Colombian Empanadas
the best beef empanadas recipe filled with shredded beef, vegetables, herbs, and seasonings.
Ingredients
Masarepa (Empanada Dough)
- 2 cups Pre-cooked Yellow Cornmeal P.A.N brand
- 2 ¼ cup Warm Water
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tsp Salt
Empanada Filling
- 1 cup Shredded Beef from slow cooked chuck roast
- 1 whole Russet Potato boiled, peeled, and chopped
- 1 Tomato medium size, diced. Roughly 1/4 cup.
- 4 cloves Garlic peeled and minced
- 1/2 White Onion
- 1 whole Bell Pepper any color, minced.
- ¼ cup Green Onion chopped
- 2 tbsp Fresh Cilantro chopped
- 1 tbsp Lime Juice
- 2 tsp Beef Bouillon Knorr brand
Instructions
- Slow cook a 3 pound chuck roast seasoned with salt and pepper in a crock pot on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Add about 1 cup of beef broth to the slow cooker to make sure the beef stays juicy and tender.
- Once fully cooked, remove for the crock pot and allow to cool tented in foil for 20 minutes. Shred the beef and set aside.
- Prepare the masarepa (empanada dough). Mix 2 cups of precooked yellow cornmeal with 2 ¼ cup of warm water, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, 1tsp salt, and 1 1.4 oz packet of Sazon con Azafran. Cover with a towel or lid for at least 20 minutes.
- Peel 2 large potatoes and boil in salted water for 20 minutes. While boiling, prepare your vegetables. Chop 1 medium sized tomato, 4 cloves garlic, ½ white onion, 1 bell pepper, ¼ cup green onion, and 3 tbsp of chopped cilantro.
- Heat a medium sized pot to medium high heat and add ½ tbsp of olive oil. Cook the onions and bell peppers on medium high heat for 1-2 minutes and add in the remaining ingredients. Add in a squirt of lime juice to deglaze the pot.
- Add the shredded beef to the pot and mix to incorporate all of the ingredients. Season the mixture with 2 tsp beef bouillon and 1 tsp cumin and set aside to cool.
- Cut the sides of a gallon sized Ziploc bag so that you have along, rectangular sheet. Roll small portions into 1 ½“ balls and place in the center of the bag where the crease should be. Press flat so that it looks like a flat pancake.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture and place slightly to one side of the dough. Lift one side of the Ziploc bag and fold over with the dough to enclose the meat mixture. Press the edges down flat to seal the filling inside. Set your empanada aside and repeat for the rest of the empanadas.
- Fill a large pot with oil and heat to about 350℉-375℉.Gently place each empanada into the oil making sure to not overcrowd the pot. We do not want to empanadas to touch each other otherwise they will get stuck together.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes until each empanada turns a deep orange/brown color. Remove from oil and place onto a paper towel lined dish to cool once cooked.
- Serve warm with Colombian aji or salsa. Enjoy!