Even though we’re big fans of Sweet Earth’s line of frozen foods, we found their La Mancha Empanada to be a big disappointment. Our second foray into their line of empanadas — after having tried the La Mancha Empanada — was just dismal. This empanada, which was allegedly inspired by Portuguese cuisine, let us down on almost every level.
Like the La Mancha Empanada, this is fast and easy to prepare. It’s also on the small side — you could easily hold this in one hand. Sadly, you probably won’t be all that excited to dig into this empanada when it comes out of the microwave — it doesn’t smell all that great.
The Sweet Earth Tuscan Savory Grounds dominate this dish; their taste is overpowering. This would be fine if they were delicious, but their flavor really turns us off. They remind us of cheap sliced hot dogs — now that’s a flavor that most vegetarians probably don’t miss! Because the flavor of the grounds is so strong, we could barely taste most of the ingredients that you see on the label. Sweet Earth claims this meal contains banana peppers and Monterrey Jack cheese, but we couldn’t make those flavors out.
This meal also has a real texture problem as well. The crust was fine, if a bit bland, but the filling was a mushy mess. There’s no firmness to the potatoes; everything is incredibly soft. This empanada is loaded with ingredients we love, but none of them felt distinct in any way.
The only thing we really liked about this empanada was its small size and low calorie content. If it was a tastier dish, this would definitely make a great snack. While we love plenty of Sweet Earth dishes, this is a meal we’re going to avoid in the future.
To learn more about the nutrition content or ingredients in this frozen empanada, check out our package scans below.
