Ingredients
3 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. cold butter, cut into cubes
3/4 c. water
1 large egg
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground beef
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. chopped tomatoes
1/2 c. chopped pickled jalapeños
1 1/4 c. shredded Cheddar
1 1/4 c. Shredded Monterey Jack
Egg wash, for brushing
Freshly chopped cilantro, for garnish
Sour cream, for serving
Preparation
Step 1In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut butter into flour using your hands or a pastry cutter until pea-sized. Add water and egg and mix until a dough forms. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Step 2Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Step 1Preheat oven to 400° and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.Step 2In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Add ground beef and cook, breaking meat up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 5 minutes. Drain fat.Step 3Return pan to medium heat, and stir tomato paste into beef. Add oregano, cumin, and paprika, and season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and jalapeños and cook until warmed through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.Step 4Place dough on a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Roll one half out to ¼” thick. Using a 4.5” round cookie cutter, cut out rounds. Repeat with remaining dough. Reroll scraps once to cut out more rounds. Step 5Lightly moisten outer edge of a dough round with water and place about 2 tablespoons filling in center and top with cheddar and Monterey. Fold dough in half over filling. Use a fork to crimp edges together. Repeat with remaining filling and dough. Step 6Place empanadas on prepared baking sheets and brush with egg wash. Bake until golden and filling is warmed through, about 25 minutes. Step 7Garnish with cilantro and serve with sour cream.
Step 1 In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Add ground beef and cook, breaking meat up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 5 minutes. Drain fat.Step 2Return pan to medium heat, and stir tomato paste into beef. Add oregano, cumin, and paprika, and season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and jalapeños and cook until warmed through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.Step 3Place dough on a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Roll one half out to ¼” thick. Using a 4.5” round cookie cutter, cut out rounds. Repeat with remaining dough. Reroll scraps once to cut out more rounds. Step 4Lightly moisten outer edge of a dough round with water and place about 2 tablespoons filling in center and top with cheddar and Monterey. Fold dough in half over filling. Use a fork to crimp edges together, then brush with egg wash. Repeat with remaining filling and dough. Step 5Place empanadas in a parchment-lined Air Fryer basket, making sure they don’t touch, and cook in batches at 400° for 10 minutes.Step 6Garnish with cilantro and serve with sour cream.
During the development of this dish, I figured that if you’re searching for an empanada recipe, you’re mostly not looking to fry them in pot sticker wrappers. So, our associate food editor (and pastry queen) Makinze Gore developed an amazingly easy and flaky homemade dough. How do I amp up the filling?This filling is loosely based on my grandma’s very traditional Mexican (top-secret!) recipe. It’s delicious as is, but if you want to give it even more pizzaz, we highly recommend adding a splash of red wine vinegar, finely chopped capers and green olives, and a good squeeze yellow mustard. It’s the María Picos Clark way! What other types of cheese can I use?We’ve gone for a blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack because they melt beautifully, while letting the flavor of the spices, tomatoes, and jalapeños shine. If you want to experiment with other types of cheese, you could try mozzarella, provolone, or fontina. You could even go with pepper jack, for a little extra kick. How do I make these with pot sticker wrappers?If you’d like to go the pot sticker route, fill each wrapper with about 1 teaspoon of meat. (If you add too much filling, the wrapper will break.) Dip a finger in water and run alongside the edges of the wrapper, then fold and seal with tines of a fork. Heat an inch of vegetable oil in a deep pan (or a wok, like my mom), and fry in batches until empanadas are deeply golden and bubbly on surface. Can I make these in the air fryer?Absolutely! We’ve included directions for cooking these in the air fryer in the recipe below. Long story short, don’t egg wash the empanadas and shorten the cooking time to 10 minutes. I’m not a huge fan of sour cream. What else can I serve with these?Think taco bar! You could try salsa, pico de gallo, or guacamole. You could even double-down on the cheese and go for a homemade queso dipping sauce. How do I store these?While they’re best fresh, you can keep these cooked empanadas in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you want them to last longer, we recommend freezing them (see how below). Can I freeze these?Yes! You have a couple of options. You can freeze already-baked empanadas, or (our personal preference) you can freeze the filled, unbaked empanadas. Either way, freeze the empanadas on a parchment-lined baking sheet until solid before transferring them to an airtight bag or container. This ensures they don’t get squished and will come out of your freezer as beautifully shaped as when you put them in. To bake the frozen, uncooked empanadas, let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before egg-washing and baking until golden and heated through (you’ll need to add a few extra minutes to the bake time). To reheat frozen cooked empanadas, let thaw completely and then pop into the oven at 400º to crisp up! Have you made this recipe? Let us know how you liked it in the comments below.
