By the end of the week our fridge is a graveyard of past meals and unused prep. I’ve started keeping frozen empanada discs on hand to combine these odds and ends with some saucy goodness to make a killer Friday night finger food. If you don’t have some of these ingredients feel free to substitute! Any kind of chicken or protein will do (we loved these with vegan sausage), sub pepper for the mushrooms, and (vegan) mozzarella or cheddar for the goat cheese.

Goat Cheese + Chicken Empanadas:

• 1/2 small onion

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 8 oz baby bella mushrooms (or any small mushroom)

• 1 clove garlic

• 1 cup roasted chicken breast or Tofurky roasted “chicken”

• 1/2 cup tomato sauce (jarred or homemade)

• 2-4 oz goat cheese

• 1 egg

• salt + pepper

• 10 empanada discs, defrosted

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Heat oil in nonstick skillet on low-med heat. Dice onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes or until onions are translucent.

2. While onions cook, dice mushrooms into 1/4 inch pieces, add to onions and cook another 4-5 minutes or until mushrooms begin to cook down and release their liquid.

3. Mince garlic and add to mushrooms and onions, cook another minute, add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Cube chicken into small pieces (remember you can only use a small amount of filling per empanada, so smaller is better), and add to the vegetables in the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes more, enough to heat the chicken.

5. Lower the heat and add sauce to the mixture, add 1 spoonful at a time and be mindful that the mixture gets coated, but it’s too saucy. Too much sauce will run out of the empanada discs. Reduce sauce for 2-3 minutes. Reserve extra sauce for dipping.

6. Transfer mixture to a bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes in the freezer* while you separate the egg. Beat egg yoke with 1 tsp of water and set aside. Beat egg white.

7. Unwrap the empanada discs and get filling out of the freezer. Brush egg whites around the edge of the disc. Place 1/4 cup filling on one side of a dough circle. Fold the dough over to form a half circle. Pinch the edges of the dough together. Crimp the edges with a fork. Repeat until all filling has been used.

8. Prick each empanada with fork or paring knife to allow them to vent in the oven. Use a brush to egg yoke wash the empanadas. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

*Filling can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to fill empanada discs or filled empanadas can be filled and stored in the freezer or fridge until you’re ready to bake them.