Beef Empanadas

Latin American · Batch & Freeze · Makes ~20

• • •

Ingredients

  • Filling
  • 500g beef mince
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 red capsicum, finely diced
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 100ml beef stock
  • 80g green olives, roughly chopped
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Assembly
  • 20 empanada discs (frozen — "tapas para empanadas")
  • 1 egg, beaten (for sealing + glazing)

Makes ~20 empanadas

Method

  1. Brown the mince — Sauté mode on Instant Pot. Brown in batches, breaking it up. Remove and set aside.
  2. Sauté veg — Cook onion and capsicum 3–4 mins. Add garlic, cook 1 min more.
  3. Bloom spices — Add paprika, cumin, oregano, chilli. Stir 30 seconds until fragrant.
  4. Build the filling — Return mince, add tomato paste and stock. Stir well.
  5. Pressure cook — High pressure for 5 mins. Quick release.
  6. Finish — Stir in olives and chopped egg. Taste and season. If liquid is thin, Sauté to reduce. The filling should be moist but not wet.
  7. Cool completely before assembling — spread on a tray to speed this up.
  8. Assemble — Lay out discs (thaw ~5 mins if frozen, pliable but cold). Heaped tablespoon of filling on one half, leaving 1cm border. Brush border with egg wash. Fold and press to seal. Crimp with a fork.
  9. Bake fresh — Egg wash the tops. 200°C (180°C fan) for 18–20 mins until golden.

Freezing

Freeze Unbaked (Recommended)

  • Assemble empanadas. Open-freeze on a lined tray until solid (~2 hours).
  • Transfer to zip-lock bags. Keeps 3 months.

Bake from Frozen

  • Straight onto a lined tray, no thawing.
  • Egg wash the tops.
  • 200°C (180°C fan) for 22–25 mins until golden and heated through.

Freeze Filling Only

  • Cool and portion into bags (~400g per 10 empanadas). Freeze flat.
  • Thaw overnight in fridge before assembling.
Scale up freely — double the filling, buy more discs. The Instant Pot filling takes the same time regardless of quantity.

Notes & Tips

  • Empanada discs are the key shortcut — making dough from scratch adds 45 mins for no benefit. Look at Asian groceries, Latin groceries. In Melbourne: Latin Deli (CBD) or South American shops in Braybrook.
  • Don’t use puff pastry — wrong texture, layers separate when crimped.
  • Filling MUST be cold before assembling or discs go soggy and tear.
  • Fork crimping: fast, easy, strong seal.

Variations

  • Swap beef for diced chicken thigh
  • Add a handful of raisins for Argentine sweet-savoury style
  • Cheese and onion for a veggie version
  • Quick chimichurri to serve: parsley, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, chilli flakes — blitz or chop fine