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    Home » Appetizers/ Snacks » Beef Empanadas

    Beef Empanadas

    Published: Oct 16, 2018 · Modified: Feb 5, 2021 by HWC Magazine · 8 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Beef Empanadas are the perfect one handed Spanish Tapas for a party. Super flaky pre-make pie crusts make this recipe super easy and delicious appetizer. #beef #spanish #appetizer #tapas #party #stuffed #baked/ https://www.hwcmagazine.com

    Easy Beef Empanadas are made with pre-made light and flaky pie crusts stuffed with seasoned ground beef, olives, spices and baked to perfection. Super easy shortcuts included to make hosting a Spanish Tapas party a breeze. 

    Spanish Empanadas are the perfect one handed tapas to serve at a gathering. You are just going to love that first bite into the flaky crust and the hearty savory beef mixture. We love serving our beef empanadas hot out of the oven and with a side of our Spicy 5 Minute Chimichurri Sauce. Your guests are going to love you and your homemade empanadas too!

    Beef Empanadas  with chimichurri sauce.
    Jump to:
    • Spanish Tapas Party
    • History of Empanadas
    • Fillings
    • Argentina Recipe
    • Simplify Your Party Hosting Strategy
    • Helpful Hints for Making Empanadas for a Crowd
    • Be prepared to be hunted!!!
    • Step By Step Beef Empanadas
    • Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)
    • More Appetizer Recipe Ideas
    • Beef Empanadas

    Spanish Tapas Party

    It is Spanish Tapas Night here at Healthy World Cuisine. Pour yourself a tall fruity sangria and come and join the fun. Last week, we started our fun Spanish night with the Best Orange Almond Flourless Cake dessert.

    Hey, why not right? Life is short- Eat Dessert first for a sweet ending to your party! Coming soon to a monitor near you will be our fast and easy chimichurri sauce recipe, baked Spanish mushroom tapas. Be sure to check out our recipe for our Spanish Meatballs with Peppers and Tomato Wine Sauce is a hit at any gathering.

    Beef Empanadas on a baking sheet.

    History of Empanadas

    Empanada treats are prevalent in Spain, Portugal, Latin America, Argentina, Philippines and Caribbean and other places around the world and are a type of stuffed pastry. These delicious stuffed treats are often served at parties or festivals either as a starter or as part of the main meal.

    In addition, they have many different fillings depending on where they are originated from. Did you know that they can be either baked or fried. To keep this recipe a little healthier we will be baking them.

    beef filling showing in the cut empanadas with chimichurri on top.

    Fillings

    Traditional fillings include beef, raisins, olives, hard boiled eggs and such. When you are cooking for 25 guests with 25 different taste palates, it is best to exclude those questionable filling like raisins and hard boiled eggs. Instead, we added in red bell pepper and it was a hit. If you like the idea of a hand pie, be sure to try our Easy Pumpkin Empanadas as a dessert option.

    Argentina Recipe

    We have a very dear friend from Argentina. She makes the most wonderful ground beef empanadas you have ever tasted. A recipe passed on to her from generation to generation is like gold.  You are so lucky.  She has shared her beef filling recipe with us today.  We have never tasted anything that has even come close to it since.

    The bite shot showing ground beef, olives and flaky crust.

    Simplify Your Party Hosting Strategy

    We thought about making our own flaky empanada crust for our beef empanadas from scratch as we have done numerous times before. Actually, this beef empanada recipe was first posted back on September 20, 2011 and since then we have learned many lessons along the way.

    First important lesson when hosting a gathering is to delegate.

    Second important lesson is to do as much as possible in advance.

    Third is to simplify everything you can. For example, if you are not feeling up to make individual hand pies, try our simple cheeseburger puff pastry rolls instead.

    If you have been following Healthy World Cuisine you may have remembered that we made the empanada dough from scratch. Crazy! Right? Hosting 25 people and making everything from scratch. Actually, that might be referred to as insane. We took a very easy and delicious short cut and used store bought refrigerated pie dough. Yes, we did and no one was the wiser.

    Empanadas on a green plate.

    Helpful Hints for Making Empanadas for a Crowd

    • Buy pre-made pie crusts - you can thank us later
    • Make your beef mixture in advance and allow to cool completely before stuffing your empanadas.  We did this the day before and refrigerated the beef filling. The reason being is that the dough will become soggy and your empanadas will be difficult to seal and work with.
    • Keep your pie dough refrigerated until just ready to use. If your pie dough gets warm, it becomes difficult to work with and sticks on things and more apt to tear.
    • Do NOT over stuff your empanadas. You want to keep about ½ inch away from the sides. If the beef mixture gets on the section you are trying to seal, then it could pop open during the baking of the empanadas.
    • You can use the edge of the fork to seal or use the same fold over crimp like you do for a dumpling or pie crust. The edge of the fork is easiest and quickest method. The fold over method is a little more complicated.
    • We used egg wash to seal the edges of our beef empanadas and also brushed on top to give a beautiful golden color when baked.
    • Make sure you poke a little fork hole near the edge of the empanada to allow the steam to escape, just like you would with an apple pie.
    • Pre fill and crimp edges of your beef empanadas and store uncovered in the refrigerator until ready to bake later that day. You can store like this up to 8 hours in advance. As a matter of fact, you will have better results with the baking process if your beef empanadas are chilled 30 minutes before baking. Less likely to pop open during the baking process.
    • You can stack up your baking sheets in the refrigerator if you place 2 little tiny bowls that are deeper than your empanadas on each of your baking sheets. (Rocking awesome idea from the hubby!)
    • Alternatively, you can stuff your empanadas and crimp. Then, you can place on a baking sheet uncovered and freeze until firm and then place in a freezer safe container up to 3 months. You can then bake directly from the freezer, making sure to give them a quick egg wash before you put them in the oven.
    • Beef empanadas can be baked before your guests arrive and eaten at room temperature but we really like them hot out of the oven.
    • Once your guests arrive, pour them a fruity sangria and pop your beef empanadas in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and enjoy. Repeat process until your guests are full or you run out of empanadas.
    • This beef empanada recipe makes 34 medium sized empanadas. We used about a 5.5 inch bowl to make our pastry circles from the pre-made pie crust. By the time you fold them in half and then crimp, it is the perfect hand held size beef empanada.
    Empanadas getting filled with the beef filling on a cutting board.

    Be prepared to be hunted!!!

    You may be asking, "What the heck?" Yes, be prepared to be hunted down and stalked like a wild animal once your guests hear the timer for the oven and freshly baked empanadas are coming out of the oven. We have an island in the center of the kitchen and the oven on the opposite side.

    As it was quite crowded in the kitchen and living room area, we placed the freshly baked beef empanadas and placed them on a serving platter with a bowl of chimichurri sauce and walked around offering our guests a taste. Little did we know we had a parade of followers trying to catch up to the beef empanadas tray to grab another taste.

    Step By Step Beef Empanadas

    Step by step how to fold an empanada.

    Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

    Can you freeze beef empanadas?

    Cooked beef empanadas can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. You can also prepare your empanadas but do not bake them. Instead freeze your empanadas unbaked in a single layer in a covered container. then when you are ready to eat. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C) and bake for approximately 20 - 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. As they are frozen, they take a little longer to bake.

    How to keep empanadas from getting soggy?

    When you cook the filling, make sure that your filling is not wet. Your goal is a soft and tender filling that slightly saucy but NOT wet.

    More Appetizer Recipe Ideas

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    Beef Empanadas / https://www.hwcmagazine.com

    Beef Empanadas

    Easy Beef Empanadas are made with pre-made light and flaky pie crusts stuffed with seasoned ground beef, olives and spices and baked to perfection.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizers/ Snacks
    Cuisine: Spanish
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Servings: 34 empanadas
    Calories: 227kcal
    Author: HWC Magazine

    Ingredients

    • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 small onion chopped
    • 4 cloves garlic peeled and minced finely
    • 1 pound ground beef
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 1 red bell pepper chopped
    • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
    • 3 tablespoons water or beef broth or red wine - 3 tablespoons to thin out the tomato paste
    • 2 teaspoons paprika
    • 1 teaspoon oregano
    • 2 teaspoons cumin
    • 1 cup green pitted olives sliced
    • 8 pie crusts 4 pre-made packages (8 unbaked pie crusts)
    • 1 egg beaten
    • oil spray to prevent sticking on tray
    • Spicy 5 Minute Chimichurri Sauce optional
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Place oil in frying pan and heat up to medium heat. Add onion and garlic and fry until aromatic. Add ground beef and salt and pepper to taste and cook for about 3-5 minutes until browned. If excess oil, drain the fat from the pan.
      Add chopped red bell pepper, tomato paste, (water, broth or wine to thin out a little), paprika, oregano, cumin and green pitted olives and cook for 2 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed.. You want the mixture to be slightly saucy but not wet as you do not want the empanadas to leak from the crust. Allow Beef mixture to cool.
    • Remove the pre-made pie crust from the carton and lie flat on your counter or cutting board. Use a 4 inch bowl to cut out round circles. (We were feeding a huge crowd so we made 34 empanadas). Place a little egg wash or water around the edge of each pie crust circle.
      Place 2 tablespoons cooled beef mixture into each circle on one side. Close the empanada in half. Press your fingers around the edges. Then you can either use a fork to go around the edges to press and seal or crimp the sides by folding over the edges. Take a fork and place a couple of little holes near the crimped edges to allow the steam to escape during the baking process. Continue this same process with the remaining empanadas.
    • Place your prepared empanadas in the refrigerator for 30 minutes prior to baking. Pre-heat oven for 375 degree F (190 degrees C) Brush your empanadas with egg wash. Bake Empanadas for 18- 20 minutes uncovered or until golden brown.
    • Serve beef empanadas hot out of the oven with an chimichurri sauce if desired. enjoy!
    • You can make your beef empanadas up to the point of baking up to 8 hours in advance and store in the refrigerator until your guests arrive and then bake when your guests arrive.
      You may also freeze unbaked beef empanadas on the baking sheet. Once the empanadas are frozen solid you can place in a freezer bag or plastic sealed container up to 3 months. You can then bake directly from the freezer. Do not unthaw.
    • Empanadas can also be eaten at room temperature but they are absolutely fantastic hot out of the oven.
    • You may wish to add raisins or hard boiled eggs slices to your empanadas if desired.

    Notes

    Helpful Hints for Making Empanadas for a Crowd

    • Buy pre-made pie crusts - you can thank us later
    • Make your beef mixture in advance and allow to cool completely before stuffing your empanadas.  We did this the day before and refrigerated the beef filling. The reason being is that the dough will become soggy and your empanadas will be difficult to seal and work with.
    • Keep your pie dough refrigerated until just ready to use. If your pie dough gets warm, it becomes difficult to work with and sticks on things and more apt to tear.
    • Do NOT over stuff your empanadas. You want to keep about ½ inch away from the sides. If the beef mixture gets on the section you are trying to seal, then it could pop open during the baking of the empanadas.
    • You can use the edge of the fork to seal or use the same fold over crimp like you do for a dumpling or pie crust. The edge of the fork is easiest and quickest method. The fold over method is a little more complicated.
    • We used egg wash to seal the edges of our beef empanadas and also brushed on top to give a beautiful golden color when baked.
    • Make sure you poke a little fork hole near the edge of the empanada to allow the steam to escape, just like you would with an apple pie.
    • Pre fill and crimp edges of your beef empanadas and store uncovered in the refrigerator until ready to bake later that day. You can store like this up to 8 hours in advance. As a matter of fact, you will have better results with the baking process if your beef empanadas are chilled 30 minutes before baking. Less likely to pop open during the baking process.
    • You can stack up your baking sheets in the refrigerator if you place 2 little tiny bowls that are deeper than your empanadas on each of your baking sheets. (Rocking awesome idea from the hubby!)
    • Alternatively, you can stuff your empanadas and crimp. Then, you can place on a baking sheet uncovered and freeze until firm and then place in a freezer safe container up to 3 months. You can then bake directly from the freezer, making sure to give them a quick egg wash before you put them in the oven.
    • Beef empanadas can be baked before your guests arrive and eaten at room temperature but we really like them hot out of the oven.
    • Once your guests arrive, pour them a fruity sangria and pop your beef empanadas in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and enjoy. Repeat process until your guests are full or you run out of empanadas.
    • This beef empanada recipe makes 34 medium sized empanadas. We used about a 5.5 inch bowl to make our pastry circles from the pre-made pie crust. By the time you fold them in half and then crimp, it is the perfect hand held size beef empanada.
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1empanada | Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 186mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 199IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 2mg
    Did you make this recipe?Tag us @HWCMagazine or hastag us #HWCMagazine!

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    About HWC Magazine

    Join our Healthy World Cuisine medical editors (trained in both Western and Eastern Medicine) and learn how to EAT your way around the WORLD from the comfort of your own kitchen. Grab free health tips, recipe ideas, meal plans and gain a better understand how eating choices can affect your health. Be the healthier and happier YOU!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Eha Carr says

      December 29, 2020 at 11:53 pm

      5 stars
      Well, with my part of Australia madly testing and isolating again because of the actions of some idiots I do not know when I'll be able to have a kitchen-full of eager friends, but these beauties will go onto the to-do file for some lovely lunches and dinners with a mess of summery salad ! Make mine similar;y . . . and we'll pretend the pastry was home-made 🙂 !! Meanwhile huge hugs for the end of the year . . . personally I cannot see anything changing overnight for quite a while but methinks there is some clear sky visible on the horizon . . . . since I have been thru' years of war, bombing, rape and pillage I am patient enough to live to the best possible and wait . . .

      Reply
      • HWC Magazine says

        January 02, 2021 at 2:28 am

        Happy New Years Eha! I personally see many more months of cooking at home. Thank goodness that is our favorite activity... now if we could only have boys that loved to clean up... (smiling) Stay well, stay strong and take care.

        Reply
    2. On Top Of Spaghetti says

      November 08, 2012 at 11:58 pm

      Mm, perfect for a party buffet! We have similar mini pies here in Greece, usually with cheese or spinach fillings. It's funny how there are similarities between cuisines that are on almost opposite sides of the world!

      Reply
      • Healthy World Cuisine says

        November 09, 2012 at 7:45 am

        I have had those little fluffy Greek inspired spinach and cheese pies and they are gorgeous. International flavors that touch all borders of the world are my favorite. I think you could really put anything you desire inside of empanadas as they are just the outer pie shell. (curry, Moroccan chicken, seafood, and even dessert fruits would be lovely) Take care, BAM

        Reply
    3. Vickie says

      September 23, 2011 at 7:05 am

      I have a request - recipe for a great Chinese soup. Can you help?

      Reply
      • Healthy World Cuisine says

        September 23, 2011 at 7:37 am

        There are so many fantastic Chinese soups and now with the fall season at our door steps it is a perfect time to enjoy these healthy and warming soups. Just off the top of my head, I can make a lovely hot and sour, pork and carrot, sizzling rice soup, wonton, egg drop, Cantonese seafood soup, and other Chinese herbal soups. I will make sure to post some of these recipes on my blog soon. Take care

        Reply
    4. Vickie says

      September 23, 2011 at 7:02 am

      Yummy - great for tailgating!!!!

      Reply
      • Healthy World Cuisine says

        September 23, 2011 at 7:15 am

        Thanks and yes a great tailgating treat. Michigan vs Michigan State game on October 15th-mark your calendars!

        Reply

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