almond Flourless Cake.

There are two very distinctive traits to this Best Orange Almond Flourless Cake that make it classic. First, you use the whole oranges. You simmer 2 whole oranges in a pan with water for about 45 minutes until the oranges are soft but still whole and intact. Alternatively, you can also cook your oranges in the microwave for 15 minutes to save time. However, we feel the stove top method produces the best results. We left our whole oranges cool overnight in the refrigerator and then the next day we peeled the oranges, scraped the white pith from the orange zest, removed any seeds and chopped up the oranges and orange zest as you will use both in this recipe. This takes a bit of time. However, the end result is so worth it.

Secondly, this Best Orange Almond Flourless Cake has no flour. It is made only with ground almonds. We used the pre-ground almonds in the baking section to save time but you can also do this in your food processor. Flourless cake is fabulous option for our gluten-free friends.

More Gluten-Free and Dairy Free Desserts

Easy Microwave Chocolate Pudding

Chocolate Espresso Fig Balls

Grilled Nectarines with Coconut Cream

Chinese Pear Dessert Soup

Hot Black Sesame Cereal

Coconut Rice pudding with Cardamon Spiced Honey Pears

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Best Orange Almond Flourless Cake

The Best Orange Almond Flourless Cake is a super moist, lightly sweet gluten-free Spanish cake made with whole oranges.

Course Desserts

Cuisine Spanish

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Calories 269kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Ingredients

• 2 Oranges
  whole
• Spray oil
  just so the cakes do not stick
• 5 Eggs
  large
• 1 cup Granulated Sugar
  
• 225 grams Ground almonds (1 and ¾ cup + 2 Tablespoons)
  
• ¼ cup Sliced almonds
  
• 2 tablespoon Icing sugar garnish (optional)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Wash oranges well. Place whole oranges in a pot and fill about ½ way up with water. Simmer whole oranges (DO NOT CHOP) for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until soft when you touch them but not falling apart, uncovered. Keep an eye on your oranges, if the water level evaporates add a little more water to the bottom of the pan. Drain water and allow oranges to cool. (Alternatively, you can cook your oranges in the microwave on high power for 15 minutes. However, we have had better results with the stove top method) We left our oranges cool the remainder of the time on the refrigerator overnight. (You do not need to let them cool in the refrigerator overnight but you need to get them cool enough to handle and peel. That can be done the same day)
• Pre-heat oven to 350-degree F (180 degrees C)
• Line your 9-inch baking pan with waxed paper/parchment paper. We used a spring form pan and it seemed to work well. However, a regular 9-inch cake pan is also okay as if you line your pan with the parchment paper. If you leave a little excess parchment paper at the top, you can just lift straight out of the pan. As a precautionary measure sprayed the parchment paper with a little spray oil.
• Prepare your oranges. Cut your cooked and cooled oranges in half. Peel your oranges. Keep the peel. Scrap and remove the white pith from the orange peel with a spoon delicately and discard the pith. Remove any seeds from the oranges. Remove any tough sections from the oranges and discard. Chop the flesh of the oranges and the orange peel of the oranges roughly with a knife. Place your cleaned and chopped oranges and orange peel into a food processer and blend until smooth. Alternatively chop finely with your knife. Set aside.
• Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Place your egg whites in a large bowl and whisk until stiff peaks. We used a blender but you can also do by hand. Add ½ of the granulated sugar mixture gradually while whisking for about 1-2 minutes or until the eggs turn shiny and glossy in color.
• In another large bowl. Whisk the egg yolks and the other half of the granulated sugar about 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy in color and thicker in texture. Add the pureed orange mixture and the ground almonds and mix together.
• Slowly and gently, fold in the egg white mixture into the egg yolk, orange and almond mixture, just until mixed together. Do NOT beat or mix, but fold as you want to keep this cake light and airy.
• Pour the finished cake mixture into your prepared cake pans. Gently smooth over the top with a spatula and top with sliced almonds.
• Bake Best Orange Almond Flourless Cake for 20 minutes on the middle rack and then check on her. If your cake starts to get to brown before set then set a loose layer of aluminum foil over the top until finished baking. Reset timer for another 15 minutes and check on your cake. (We have an uneven oven that drives us crazy!!! We always must turn our items that are baking to assure our food bakes evenly on all sides) Your cake will take between 45-55 minutes to cook or until the toothpick comes out clean when placed in the center of the cake. Our cake cooked in about 45 minutes. Every oven is a little different.
• Allow your Best Orange Almond Flourless Cake to cool in the pan. Remove from the pan using the sides of the parchment paper and spring form pan functionality. Carefully remove the parchment paper from the cake. Dust with a little powdered sugar before serving and enjoy.
• You can store your Best Orange Almond Flourless Cake in a sealed container for a couple of days. We stored our cakes in a one gallon sealable baggie and it stayed super moist and fresh in the refrigerator. We enjoyed it the next day as a sweet breakfast treat with our coffee in the morning.

Notes

There are two very distinctive traits to this Best Orange Almond Flourless Cake that make it classic. First, you use the whole oranges. You simmer 2 whole oranges in a pan with water for about 45 minutes until the oranges are soft but still whole and intact. Alternatively, you can also cook your oranges in the microwave for 15 minutes to save time. However, we feel the stove top method produces the best results. We left our whole oranges cool overnight in the refrigerator and then the next day we peeled the oranges, scraped the white pith from the orange zest, removed any seeds and chopped up the oranges and orange zest as you will use both in this recipe. This takes a bit of time. However, the end result is so worth it.

Secondly, this Best Orange Almond Flourless Cake has no flour. It is made only with ground almonds. We used the pre-ground almonds in the baking section to save time but you can also do this in your food processor. Flourless cake is fabulous option for our gluten-free friends.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 87g | Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 35mg | Fiber: 37g | Sugar: 236g

The post Best Orange Almond Flourless Cake appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

Easy 5 Minute Appetizer

It is just as simple as 5 minutes and 6 little ingredients and you too can have this delightful and fun appetizer on your table for the holidays or anytime. You are just going to love the flavor of the rosemary and garlic infused olives with a bit of zest from a little bit of capers and fresh cracked pepper. If you are an anti-caper person, then skip the capers and add a little lemon zest instead.

How to serve Vegan Olive Tapenade

Rosemary and garlic infused olive tapenade is great on toasted crostini bread, crackers or even on raw veggies as a dip. It is even delicious to swerve as a part of our DIY Bagel Bar Brunch.

Social gathering do not need to be complicated. Can you find that old wooden cutting board? Try adding a few cheeses, crackers, grapes and of course your delicious Vegan Olive Tapenade and you will be the Hostess or Host of the month.

Rosemary the Under Utilized Herb

When I was infusing the fresh rosemary and garlic into the olive oil, my whole house smelled amazing. It reminded me of our journey to the French Riviera and our side excursion to St-Marguerite Island. I know you have heard me talk about this gorgeous place before but smelling wild rosemary growing in the forest and along the coast line brings a culinary odyssey to the highest level. If you love rosemary, be sure to try our Rosemary Herbed Pork Chops with Shallot Wine Sauce.

Vegan and Gluten-Free

Olive tapenade is a very popular hor de voures in the south of France. I tasted many different versions during our trip. As delightful as they are, I could do without the anchovies. Yes, I am an anti-anchovy eater. There are NO ANCHOVIES in this tapenade. I found that anchovies, as delightful as they are, can be replaced with herbs to replace the saltiness. My herb of choice was rosemary. Vegan Olive Tapenade is happily vegan as well as gluten-free (if you enjoy with cut up veggies) and is lactose free too.

Mediterranean Diet

As we know, the Mediterranean diet is has some health benefits by using olive oil  instead of other fats and also lots of fresh herbs to infuse flavor instead of salt. This Vegan Olive tapenade has so many ways it can be used to really give some many dishes extra flavor. Maybe you would like to toss in a tablespoon or so in your favorite gluten-free pasta, add it as a topping to your baked chicken or even just on its own with a few crackers. It is all up to you.

How to Pit Olives?

I used pitted olives and it decreased preparation time. If you need to pit your olives, just set them on a cutting board and crush the olives with the side of your chopping knife and then it should be relatively easy to remove the pit.

Spanish Tapas

I served my vegan olive tapenade with toasted crostini bread with a little brushed olive and toasted in the oven for about 10 minutes until slightly golden and crunchy. In addition, we also have some rosemary and black olive and poppy-seed biscuits and Whole Wheat Focaccia Bread that I think would be delicious with this as well.

I guess I have been a little olive crazed lately and if you have missed my Spanish Olive Meatballs with Red Pepper and Tomato Wine Sauce be sure to check out this other fun appetizer for the holiday.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

More Delicious Appetizers

How to Make Bruschetta Bread

Best Italian Stuffed Artichokes

Thai Firecracker Party Appetizer

Lemon Lavender Goat Cheese Spread

Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.

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Vegan Olive Tapenade

Vegan Olive Tapenade is made with Kalmata and green olives delicately infused with rosemary and garlic olive oil, capers and black pepper and blended into a rich olive tapenade. (No anchovies!)

Course Appetizers/ Snacks

Cuisine French

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 623kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2-3 sprigs rosemary fresh whole
• 2 cloves garlic
  smashed whole
• 250 grams olives (I used mixed green and kalamata pitted olives)
  
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  
• 1 tablespoon capers (if you do not like capers add 1 teaspoon lemon zest instead)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• In a small sauce pan, add olive oil, fresh sprigs of rosemary and garlic cloves. Fry for about 2-3 minutes until aromatic and garlic is golden brown.  Remove the garlic and rosemary sprig from the pan and allow the oil to cool slightly. (If you use olives in olive oil then you can use this oil)
• Add Add drained and pitted olives, black pepper capers and cooled rosemary and garlic infused oil into the food processor and blend until coarsely ground. Add a teaspoon of fresh chopped rosemary to mixture as a garnish if you desire.
• Serve delicious Rosemary and Garlic Infused Olive Tapenade on toasted crostini breads, crackers, fresh veggies or even as a topping to your next chicken dish. Enjoy!

Notes

How to Pit Olives?

I used pitted olives and it decreased preparation time. If you need to pit your olives, just set them on a cutting board and crush the olives with the side of your chopping knife and then it should be relatively easy to remove the pit.

How to Store? 

Vegan olive tapenade can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 

How to Enjoy?

Enjoy Vegan Olive Tapenade over crackers, crostini, in pasta, over grilled chicken, in salad and whatever your little heart desires. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 623kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 66g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 4113mg | Potassium: 105mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 983IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 141mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Vegan Olive Tapenade (Super Easy) appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

Super Moist and Tender

These little meatballs are going to knock your socks off. These Spanish Meatballs with Pepper and Tomato Wine Sauce are so tender and succulent and baked to perfect and finish the basting process in a rich and delicious red pepper and tomato red wine sauce.

Wish you could smell the lovely aroma from the sauce slowly cooking over the burner. It's going to make you so hungry to be sure to make lots of extra meatballs. Save a little wine for the cook.

Appetizer or Main

Spanish Meatballs with Pepper and Tomato Wine Sauce are the perfect little hot tapas idea. They can be made ahead and just re-heated before your guests arrive. These meatballs can also be eaten as a lunch or dinner with a nice tossed salad for a lower carb dinner.

If you are not watching your carbs, you will want some good crusty bread to lap up all of those delicious red pepper and tomato wine sauces. So good!

Ingredient Options

Did you know that Spanish meatballs can be made with ground turkey or even a mixture of ground pork, veal, beef, bison or even venison? However, these items are difficult and expensive to obtain in Hong Kong. We opted for the easy lean ground beef option.

Try Cracker Crumbs

We were completely out of bread crumbs and bread.  However, we did  have a box of these delightful black olive crackers from Mark and Spencer's . We were saving these crackers for a special occasion. This occasion is as special as any other. 

If you add the cracker crumbs to these Spanish Meatballs, it takes this tapas dish to a whole new level! You can most certainly use gluten-free bread crumbs as well or tofu like we did with our Asian style venison meatballs.

Meatballs are LOOKING at you!

Do you plan out your recipes for every meal? Are you from the camp of looking to see what you have in the house and get creative? We do both.  Black seedless olives just happened to be in our pantry. However, Kalamata or Spanish green olives would be lovely too.  

Don't you just love how these meatballs with black olives look like they have eyeballs? Maybe, these Spanish Meatballs with Pepper and Tomato Wine Sauce are perfect to serve for Halloween. If you are looking for more delicious tender meatballs be sure to try our Thai Curry Turkey Tofu Meatballs and our Sesame Miso Chicken Meatballs just to name a couple.

Rocking Tomato Wine Sauce

We were drinking a lovely Babich Winemakers Reserve Marlborough pinot nior from New Zealand. We decided to throw in a little in the sauce and the "cook" and it was delightful. Feel free to splash in a little of whatever your drinking at the time. However, a red full-bodied wine works best.

At first glance the recipe list may seem large. If you closely, some of the same ingredients are repeated such as the olive oil, paprika, basil and oregano. some are used in both the meatballs and in the sauce. We listed them twice as it is easier to read the directions.

Tapas Party

We made a double batch of Spanish Meatball Tapas for the holidays. One we consumed for dinner and one is in the freezer. We will be hosting over the holidays and undoubtedly we will have unexpected guests.  Spanish Olive Meatball Tapas is something that can be reheated and served in just a few minutes flat.

A fun idea for gatherings is a Spanish Tapas theme with our Spanish Meatballs with Pepper and Tomato Wine Sauce, Beef Empanadas topped with Chimichurri sauce, fruity sangrias, a Spanish cheese, cured meats and olives board and a sweet ending of the Best Orange Almond Flourless Cake.

Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.

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Spanish Meatballs with Pepper and Tomato Wine Sauce

Spanish Meatballs with Pepper and Tomato Wine Sauce are fabulous appetizer or main made with black olives and fresh herbs are nestled in a rich red pepper and tomato red wine sauce.

Course Mains, Spanish Cuisine

Cuisine Spanish

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 383kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Ingredients

Spanish Meatballs

• 1.5 pounds ground beef
  minced
• 1.5 cups crackers crumbs
  (We used Mark and Spencers Black olive crackers but you can exchange with gluten free breadcrumbs- put cracker in a sealed plastic bag and pound with a rolling pin until small crumbs)
• 1 cup olives roughly chopped black seedless
  
• 1 teaspoon paprika
  
• 1 teaspoon basil
  
• 1 teaspoon oregano
  
• 1 egg
  beaten
• ¼ cup olive oil
  
• ⅓ cup parsley
  chopped
• salt and pepper
  to taste

Red pepper and Tomato Wine Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 1 onion
  peeled and chopped
• ¼ cup red bell pepper
  
• 3 cloves garlic
  peeled and minced
• 1 cup red wine
  
• 24 oz basic tomato sauce
  
• 1 teaspoon paprika
  
• 1 teaspoon basil
  
• 1 teaspoon oregano
  
• salt and pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C (375 degrees F)
• Make the Spanish Meatballs: Mix the ground beef, cracker crumbs, olives, paprika, basil, oregano, egg, olive oil parsley and salt and pepper. Mix well and form mixture into small 1.5 inch meatballs. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
• In the meantime, make the sauce: In a large skillet, place olive oil, chopped onion, chopped red pepper, minced garlic and cook until translucent. Add red wine to the mixture and then add the red tomato sauce, paprika, basil, oregano and salt and pepper to taste.
• Add baked meatballs to the sauce to finish off cooking and baste for about 5 minutes.
• Enjoy as a delicious hot tapas or as a lunch or dinner with a tossed salad and maybe a slice of crusty bread to soak up that delicious sauce.

Notes

Spanish Meatballs with Pepper and Tomato Wine Sauce can be made in advance up to 3 days and just heat and eat to serve. After 3 days can be frozen up to 2 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 383kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 781mg | Potassium: 624mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1067IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 3mg

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Yes, I know it sounds weird, fried olives??? My husband asked me to make this for him and I had the same strange look on my face as you do now. However, do not knock it until you have tried it. These little appetizers are divine.

I had never made stuffed fried olives before so I went to the internet to get some ideas. I noted that in many recipes from Italy the inside of the olive with stuffed with pork or lamb. The instructions included the very laborious process of cutting off the olive meat from the pit and then the reassembly process.

Hmm... that sounded way too complicated for a quick snack especially with the family already stalking me in the kitchen as they are already hungry. In addition, my husband said they he wanted his olives stuffed with cheese and wanted a very light batter. So I began experimenting with different cheeses, flavors and types of batter and here is my result for some lovely halftime football game snacks and fun appetizers.

Stuffed Fried Olives: (serves 4 adults or 2 hungry teenagers as a light snack)

• 30 green pitted olives
• 8 ounces your favorite cheese (feta, gorgonzola, cream cheese)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
• pepper to taste (optional)
• dried finely chopped thyme leaves (optional)
• cooking oil enough to cover the bottom of the pan and about 2 inches tall
• 2 cups flour for dusting
• 2 eggs beaten

Step 1. Wash olives well and let dry completely

Step 2. Carefully stuff the olives with plain feta or blue cheese directly into olives. (Or you can in a small dish combine 5 ounces cream cheese and about 3 ounces feta, lemon zest, pepper and dried thyme leaves and mix well until very smooth - then place this mixture into a pastry bag and pipe into each olive)

FYI: Now is a good time to pour yourself a glass of wine as this step takes some time and patience and I am much more carefree after a glass of wine or 2.

Step 3. Place oil in small pan and heat up

Step 4. Create and assembly line and dip each stuffed olive into flour, then dip into beaten egg then dip in again into the flour.

Step 6. Remove olives from oil and drain.

Step 7. Serve stuffed fried olives with a nice wine or soda pop and enjoy! They can be served either hot or cold but I personally like them hot. Yum! I put my stuffed olives on a bamboo stick to serve easy and fun.

Print

Stuffed Fried Olives

Course Appetizers/ Snacks, Spanish Cuisine

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour

Author HWC Magazine

Ingredients

• olives -
• cream cheese -
• blue cheese -
• flour -
• feta cheese -
• lemon zest -
• egg -

The post Stuffed Fried Olives appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

• 4 plum tomatoes or any sweet vine ripe tomatoes
• 3 cups V8 juice or tomato juice
• 1 ½ cups chopped cucumbers (un-peeled and seeds removed)
• ½ chopped yellow pepper
• ½ chopped green or red pepper
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 2 chopped garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 chopped red hot chili pepper (optional) or dashes of hot sauce
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• Juice of one fresh lemon
• salt and pepper to taste (Mrs. Dash)
• 1 teaspoon sugar or low glycemic sugar subsitute
• 1 teaspoon worchester sauce (Hold for gluten free or a dash of tamari)

Print

Cool and Crisp Gazpacho Soup

Course 30 Minute Meals, Cardiac Friendly, Diabetic Friendly, Gluten Free, Low Carb, Soups, Soups, Curries and Stews, Spanish Cuisine

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Author HWC Magazine

Ingredients

• tomatoes -
• tomato juice (V8) -
• cucumber -
• yellow bell pepper -
• red bell pepper -
• green bell peppers -
• onion -
• garlic -
• parsley -
• chili peppers -
• olive oil -
• red wine vinegar -
• lemon juice -
• salt and pepper -
• sugar or sugar alternative -
• worcestershire sauce -

Nutrition

Serving: 4g

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