Last Updated on April 15, 2022 by Karen
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Conagra Brands. All opinions are mine alone. #31DaysWithRotel #CollectiveBias
Flaky, savory empanadas filled with beef and cheese make the perfect fiesta appetizers!
Hooray for Friday, the best day of the week! I’m looking forward to this one even more than usual because it’s a long weekend ahead of us. If you have any parties or get together coming up, you need to make these Cheesy Beef Empanadas — they are the perfect finger food! Flaky pastry stuffed with a savory beef and cheese mixture, it’s hard to go wrong with that combination.
These empanadas are delicious, savory, and make the perfect fiesta bites. And the best part is you can prepare the different components a few days ahead, store in your fridge or freezer, and simply cook at the last minute.
The meat mixture is so simple to make thanks to RO*TEL from Walmart. It’s here to banish the bland and help make a bold break from everyday routine. RO*TEL is versatile enough to be used in different recipes – I add it to queso dips, chills, and soups, and even burrito rice skillet. Here I used it to give the filling in these empanadas extra layer of flavor.
The hardest part about making empanadas is rolling the dough and frying them up once assembled. You’re welcome to skip that part and use premade empanada wrappers for ease (I used the ones specifically for baking). If you can’t find it at your grocery store, premade pie dough is a great substitute.
Once the filling mixture is added to the dough disc, you fold it to make a half circle and use a fork to crimp the edges.
Cheesy Beef Empanadas
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 can RO*TEL drained
- 10 frozen empanada dough discs thawed
- 1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- I egg beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until beef is browned. Drain excess grease.
- Stir in chili powder, cumin, and ROTEL, and simmer on low for 5 minutes until mixture is thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and let mixture cool to room temperature.
- Place about one tablespoon of filing mixture in the middle of empanada disc and top with cheese. Brush edges with beaten egg and fold over, pressing the edge with fork to seal.
- Place empanadas in baking sheet lined with parchment paper until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm.
The month of May is full of party potential. In fact, the fiesta will be going on for 31 days, which means no matter what day of the week it is, RO*TEL will help you put a spicy spin on your favorite dish and kick every breakfast, lunch, dinner and, of course, snack! Be sure to visit this page to find more fiesta inspiration.
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Good flavor, thx for your recipe. However, you say to simmer on low for 5 minutes until mixture is thickened. The rotes is drained, really nothing to thicken…