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Empanadas

One of the most iconic appetizers in Argentina is empanadas. These little pockets of homemade dough are filled with a variety of savory fillings, and are a staple in Argentine cuisine. Empanadas are perfect for serving as an appetizer, as they are easy to eat with your hands and can be filled with a range of delicious ingredients.
While making the dough from scratch may seem intimidating, try making the recipe a few times and working with the dough. Before you know it, you will be rolling out and filling your own empanadas at home with ease.
Here is a recipe for traditional Argentinian beef empanadas that you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home.

Ingredients

For the Dough:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • tsp Kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
  • ¼ tsp paprika
  • ¼ tsp cumin
  • 8 Tbsp (½ cup) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • ½ cup lard, cold and cut into cubes
  • ½ cup ice cold water
  • 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash on dough before baking

For the Filling:

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 16 oz ground beef
  • ½ tsp Kosher salt, for seasoning beef
  • 1 large white onion, small dice
  • 1 red bell pepper, small dice
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 Tbsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • ¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper
  • ½ cup green olive, roughly chopped
  • 3 Tbsp dried raisins, roughly chopped
  • 2 whole eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, and roughly chopped
  • Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

For the Dough:

  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, Kosher salt, freshly-ground black pepper, paprika, and cumin.
  • Add the cold cubed butter and cold lard to the flour mixture.
  • Use your hands or a pastry cutter to work the cold butter and lard into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  • Gradually add the cold water to the flour mixture, stirring with a fork until the dough comes together.
  • Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead the dough gently for 5-7 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic.
  • *It will take a minute or two for the dough to come together on the table. While you can add a few extra teaspoons of ice water the mix, avoid making the dough too wet. Don’t worry if it doesn’t come together at first, just take your time with it.
  • Cover the kneaded dough with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours.

For the Filling:

  • While the dough is chilling, it is time to prepare the filling.
  • In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
  • Season the ground beef with ½ tsp of Kosher salt.
  • When the skillet is hot, add the ground beef and cook, stirring relatively infrequently, until the ground beef is browned and about 70% cooked through, or roughly 4-5 minutes.
  • Add the diced onion, red bell pepper, and minced garlic to the skillet, and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
  • Add the paprika, cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper to the skillet, and stir to combine.
  • Add the green olives, raisins, and chopped hard-boiled eggs to the skillet, stirring to distribute the ingredients evenly.
  • Season the filling to taste with Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, and set it aside to cool slightly while you prepare your chilled dough.
  • Preheat your oven to 375F.
  • Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch using a flat rolling pin.
  • Using a circular cookie cutter or a small bowl, cut circles out of the dough that are approximately 5-6” in diameter.
  • Spoon a small amount of the filling you prepared earlier onto each circle of dough, leaving a ½” border around the edge of the dough where there is no filling.
  • *Try to avoid overfilling the empanadas at this stage.
  • Fold the dough over the filling to create a half-moon shape, and use a fork to crimp the edges of the empanada closed.
  • Repeat this process with the remaining dough circles and filling.
  • Place the filled empanadas carefully on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper.
  • Brush the empanadas with a light layer of egg wash.
  • Bake the empanadas in the oven for roughly 15-20 minutes, or until the empanadas are a perfect golden-brown color and the dough is cooked through.
  • Remove from the oven, and allow the empanadas to cool at room temperature for 10 minutes.
  • Serve and enjoy while the empanadas are still warm from the oven.

Notes

Empanadas can be reheated in the oven and will still taste delicious the following day.