This is one of the first recipes I ever devised at Butter. I imagined that the meaty taste of the beef would come through more powerfully if boosted by tart cream cheese and heat from poblano chiles. The subtle addition of these two ingredients takes the filling to the next level. Make the empanadas the day before for best results. The longer these flavors get a chance to meld together, the tastier the result. Take care when cleaning the poblanos, they are deceptively spicy so wear gloves (or small plastic bags over your hands) when cleaning the ribs and seeds.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 5 hr 35 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 20 min |
| Yield: | 24 to 26 empanadas |
Ingredients
- 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided use
- Kosher salt
- 1 1/3 cups room temperature water
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 1/4 pounds 80 percent lean ground beef
- 2 medium red onions, diced small
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 4 ounces full fat cream cheese, cut into small cubes, chilled
- 3 medium poblano chiles
- Flour, for dusting
- 1 quart canola or vegetable oil
- 1 to 2 cups tomato salsa, for serving
Instructions
- For the Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine flour, 5 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon of salt on medium speed until completely blended. With the motor running, slowly add in water and continue to mix until a soft and pliable dough forms, 3 to 5 minutes. Flatten the dough into a 6-inch round, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to let rest for 30 minutes to 4 hours.
- For the Filling: In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium high heat until it smokes lightly. Remove the pan from the heat and add the ground beef in a single layer. Season with salt. Return the pan to the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain the beef, transfer the meat to a large bowl, and set aside.
- In a separate skillet, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, season with salt, and cook until soft and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Mix the onions and garlic into the beef and chill in the refrigerator. Once the meat mixture is cooled, add cumin and cayenne and mix to combine cumin. Add the cream cheese and mix well.
- Meanwhile, on an open flame or grill, roast the poblanos on all sides until charred, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Set aside to let cool enough to handle. Remove the skin, seeds and ribs. Cut the peppers into small strips. Set aside to let cool.
- For Empanadas: Line a sheet tray with parchment paper and dust with flour, set aside. Lightly dust a flat work surface with flour. Roll out dough into a 1/8-inch thick sheet. Make sure you flour only one side of the dough (if you flour both sides this will prevent the dough from sticking together when crimping the empanada.) Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Use a 3-inch cookie cutter to stamp out 24 to 26 rounds.
- Place a couple of strips of poblano in the center of one round and top it with 1 tablespoon of the beef mixture. Fold the dough in half to form a half moon and crimp the edges together by gently pressing them with the tines of a fork to seal. Place the cookie cutter over the empanada and use the edge to cut off any excess dough. Repeat with the remaining poblano strips, filling, and dough. Place the empanadas as done in a single layer on the parchment-lined baking sheet that has been dusted with flour. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
- Place a wire rack on a sheet tray, set aside. In a medium pot with a heavy bottom, heat the remaining canola oil until it reaches 350 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Slowly place 3 to 4 empanadas into the hot oil (don’t crowd the pot) and fry, stirring occasionally with a slotted spoon, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes total. Transfer cooked empanadas to a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Sprinkle immediately with salt. Working in batches, fry the remaining empanadas and arrange in a single layer on the rack. Place the sheet pan in the center of the oven and heat for 5 to 8 minutes to ensure the centers of the empanadas are warm.
- Serve empanadas with tomato salsa on the side.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 25 servings |
| Calories | 544 |
| Total Fat | 46 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 27 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 28 mg |
| Sodium | 329 mg |
Reviews
Haven’t made this yet but is it Cayenne or Paprika because on the show Alex says Paprika.
This is a fantastic recipe! I always follow the recipe exactly the first time I make it. This did not disappoint! I did leave the beef mixture in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Thank you Alex! Your recipes are great!
Cream cheese brings this together. I used store bought pop can dough as a short cut. The kids loved it very much and went back for more
This yielded A LOT of empanadas but they were delicious. Tasted good the next day as leftovers too.
One of the best things I’ve ever made.
I made these for my husband’s birthday and they were a hit! Everyone loved them. I live in Colorado so I had to add more water to the dough then the recipe called for. I also found that the dough was super easy to stretch and fold so you can fit more filling then you think. I will be making these again.
I made a variation using lamb instead of the beef and used queso fresco instead of cream cheese. I used hot paprika and also salted a peppered the filling. I see pre-made pie do. Made a mint chili hurry. They were phenomenal.
Made these for the Super bowl after watching the Kitchen. Soooo good, I did use premade pie dough but they came out amazing and we reheated Monday and Tuesday for a few minutes in the air fry (fried in oil for original cook). My husband said the pepper (I used pasilla) made the whole thing. I’m thinking this would be a great party (if we ever get to party again) app that you could cook in the morning and then air fry as needed to keep the snacks going.
I agree with the other two reviews. Very bland. But I realized that when I was cooking the meat and added more spices (Alton Brown’s Taco Potion 19) and chili powder. Even still, they weren’t very tasty. The cream cheese does nothing for them, and the dough was very difficult to work with. Certainly not restaurant quality. But, it was ok, just not all that good.
Totally agree with previous reviewer. Very time consuming for an extremely bland tasting and disappointing outcome.