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Beef Empanadas
How to Make Empanadas with an easy homemade dough and customizable filling. These crowd-pleasers can be made ahead of time and are baked instead of fried!
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours
Yields: 20 empanadas
Ingredients
For the empanada dough:
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons fine salt
- Pinch paprika
- 2 3/4 cups (12.4 ounces) flour
For the beef filling:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, peeled and minced
- 1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 pound ground beef (85-90% lean)
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1 small russet potato, peeled, finely diced, and boiled
- 3 scallions (optional), trimmed and chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese (optional)
Directions
For the empanada dough:
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Heat the water and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter has melted. Add in the salt, paprika, and flour. Remove from heat and stir with a wooden spoon until a wet and oily dough comes together. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
For the beef filling:
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Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the onions, bell peppers, paprika, red pepper flakes, white pepper, and cumin until onions are soft. Add the beef, season to taste with salt, and cook until the beef is browned. Drain off the fat. Add in the potatoes and scallions, if using.
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Preheat the oven to 400. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
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On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out 5-inch circles. Roll each circle slightly to further flatten before placing about 2 tablespoons of filling on each circle. Sprinkle lightly with cheese, if using. Fold over the dough and press the edges firmly to seal. Crimp with the back of a fork. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.