Beef Empanadas with Freezing Directions

These empanadas are delicious as a main dish or an appetizer. If you're feeding a small number of people, bake one empanada right away and freeze the other one for later.

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

½ pound ground beef (90% lean)
1 medium yellow onion, scrubbed with clean vegetable brush under running water, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 cups frozen corn
¾ cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup salsa
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt (optional)
½ cup shredded cheese (such as Cheddar or Monterey Jack)
2 refrigerated pie crusts
1 egg, slightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water (prepare just before baking empanadas)

Directions:

Wash hands with soap and water
Place oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400 °F.
In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium-high heat until meat is browned and reaches an internal temperature of 160 °F on food thermometer. Drain fat.
Reduce heat to medium. Stir in corn, beans, salsa, chili powder, pepper and optional salt. Cook and stir until corn is thawed, 1-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese. If freezing empanadas, skip to "How to Make Frozen Empanadas" below.
Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unfold one of the pie crusts on the sheet.
Spoon ½ beef mixture evenly over ½ of dough, leaving ½-inch border around edge. Moisten edge of dough with water; fold pastry over filling.
Lightly beat the egg with 1 Tablespoon water and brush the crusts with the egg wash.
Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes or until empanadas are done and reach an internal temperature of 165 °F as measured by a food thermometer. Start checking for doneness about 5 minutes early.
If empanada browns before it is done, cover loosely with foil and continue heating until done. It may take frozen empanadas slightly longer to bake.
Let empanadas cool for 5 minutes before cutting. Cut each empanada into 4 wedges. Enjoy with salsa.

Notes:

How to Prep and Freeze Empanadas

Prepare beef mixture, as directed above. Transfer beef mixture to a shallow pan and refrigerate until mixture is thoroughly cool.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Unfold one of the pie crusts on the sheet. Spoon ½ of beef mixture evenly over ½ of dough, leaving ½-inch border around edge. Moisten edge of dough with water; fold pastry over filling. Press edges of dough together with fork to seal. Prick center of dough with fork once or twice to form steam vents. Repeat with the other pie crust.
Cover the baking sheet loosely with plastic wrap and transfer to your freezer. After empanadas are frozen solid (about 2-3 hours later), remove them from the baking sheet and wrap individually in plastic wrap. Then bag into freezer bags or overwrap with heavy-duty aluminum foil. To prevent them from breaking when in the freezer, place the wrapped empanadas in a rigid container.
Label and date empanadas. Use within three months for best quality and flavor; however foods that remain frozen at 0 °F will stay safe indefinitely. Frozen empanadas can be baked directly from the freezer after removing the wrappings.

How to Bake Frozen Empanadas

Place oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400 °F.
Lightly beat the egg with 1 Tablespoon water and brush the crusts with the egg wash.
Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes or until empanadas are done and when they reach an internal temperature of 165 °F as measured by a food thermometer. Start checking for doneness about 5 minutes early. If empanada browns before it is done, cover loosely with foil and continue heating until done. It may take frozen empanadas slightly longer to bake. Let empanadas cool for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges. Cut each empanada into 4 wedges. Enjoy with salsa.

Use these directions for making empanadas with other fillings; for example, turkey empanadas made with leftover chopped turkey (2–3 cups), gravy, assorted veggies and your choice of seasoning. You might even top them with leftover cranberry sauce!

Nutrition Information: