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Meals

Empanadas.

Baked beef turnovers using ready-made empanada pastry, onion, spices and olives.

Makes
24 small empanadas
Hands-on
35 minutes
Total time
1 hour
Effort
Some practice
Make it yourself ↓Buy premade ↓

GET WHAT YOU NEED

Your shopping list

For 24 small empanadas.

Ground beef

1 lb

Amazon Grocery 80/20 Ground Beef, three 1 lb packs

Buy on Amazon

Sold as three 1-pound packs. Use only the amount called for and refrigerate or freeze the rest.

Pimiento-stuffed olives

12, chopped

Mezzetta pimiento-stuffed green olives, six 10 oz jars

Buy on Amazon

Puff-pastry empanada discs for baking

24 small discs, two 11.6 oz packs

Goya Puff-pastry Empanada Discs, 12 count / 11.6 oz

Buy on Kroger

Sold frozen. Thaw as the package directs. Store availability depends on your location.

Water

2 teaspoons

Ingredient is drinking water; use household filtered drinking water.

Amounts are what the recipe uses, not package sizes. Compare quantities and product details before buying.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Tools & supplies

Baking sheets

Leave space between pastries.

Nordic Ware Naturals aluminum half-sheet pans, pack of 2

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Food thermometer

Checks ground beef doneness.

Alpha Grillers Digital Food Thermometer

Buy on Amazon

STEP BY STEP

Make it

  1. Sauté

    Heat oil over medium-high. Soften onion about 7 minutes; add garlic and spices for 30 seconds.

  2. Cook

    Brown beef, breaking it apart, until cooked through to 160°F. Add adobo and olives. Cool filling.

  3. Fill

    Heat oven to 375°F. Beat egg with water. Put a heaping tablespoon filling in each thawed disc.

  4. Seal

    Brush edges with egg wash, fold and firmly seal. Space 1½ inches apart and brush tops.

  5. Bake

    Bake about 20 minutes, until puffed, golden and hot throughout.

Good to know

  • Use pastry labeled for baking, not frying-only discs.
  • Cool the filling before wrapping; warm filling can soften the pastry and weaken the seal.

SAVE THE MAKING

Prefer it ready-made?

Compare these finished options with making your own.

Frozen beef empanadas

Filled turnovers ready to heat.

DELE shredded-beef empanadas, 8 three-ounce pieces

Buy on Amazon

These have cornmeal shells, unlike the wheat pastry used in the homemade version.

Links go to the selected products. Availability and delivery vary by location; check the current listing and package size before ordering.

Sources & further reading

Independent instructions informed by the sources below. No affiliation or endorsement is implied. These instructions have not been kitchen- or workshop-tested by DIBuyIt.

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