Ingredients
- ▢1/2 pound ground beef
- ▢1/4 onion – diced
- ▢1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- ▢1/2 teaspoon chili powder – or chipotle chili powder
- ▢1/2 teaspoon salt
- ▢4 ounces diced green chiles
- ▢4 ounces diced pimento peppers
- ▢2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ▢1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese – or Mexican blend
- ▢2 refrigerated pie crusts
- ▢1 egg – whisked
- ▢HERDEZ™ Traditional Guacamole – for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat or parchment paper.
- Unroll pie crusts on a clean, flat surface. Use a 3-inch round pastry cutter to cut circles from the dough. (If desired, combine scraps, roll out, and cut again.)
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef.
- Stir in onions, cumin, chili powder, salt, green chiles, and pimento peppers. Saute 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste, followed by the cheese. Remove from heat.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the beef mixture into the center of each pie crust circle.
- Fold dough over and use a fork to seal the dough all along the curved edge.
- Arrange in a single layer, not touching, on prepared baking sheet. Brush empanadas with egg wash.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving with HERDEZ™ Traditional Guacamole. Enjoy!
Notes
Make ahead: these keep really well stored in an airtight container in the freezer. You can freeze just before baking (add about 5 minutes to baking time if baking from frozen) or bake and then freeze for a quick and easy meal later on. Reheat individually or in sets of 2-3 in microwave.
Make it spicy: add one finely diced jalapeno into the pan along with the onions, chiles, and peppers.
Pie Crust: want to make your own pie crust? Awesome! Here’s my simple homemade (delicious!) pie crust recipe.
Great for parties: we usually eat these as a main dish, but empanadas are small handheld delights that work great as an appetizer! I’d say this recipe makes enough as written for 4 as a main dish, or 8 as an appetizer. Easily double the recipe to feed a crowd!
Nutrition
Calories: 629 kcal, Carbohydrates: 47 g, Protein: 21 g, Fat: 40 g, Saturated Fat: 15 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 96 mg, Sodium: 964 mg, Potassium: 442 mg, Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 2 g, Vitamin A: 1190 IU, Vitamin C: 36 mg, Calcium: 154 mg, Iron: 5 mg
