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These Chilean-inspired beef empanadas feature seasoned ground beef, hard-boiled eggs, and olives sealed in crimped pastry disks. The recipe teaches proper dough sealing and crimping techniques to keep them from falling apart during baking.
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Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cook the ground beef and chopped onion over medium heat in a large skillet for about 6 to 8 minutes, breaking the beef into crumbles as it cooks. You'll know it's done when the beef is browned and the onion is tender. Don't drain the grease from the skillet like you might for other ground beef recipes.
After the ground beef and onion are cooked through, add the chopped hard-boiled eggs, olives, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper to the skillet. The mixture will only need a few more minutes on the stovetop. When everything is heated through, take the skillet off the heat.
Place the thawed empanada dough discs onto a flat, clean surface. Take a silicone brush and spread the beaten egg around the edges of each disc. The egg will act like glue when you fold the discs in half to form the empanadas and seal them shut. Add about 3 tablespoons of the ground beef filling to one side of the empanada disc. It should be just enough so that folding over the other half is still easy.
Fold over the rest of the dough disc to cover the filling and lightly press around the edges to seal the empanada shut. Now this is where it gets a little tricky: To make the "crimps," begin by pinching a small piece of dough between your forefinger and thumb. Gently stretch the dough, pull it up and fold it toward the top of the empanada, pressing firmly. Repeat around the entire edge of the empanada until you form a pattern that looks like a rope.
After you've crimped the edges, move the empanadas to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with the remaining beaten egg, which will give the empanadas that beautiful baked golden color later on. Slide the baking sheet with the crimped and sealed empanadas in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up the dough before baking.
Pull the beef empanadas out of the refrigerator and pop them right into the preheated oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. They're ready when they're golden brown.
Be careful—the empanadas will be piping hot inside! You can eat them with your hands or with a fork and knife. If using your hands, you might want to wrap the bottom of the empanada in a napkin to catch any dripping juices.
Written automatically by CookOS, not by the creator.
Store cooled empanadas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 10-12 minutes until warmed through.
silicone brush · parchment paper
Written automatically by CookOS, not by the creator.
The fat keeps the filling moist and flavorful inside the empanada. Draining it would result in a dry filling.
Use about 3 tablespoons of filling per dough disk—enough to fill one side without making it too difficult to fold and seal.
Yes. Assemble and crimp the empanadas, refrigerate for 15 minutes as directed, then freeze on the baking sheet. Bake from frozen, adding 5-10 minutes to the baking time.
It acts as a glue to seal the dough edges when folded, and brushed on top, it gives the baked empanadas a golden-brown finish.
Yes, fresh dough works the same way. Thawed frozen dough is recommended for convenience, but homemade or fresh store-bought dough will yield similar results.
