Easy Empanadas

empanadas with salsa
Prep Time: 
40 minutes
Number of Servings: 
8 empanadas

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp oil, divided
  • 12 oz ground turkey or ground chicken
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 12 tsp garlic powder
  • 12 tsp ground cumin
  • 12 tsp salt
  • 14 cup green salsa, plus additional for serving
  • 15 oz (425 g) store-bought pie pastry dough
  • 1 egg, beaten

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375˚. Lightly grease a baking sheet with 1 teaspoon of the oil.
  2. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a large pan. Add ground meat and sauté for 1 minute. Add chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and salt. Continue sautéeing until meat is cooked through. Stir in the 14 cup of salsa.
  3. Place 13 of the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll dough out to 18-inch thickness. Cut circles out of dough with a 6-inch round cookie cutter. Re-roll out scraps and remaining dough as needed, cutting out circles until you have 8.
  4. Place about 2 12 to 3 tablespoons of filling in center of each dough circle. Dampen pastry edges with water. Fold dough over filling to make a half-moon shape. Pinch edges of dough to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Brush tops of empanadas with beaten egg.
  5. Bake empanadas on baking sheet for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with additional salsa

Notes

  • This recipe uses store-bought pie crust, so you don’t have to make your own empanada dough from scratch.
Nutrition Info: 
2 empanadas, made with ground turkey: 450 Calories, 29 g Protein, 99 mg Cholesterol, 54 g Carbohydrates, 6 g Total sugars (0 g Added sugars), 3 g Fiber, 13 g Total fat (3 g sat), 972 mg Sodium, ★★★★★ Vitamin B1 (thiamine), Vitamin B3 (niacin), Vitamin B6, ★★★★ Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Phosphorus, ★★★ Vitamin B12, Folate, ★★ Iron, Zinc, Vitamin E, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium

Contributor

The Taste for Life Test Kitchen

The Taste for Life staffers have a wide variety of backgrounds and dietary needs. We're always experimenting in the kitchen, and love to share what we cook—and what we learn in the process.