Beef and Cheese Empanadas

4.50 from 2 votes

These Argentinian style empanadas are delicious, savory, flaky pastries filled with beef, cheese, tomatoes, and olives to serve as an appetizer or hearty snack.

Servings empanadas

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
⅓ cup onion diced
1 bell pepper chopped
2 teaspoon minced garlic
½ lb ground beef
2 tablespoon raisins
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
2 tablespoon chopped green olives
⅔ cup diced tomatoes (canned) drained
1 jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped (or to taste)
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese
4 refrigerated pie crusts or puff pastry sheets
1 egg beaten

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet and saute ⅓ cup onion over medium heat until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add 1 bell pepper and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add 2 teaspoon minced garlic and ½ lb ground beef and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until beef is browned.
Add 2 tablespoon raisins, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, and ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add 4 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, 2 tablespoon chopped green olives, ⅔ cup diced tomatoes, and 1 jalapeno pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat and stir in ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese. Allow filling to cool.
Heat oven to 375 degrees F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
Unroll a pie crust onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 15-inch circle. Cut into 4-inch circles. Brush edges of circle lightly with beaten egg. [See Note 1]
Place a rounded tablespoon of the meat mixture in the center of the circle. Fold in half and seal edges with a fork. Brush the top of the empanada with egg and place it on a baking sheet.
Repeat with remaining circles, re-rolling dough scraps as needed. Repeat for the remaining pie crusts. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Notes

Note 1: If using puff pastry, thaw it for about 30 minutes before you are ready to fill your empanadas. Roll out the pastry sheet just a bit more so that you can fit 6 4-inch circles per sheet. Roll out the scraps for a few more circles. To make it easy, I just cut the puff pastry into squares.

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