Description
These Organic Beef & Olive Picadillo Empanadas combine flaky pan-fried pizza dough wraps filled with a savory-sweet picadillo mixture of spiced ground beef, golden raisins, green olives, and melty pepper jack cheese. Paired with a crisp side salad, this Latin American-inspired dish offers crispy outside textures and cheesy, flavorful insides perfect for a satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Empanada Dough
- ½ cup Flour
- 1 unit Pizza Dough
- Cooking Oil (for frying)
Filling
- 10 ounce Organic Ground Beef
- 1 unit Onion
- 1 unit Tomato
- 1 unit Green Olives
- 1 ounce Golden Raisins
- ½ cup Pepper Jack Cheese
- 1 tablespoon Fajita Spice Blend
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 unit Beef Stock Concentrate
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Salad
- 1 unit Baby Lettuce
- 1 unit Mini Cucumber
- 1.5 ounce Southwest Dressing
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough: Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of flour over a clean work surface. Remove pizza dough from packaging and cut into four equal portions (eight portions if making 4 servings). Roll each piece in flour lightly coating and shake off excess. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. (If baking empanadas, adjust oven rack to top position and preheat to 450 degrees now.)
- Prep Produce: While dough rests, wash and dry all produce. Halve, peel, and dice onion into ¼-inch pieces. Dice tomato into ¼-inch pieces. Roughly chop golden raisins and green olives.
- Cook Filling: Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add ground beef and cook, breaking apart meat, until it starts to brown, 3-4 minutes.
- Add Flavor: Stir in diced tomato, golden raisins, fajita spice blend, garlic powder, and beef stock concentrate. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is fully cooked, about 1-2 minutes. Drain excess grease if needed. Transfer filling to a medium bowl and wash and dry pan.
- Roll Dough Circles: After dough rests 15 minutes, sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons flour over work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll each dough piece into rough circles and let rest for another 10 minutes.
- Prepare Salad: Trim root end from lettuce and chop into bite-size pieces. Trim and thinly slice cucumber into rounds.
- Mix Filling: Once the beef mixture has mostly cooled, stir in chopped olives and shredded pepper jack cheese until well combined.
- Shape Empanadas: Stretch each dough circle to about 6 inches wide. Place ⅓ cup of filling on bottom half of each circle, leaving a ½-inch border. Moisten border with water using a brush or finger. Fold dough over filling and press edges to seal, avoiding air pockets. Use a fork to crimp edges securely.
- Fry Empanadas: Heat a ⅓-inch layer of oil in the pan over medium heat. When hot, test by adding a pinch of flour—it should sizzle. Cook empanadas in batches (no more than two at a time), frying 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown. Adjust heat as needed to avoid burning. Transfer to paper-towel-lined plate to drain.
- Alternative Baking Method: For baking, place empanadas on a baking sheet and bake on top rack in preheated 450-degree oven until golden and cooked through, about 13-18 minutes.
- Alternative Air Fryer Method: Lightly coat empanadas with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange in air fryer basket without overcrowding. Air fry at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, turning halfway through, until browned.
- Toss Salad: In a large bowl, combine chopped lettuce, sliced cucumber, Southwest dressing, salt, and pepper. Toss well to coat evenly.
- Serve: Plate the empanadas alongside the fresh salad and enjoy your meal.
Notes
- Use lean ground beef for a healthier option and less grease.
- To avoid soggy empanadas, make sure to drain excess grease from the filling before assembling.
- Rolling dough circles roughly is fine since they are reshaped later.
- If you prefer baking over frying, preheat oven and cook empanadas on the top rack for a crisp texture.
- Air frying is a great alternative for a less oily finish, but ensure not to overcrowd the basket for even cooking.
- Ground meat is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 160° Fahrenheit.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 1120 kcal
- Sugar: 23 g
- Sodium: 1540 mg
- Fat: 63 g
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 40 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 95 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 46 g
- Cholesterol: 125 mg
