Beef Empanadas
Hispanic Heritage Month Recipe: A Staple For Get-Togethers and Snacking Anytime
Whether you’re snacking, need a flavorful appetizer or simple main dish, savor this Caribbean favorite! Make wonderful, crunchy and delicious beef empanadas (turnover) at home with a convenient empanada dough you can find in your supermarket’s freezer section that are ready for frying. You can find ready to be stuffed empanada doughs shaped like discs - in yellow or white varieties - in the freezer section of your local supermarket. Simply stuff with this traditional and flavorful filling: a blend of tomato sauce, onion, garlic, herbs and spices and ground beef, then fry until golden brown and crispy. Mmm...delicious!
This is a GOYA® recipe:
BEEF EMPANADAS
Prep time: 45m | Total time: 1h 20m | Yields: 10 beef empanadas
Ingredients
1 tbsp. GOYA® Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ lb. ground beef
½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
¼ cup GOYA® Tomato Sauce
6 GOYA® Spanish Olives Stuffed with Minced Pimientos, thinly sliced
2 tbsp. GOYA® Sofrito
1 packet Sazón GOYA® with Coriander and Annatto
1 tsp. GOYA® Minced Garlic or 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp. GOYA® Dried Oregano
GOYA® Ground Black Pepper, to taste
1 pkg. GOYA® Empanada Dough for Frying (Yellow or White), thawed
GOYA® Corn Oil, for frying
Directions
Heat corn oil (for frying) in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes more. Stir in tomato sauce, olives, Sofrito, Sazón, garlic, oregano and black pepper. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until mixture thickens, about 15 minutes.
On a lightly floured work surface, using a rolling pin, roll out discos until ½” larger in diameter. Spoon about 1 tbsp. meat mixture into middle, fold in half to form a half moon; moisten edges with water and pinch to seal closed, or seal with a fork.
Fill a deep saucepan with oil to a depth of 2½”. Heat oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking (350°F on deep-fry thermometer). Cook Empanadas in batches until crisp and golden brown, flipping once, 4 – 6 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
GOYA® Tip: Crispy Empanadas, guaranteed!
If you don’t have a deep-fry thermometer, you can still estimate the temperature of the oil. Here’s how: place the handle of your wooden spoon, or a wooden chopstick, into the oil. If a steady stream of bubbles emerge from the wood, the oil is perfect. (If the oil starts rapidly bubbling, or if few bubbles are present, then the oil is too hot or too cold, respectively.)
