Doesn’t everyone love a little hand held stuffed dumpling? Take what you want from this recipe – the filling can be used in a variety of ways or the method can be used to stuff a pie crust with whatever you want!
EMPANADAS
Ingredients
- 1 package lean ground beef, browned -OR- meat from 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 8 ounces shredded Mexican cheese
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 bell pepper (red or green), diced
- 1 or 2 spoonfuls diced jalapenos (optional)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin or taco seasoning
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 package frozen prepared pie crusts (two crusts per pack)
- 1 egg + a splash of water for brushing
- Queso dip for serving
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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Combine meat, cheeses. veggies and seasonings in a mixing bowl.
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Gently unroll each piecrust onto a lightly floured surface and roll until thin. Cut out 4 inch rounds, using a cup or cookie cutter.
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Place 1 tablespoon of meat and cheese mixture in center of each round. Use your fingers to run water around the edge of the dough round.
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Fold dough over and press edges with a fork to seal.
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Arrange empanadas on baking sheet. Brush the top of each with the egg and water mixture.
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Bake for 15 minutes. Serve with queso dip.
Recipe Notes
If not using lean beef, be sure to drain the beef after browning. If you don’t, your filling may be too greasy.
If you choose to re-roll your dough scraps and make new wrappers, you may want to make them thicker than your original as they may not hold up as well.
You will most likely have leftover filling! Use that for quesadillas, taquitos or stir into queso dip for the best loaded queso you could ever dream of!
