Baked Beef Empanadas, semi-homemade with a juicy filling. Comes together in no time and the first to go in any party. This is how to make empanada filling with a Middle Eastern touch.

Ground beef empanadas or fatayer, are flaky and crusty turnovers with juicy flavorful ground beef filling. That will sure please everyone around your table. Perfect as an appetizer/ lunch or mid-day snack. Delicious by all means!
Whether you call them empanadas, fatayer, turnovers, or whatever, these are irresistible pastry pockets world wide.Fill them with whatever filling you like, chicken, shredded meat, cheese or vegetables.
Today I’ve filled mine with a succulent ground meat that my mom used to make to fill her fatayer.  So it is a filling with a middle eastern twist.

Empanadas FAQs:

How to make easy ground beef empanadas?

We’ll first prepare our filling:

• In a skillet saute onion and garlic then add ground meat and cook until no longer pink, drain fat.
• Add loads of spices, cilantro and green onions.
• Then comes the tomato sauce which gives this filling a tart and irresistible taste.

• Unroll the pie dough and cut circles to make 12 out of each pie crust.
• Fill, seal edges with some water and press with a fork.
• Brush with egg and bake.
• Let it cool down a bit then serve.

Variations of empanadas

Everyone has his/her own way of making empanadas. Not only people use different dough(s) they also stuff their empanadas differently. When it comes to filling, the sky is the limit. You can use traditional fillings or get creative. Combine any flavors, herbs, ingredients you like or have at home. Empanadas can be filled with beef and potato, chicken, mushroom, beans, cheese, pizza, seafood, fruit pie filling, chocolate, strawberry cheesecake… etc.

Other baked pockets we love:

• Feta cheese and mint fatayer.
• 10 minutes dough with endless variations.
• Spanakopita puffs.

I am also keeping this caprese empanada recipe by Layla handy to try soon.

I hope you’ll like this recipe and please if you make this recipe, snap a pic and hashtag it #amiraspantry — I love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter!
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5 from 1 vote

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Easy and quick ground meat empanadas.

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Baked Beef Empanadas, semi-homemade with a juicy filling. Comes together in no time and the first to go in any party. This is how to make empanada filling with a Middle Eastern touch.

Course: Appetizer

Servings: 24 servings

Calories: 74 kcal

Author: Amira

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons oil.
• 1 small onion diced.
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 lb ground beef.
• 3/4 cup chopped green onion from 4 medium ones.
• 1/4 cup  chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup  chopped Cilantro.
• 2  Tablespoon  smoked paprika.
• 1/2 Tablespoon ground cumin.
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup tomato sauce.
• 1 box refrigerated pie crusts.

Instructions

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté onion and garlic in oil. Add beef and cook until no longer pink.
2. Drain the fat then return to stovetop.
3. Preheat oven to 400F.
4. Add spices, green onion, parsley, cilantro and tomato sauce. Stir to combine and cook for about 5 minutes.
5. On a lightly floured surface, unroll one pie crust.
6. Using a cookie cutter, cut out rounds of the crust.
7. Re-roll dough and cut rounds, you’ll be able to get about 12 circles *.
8. Put about 1 Tablespoon of the meat mixture in the center of each circle.
9. Brush the edges of the circle with water then fold over the filling.
10. Seal edges by pressing with a fork.
11. Repeat with the other pie crust.
12. Place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper and sprayed with oil.
13. Beat an egg with a dash of ground black pepper.Brush top lightly with the beaten egg.
14. Bake for 11-14 minutes until nicely browned on top.
15. Let it cool down before serving.
16. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

* It depends on the size of the cookie cutter you are using, I’ve used a Manson jar lid as it was bigger.

Nutrition Facts

Easy and quick ground meat empanadas.

Amount Per Serving

Calories 74 Calories from Fat 50

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 5.6g 9%

Potassium 102.6mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates 2.3g 1%

Dietary Fiber 0.6g 2%

Sugars 0.6g

Protein 3.7g 7%

Vitamin A 9.5%

Vitamin C 5.2%

Calcium 0.8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.