Easy Beef Empanadas with Flaky Pie Crust and Mexican Cheese
By Mason Brooks
For a busy weeknight dinner, these beef empanadas bring seasoned ground beef, peppers, onion, and Mexican blended cheese inside flaky pie crust. The half-moon pastries bake until golden and are ready in about 30 minutes, making eight handheld portions for the table.
Pre-made pie crust is the shortcut that keeps the crust flaky without mixing dough. Lean ground beef cooks with diced yellow onion and bell pepper, then cumin, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and chili powder season the filling. Mexican blended cheese is added inside each pastry, while a beaten-egg brush gives the baked tops their golden finish. Using the whole package produces the circles needed for the listed yield.
After the vegetables soften and the beef is cooked through, drain excess fat before seasoning so the filling is not greasy. The shaping goes well when each circle folds neatly over a centered mound and the fork-pressed edges stay closed. Overfilling is the common trouble spot: keep the stated filling and cheese portions in the middle, then seal before brushing. A smaller bowl creates more circles but changes their size.
Serve the warm pastries with salads, salsas, or guacamole, as the recipe suggests, for dinner or a side dish. For later meals, assemble them without baking, freeze on a cookie sheet until solid, then move them to a freezer-safe container; thaw before baking. This keeps a future batch ready for meal planning.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Weeknight cooks get a full tray in about 30 minutes, because pre-made pie crust skips dough making while the beef filling cooks in one skillet.
- Families get eight handheld empanadas from the listed yield, and the individual portions make dinner easier to portion for children and adults.
- Freezer planners can assemble extra batches before baking, then save them for another meal instead of repeating the filling work on a later day.
- The filling suits people who want familiar dinner ingredients, since ground beef, onion, bell pepper, Mexican cheese, and pantry spices stay straightforward.
- Guests can pick them up without a knife and fork, while salads, salsas, or guacamole make the meal feel more complete.
- Cleanup stays manageable because the beef and vegetables cook together in one large skillet before the pastries go onto a prepared cookie sheet.
Ingredients
- •1 package pre-made pie crust (2 rolls)
- •1 lb lean ground beef (90% lean recommended; drain excess fat if using 80% lean or less)
- •0.25 cup yellow onion (diced)
- •0.5 medium bell pepper (diced, any color)
- •1 tsp cumin
- •1 tsp garlic (minced)
- •0.25 tsp salt
- •0.25 tsp pepper
- •1 tsp chili powder
- •1 cup Mexican blended cheese
- •1 egg
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- 2
Prepare a cookie sheet with a baking mat, non-stick foil, parchment paper, or oil.
- 3
Cook the ground beef, onion, and bell pepper in a large skillet until the beef is cooked through, the onion is translucent, and the pepper is soft.
- 4
Drain any excess fat from the skillet.
- 5
Add the cumin, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and chili powder to the beef mixture and cook for 2 minutes.
- 6
Remove the skillet from the hot burner.
- 7
Roll out the pie crusts.
- 8
Use a bowl similar in size to a cereal bowl to trace circles onto each pie crust.
- 9
Gather the leftover pie crust, roll it out again, and continue cutting circles until all the dough is used.
- 10
Place one pie crust circle on the prepared cookie sheet.
- 11
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling to the middle of the circle.
- 12
Top the filling with 1 tablespoon of Mexican blended cheese.
- 13
Fold the pie crust circle in half over the filling and press the edges closed with a fork.
- 14
Repeat the filling, cheese, folding, and sealing steps for all empanadas.
- 15
Arrange the empanadas on the cookie sheet.
- 16
Beat the egg in a small bowl.
- 17
Brush the beaten egg over the top of each empanada.
- 18
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the tops are golden.
- 19
Remove from the oven and serve with salads, salsas, or guacamole.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
409
Protein
29g
Fat
24g
Carbs
17g
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