Take-out Tuesday, Hawaiian Pizza Empanadas and a Pineapple Cocktail

the Painted Apron

2 years ago

Hawaiian Pizza,

pizza topped with pineapple, Canadian bacon or ham,

is a favorite family combo

I decided to try it in an empanada version

An empanada is a stuffed turnover or pastry

Roll out a refrigerated pie crust dough round just a little

Cut circles with a glass or biscuit cutter or a glass,

about 3″ diameter

. Reroll the scraps once or twice, but don’t let the rounds get too thin

You should have 12-14

Chop your filling ingredients~

Instead of ham, I used pepperoni, plus pineapple, green onions,

orange bell pepper, and an Italian cheese blend

Smear about 1 T of sauce on dough rounds with the back of a spoon,

leaving a 1/4″ clean border edge

Add toppings on 1/2 of the dough round,

keeping in mind that this all has to fit inside!

Fold them in half, taco style

Pinch edges to seal, stuffing the filling,

that is trying to pop out, back in!

Use a fork to crimp the edges

Not all of mine are perfect little packages… Ahem…

The ones that are torn are the reason

you don’t want your dough to get too thin!

Don’t worry though, I have a plan!

Bake at 425 for about 6 minutes until the crust has just begun to brown…

looks like a hot mess, right?

Never fear! Parmesan cheese to the rescue!

Put a generous mound of cheese on each empanada

and return to the oven for another 6 minutes

or until pies are golden and cheese has started to brown

Bake the empanadas on a silicone baking mat

or parchment paper for easy clean up

The torn pastry has disappeared!

Pour a delicious Pineapple Smoothie to enjoy with your empanadas

Don’t worry about the calories, you are going to hula dance them off!

HAWAIIAN PIZZA EMPANADAS

All your favorite Hawaiian pizza ingredients tucked into a portable hand pie!

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword appetizer, empanadas, hand pies, Hawaiian pizza, pepperoni, pie crust dough, pineapple,

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 12

Servings 12

Ingredients

1 refrigerated pie crust dough round unbaked
12-18 pepperoni slices chopped, or 2-4 oz. chopped ham or Canadian bacon
2 green onions chopped
1/4 of a colored pepper chopped
6-8 pineapple chunks. chopped
1/4-1/2 cup prepared pizza sauce
4 oz. shredded Parmesan cheese or Italian blend divided

Instructions

Roll out dough until it is about 1″ bigger in diameter. Cut 3″ dough circles with a glass or biscuit cutter.
Spread 1 T of pizza sauce on the dough rounds with the back of a spoon, leaving a 1/4″ border.
Place filling ingredients, reserving some cheese, on dough rounds, mounding it slightly on one side. Fold dough edges together like a taco, gently enclosing the filling and pinching edges together.
Lay pies down on a cutting board and crimp edges with a fork. Transfer pies to a baking sheet.
Bake at 425 for 6 minutes. Remove from oven and top each with a pile of reserved shredded cheese. Return to oven and bake for another 6 minutes or until golden.

Notes

If you use a silicone mat clean up will be a breeze but they won’t get as crisp on the bottom.

You can make these ahead of time and reheat when needed

Pineapple Smoothie Cocktail

Course Beverage

Cuisine American

Keyword pineapple cocktails, pineapple smoothie, rum & pineapple drink

Prep Time 5

chill time 1

Servings 1

Equipment

blender or food processor

Ingredients

per serving:
1 cup pineapple chunks
2 oz Caribbean Rum with coconut liqueur
1/2 cup crushed ice

Instructions

Puree pineapple in a blender or with an immersion blender. Chill for at least 1 hour in freezer or refrigerate overnight. Place chilled pineapple in a glass and stir in liqueur and ice. Serve immediately