Beef Empanadas with Olives – Made with puff pastry dough, and filled with a ground beef and olives mixture, these empanadas are quick to prepare, and they’re absolutely delicious!
Hey-yo! How are you, my friends? How’s your Wednesday? Hope it’s going great!
My day, thus far: I’ve written this blog post and drank 3.5 cups of coffee. I also made breakfast, took the kids to school, took a shower, and it’s only 9 a.m. Who AM I?!? Superwoman, that’s who. Tootin’ my own horn, I know, but it’s well deserved.
P.S. I’m exhausted. Hoping that these beef empanadas – or turnovers? or hand pies? or burek? – whatever you call ’em, hoping that a few bites will recharge my batteries.
But honestly, friends. These are very good. There’s so much I love about these guys, but first and foremost; the filling.
I like to enjoy STAR’s Pimiento Stuffed Olives straight from the jar during a Netflix binge, but stuffing them inside beef empanadas is genius. Firm yet tender, smoky but also sweet, the olives add not just flavor, but also a smooth yet chewy texture that I know we all love.
Olives play an integral role in Mediterranean cuisine and are loved the world over for their great taste. Also, olives don’t just taste great on their own; there are so many different ways to enjoy them – e.g. Beef Empanadas!
And here’s how this empanadas makeage goes:
You’re going to get your beef mixture together in a skillet all while cutting out circles of puff pastry dough. Once the mixture is done, we’re going to place a tablespoonful of the mixture in the middle of the dough, then fold the dough over to close it up, and finally brush the empanadas with an egg wash. 18-ish minutes later you will be greeted by these comforting, delicious beef empanadas beauties ready to be devoured.
ENJOY!
TOOLS AND INGREDIENTS USED IN THIS RECIPE
Beef Empanadas with Olives
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika, or to taste
- fresh ground pepper, to taste
- ½ cup chopped Pimiento Stuffed Manzanilla Olives
- 2 sheets puff pastry dough, thawed
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Grease 2 baking sheets with cooking spray and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add onions and cook for 4 minutes, or until translucent.
- Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Add ground beef, cumin, paprika and pepper.
- Cook, stirring and breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Remove from heat and mix in the chopped olives; set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one sheet of puff pastry dough to 1/8-inch thickness.
- Cut out 6 circles, each should be about a 5-inch diameter. I use a large round cookie cutter.
- Repeat with the second sheet of pastry dough.
- Spoon about a tablespoon of the meat mixture onto center of each dough round; set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl combine egg and water and lightly beat with a fork. Using a pastry brush, paint edges of dough with the prepared egg wash.
- Fold dough over meat, shaping it into half-moon shape; gently press down edges and twist down to seal.
- Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Transfer the empanadas to previously prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1½ inches space between the empanadas.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, or until puffed up and golden brown.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Quite a bit of leftover beef mix for 12 empanadas. 12 tbsp = 3/4 cup of beef mixture. I think 1/2lb of beef would work. Thanks for the recipe.
1 lb of ground beef prepared for 6 TBSP to be used in the empanadas? No instruction to drain fat from the meat? No salt?
The recipe calls for 12 empanadas, not 6. Two puff pastry sheets, each cut into 6.
The olives have plenty of salt and that is why I leave it out, but if you like, you can definitely use it in your version of the recipe.
Also, if you want to drain out the juices, go right ahead. This is a base recipe and you can play with it however you see it fit.
What brand of pastry dough do you use?
Hi! I always use Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets.
I LOVE empanadas, but I am loving the addition of olives to them even more! 🙂
I am in love with these! I might eat them for lunch all weekend!
I think I need to have a few of these empanadas to perk up. Good for you for knocking all the things out AND making a delicious meal!
I have never attempted homemade empanadas! These look delicious!
Don’t you love those days when you’ve accomplished so much by 9am? Always an awesome feeling! As for these empanadas – I know I would adore them, particularly with the addition of olives.
These would be perfect for a filling lunch, or a light munch for dinner! Some useful infomation too! Thank you for sharing 🙂