1. Dice onion – put in a bowl.
2. Dice the pepper – put in a bowl.
3. Drain water from the can of pigeon peas (you can leave in the can until ready to use).
4. 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!
5. 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.
6. 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 1/4 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.
7. Once your beef starts browning, add the Adobo seasoning and mix well.
8. Add the cooked onion, pepper, and pigeon pea mixture into the ground beef pan and give it a good mix.
9. 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.
10. 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:

1. Beat eggs and a splash of water for an egg wash.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Brush the egg wash around the edge of the wrapper
5. Seal the empanada by forking the edges.
6. Repeat the process until you’ve stuffed all the empanadas. My video shows this well.