How To Make Beef Empanadas

Who doesn’t like to have beefy empanadas? I know I do. I have made empanadas and taken them to my friend’s place when visiting. Now they expect me to bring the scrumptious pastry every time I go over there. To know how to cook is a curse but most of the time it’s a blessing.

My friends always wanted me to share the recipe with them. And when I did they never a single one so today I have decided to share it with the world and see if any of you would.

It is easy to forget that empanadas are late-night bites, and in restaurants, it is classified as appetizers so at home you can have them with anything you want. You can mix it up like a bite of savory empanadas and a bite of sweet Pina Colada Flan.

The recipe I am about to share is easy to make and tasty to have so sit back and enjoy how to make beef empanadas.

What Is An Empanada?

Empanadas are pastry heavens filled with beef, chicken, or veggies. The name is derived from the Spanish word empanar which loosely translated means breaded. You can also introduce cheese to your empanadas if you want your Empanadas to be cheesy.

Easy ways to make beef empanadas

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 large russet potato, peeled, diced into ¼-inch cubes

2 tablespoons of olive oil

¾ lb of ground beef

½ medium onion, grated

1 small carrot, grated

1 rib of celery, finely minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

½ tablespoon of chili powder

1 tablespoon of ground cumin

½ tablespoon of ground cinnamon

¾ cup of beef broth

½ cup of peas

½ tablespoon of salt

½ tablespoon of pepper

Crust

2 ½  cups of all-purpose flour

½ tablespoon of sea salt

4 oz unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ¼-inch cubes

1 large egg, room temperature

⅓ cup of ice water

1 egg, beaten for egg wash

Instruction

The making of the pastry dough: 

STEP #1 To make the pastry put flour and salt in a food processor and turn it on for 1 second then turn it off. This 1-second burst is known as pulse.

STEP #2 Add the butter and the egg with ice water. Pulse the mixture until it gets to chunky-sized breadcrumbs.

STEP #3 Transfer the dough into a bowl or plate so you can make it into a ball. Cover with a plastic wrapper and refrigerate the dough ball for 30 minutes.

Preparing the stuffing:

STEP #4 In a medium-sized bowl fill it with ¾ water and then bring it to a boil. 

STEP #5 In the boiling water add the potatoes until it becomes soft which will take around 3 minutes.

STEP #6 While the potato is getting cooked, in a large skillet heat the olive oil on medium heat.

STEP #7 Add the ground beef along with the onions, celery, and carrots.

STEP #8 Cook the beef and veggies mixture until the beef is brown and the vegetables are tender. You need to cook it for around 8 minutes.

STEP #9 When the potatoes are done transfer them to the ground beef mixture.

STEP #10 Next, add the garlic, cinnamon, cumin, and beef broth with the ground beef. Cook for 1 minute.

STEP #11 Then add the peas and mix them well. When the mixture is perfectly mixed together you need to let it simmer so the liquid is all absorbed.

STEP #12 Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

STEP #13 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put a rack in the center of the oven.

STEP #14 Now time to make the pastry so take out the dough from the refrigerator and cut it into 10 small equal balls. With a rolling pin, roll the small dough balls very thinly and lightly sprinkle them with flour.

STEP #15 While rolling fill in the dough with the stuffing on one side to make the shape of the empanadas.

STEP #16 Take a small bowl and beat one egg with a tablespoon of water. 

STEP #17 With a wet pastry brush with the egg wash, lightly press edges and damp the inside around a quarter of an inch.

STEP #18 Next fold the empanada in half and with a fork press lightly on the edges to make that famous empanada shape we all know and love.

STEP #19 When you are done repeat steps 14 to 18 and place the uncooked empanadas on the baking sheet.

STEP #20 Coat the empanadas with the rest of the egg wash and bake for 35 minutes. Keep a close eye so the empanadas are golden brown and not burnt.

Nutritional Facts

CALORIES 388g

PROTEIN 14g

CARBOHYDRATES 35g

TOTAL FAT 20g

DIETARY FIBER 2g

CHOLESTEROL 80mg

SODIUM 355mg

TOTAL SUGARS 3g

Bonus Tips

• To achieve the golden color always brush the empanadas with eggwash.

• To lock the stuffing inside the empanadas and to create the famous design press the edges with a fork.

• Be calm when stuffing the empanadas, if you cannot make it on the first try then keep on trying and you would be able to make it on the second or third try.

FAQ

Can you make the empanadas and refrigerate them for later?

Yes, you can make the empanadas in advance. Follow the process until you need to put it in the oven, fill in the stuffing and you can refrigerate them. You can place the empanadas on the baking sheet then wrap them with the plastic wrapper then place them in the refrigerator this way you can just take them out and bring them to room temperature and put it in the preheated oven. If you want to freeze it then you need to transfer them to a ziplock bag from the baking sheet. You do need to refrigerate them on the baking sheet overnight before transferring them to the ziplock to freeze.

What goes with beef empanadas?

You can serve a lot of dishes with the beef empanadas such as Yucca fries or tostones with a homemade chimichurri sauce. Or you can serve this appetizer item with a vegan Ensalada.