Beef Empanada Recipe

Beef Empanadas - perfect on-the-go meal, snacks or appetizers made with buttery flaky homemade dough from scratch and filled with delicious savory ground beef mixture. These ones are hard to pass up - will surely be a favorite year-round!

Course Appetizers, Snacks

Cuisine Latin American

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 30

Fridge Time 30

Servings pies

Calories 304kcal

Author Imma

Ingredients

Empanada Dough

3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (5g) salt
1 tablespoon (12.5g) sugar (optional)
6 ounce (170.1g) unsalted butter , cut into 1/2-inch cubes (1 ½ cups)
2 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon (15ml) distilled white vinegar
⅓ cup (118.5ml) cold water or (120ml) milk , adjust as needed to obtain a soft and smooth dough

Empanada Beef Filling

1 tablespoon (14ml) vegetable oil
½ pound (226.8g) ground beef
1 small onion , finely diced (about ¾ cup )
2 teaspoons (10g) minced garlic
1 teaspoon (1g) oregano spice
1 teaspoon (3g) ground cumin
1 teaspoon (2g) paprika
1 medium tomatoes , diced
½ cup (92.5g) finely diced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon (16g) tomato paste
¼ cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons (2g) chopped cilantro

Instructions

Empanada Dough

In a food processor or by hand, mix together, flour, salt, and sugar. Blend well. Add butter and pulse until in short bursts until it turns coarse.
Pour in eggs, egg yolk, vinegar, then add water or milk in small amounts, pulse until combined and dough holds together in a ball. Divide dough in 2 and wrap with plastic wrap, set in the fridge until slightly firm, approximately 30 minutes.

Empanada Filling

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Stir in ground beef, using a wooden ladle and quickly break up, so it does not form large chunks.
Brown beef until no longer pink - it should take about 3-5 minutes.
Add onions, minced garlic, oregano spice, ground cumin, paprika, saute until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes.
Add in chopped tomato, bell pepper, tomato paste, and chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Saute for another 3-5 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed.
Throw in cilantro, mix and remove from the stove. Set aside to cool.

Assembling the Empanada

When ready, remove dough from the fridge place on a well-floured surface, roll out dough.
Using a biscuit cutter (about 3 inch or large ), largemouth, glass or bowl about 4 - 5 inch" and cut out circles by gently pressing on the dough and releasing it, you will have large circle circles of dough.
Continue cutting out the dough until all dough has been cut. If there's any remaining dough reuse and roll out until any more circles out of it and start again until all the dough is used.
Scoop about 1-2 heaping tablespoon of filling into each circle. Fold over twist with fingers gently to seal the edges of the empanadas, another way of sealing is by pressing the tines of a fork along the edges of the dough. At this point, you may freeze to bake later.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Carefully place each empanada on a baking sheet and bake for about 25-30 minutes, depending on the size or until the edges are golden brown.
Remove and let it cool slightly.

Notes

Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition