Empanadas are fried or baked pastries stuffed with sweet or savory fillings. They’re known and loved throughout Portugal, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Philippines. The name comes from the Spanish verb empanar, which means to wrap in bread. The empanadas in this recipe are filled with a savory, flavorful meat filling. I hope you enjoy them.

Yeilds: 8 empanadas

Serving size: 1 empanada

Ingredients for the pastry:

  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 2 cups of super fine, blanched almond flour, plus 1/2 cup reserved
  • 2 eggs, plus 1 egg reserved for egg wash
  • 1/4 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt

Ingredients for the filling:

  • 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 2/3 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/4 onion, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 3/4 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1/8 tsp. ancho chili powder
  • 1/3 tsp. cumin
  • pinch chipotle powder
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 3 tbsp. crushed tomatoes
  • salt & pepper

Directions for the filling:

  1. Place the olive oil into a skillet, and heat over medium-high heat until hot.
  2. Add the bell pepper to the oil. Sprinkle lightly with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until the pepper is fragrant and the color has lightened a bit.
  3. Add in the onion and garlic. Sprinkle lightly with another pinch of salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until the onion is fragrant and becomes translucent.
  4. Add in the ground beef. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with the spoon, until the meat is cooked through and no longer pink inside.
  5. Remove the meat from the heat, and drain the excess oils from the pan.
  6. Add in the spices, and mix well to combine. Add in the water, mix well to combine, and return to the heat.
  7. Add in the crushed tomatoes, and continue to cook, stirring the mixture until the sauce thickens.
  8. Remove the meat filling from the heat. Cover, and set aside.

Directions for the pastry:

  1. Place the cream cheese in a small bowl. Soften the cream cheese in the microwave until very soft, for about 30 seconds.
  2. Place the 2 cups of the almond flour, the salt, and the baking powder into a large bowl. Mix well with a fork to combine.
  3. Add in the eggs and the cream cheese. Mix well to completely combine. You should now have a wet, slightly sticky dough.
  4. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface. Add in the remaining 1/2 cup of flour a little bit at a time, kneading and working the dough to incorporate the flour. The dough should now be firm, workable, and not very sticky.
  5. Gather the dough into a large ball. Divide the ball into 2 equal parts, then divide each half into 4 small balls of equal size. You should now have 8 equal sized dough balls.
  6. Place the dough on a plate, and cover lightly with parchment paper, to keep it from drying out.

Directions to assemble and bake:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Place one ball of dough between two pieces of parchment paper, and roll it into a circle that is about 1/4″ thick and 5 1/5″ in diameter. A trick I’ve learned is to tape the bottom piece of parchment to my work surface with blue painter’s tape. This prevents the paper from slipping and sliding while you’re trying to roll out the dough. If the dough sticks to the paper, you may have rolled it too thin, or you might need to go back to step 4 above, and add in a bit more flour.
  4. Place approximately 2 tbsp. of the meat filling in a thin line across the center of your dough circle. Leave a little space on either side of the meat; you’ll need this space to seal the empanada in the next steps.
  5. Gently lift one side of the dough and fold it over the meat filling, so the dough makes a little packet that resembles a clam shell.
  6. Gently press down on the edges of the dough to seal the empanadas.
  7. Use you finger tips to gently roll the pinched edges inward, to finish the empanada. Place the empanada onto the prepared baking sheet.
  8. Repeat steps 3-7 until you’ve used up all the meat and dough.
  9. Prepare the egg wash by combing 1 lightly scrambled raw egg with a tsp. of water.
  10. Brush the empanadas with the egg wash, and place into the center of your preheated oven to bake. Bake for 25 minutes, until the empanadas are golden brown.
  11. Allow the empanadas to cool slightly before serving, as they come out of the oven very hot.
  12. Enjoy plain, or with your favorite dipping sauce. I like them with sour cream.
6 Net Carbs per Serving
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