easy cheesy beef empanadas;
I will start by saying that we’re not going for authentic here, but rather these were born of convenience. One of our go-to meals for convenience is ground beef stir fried with veggies, perfect for tacos, nachos, quesadillas, burritos and the like. Pack the filling with onions and peppers, or sneak leftover vegetables into the mixture, and top with a hearty salsa and you’ll be surprised how balanced you can make a meal out of these if you try. But you do have to try because you can just as easily load the buttery puff pastry with cheese and meat and it might be a little less healthy.
You heard me right—puff pastry! That’s what makes these so convenient. Pie crust actually works a little bit better since it’s a little less “puff” but either work wonders. I like to keep some puff pastry on hand or make pie dough and store some in the freezer for inspiration like this–read: lazy weeknight but still hungry. And it worked out perfectly—a new twist on ground beef. Considering we’ve already had nachos and tacos in quarantine these empanadas were a fun and welcome change! And doubly so because I had all the ingredients in our freezer already to minimize our grocery runs.
I will say that I find it hard to seal the empanadas so they don’t burst out. Definitely try not to overstuff them, and definitely seal with a fork. I picked the best couple but there were a few explosions that aren’t pictured here.
Tips and tricks for these little tasty guys:
- Egg wash. You might think this is optional, and it is flavor-wise. Color-wise it’s a must though for pastry if you want it to get that rich brown color. If you’re already making an egg wash, use a little dab between the layers as you seal the empanadas for extra strength and “glue” to hold them together
- Pastry dough. If you don’t want to waste pastry dough, resign yourself to a few frankenstein empanadas with the scraps. Still delicious, although they’re probably a little more likely to leak juices. But they’ll still taste as good, so why not?
- Don’t overstuff. I add the filling, and I like to seal each one from the middle, then down one side. Pack the filling into the closed side, supporting it with your hand wrapped around the closed side, and then pinch together the remaining opening. Once initially sealed, I’ll go back over them with a fork or sealing tool to help keep the edges together. Although a fair number of mine still burst at the seam despite this technique.
easy cheesy beef empanadas;
Ingredients
- 2 pastry puff sheets thawed
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ bell pepper chopped
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 small tomato diced
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup pepper jack cheese
- 1 egg whisked
Instructions
- In a pan over high heat, add the ground beef, chopped onion, chopped pepper, and garlic. Keep the temperature on high until the beef begins to get color, then turn the heat down to medium and finish cooking.
- Remove from heat and drain excess fat as desired. Add in chili powder, cumin, salt, and oregano and toss to coat.
- While still warm, add cheese and toss until melted evenly throughout mixture. Stir in tomatoes.
- Cut 4” diameter circles from the defrosted puff pastry sheets.
- Add filling and seal the edges using a fork. Lay out on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper several inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough. You will likely have leftover filling, which can be kept for other recipes.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg to make an egg wash. Brush over the exposed side of the empanadas.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serve warm.
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August 7, 2023 at 10:13 am
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