
Mini Lentil Veggie Empanada Bites
Little baked empanadas with a soft, savoury filling of lentils, carrot, zucchini and bell pepper tucked inside a flaky homemade dough. A fun finger-food snack that's secretly packed with vegetables.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps

Mix the dough
In a bowl, mix both flours with the salt, then rub in the cold butter with your fingers until it looks like damp breadcrumbs. Add the egg and the water, mixing just until a soft, non-sticky dough forms, then wrap and chill it for 15 minutes.
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g whole wheat flour
- 1 small pinch salt
- 60 g cold butter
- 1 egg
- 80–100 ml cold water
✅ Done when: dough is smooth, no longer sticky, and firm after chilling

Cook the veggie-lentil filling
Warm the olive oil in a 26 cm (10-inch) pan over medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for 2 minutes until soft. Add the carrot, squeezed zucchini and bell pepper and cook 5–6 minutes until soft, then stir in the tomato paste, cumin, paprika and cilantro, cook 1 minute, add the lentils, and mash a few against the pan so the filling holds together. Let it cool before using.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 small carrot
- 1 small zucchini
- ¼ red bell pepper
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp mild paprika
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)
- 200 g cooked lentils
✅ Done when: vegetables are soft and the mashed filling holds together on a spoon
Roll and cut circles
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Fill, seal and make a face
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Bake until golden
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Serve and store
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Mix the dough
In a bowl, mix both flours with the salt, then rub in the cold butter with your fingers until it looks like damp breadcrumbs. Add the egg and the water, mixing just until a soft, non-sticky dough forms, then wrap and chill it for 15 minutes.
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g whole wheat flour
- 1 small pinch salt
- 60 g cold butter
- 1 egg
- 80–100 ml cold water
✅ Done when: dough is smooth, no longer sticky, and firm after chilling

Cook the veggie-lentil filling
Warm the olive oil in a 26 cm (10-inch) pan over medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for 2 minutes until soft. Add the carrot, squeezed zucchini and bell pepper and cook 5–6 minutes until soft, then stir in the tomato paste, cumin, paprika and cilantro, cook 1 minute, add the lentils, and mash a few against the pan so the filling holds together. Let it cool before using.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 small carrot
- 1 small zucchini
- ¼ red bell pepper
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp mild paprika
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)
- 200 g cooked lentils
✅ Done when: vegetables are soft and the mashed filling holds together on a spoon
Roll and cut circles
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Fill, seal and make a face
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Bake until golden
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Serve and store
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The Story Behind the Dish
Empanadas in Colombia trace back to indigenous corn pastries filled with whatever was on hand, later blending with Spanish pastry techniques brought during colonial times. Traditionally they're made with corn masa and fried until crisp, served with lime and a spicy aji sauce on the side.
⭐ Why It's Famous
This baked, wheat-dough version keeps the comforting, hand-held spirit of the classic empanada but swaps the fryer for the oven and hides a full serving of vegetables inside a filling little ones actually want to eat.
💡 Fun Fact
In Colombia, empanadas are a beloved street food found on almost every corner, each region adding its own touch — some with potato, some with meat, some, like this one, happy to be reinvented for small hands.
Andean region, Colombia
4.71°N, -74.07°W
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