2 Ground Meat Empanadas Recipe
Make 2 Ground Meat Empanadas Recipe in just 1h 45m. Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
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Dough
Filling
To assemble & finish
Method
Dough
- 1
Combine dry ingredients
Whisk together 2.25 cups all-purpose flour and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl until evenly mixed.
- 2
Cut in fats
Add 0.5 cup cold cubed butter and 2 tbsp cold shortening (if using) to the flour. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the fats into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
- 3
Add liquid
Stir 1 tsp white vinegar into 6 tbsp ice water. Drizzle about half of the liquid into the flour mixture and gently fold with a fork until dough just comes together; add more water, a tablespoon at a time, until dough holds when pressed but is not sticky.
- 4
Form and chill
Gather the dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes (or up to 2 days). Chilling relaxes the gluten and keeps the butter cold for a flaky crust.
Filling
- 5
Prep aromatics and small ingredients
Finely chop 0.5 cup yellow onion, mince 1 garlic clove, dice 0.25 cup red bell pepper (if using), chop 2 tbsp pimento-stuffed olives, and measure 1 tbsp raisins (if using).
- 6
Cook beef
Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and red pepper; cook until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add 8 oz ground beef and break it up with a spatula. Cook until browned and no pink remains, about 5–7 minutes.
- 7
Season and reduce
Stir in 1 tbsp tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add 2 tbsp broth, 0.5 tsp ground cumin, 0.5 tsp smoked paprika, 0.25 tsp dried oregano, 0.75 tsp salt, 0.5 tsp black pepper, and 0.25 tsp sugar (if using). Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, 2–3 minutes.
- 8
Finish filling
Remove from heat, then stir in chopped olives, 1 tbsp raisins (if using), and 0.5 tsp lime or lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning. Let the filling cool to near room temperature (about 15–20 minutes) so it won’t make the dough soggy.
To assemble & finish
- 9
Roll out dough
Lightly flour a work surface with 0.25 cup flour. Remove chilled dough and let sit 5 minutes to ease rolling. Roll dough to about 1/8-inch (3 mm) thickness. Using a 4.5–5 inch round cutter (roughly the size of a small bowl), cut out 4–6 circles from the dough.
- 10
Portion filling
Place about 2–3 tablespoons of the cooled meat filling in the center of each dough circle, keeping filling away from the edges to prevent leaking.
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
Serve
Let empanadas rest 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm with chimichurri, salsa, or your favorite dipping sauce.