Easy Cheesy Empanadas

Easy Cheesy Empanadas are perfect as an easy appetizer, snack or meal!  Any ground meat will do and you can add as much heat as you can handle!

Jump to Recipe Print RecipeWe made these Easy Cheesy Empanadas the other night and they were all gone in no time!  We used ground turkey but you can use any ground meat you desire. 

We enjoyed them so much we created a video to show you just how easy they are to prepare!  For the video we used ground beef.  Whatever you have on hand will work.  I had forgotten how good they taste!

These Easy Cheesy Empanadas just taste so yummy!  I wish every snack or meal was this easy and delicious!  Sometimes I add a little more of the chili powder and cumin.  Taste your meat mixture every time you make it so it is perfect for you! 

My son Patrick adds hot sauce and cayenne pepper because he loves it and can take the heat!  I used to be able to but not any more. 

I am a huge cheese fan and always add more than I need to.  To me, cheese is like bacon!  It makes everything taste better!  Especially these Easy Cheesy Empanadas!

You have to check out our video!

Easy Cheesy Empanadas Video

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Easy Cheesy Beef Empanadas

Easy Cheesy Empanadas are perfect as an easy appetizer, snack or meal!  Any ground meat will do and you can add as much heat as you can handle!

Course lunch, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine American, Mexican

Keyword easy dinner, easy lunch, easy mexican, easy recipe, empanada, ground beef

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound ground chicken, ground turkey, ground beef or ground pork
• 2 tubes refrigerated biscuits (10 each)
• 3/4 cup salsa
• 1/2-1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 pepper, green, yellow, orange or red, cored, diced
• 1-2 tblsp garlic, minced
• 1/2-3/4 cup cheese, shredded more or less to taste
• 3 teaspoons chili powder
• 3/4 tsp cumin, ground
• salt - to taste
• pepper - to taste
• 2 tblsp olive oil or another vegetable oil more or less to taste
• cooking spray
• 1-2 large eggs, beaten

Options

• cayenne pepper, to taste instead of regular pepper
• dashes hot sauce, to taste

Instructions

1. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil lightly coated in cooking spray. Set aside. 

2. In a large skillet, over medium heat, add olive oil until it shimmers or when flicking a drop of water in it dances. Add garlic, onion, peppers and ground meat. Cook until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender, 9 or 10 minutes. Drain if necessary. Add salsa, chili powder and cumin. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Taste your mixture and add seasoning if necessary. 

3. Allow mixture to cool completely. In the meantime, flatten or roll out each biscuit into a 4 or 5 inch flat round. 

4. Place 3 or 4 tablespoons of your meat mixture in the middle of each flattened biscuit. As much as you can fit. Place a few pinches of shredded cheese on top of your meat mixture and then place another flattened biscuit on top of the cheese. Moisten edges of the flattened biscuit with water and seal edges with a fork. 
5. Place empanadas on your prepared sheet. Brush beaten egg over top of each empanada. Bake at 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy! This recipe will make 10 empanadas.

Recipe Notes