2 tablespoons reduced fat balsamic vinaigrette
¾ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
8 (½-inch-thick) peeled eggplant slices
1 (½- inch-thick) slice sweet onion
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 4 wedges
Cooking Spray
1 (10-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust
6 ounces Cabot Pepper Jack Cheese, thinly sliced
Get the ingredients you need at a convenient nearby location.
COMBINE vinaigrette, oregano, salt, chili powder and cumin in zip-close plastic bag.
ADD eggplant, onion, and pepper. Seal bag and turn to coat vegetables with marinade. Refrigerate for 2 hours, turning bag occasionally.
PREHEAT grill, coating rack with cooking spray.
REMOVE vegetables from bag. Grill until tender, about 5 minutes per side; let cool. (Alternatively, cook vegetables under broiler.) Transfer to bowl of food processor and pulse to chop.
PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Coat large baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
DIVIDE pizza dough into 12 portions. Working with one portion at a time, shape into ball; on lightly floured surface, roll ball out into 6-inch circle.
SPOON heaping tablespoon of vegetable mixture onto dough circle; top with ½ ounce of cheese. Moisten edges of dough with water. Fold dough over filling, pressing edges together to seal. Place empanada on prepared baking sheet.
REPEAT procedure with remaining dough, vegetable mixture and cheese. Lightly coat tops of empanadas with cooking spray.
BAKE for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Love flavorful vegetarian recipes, and this is one of them.Time consuming, and need a bit of practice with the dough rolling.The end result is deliciously satisfying,great for a lunchbox.I roasted the veg,finishing with the broiler to brown.The cheddar melts nicely in the pockets, and we enjoyed the spicy heat from the chili powder.Brushed the tops with egg for shine.Took them to the beach with us for a picnic, and everyone loved them.Thanks for an innovating take on empanadas!