Description

This recipe for Beef Empanadas offers a delicious South American-inspired snack or appetizer featuring a savory minced beef and chorizo filling encased in a buttery, flaky homemade shortcrust pastry. The filling is cooked with aromatic herbs, potatoes, and a touch of tomato paste, then wrapped around hard boiled eggs and green olives for an authentic texture and flavor. These empanadas are baked to golden perfection and served with flavorful dipping sauces.

Ingredients

Scale

Empanada Shortcrust Pastry:

2 1/2 cups plain/all-purpose flour
175 g cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 cm cubes
1 tsp kosher salt
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup warm full fat milk

Empanada Filling:

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
300 g beef mince (ground beef)
120 g chorizo
2 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup low sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup tomato passata
150 g potato, peeled, cut into 8 mm cubes (~1 cup)
1/3 cup green onion, finely sliced

Other:

2 hard boiled eggs (cooked 9 minutes)
1/4 cup green olives, roughly chopped
2 eggs, separated, yolks whisked (for sealing and brushing pastry)

Dipping Sauces:

Empanada sauce
Ketchup
Ketchup mixed with sriracha
Pink sauce
Taco sauce
Salsa dip

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Instructions

Prepare filling - Blitz chorizo: Roughly chop chorizo into 1.5 cm pieces. Use a stick blender to blitz into a paste, which enhances flavor melding with the beef.
Sauté aromatics: Heat olive oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat. Add chopped onion and minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes until softened and fragrant.
Cook meats and seasonings: Add blitzed chorizo and cook for 2 minutes. Then add ground beef and cook until no raw meat remains. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, followed by thyme, oregano, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt, chicken stock, tomato passata, and potato cubes. Stir well to combine.
Simmer filling: Reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and mixture is juicy but not watery.
Cool filling: Stir in green onions, transfer to a bowl, and let the filling cool completely for about 2 hours before assembling.
Make dough - Blitz dough: Whisk egg yolk and warm milk in a small jug. In a food processor, pulse flour, salt, and cold butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs with pea-sized lumps. Add egg-milk mixture and pulse on low about 10 seconds until dough forms a ball. (Alternatively, use hand method: rub butter into flour, mix in liquids, and knead to smooth dough.)
Chill dough: Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, shape into smooth 20 cm log, cut in half and shape into 2 cm thick discs. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.
Cut dough rounds: Roll one chilled disc on floured surface to 3 mm thickness. Cut 15 cm rounds using a bowl or cutter. Keep rounds covered in fridge while working in batches. Expect about 10 to 11 rounds total.
Preheat oven: Set oven to 220°C (425°F) or 200°C with fan.
Assemble empanadas: Ensure filling is cold yet spreadable. Place 3 tablespoons (about 55 g) of filling onto half of a pastry round, spreading in a half-moon shape leaving a 1.5 cm border. Top with chopped green olives and slices of hard boiled egg.
Seal empanadas: Brush pastry edges with egg white, fold pastry over filling to form half-moons, press to seal edges tightly removing air. Optionally create decorative pleats or crimp edges with a fork.
Bake empanadas: Place empanadas on two baking trays. Brush tops with beaten egg yolks. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and crispy on the bottom.
Serve: Serve hot with your choice of dipping sauces such as homemade Empanada Sauce, ketchup, or salsa.

Notes

Blitzing the chorizo into a paste really infuses the filling with flavor better than chopping.
For the dough by hand, rub butter into flour with fingers, add liquids, then knead until smooth.
The dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; it will harden and should be brought to room temperature before rolling.
Empanada size is flexible but authentic South American style is larger (~15 cm rounds). Smaller sizes work too.
Ensure filling is cool and soft enough to spread for easier wrapping; if too cold, warm slightly to soften without melting pastry butter.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 empanada
Calories: 320 kcal
Sugar: 2 g
Sodium: 320 mg
Fat: 18 g
Saturated Fat: 7 g
Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 26 g
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 14 g
Cholesterol: 100 mg