Back to recipes

Edit Recipe

Recipe Title *

Recipe Photo

Beef Empanadas with Corn and Black Bean Filling

Replace Photo Remove photo

New photo preview:

Ingredients

Amount

Unit

Ingredient

Preparation

No ingredients yet. Click "Add" to add ingredients.

Directions

1. FOR THE FILLING: Process bread and 2 tablespoons chicken broth in food processor until paste forms, about 5 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add beef, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and pulse until mixture is well combined, six to eight 1-second pulses.

2. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions, corn, and beans and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin, cayenne, and cloves; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beef mixture and cook, breaking meat into 1-inch pieces with wooden spoon, until browned, about 7 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth and simmer until mixture is moist but not wet, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl and cool 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro, eggs, olives, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour. (Filling can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

3. FOR THE DOUGH: Process 1 cup flour, masa harina, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined, about two 1-second pulses. Add butter and process until homogeneous and dough resembles wet sand, about 10 seconds. Add remaining 2 cups flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into large bowl.

4. Sprinkle vodka or tequila and water over mixture. Using hands, mix dough until it forms tacky mass that sticks together. Divide dough in half, then divide each half into 6 equal pieces. Transfer dough pieces to plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

5. TO ASSEMBLE: Adjust oven racks to upper-and lower-middle positions, place 1 baking sheet on each rack, and heat oven to 425°F. While baking sheets are preheating, remove dough from refrigerator. Roll each dough piece out on lightly floured work surface into 6-inch circle about 1/8-inch-thick, covering each dough round with plastic wrap while rolling remaining dough. Place about 1/3 cup filling in center of each dough round. Brush edges of dough with water and fold dough over filling. Trim any ragged edges. Press edges to seal. Crimp edges of empanadas using fork.

6. TO BAKE: Drizzle 2 tablespoons oil over surface of each hot baking sheet, then return to oven for 2 minutes. Brush empanadas with remaining tablespoon oil. Carefully place 6 empanadas on each baking sheet and cook until well browned and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking. Cool empanadas on wire rack 10 minutes and serve.

Serves 4 to 6 as an entrée

Notes

The alcohol in the dough is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavor do not substitute for it or omit. Masa harina can be found in the international aisle with other Latin foods or in the baking aisle with the flour. If you cannot find masa harina, replace it with additional all-purpose flour (for a total of 4 cups). After step 5, the empanadas can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Why this recipe works:
The first step in our streamlined beef empanada recipe was to enhance packaged ground chuck with aromatics, spices, and a chicken-broth-and-bread mixture, which kept the beef tender as it cooked. For the beef empanadas crust, we made a few Latin-inspired changes to our Foolproof Pie Dough recipe. We traded some of the flour for masa harina, the cornmeal used in Mexican cooking, omitted the shortening, and switched to all butter for better flavor. Finally, we finished our beef empanadas recipe by brushing the tops of the empanadas with oil for a shiny, crunchy crust. Placing them on a preheated oiled baking sheet to ensured that the underside of the empanadas got as crispy as the top.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Calories

Protein (g)

Carbs (g)

Fat (g)

Fiber (g)

Sugar (g)

Sodium (mg)

Cholesterol (mg)

Leave fields empty if nutrition data is not available. Values are per serving.

Cancel

AI Image Search

Title

Danger Zone

Delete this recipe

Once deleted, this recipe cannot be recovered.

Delete Recipe

Are you sure you want to delete "Beef Empanadas with Corn and Black Bean Filling"? This action cannot be undone.