Samosas are one of the best parts of an Indian meal. They can be spicy, mild, or filled with to brim with veggies. These Easy Vegetable Samosas use a nice shortcut to simplify the process of making them. The finished samosas are rich and delicious, with tons of flavor inside. And there’s no frying required!
Instead of being fried these samosas are baked, with some olive oil brushed on just before they go into the oven to keep them from burning. You end up with crispy, delicious samosa without making a dough or heating a pot of oil. And, let’s not forget about the time saved not standing over the stovetop. This is a samosa recipe for busy schedules, but there’s no need to compromise on flavor.
You can add any veggies or cheeses you want to the filling or even cooked meat. The options are almost endless with samosas, so feel free to experiment.
There’s fresh ginger, lemon juice, and cilantro in this recipe and they add a very special flavor so be sure to include them in the filling even if you make some other changes.
Just before adding the filling dab a little olive oil at the four corners of the dough strip. This gives the dough some moisture to seal the edges as you fold the samosa.
Fold the dough like a flag, in diagonals. Don’t worry if some of the filling wants to spill out on the first couple of folds. All the edges will be encased by the time you get to the end of the dough.
It’s really important to keep the dough from drying out while you make each samosa so make sure you have some paper towels on hand that you can moisten with water to keep the dough from cracking. If you leave it out uncovered the dough can become too fragile and brittle to work with.
For the filling you can control the heat level by adding more or less red pepper to the vegetables. You can also let folks add their own heat by making some spicy dipping sauce available. Hot pepper sauce or chutney is a great match for these savory pastries.
These Easy Vegetable Samosas are so tasty that you’ll be reaching for a second or third before you know it!
Easy Vegetable Samosas
Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 ½ teaspoons curry powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- pinch red pepper flakes or to taste (optional)
- 1 (14 oz) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
- 1 (16 oz) package frozen phyllo dough sheets, thawed (14”x14” size)
Preparation
- Boil potatoes until just fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in skillet over medium heat. Add curry powder, cumin, ginger, and pepper to oil. Cook for 1 minute then add onion. Cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. If using red pepper flakes add them at this stage.
- Blitz garbanzo beans in food processor or mash with fork. Add salt, lemon juice, garbanzo beans, peas, and potatoes to the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes stirring often until well combined. If any potato pieces are too large break them up gently with a fork. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
- Preheat oven to 375˚F. Roll out dough on work surface and cut into 14”x3 1/2” strips. Take one layer and brush with some of the reserved olive oil. Add a second strip on top. Add 2 tablespoons of potato filling about 2” from the end. Roll over in a triangle shape and then roll again and again until a triangle with many layers is achieved. Place on lined baking sheet.
- Place damp paper towels on un-used phyllo dough to keep them from drying out while you roll each samosa. Repeat for remaining dough and filling. Brush each samosa with more oil.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes on lined baking sheets or until golden brown on top. Serve with chutney, hot sauce, or tamarind sauce.
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home and Indian Healthy Recipes.