Cheesy Ground Beef Empanadas
A quick weeknight version of a true favorite.
How do you tell how well-loved the empanada is? Just look at how many cultures have a version of it. From the Philippines to Spain to Chile, there’s a different answer to the handheld meat pie and each one is as delicious as the last. And how could they not be? That’s what happens when you tuck savory meaty filling in flaky pastry — it can’t help but be delicious. And that’s precisely the case with this easy cheesy weeknight version of an empanada. With a quick ground beef filling and the shortcut of store-bought pie dough, they’re simple to make but even easier to enjoy.
First things first, you’ll want to make the filling, and this one is easy. Just brown some ground beef, along with some onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and then season it up with cumin, oregano, chili powder, red pepper flake, and tomato paste. Add some water or broth to give it a saucier consistency and then let that simmer for just ten minutes. You’ll want to let it sit a bit to cool before you start filling the pastry, but the time it takes to roll it and cut it out is just long enough.
If you’re using storebought rolls of pie dough, you just want to roll them out a tad before cutting out your rounds. Using a 4-inch bowl as a guide, run a knife around the perimeter and then repeat. You should be able to get four circles per round of pie dough and you can re-roll your scraps to cut out more if you’d like. (You should have enough filling to make a few extra.)
Then, spoon about a quarter cup of filling onto each round…
Top it with cheese…
And then moisten the edge of the dough with water and fold the dough over into a half circle.
You can crimp however you’d like, but I find the simple fork method to be perfect here. Sometimes the easiest thing is the best thing.
You don’t need to create a steam vent here but a quick brush with egg wash creates beautiful browning.
Line those babies up on a sheet pan and pop them in a 425 degree oven.
In just fifteen minutes they’ll be beautifully golden brown.
And flaky. And meaty and cheesy too. Basically, it’s everything you could want in one convenient, tasty, handheld package.
Cheesy Ground Beef Empanadas
Allergens: Gluten
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced (any color)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or water
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated
- 2 boxes refrigerated pie crust
- 1 egg
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Add ground beef to a large skillet over medium-high heat, season with salt and pepper, and brown until barely pink. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic and continue to cook, stirring often, until vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes more.
- Add cumin, oregano, chili powder, red pepper flake, and tomato paste and cook until color has deepened, about 1 minute. Stir in broth or water and let simmer, reducing heat if needed, until liquid has reduced, about 10 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, then remove from heat and let sit while you work on the crust.
- On a lightly floured surface, unroll pie crust and lightly roll out. Using a bowl about 4 inches in diameter, trace around the edge to cut out a circle. Repeat with remaining pie crust, re-rolling scraps to cut out more rounds as needed.
- Moisten border edge of each circle with a bit of water, then place about 1/4 cup of the meat filling in the center of each crust and top with a bit of the cheese.
- Fold dough over into a half circle, then crimp edges with a fork to seal. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
- In a small bowl, beat egg with one tablespoon water, then brush egg wash over each empanada.
- Bake until crust is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!