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Sweet and Savory Beef Empanadas, recipe.
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Sweet and Savory Beef Empanadas
Prep Time
1 hr 40 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
2 hrs 15 mins
 
Empanadas are a flaky pastry stuffed with a sweet or savory filling. They make great appetizers, lunch, light supper and perfect picnic food. Empanadas originated from Spain but many cultures all over the world have several regional varieties. I love empanadas with a sweet and savory meat filling. My favorite is with ground beef or lamb, raisins and olives seasoned with warm spices like cumin, paprika and cinnamon. You can substitute ground beef with ground pork, turkey, or lamb. Serve plain or with a chimichurri sauce . You can make the meat and dough ahead of time then assemble them the day they are made. Uncooked empanadas also freeze well for up to three months. Empanadas can be made one day in advance. Reheat on a sheet pan in a 300°F (149°C) oven for about 15 minutes or until warm through. The empanada filling recipe is slightly adapted from Bon Appetit, Argentinian Beef Empanadas, February 2017
Course: Appetizer, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Argentianinian
Author: Ginger
Ingredients
Empanadas
  • 3 TB olive oil divided
  • 1.5 lbs (750 g) ground beef
  • 2 onions chopped
  • 2 red bell peppers chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 TB ground cumin
  • 2 TB sweet paprika
  • 1 TB dried oregano
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground clove
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) chicken stock
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt plus more for seasoning
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) raisins
  • 1/2 cup Spanish green olives pitted and rough chopped
  • 3 packages Puff pastry dough for Turnovers/Empanadas* preferably Goya or homemade empanada dough
  • You will need 2-3 large rimmed sheet pans. If you only have 2 sheet pans bake the empanadas over two batches.
Instructions
  1. If you are making homemade empanada dough , make it first then refrigerate it while you make the meat filling.
Empanada Filling
  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a12-inch (29 cm) skillet (or Dutch Oven), at medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add the meat and cook until browned with no visible pink spots. While the meat cooks, break it up using the side of a wooden spoon. Season with a pinch, about ¼ tsp, of Kosher salt and stir to mix.
  2. Remove the ground beef using a slotted spoon and place on a plate and loosely cover aluminum foil. Reserve for later.
  3. Lower the heat to medium then add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the chopped onions and bell peppers. Stir to evenly coat and cook until the onions and peppers have softened, but not browned, about 15 minutes. Stir frequently so the vegetables do not stick to the bottom of the pan.
  4. Add the minced garlic, stir and cook for about one minute.
  5. Add the browned meat and any juices, bay leaf, cumin, paprika, oregano, ground cinnamon, ground clove and cayenne pepper to the meat mixture and stir to evenly mix. Cook for about one minute.
  6. Add the chicken stock, sugar and a 1/2 tsp of Kosher salt, and several rounds of freshly ground black pepper. Stir the mix, scraping along the bottom of the pan with your spoon to loosen up any browned bits. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the liquid is evaporated.
  7. Stir in the raisins and olives then transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper or sugar if needed. Remove the bay leaf. Allow the filling to cool down to a cool room temperature or cover and refrigerate for about an hour or more. The beef filling can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept in an air tight container in the refrigerator.
Assemble the Empanadas
  1. Remove the defrosted purchased dough, or homemade dough, from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
  2. For the homemade dough, follow the instructions given with your recipe.
  3. Pre-heat the oven for 375°F / 190°C and place the racks in the upper and lower third position in the oven. Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper.
  4. Fill a glass or small bowl with water and keep at your work area.
  5. Place 6 pastry discs on a work surface. To prevent the pastry from sticking to your work surface keep the paper divider under the empanada pastry.
  6. Add 2 tablespoons of filling in the center of each disc. Dab your finger in the water and paint the edge of one pastry with water. Bring the two sides together by picking up the center points of the top and bottom of the pastry circle making a half moon shape. Starting at the center, pinch the edges together and move your fingers down both sides, pinching along the way to seal the edges.
  7. Lay the empanada flat on the work surface and run your fingers over the mounded part of the pastry to work out any air around the filling. Press down to secure the edges. Crimp the edges with the tines of a fork.
  8. Place the empanada on a parchment paper lined rimmed baking sheet and continue until all the filling is used up. Loosely drape the assembled empanadas with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, so they do not dry out.
  9. Each sheet pan holds about 12 empanadas. When one sheet pan reaches capacity, loosely cover the empanadas with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour. Continue assembling the remaining empanadas and refrigerate for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
  10. Remove the empanadas from the refrigerator and baste each empanada with an egg yolk and water wash. Bake for 25-35 minutes, rotating the sheet pans front to back and top to bottom, half way through. The empanadas are done when they have a nice golden brown color and slightly darker around the edges.
  11. Do ahead note: Unbaked empanadas will keep for 3 months in the freezer. Freeze them on a sheet pan until they are frozen solid, then transfer them into freezer bags and keep in the freezer.
Recipe Notes

Goya makes puff pastry dough for turnovers/empanadas. They are found in the freezer section of your grocery store with other Goya products. This product should not be confused with puff pastry dough found in the dessert freezer section of the store.