Sharing Our Table: Sara’s Quick, Kid-Friendly Samosa Recipe

Amid the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, the dinner table is a place to pause and reconnect. Cooking engages all our senses, helping us get grounded and find gratitude in the present. Especially at the holidays, gathering around a home-cooked meal is a chance to reflect on our fondest memories and make new ones. 

We asked Thrive Market employees to share a holiday recipe that holds special meaning for them, and we’re so excited to share them with you. From our team to your table, we hope you have a joyful season filled with good health and great food.

“One of our family traditions is to make Indian food after a big holiday,” says Thrive Market’s Senior Creative Director, Sara, of her memories growing up in the Bay Area.

When you think of Indian food, samosas are likely one of the first things that come to mind. These fried, savory pastries are stuffed with spiced potatoes, peas, onions, or meats, and they’re usually eaten as a snack in many South Asian countries. 

To limit the time and effort in the kitchen (especially after all those holiday gatherings), Sara’s family came up with a simple hack for speeding up the samosa-making process: they use regular tortillas instead of homemade pastry dough. Aside from saving time, this also makes it easy enough that the kids can get involved in the cooking. 

Sara and her niece, Lily, showed us how to recreate their family’s samosa recipe three ways. One samosa was stuffed with leftover holiday turkey, one with a traditional pea and potato mixture, and one was a sweet dessert samosa filled with chocolate and dipped in fluffy whipped cream (hint: this one quickly became Lily’s favorite!).

Sara’s Quick, Kid-Friendly Samosa Recipe (Three Ways) 

Yield: 24 samosas
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients: 

Wrappers:

3 packs tortillas (we like Siete Chickpea Flour Tortillas or Mi Rancho Organic Flour Tortillas) 

Filling #1: 

4 yukon gold or russet potatoes (leftover holiday mashed potatoes also work well)
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
⅔ cup peas (frozen)
2 tbsp Thrive Market Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oi
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala   
1 tablespoon grated or minced ginger 
1 tablespoon grated or minced garlic
1-2 green chiles
1 lemon

Filling #2:

Pulled chicken or turkey (holiday leftovers work well!)
Optional: leftover stuffing and/or cranberry sauce 

Filling #3:

2 medium-sized chocolate bars (milk or dark)
Optional: whipped cream for dipping

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Set aside a bowl of leftover mashed potatoes. 

(Note: If you don’t have leftover potatoes, make your own! Over high heat, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Peel and chop the potatoes. Add the potatoes to the boiling water and boil until soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the boiled potatoes to a bowl and mash with a potato masher or hand mixer, slowly stirring in milk or cream until you reach your desired consistency.) 

Chop the onions into small pieces. Remove seeds from the chile peppers and chop the peppers. Mince the ginger and garlic. Set them all aside in individual bowls. 

Blend all the spices together with a mortar and pestle.

In a pan, heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat and saute the onion for 2-3 minutes until lightly caramelized. 

Add chopped chilies, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, and spice blend and cook for another minute. 

Take the mixture off the stove and mix quickly with potatoes and peas. 

While the mixture is cooling, slice the tortillas in half. Make a simple paste out of equal parts flour and water to use to seal the tortillas. 

Take a spoonful of the potato and pea mixture and place in the center of a tortilla, then wrap each side so it’s in the shape of a triangle, using the paste to keep the layers together. Do not over stuff! 

Use the paste once more to seal the outside edges of the folded samosa, then place on the baking sheet.

Once all samosas are stuffed and on the baking sheet, use a small amount of melted ghee or oil to baste the samosas before placing them in the oven.

Bake for 12-14 minutes.

To make the turkey samosas: Repeat the same process with turkey and stuffing. (Note: cranberry sauce makes a great chutney!) 

To make the chocolate samosas: Repeat the same process with a square or two of chocolate inside. The chocolate will melt during baking. (Note: whipped cream makes a great dip for these!)