Baked Beef Empanadas

Baked Beef Empanadas are handy, snack-sized treats that fill your lunchbox as well as your belly. Be sure to make a few to share!

Ingredients:

Crust

• 2 ½ cups unbleached white flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup chilled butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes
• ½ cup milk or water
• 1 egg

Filling

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 yukon gold potato, ¼-inch dice
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
• 3/4 cup beef broth
• 1 tsp concentrated tomato paste
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp smoked paprika 
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 egg, whisked (for egg wash)

Instructions:

1. Whisk together flour and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or fork until well blended. Mixture will look like wet sand. Stir in milk and one egg. Mix until dough forms. Divide in half and use immediately, or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days.
2. Brown ground beef over medium heat, draining oil and breaking up the meat. Remove from the skillet, drain any additional fat.
3. Heat olive oil. Cook onion until somewhat translucent. Add garlic, cook and stir one minute. Add potato and celery, cook another 5 minutes or so, until potatoes begin to soften. 
4. Stir in cooked ground beef, peas and carrots, beef broth, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, paprika, pepper, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until liquid is mostly cooked out, about 10 minutes.
5. Roll out empanada dough on a floured surface to about ⅛-inch thick for larger empanadas, and 1/16-inch thick for small ones. Cut out circles with a biscuit cutter, glass, or bowl.
6. Spoon some of the filling into the center of the dough round. Fold it in half and pinch closed with your fingers or a fork. Place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate empanadas for 30 minutes before baking.
7. Preheat the oven to 400°F
8. Brush empanadas with egg wash. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Makes about 8 large, and 24 small

Images:

1. Baked Beef Empanadas large
2. Baked Beef Empanadas Mini
3. Baked Beef Empanadas Mini, cut
4. Baked Beef Empanadas 530 x 350

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