Beef Empanadas
These baked Beef Empanadas are so delicious and easier to make than you think! The cheesy beef filling enveloped in a buttery, flaky crust makes an incredible snack or dinner!
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1/2 carrot finely diced
- 1/4 onion finely diced
- 1/4 cup peas
- 1/4 bell pepper (any colour), finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup Mexican blend cheese or cheddar cheese, shredded
For the Dough
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter chopped
- 2 eggs divided
- 2/3 cup cold water
Instructions
To make the filling:
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for a couple of minutes, breaking up large pieces as it cooks.
- Add the carrots, peas, bell pepper, and onion and continue to cook the beef and vegetables for a few minutes, stirring often.
- Once the beef is cooked through and the vegetables have softened, add salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, chili powder, tomato sauce, and water. Simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring often as most of the liquid will absorb. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
To make the dough:
- While the filling is cooling, make the dough by adding flour and salt to a food processor. Pulse to combine and add the butter. Pulse until it forms a coarse meal.
- Add an egg and 1/3 cup of water and pulse. Slowly add water until the dough comes together. This typically requires 2/3 cup water but you may need to adjust this slightly.
- Transfer the dough to a flat surface and form it into a ball. Cover it with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Assemble the empanadas and bake
- Preheat oven to 400F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the fridge and divide it into 12 equal portions. Form each portion into a ball.
- Working with them one at a time, use a rolling pin to roll the ball out into a 5 inch circle. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center and sprinkle with some cheese. [Note: Depending on the size of the empanadas you want to make, you can adjust the amount of filling.]
- Fold the circle over onto itself to form a half moon. Gently press down the edges to seal them. You can use a fork to gently seal the edges with the tines, being careful not to puncture the empanada. Alternatively, you can pinch the edge a little bit at a time and fold it inwards to create a crimped edge (like I have in the picture). Arrange onto baking sheets.
- Beat an egg in a bowl and then brush it onto each empanada. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
Calories: 257kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 8gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 343mgPotassium: 139mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 876IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 2mg
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
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