Glazed Ham and Pineapple Empanadas ~ A delicious appetizer or quick leftover dinner made with all the flavors of the holiday glazed ham.
*This Glazed Ham and Pineapple Empanadas recipe is part of a sponsored partnership in collaboration with DOLE and #WeAllGrow Latina Network. As always, all opinions are my own.
For as much as I love to cook holiday dinner, once it is over, I truly do not want to step one more foot in my kitchen for at least the three days that follow. The reality is that we still need to eat, so food has to get made somehow.
The good thing is that if you make enough food for your holiday dinner, you can have enough leftovers to create wonderful quick and easy leftover meals so that you can eat well while spending the least amount of time in the kitchen.
Enter these delicious Glazed Ham and Pineapple Empanadas!
The empanada is really one of the most versatile dishes that have ever been invented. You can really stuff anything in empanada dough and it will be amazing. So, why not fill it with your leftover holiday ham?
Guys! I’m not even kidding. These are one of the most delicious empanadas I’ve ever tasted. And believe me. I make empanadas a lot! Mostly because I have discovered that it doesn’t matter what I put in it, if it’s in an empanada my picky eater of a daughter would eat it.
But these are definitely in a league of its own. To make them, I used store-bought empanada discs, leftover holiday glazed ham, mozzarella cheese and Dole Pineapple Tidbits.
The pineapple is a key ingredient in this recipe as it adds a distinctive sweetness that just pairs incredibly well with the ham. I always recommend keeping some Dole canned fruit in your pantry as it is very practical and it makes including fruit in your daily eating habits an easy choice.
For the empanadas, I coated the Pineapple Tidbits with a little sugar and ground cloves spice. Then, I heated it up in a small saucepan for a few minutes until the sugar melted. Finally, I simply layered the pineapple, ham and cheese in the middle of the empanada dough, sealed it using a fork and fried them until golden brown.
For more recipes, inspiration and information about Dole, visit the Dole Sunshine Latino website. (<~ in Spanish)
Glazed Ham and Pineapple Empanadas
Ingredients
- 1 can (20 oz) Dole Pineapple Tidbits with 100% Pineapple Juice
- 1 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
- 10 store-bought empanada discs
- 2 cups leftover glazed holiday ham cubed
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Coat pineapple tidbits with brown sugar and cloves or allspice and heat in a saucepan over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Lay the empanada discs, a few at a time, on a flat surface over parchment paper.
- Add about 1 1/2 tablespoons glazed ham to the center of each disc and layer with about 1 tablespoon mozzarella cheese and 1 tablespoon pineapple tidbits.
- Carefully fold the discs and using a fork press firmly around the edges to seal.
- In a medium pot or large pan, heat oil over medium heat. Fry the empanadas on both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes each side.
- Rest in a paper towel to drain excess oil.
- Serve warm.
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