I used to work near a small Brazilian market. I popped in to check it out one day, and discovered they had very affordable prepared foods. They were selling beef empanadas for a buck a piece! Naturally, this became one of my favorite places for lunch. One bite of that empanada and I was hooked. What I loved was how simple yet flavorful it was. Main ingredients were ground beef with seasoning, peas, and onion. I ate them for years, but then the market closed and no more empanadas. Inspired by the delicious memory of my first empanada, I embarked on a journey to make my own kind of crispy beef and cheese empanadas.
The Origins of Empanadas
Turns out, thank you Wikipedia, the origin of empanadas is not really known, though there is information in an old cookbook that they are originally from Spain. Argentina is another country where they serve empanadas during parties and festivals; in Belize they are called penades; in Puerto Rico they are pastelillos and in Brazil they are called pastel - though the Brazilian market where I was originally introduced to them called them empanadas. I loved the seasoned ground beef stuffed in a pastry shell and fried in oil. They were absolutely delicious and I couldn't get enough of them. There are many other varieties in terms of what the stuffing consists of: could be beef, chicken, olives, corn, potatoes. They might be spicy or they might be mild. There are a lot of different directions you could go in with flavors.
Crispy Beef and Cheese Empanadas: Seasonings and Dough
I was so inspired by those empanadas from years ago and I tested my own recipe for years. I knew I wanted the beef, but I couldn't get the seasoning right for a while. Then I added adobo and sofrito one time and it was a game changer with the flavor. My best friend in my 20's was from Puerto Rico and she introduced me to adobo seasoning and sofrito tomato sauce. So I think my rendition of the empanada has a little bit of Puerto Rican influence too. Thank you Lynnette!!
As much as I love a great homemade dough, there is a fantastic frozen option right in the freezer section of your local super market. The frozen Goya shells are perfect for this recipe. I tested the recipe with a couple of different home made dough options that I didn't care for, but then again, I'm not a great baker. Dough is not really my thing. The frozen ones work great, they save time and bonus: they are delicious!
Empanadas by the Numbers: Make 30, Trust Me
I usually make about 30 in one batch. Yes, you read that right: 30.
You might think 10 empanadas is a lot, but it's not. We usually devour two or three each the night I make them. If you make 10, you will regret that. Please trust me on that. Additionally, once word gets out that you have an awesome empanada recipe, you'll receive special requests. I usually give some away to my friends and family who have become addicted to them over the years.
If you must, you have the option of making 20 empanadas. If 30 feels like it's too.much.to.handle. Simply reserve one package of the frozen empanada shells (they come 10 per pack) and freeze the remaining cooked empanada beef mixture for later. I have done this many times. The cooked mixture freezes very well. Then, a couple months down the road you can make a small batch of 10.
Empanadas Make Great Leftovers and Freeze Well
Once you've stuffed your face with more empanadas than you thought was possible (my record is 4 in one sitting): freeze them for lunches and dinners when you don't have time to cook. To defrost, simply put them in the fridge overnight and reheat them in your toaster oven with a piece of foil resting on top so they don't burn. Seriously, just as delicious as the night you made them. Not all foods taste great left over and not all foods taste great after they've been frozen. However, empanadas hold up very well in both categories.
If you are cooking a meal, make a little more and take it for lunch. And when making empanadas, freeze a couple of bags and enjoy them on nights you don't feel like cooking. They have rescued me so many times over the years!
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Delicious Beef and Cheese Empanadas
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 30 empanadas 1x
Description
Want to make awesome crispy beef and cheese empanadas? This recipe is a real crowd-pleaser and easy to put together. You'll have plenty of leftovers to freeze for future meals too!
Ingredients
- 2-2.5 pounds of 80/20 ground beef
- 1 ½ tablespoons Adobo seasoning
- 1 dark green poblano pepper, diced small
- 1 medium onion, diced small
- 6-8 ounces of Sofrito (More if needed. I buy the 12 ounce jar)
- 3 packages Goya empanada wrappers (10 in each pack - small size)
- 2 cups of shredded Mexican cheese
- 1 15 oz can of pigeon peas
- 2 eggs beaten with splash of water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Frying oil for empanadas (vegetable or canola work best)
Optional Toppings:
- ½ bunch of cilantro
- 5-6 scallions, chopped (garnish)
- sour cream
- salsa
- chopped avocado (or make some guacamole)
Instructions
- Dice onion – put in a bowl.
- Dice the pepper – put in a bowl.
- Drain water from the can of pigeon peas (you can leave in the can until ready to use).
- If you're using any of the optional toppings – prep them now. Chop your scallions, cilantro and avocado and set aside. Have your favorite salsa on hand and sour cream too if you want!
- In one pan, start cooking the ground beef. It will need to be broken up so just use a wooden spoon or spatula. I don’t use any oil here because the beef has enough fat. Continue chopping beef down during the cooking process until it's all broken up and crumbly. Should take 7-10 minutes to cook through.
- In the other pan, add the diced onion and a drizzle of olive oil (maybe 1 tablespoon), along with salt and pepper to taste. About ¼ teaspoon of each. Cook on low to medium heat for a couple of minutes then add the diced pepper and pigeon peas. I cook these separately because it gets lost in the beef mixture if you cook it all together and the pigeon peas turn to mush. Cook this for about 3-5 minutes on low to medium heat until onions are a bit translucent and peppers are soft.
- Once your beef starts browning, add the Adobo seasoning and mix well.
- Add the cooked onion, pepper, and pigeon pea mixture into the ground beef pan and give it a good mix.
- Add 6-8 ounces of sofrito sauce and mix well. I usually end up using almost the whole jar, but that’s just my preference. Taste it after you’ve added half the jar and add more if you like! Cook the mixture another few minutes to ensure the beef is cooked all the way through. Taste it and if you think it needs salt add it. I don't usually add it.
- Once beef mixture is ready, pour half of it into a large bowl, add a cup of cheese and mix. The cheese will start melting right away. Next, add the rest of the beef mixture on top of that, plus the second cup of cheese. Toss around again. Your empanada filling is ready!
Finally Assembly:
- Beat eggs and a splash of water for an egg wash.
- Pour an inch or so of vegetable oil in a pan and let it heat up. The empanadas will fry in this oil. This is a shallow fry so we'll brown one side, then turn the empanadas to fry and brown the other side. I usually have two pans going to cook them so it will take less time.
- Take one empanada wrapper and put on a cutting board. Put 1 heaping spoon of beef mixture (a little more if you can fit it) on the wrapper and fold it over.
- Brush the egg wash around the edge of the wrapper
- Seal the empanada by forking the edges.
- Repeat the process until you’ve stuffed all the empanadas. My video shows this well.
Notes
- The serving size: I know 30 seems like a lot of empanadas, but it’s really not. If you’re cooking for a large group they will all get eaten. If you're cooking for 4-6 people and everyone has 2 the first night you make them, you’re already down to as few as 18 empanadas. And trust me: this is a great freezer meal for another night when you don’t feel like cooking.
- I finger-flick a little egg wash on the oil to see if it’s hot enough to start frying. If it crackles it’s ready.
- Stuff 6-7 empanadas and add them to the oil. While the first batch of empanadas is cooking you can stuff the next batch. The first batch always takes the longest.
- Since the beef is still warm, the empanada dough may get gooey and sticky and they will be harder to lift up from the cutting board. If you have parchment paper, you could place the uncooked, stuffed empanadas there as a staging area before they go in the pan.
- You will probably have leftover beef mixture. You can freeze it and make more empanadas later or tacos.
- These empanadas freeze very well. Make sure you wrap them well before placing in the freezer. I usually double ziplock bag them.
- There are two sizes of empanada wrappers. I use the smaller ones. The larger ones say “Discos Grande.” You can use those too but they are so big and you will get fewer (but larger) empanadas.
- The recipe calls for 2-2 ½ pounds of beef because I know the offerings at the grocery store can vary wildly. For this recipe, I could only get a 2 ½ pound package of ground beef the day I bought it. I definitely had leftover beef mixture and froze it for another time.
- In the video I mention making 20 empanadas, but I meant to say 30! I just couldn't go back and re-record that - sorry! I made 20 for the video but I had enough mix for 10 more which I made at a later time.
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