What are Empanadas?
Empanadas are made with folded pastry and filled with a savory filling of meat and/or vegetables, cheese or seafood. Originating from Spain, they are also found in Argentina and a quite a bit in Latin America. This particular Empanada recipe is Argentinian style because it is served with a chimichurri sauce. Chimichurri is a fresh herbaceous based sauce with garlic, red wine vinegar and a little kick from a chili pepper. This sauce perfectly complements the heavy, savory nature of the beef and mushroom filling. Empanadas are very versatile because they can be made with a range of fillings, from savory to sweet. This empanada filling is made with ground beef and mushrooms with flavor enhancing herbs, tomatoes, onions, carrots and chopped green olives. They remind me of a smaller version of the British Pasty which is savory filling wrapped in a flaky , buttery dough.
Easy Empanada Dough
The dough for empanadas is simply flour, butter, salt and egg mixed with water. I have included instructions in the recipe to make it in your food processor or by hand.
Baked v’s Fried Empanadas
Empanadas are typically fried but I baked these, which makes them a healthier empanada. I have nothing against frying them, I just wanted to try something different. Baking them makes them a lot less greasy as well.
Freezing Empanadas
They freeze really well. You can freeze them before baking or after.
To Freeze Unbaked Empanadas
Lay them on a flat on a baking sheet without touching so they don’t stick together. Once frozen you can add them to a ziptop bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
To Freeze Baked Empanadas
Cool completely after baking, then follow the instructions for unbaked empanadas.
Defrosting Empanadas
If unbaked, defrost in the fridge overnight, then bake according to the recipe. For baked empanadas, defrost in the same way then reheat in a 300°F/150°C oven until heated through. If you’ve tried these Beef and Mushroom Empanadas or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how they turned out in the comments below. I love to hear from my readers! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAMand PINTEREST to see daily recipe updates.
