Best 7 Puerto Rican Fried Meat Pies Empanadas Recipes

MINI EMPANADILLAS (PUERTO RICAN BEEF TURNOVERS)

Steps:

• Dough - Mix flour, salt, butter (slice up the stick of butter first) and egg with a food processor or mixer. Start adding water slowly until you get a nice stretchy dough consistency.
• The dough shouldn't be sticky, if it is, add more flour to the mix. Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This step is not absolutely necessary, but it does make the dough easier to work with.
• Beef Filling - Season ground beef with Adobo to desired taste, add chopped garlic cloves and brown the meat in a skillet. You may also use salt and pepper instead of Adobo if you prefer.
• Once meat is cooked add Sofrito, Sazon, tomato sauce, onions, green peppers, red peppers and potatoes. Let it simmer until potatoes are tender.
• Take your dough and roll it out with a rolling pin. Make sure to sprinkle flour on the surface, your rolling pin and hands to prevent the dough from sticking. Once your roll the dough out, use a cup or a round cookie cutter to cut circular shapes.
• Place a spoonful of beef filling on the dough and fold it shut.
• My favorite method for sealing empanadillas is to use a fork. Simply press on the edge with a fork on both sides and you're done.
• Fry each side of the empanadilla in hot oil. Simply remove when the empandilla gets a light golden color.

PUERTO RICAN FRIED MEAT PIES: EMPANADAS

Steps:

• DOUGH: combine all the dry ingredients in electric mixer, add all the wet ingredients. Mix for about 3 minutes until well combined. Dough will form.
• Take it out and knead for about 3 minutes, let sit wrapped in plastic-wrap for another 15 minutes.
• Divide into 12 pieces, then roll into 4 inch circles.
• FILLING: Brown ground beef (drain excess grease), or sauté shredded chicken in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add all the ingredients and cook for an additional 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Let cool.
• COOKING: Preheat the oil in a frying pan at about a medium temperature. Place about 2 tablespoons of the filling in the dough and seal the edges with a fork.
• Fry for about 5 minutes on each side, then place on dish lined with paper-towels.

EMPANADILLAS (FRIED PUERTO RICAN TURNOVERS)

Steps:

• Make the pie dough (skip to step 3 if using store-bought dough.) Start by pulsing flour and butter in a food processor until pea sized pieces begin to form. Pulse in the water a few tablespoons at a time until a ball of dough forms. Chill for at least 2 hours.
• Make the Picadillo filling. Start with oil, onions, and peppers in a pan over medium heat. Once onions become translucent, add sofrito and sauté another minute before adding ground beef. Break the ground beef into smaller pieces as it cooks. Add sazon, adobo, bay leaves, tomato sauce, olives, and water. Bring it to a boil before simmering with a lid partially on, for 10 minutes or until the beef is fully cooked.
• Prep the dough. Dust a clean surface with flour and roll dough out to about ¼ inch thickness and cut out circular discs using a large cookie cutter or small bowl. Spoon picadillo over half of each disc, fold the empty dough over top and pinch together with a fork.
• Fry. Heat oil to around 350 degrees before frying empanadas on each side for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on the edges. Enjoy!

PUERTO RICAN FRIED MEAT PIES RECIPE - (4.3/5)

Steps:

• FILLING: Brown ground beef (drain excess grease), or sauté shredded chicken in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add all the ingredients and cook for an additional 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Let cool. COOKING: Preheat the vegetable oil in a frying pan at about a medium temperature. Place about 2 tablespoons of the filling in the dough and seal the edges with a fork. Deep fry for about 5 minutes on each side, then place on dish lined with paper-towels. Press another layer of paper towels over the top. Serve. Makes 12 Empanadas.

EMPANADAS (BEEF TURNOVERS)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes more. Stir in tomato sauce, olives, Sofrito, Sazon, garlic, oregano and black pepper. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until mixture thickens, about 15 minutes.
• On a lightly floured work surface, using a rolling pin, roll out discos until 1/2-inch larger in diameter. Spoon about 1 tbsp. meat mixture into middle, fold in half to form a half moon; moisten edges with water and pinch to seal closed, or seal with a fork.
• Fill a deep saucepan with oil to a depth of 2 1/2-inches. Heat oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking (350 degrees F on deep-fry thermometer). Cook Empanadas in batches until crisp and golden brown, flipping once, 4 - 6 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

GOURMET PASTELILLOS (MEAT PIES)

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Add onion, tomato sauce, olives, sofrito, sazon, garlic, and oregano. Bring to a simmer and cook until mixture thickens, about 15 minutes.
• Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of meat mixture into the middle of a disco. Fold dough over, moisten edges, and press with a fork to seal. Repeat with remaining meat mixture and discos.
• Pour oil into a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Fry pastelillos until golden brown and bubbly, about 3 minutes each. Drain on paper towels before serving.

EMPANADAS DE CARNE (MEAT EMPANADAS)

Steps:

• To make the pastry: In a large bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, curry, salt and turmeric. Cut in the butter and shortening until the mix resembles fine crumbs. Pour water in and make a soft dough. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap in wax paper. Chill for 1 hour.
• To make the filling: In a small bowl, mix the water with the breadcrumbs and let it sit while you prepare everything else. In a large pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the onions and garlic until soft. Place in a small bowl and set aside. Increase the heat to high. In the same pan, cook the beef until it is no longer pink. Drain the fat and stir in the onion mix, curry, salt, thyme, black and cayenne peppers. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.
• Assembly: Divide pastry in half and roll 2 long sausage shapes. Slice each roll crosswise into roughly 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece out into a 6" circle. Spoon some filling into the circle. Wet the edges of the circle with a little water and fold in half, making sure the edges meet. Trim into a neat half moon shape and imprint the edges with fork prongs.
• Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 28 minutes or until the pastry is lightly brown.