Beef empanadas are the most popular and easiest type of empanada to make. They’re so good, and when you make them using my empanada dough recipe, they’re next level!
I love bringing these pastelitos de carne to family parties, Thanksgiving get togethers, and Christmas dinner because they’re always a hit.
This post may contain affiliates. Please see my affiliate notice for details.
Make sure that the filling isn’t dry
My biggest piece of advice for making beef empanadas is to avoid making a dry, crumbly filling. The way to avoid this is by cooking the beef thoroughly with water and tomato paste. The water is going to allow the meat to get super soft and tender, and the tomato paste creates a sauce that binds the meat together.
Add shredded cheese for extra flavor
Sprinkling some shredded cheese in the empanadas de carne makes them extra rich and super cheesy! I love making a batch with half beef and cheese empanadas and half beef empanadas.
Beef Empanadas (Empanadas de Carne)
Ingredients
- 16 empanada dough discs
- 1 tsp oil
- ½ red bell pepper chopped
- ½ green bell pepper chopped
- ½ onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic mashed
- 2 tbsp sofrito
- 2 lbs ground beef
- ¼ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp adobo
- ¼ tsp sazon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sour orange (naranja agria) or ½ lime juice
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup water
- Frying oil
Instructions
- In a large pan over medium heat, add the oil, bell peppers, onion, garlic, and sofrito until fragrant. Add the ground beef to the pan and use a spoon to break it up nicely.
- Add oregano, adobo, sazon, and salt to the pan and mix into the beef. Once the beef begins to brown, add the sour orange or lime juice and tomato paste. Cook until the meat is browned and most of the liquids are absorbed.
- Add the water to the pan and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and the meat is tender. Turn off the heat, drain any excess grease from the pan, and let the filling cool.
- Add filling to one half of the circle, fold the other half over the filled half, and press down the edges (on both sides) with a fork. Repeat this step for the rest of the discs then set aside.
- Add oil to a pan over low to medium heat and fry the empanadas until golden brown on both sides. Remove the empanadas from the oil and transfer to a paper towel covered plate. Let cool and enjoy!
One Response
SO DELICIOUSO! THANK YIU FRANCHESCa Thank you fren twinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn uhhhhhhhhhhhhh