Argentine Empanadas
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
15 mins
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Cook Time
30 mins
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Refrigerate
1 hr
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Total Time
1 hr 45 mins
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Servings
20
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Calories
209 kcal
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Course
Side Dish, Main Course, Appetizer
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Cuisine
South American, Argentinian
Argentine Empanadas
Description
The filling for these Argentine Empanadas starts by gently sautéing onions and garlic until soft, then cooking diced red bell pepper and warming the mixture with chili powder, cumin, paprika, and oregano. Ground beef is browned and seasoned with salt, pepper, and beef bouillon to deepen the taste. Once cooked, the filling is stirred with chopped green onions, green olives, fresh parsley, and finely chopped hard-boiled eggs to add texture and flavor contrast. The spiced, fragrant filling has layers of savory and tangy notes from the olives and herbs.
The dough is made simply with flour, salt, butter, egg, oil, and warm water, producing a pliable and tender pastry ideal for shaping into empanadas. Once the filling is chilled, it is portioned and wrapped in dough rounds, sealed with an egg wash for a golden crust when baked. This method ensures a flaky pastry exterior and a moist, flavorful interior.
Argentine Empanadas are popular as snacks or light meals. They can be baked fresh or frozen ahead, then baked from frozen for convenience. The diverse filling ingredients give them a distinctive cultural character, making them enjoyable warm or at room temperature.
Filling and dough can be prepared in advance and stored refrigerated or frozen, which allows for easy meal preparation and improved flavors after resting. Different fillings like chicken, vegetables, or ham and cheese can be used following the same method with adjustments to spices and seasoning.
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 onion chopped (about 4 cups, white
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- ½ bell pepper diced, red
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon cumin
- 2 Tablespoons paprika sweet
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- 1 teaspoon beef bouillon
- 1 lb ground beef lean
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 bunch green onions , just the green part, finely chopped
- ½ cup green olives chopped
- ½ cup parsley fresh chopped
- 3 egg peeled and finely chopped, hard boiled
For the dough:* (makes about 20 regular size empanadas)
- 4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ cup butter room temperature, unsalted
- 1 egg , beaten
- 2 Tablespoons neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
- ¾ - 1 cup water warm
- egg 1 egg mixed with 1 Tbsp water, wash
Instructions
For the filling:
- Heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Add garlic and diced red pepper. Cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often. Add chili powder, cumin, sweet paprika, and oregano. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium and add the ground beef. Season with salt and pepper and cook, crumbling into small pieces, until browned. Stir in beef boullion.
- Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a bowl to cool for 10 minutes. Then, stir in green onion, olives, parsley, and hard-boiled eggs.
- Cover and chill mixture for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days (depending on freshness of ingredients). It’s important that the mixture is chilled before filling the empanadas.
For the empanada dough:
- Add flour and salt to a large bowl and stir to combine. Add egg and butter and stir well to combine. Add oil and warm water and stir until the mixture starts to come together into a dough ball. Add more water if it’s too dry.
- Place dough in clean greased bowl and cover tightly. Allow to rest at room temperature for 1 hour. (Or, refrigerate for up to 1 day, removing from the fridge 20 minutes before using.)
Assembly:
- Divide the dough into two pieces. On a greased countertop roll each piece into a very large circle, about 1/8in thick (not so thin that it might break when filling or baking).
- Use a small bowl or round cookie cutters to cut the dough into circles about 6in in diameter for regular size empanadas or 3 inch for mini empanadas (empanaditas).
- Remove the excess dough from around the cut circles and keep the circles where they are for filling them (so they hold their perfect circle shape). Leftover scraps can be re-rolled to make more dough to cut out.
- Place about 2 tablespoons of filling (for regular size empanadas) in the center of each circle, leaving plenty of space around the border. Moisten the edges of the circle with water, then fold the dough over and match the ends together to form a semi-circle.
- Pinch the edges together and then seal the ends by crimping them with a fork or pinching and twisting/folding it over.
- Baked Empanadas: Place empanadas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with a little bit of egg wash and bake at 375° For 25-30 minutes until golden brown and fully cooked.
- Fried Empanadas: (I’ve found it best to refrigerate the empanadas for 20 minutes before frying to help the dough firm up and hold its shape before placing in the hot oil). Add several inches of hot oil to a pot and heat to about 365° F. Fry one or two empanadas at a time, flipping once, until golden on both sides (1-2 minutes per side). Place on a paper-towel lined plate.
Notes
- The filling can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated for convenience and flavor development.
- Dough can be made a day in advance and kept chilled until use.
- For faster prep, store-bought puff pastry dough can substitute the homemade dough.
- To freeze, arrange unbaked empanadas on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour before transferring to a sealed container for up to 3 months.
- Frozen empanadas should be thawed overnight in the refrigerator before baking for best texture and even cooking.
- Empanada filling can also be frozen for up to 3 months in airtight containers, thaw before use.
- Do not skip chilling the filling before assembling to prevent dough tearing and to enhance flavors.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 20Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 209 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 209kcal | 10% |
| Carbohydrates | 20g | 7% |
| Protein | 10g | 20% |
| Fat | 11g | 17% |
| Saturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Cholesterol | 62mg | 21% |
| Sodium | 344mg | 14% |
| Potassium | 238mg | 5% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 830IU | 17% |
| Vitamin C | 7mg | 8% |
| Calcium | 31mg | 3% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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