I’d Rather be Cooking

Watch the video to see how to make great savory empanadas!

Empanadas are basically stuffed pastries, similar to the Cornish pasty, Italian calzone, or American turnover. In this episode, I’ll be using premade pie dough as the empanada shell - though not traditional, it’s tasty none-the-less. You could also use bread or pizza dough for this, or if you visit a Latin grocery store, they may carry premade empanada shells.

I show you how to make savory empanadas with two different fillings - chicken and beef. I use a small chicken breast and a little bit of skirt steak. After marinating (see full recipe), the meat is grilled, diced fine, and combined with cheese and some veggies. The filling is then put in the dough, baked off, and voila! You have a quick and easy weeknight meal.

And remember - any of the leftover filling would make really yummy quesadillas or a grilled sandwich, so feel free to make more just to have some left over!

Empanadas most likely originated in a similar way to the pasty - as a portable meal for working people. If you have the opportunity to visit the various Latin countries, you will see that each region has their own version of the empanada. The differences range from the type of dough used, how they are cooked (fry vs. bake), and even how they look. Some refer to them by a different name, for instance in Puerto Rico they are known as pastelillos, and in Bolivia, you would ask for saltenas.

Don’t forget to watch the companion videos on how to make pico de gallo and guacamole, as well as some delicious strawberry and green chile dessert empanadas, inspired by a local restaurant’s yearly Green Chile festival.