# Cheesy Empanadas

This is an easy and savory flaky empanada recipe with a ground beef and poblano pepper filling, encased in a homemade dough, and either fried or baked.

- Servings: 16 servings
- Cuisine: Spanish
- Category: Appetizer
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 0.25 onion
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 0.5 tsp onion powder
- 0.5 tsp cumin
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 3 roasted, peeled and chopped poblano peppers
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 6 tbsp shortening or lard
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup hot water
- Queso Oaxaca
- 1 serving love

## Instructions

1. Grab a pan and set it at medium heat.
2. Add a little bit of oil and allow it to heat up.
3. Once the oil is hot, add half of the onion and cook for a couple of minutes.
4. Add one minced garlic clove and cook for about 30 seconds.
5. Add the ground beef, break it down, season with all the spices, and cook for 7 minutes.
6. After 7 minutes, drain the meat to remove all of the fat.
7. Add the chopped poblano peppers and mix.
8. Taste the meat for salt and adjust if needed.
9. Set the meat filling to the side and allow it to cool down.
10. To make the dough, transfer the flour into a large bowl.
11. Add salt (1 tsp or to taste) to the flour and mix.
12. Add shortening to the flour and crumble it with a clean hand.
13. Once the shortening is broken down, slowly pour in hot water and hydrate the flour.
14. Once the flour has hydrated, knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth.
15. Divide the dough into small balls, making sure each ball weighs 50g or is as even as possible.
16. Allow the dough balls to rest for 20 minutes.
17. Once the dough has rested and the meat has cooled, grab a ball of dough.
18. Roll out the dough until you have a flat disc, flipping it back and forth.
19. Add cheese, then ground beef, to the center of the dough.
20. Dip a finger in water and rub it on the edge of the dough.
21. Grab one side of the dough and begin to seal it.
22. Fold the top edge and press it down to create a nice edge.
23. Set the shaped empanada to the side and repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
24. Once all empanadas are stuffed and shaped, you can fry or bake them.
25. To fry, set a pan at medium heat and allow the oil to reach 350 degrees.
26. Begin frying the empanadas until they are nice and golden on both sides.
27. Remove the fried empanadas from the oil and set them on a kitchen towel or paper towels to drain.
28. Repeat the frying process for the remaining empanadas.
29. Serve the empanadas once ready.

## Equipment

- pan
- large bowl
- kitchen towel
- paper towels

## Tips

- You can make the dough first and while it rests, make the filling. Just make sure the filling has cooled down before placing it in the dough.
- If you have a scale, use it; make sure each ball of dough weighs 50g or just make sure they are all as even as possible so they can cook evenly.
- To bake, set the oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, and make sure you give it an egg wash or spritz some oil.

## Source

- Original video: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16qtoxzsuP/
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/b4e8f728-e57e-4020-9c5d-b0a08b954e7b
- Extracted: 2026-02-13

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt