Empanadas – Beef Turnovers

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp GOYA Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 0.5 lb Ground beef
• 0.5 cup Yellow onion (Finely chopped; about ½ cup)
• 0.25 cup GOYA Tomato Sauce
• 6 Manzanilla Spanish olives stuffed with minced pimientos
• 2 tbsp GOYA Sofrito
• 1 packet Sazón GOYA with coriander and annatto
• 1 tsp Minced garlic
• 0.5 tsp GOYA dried oregano
• Ground black pepper (To taste)
• 1 pkg Empanada dough for frying (Use frozen pastry rounds if preferred)
• Corn oil (For frying; fill a deep saucepan to a depth of 2½ inches)

Steps

1. 1

   Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

2. 2

   Add the ground beef and cook for about 10 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned.

3. 3

   Add the finely chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened.

4. 4

   Stir in the tomato sauce, stuffed olives, sofrito, Sazón, minced garlic, dried oregano, and ground black pepper.

5. 5

   Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer the beef mixture for about 15 minutes, until it thickens.

6. 6

   On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the empanada dough discs until each is ½ inch larger in diameter.

7. 7

   Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture into the center of each dough disc.

8. 8

   Fold each disc in half to form a half-moon. Moisten the edges with water and pinch them closed, or seal them with a fork.

9. 9

   Fill a deep saucepan with corn oil to a depth of 2½ inches. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking, reaching 350°F on a deep-fry thermometer.

10. 10

    Working in batches, cook the empanadas for 4–6 minutes, flipping once, until crisp and golden brown.

11. 11

    Transfer the fried empanadas to paper towels to drain.

Notes

If you do not have a deep-fry thermometer, place the handle of a wooden spoon or wooden chopstick into the oil. A steady stream of bubbles indicates that the oil is ready; rapid bubbling means it is too hot, while few bubbles mean it is too cool.

Nutrition per serving

• appetizer
• main dish
• Latin American
• fried
• beef
• party food