How to make empanadas with beef

Empanadas are easy turnover pastries that can be filled with meat such as beef or chicken. This easy homemade empanadas recipe was made with beef and lots of vegetables. Other fillings that can be used for making empanada include vegetables, fish, or a combination.

Empanadas Ingredients

Ingredients for Empanadas dough

• 3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of diced frozen butter
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1 egg

Ingredients for Empanadas filling

• 600 grams of ground beef
• 1 large chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup of frozen peas
• 1/2 cup of chopped celery sticks
• 2 crushed beef bouillon cubes
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1/2 cup of chopped onion
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 cup of chopped potatoes
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tsp of paprika powder
• 1/2 tsp of red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp of cumin
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp of thyme

How to Make Empanadas

1) How to make empanada dough

• In a mixing bowl, add the flour and salt together; stir to combine.
• Bring in the diced butter and mix with your hand or a food processor until the flour becomes crumbly in texture.
• Break and beat 1 egg, and then add it to the flour mixture.
• Add 1/2 cup of chilled water to the flour, butter, and egg mixture and mix using your hand or a mixer. The chilled water should be added a little at a time.
• Once you have a thick and smooth dough, stop kneading.
• Place in the mixing bowl and cover with a cling film.
• Rest it in the fridge for about an hour for the empanada dough to become firm a little; this makes it easier to mold into wrappers for the empanadas.

2) How to make the filling

• While the empanada dough is chilling in the fridge, start making the filling.
• Place a large pan on the stovetop, add 2 tbsp of olive oil.
• Once the oil is heated, add the chopped onions and saute for 2 minutes until they are slightly translucent.
• Go in with the ground beef and break it into small pieces using a spatula. Cook for 5 minutes until it is no longer pink.
• Add the minced garlic, chopped celery, carrots, and potatoes; stir everything to combine.
• Season the beef and vegetables with paprika powder, red chili powder, ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp of salt, cumin, thyme, and tomato paste.
• Mix all the seasonings to combine with the cooked beef, you may also like beef tapa recipe.
• Add 1 and 1/2 cup of water to the pan and stir to combine. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes on medium heat.
• After 15 minutes, add the frozen peas, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the empanada filling to cool off.

3) Wrapping the filling in the dough

• While the filling is cooling off, start rolling the dough.
• Divide the empanada dough into two, and work with one at a time. As you are working on one, keep the other part in the fridge.
• Roll the dough into a flat shape of about 1/4 inch thick.
• Use a wide cookie cutter or the cover of any of your pots to cut out a circular wrapper from the flattened dough. You can cut out 2 or more circles from the rolled dough depending on how your cutting tool is. Any excess dough remaining can be remolded and rolled again to prevent wastage.
• Using one wrapper at a time, scoop the filling to the middle of the wrapper and turn over one edge of the wrapper to enclose the filling (this is why it is called a “turnover”). You can use your fingers to close and fit the edges of the wrapper together.
• Use a fork to press against the edges to help attach the edges closely as well as making some stripes that serve as design.
• Once done, transfer it to a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat this until you are done with the filling and the remaining dough and wrappers.
• Break 1 egg and use it for making an egg wash; add 1 tbsp of water to the egg and beat it until it is cloudy.
• Use a pastry brush to glaze the surface of the empanadas; do this by dipping the pastry brush in the egg wash and using it to brush over the surface of the empanadas.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the empanadas for 20 to 25 minutes or until they appear golden in color.
• Remove from the oven and allow them to cool down a little bit and your easy homemade empanadas are ready.

Nutrition and Calories

Every 100 grams of empanadas contains about 335 calories and 11 grams of protein,  31 grams of carbs,  18 grams of fats, and 26 mg of cholesterol. Other nutrients include sodium, potassium, and some vitamins gotten from the seasonings and the vegetables. Iron is also present because of the meat.