Flaky Empanada Pie with Ground Beef

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This Flaky Empanada Pie Recipe has a delicious savory, smokey, salty ground beef filling with a flaky, buttery pie crust on the outside.  Only 10 minutes prep time and 35 minutes to cook. 

Sometimes good things come in small packages.  This is not one of those times, lol!  Enter my easy Flaky Empanada Beef Pie Recipe!  It has a perfect flaky, buttery pastry on the outside with a savory, smokey, salty ground beef filling.  The best part is that it’s so much easier to make then all of those individual empanadas.  But yet, it still delivers all of the familiar amazing flavors and textures in a full-on family dinner!

The time-saver in this empanada pie recipe is using store-bought, ready-to-bake pie crust. Of course, you can make homemade flaky empanada dough recipe, but pie crust is beautifully flaky in this recipe!

Need some strategies to make busy family dinners easier?  Click here for my Free Printable 5 Simple Steps to Easy Family Dinners!

Simple Savory Pies are Easy Dinner Ideas

My family adores Empanadas, but they can be a bit time-consuming to make.  So, instead of a bunch of individual Empanadas, I decided to make one giant one!  I started with my Ground Beef Empanadas recipe.  And then updated it to add more filling ingredients, such as carrots, tomato puree, and ehem, cheese. 

There are many different types of savory pies that you can make just like this!  Try any of these skillet dinners and place a pie crust on top for an extra-special dinner! 

• Creamy Corn and Blackened Chicken
• Tarragon Mustard Chicken!
• Zucchini and Chicken Rice Skillet

Quick note!  This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them.  This commission is what helps me keep this blog afloat :).  I also share these links because I have used the products, genuinely love them, and want you to know exactly what I used. 

No Special Equipment Needed for this Recipe

• 1 Medium Carrot
• 1 Celery stalk
• Ground Beef 90% Lean – I used 90% lean ground beef, but you can use a higher fat content, such as 80%. Just be sure to drain the meet of excess fat before adding to the empanadas. You can also use ground chicken or ground pork.
• 2 teaspoons Olive Oil 1 for making filling, 1 for baking the empanadas
• 2 Cloves Garlic minced (or 2 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 2 Scallions sliced thin
• 8 ounces Tomato sauce
• ½ cup Beef Broth (or chicken broth)
• 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
• 1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Ground Paprika
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1 ½ cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Egg, large
• Ready-to-bake Pie Crust dough rolls (thaw in fridge the night before if frozen) – Pie dough is what you want for that thin flaky crust. These are usually found in the prepared dough refrigerated section or the freezer section.
• 1-2 tablespoons All-purpose flour (for rolling the dough if needed)

No Special Equipment Needed for this Recipe

Nothing special for this one! No food processor, no other mini appliances, just the basics that you have in your kitchen.

You need a large skillet or frying pan for making the beef mixture. You also need to make sure that it can go into the oven, i.e. does not have a plastic handle. I use my absolute favorite 12″ Ceramic Pan, which is great because food really does slide right off with minimal oil and I don’t have to worry about food sticking and burning.  It’s also safe to go into the oven.

Mincing garlic is made super easy with a Garlic Press.

Easy Ingredients from the Pantry and Fridge or Freezer

Pantry Ingredients

• Olive Oil – The oil is for cooking the beef plus oiling the sheet pan for the empanadas. You can use extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
• Fresh Garlic cloves, minced – Fresh is best in this simple recipe, but you can buy the pre-minced garlic sold in a small jar or use dried garlic flakes or garlic powder.
• Canned Tomato Sauce – The tomato sauce is a smooth consistency for the filling, you can substitute in pureed, crushed, diced, or whole tomatoes that you crush with your hands.
• Beef Broth or beef stock – You can also use chicken broth or chicken stock or vegetable broth or stock. If you don’t have broth or stock in liquid form, you can also use water mixed with a chicken bouillon cube or chicken base.
• Seasonings: I used Chili Powder, Ground Cumin, Ground Paprika, Salt, and Black Pepper. You can also substitute in your favorite taco seasoning.
• All purpose flour (for rolling out the pie dough if needed)

Refrigerator or Freezer Ingredients

• Carrots, diced – You can use whole carrots with the skin on or peeled. I peeled for this recipe. You can substitute with diced baby carrots or parsnips. You can also use frozen diced carrots, but then I would wait to add them until right before you add liquids.
• Celery, diced – I like to use the stalk and the leaves. You can leave the celery out if you desire. You can also substitute with red pepper or green pepper.
• Scallions – The scallions, also called green onions or spring onions, in this recipe provide the onion flavor, but you could also use grated or diced yellow onion or red onion.  You can also use onion powder or onion flakes.
• Ground Beef, 90% Lean – I used 90% lean ground beef, but you can use a higher fat content, such as 80%. Just be sure to drain the meet of excess fat before adding to the empanadas. You can also use ground chicken or ground pork.
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese – I like to shred my own cheese to avoid fillers and stabilizers. But of course, you can buy pre-shredded cheese to save time. Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Mozzarella, or any other melting shredded cheese will work.
• Ready-to-Bake Pie Crust Rolls (thaw in fridge the night before if frozen) – Pie dough is what you want for that thin flaky crust. These are usually found in the prepared dough refrigerated section or the freezer section.
• Egg, large – The egg is used to brush the tops before baking so they get golden brown. If you can brush a touch of olive oil on the top or just bake without anything.

Time Saving Prep-Ahead Steps for this Flaky Empanada Pie

We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are the steps you prepare in the day(s) in advance and store in the fridge as your meal Kit… (See the recipe below for more details)

Prepping ahead for this homemade empanada recipe is just a few steps.

Set one pie crust dough roll out on the counter (unopened) to bring to room temperature.  You will want a good quality ready-to-bake pie crust dough.  I like Immaculate Pie Crusts, which are not overly sweet.

Peel and dice the carrot. Dice the celery. Mince the garlic. Thinly slice the scallions.  Beat the egg in a small bowl.

COOK YOUR EMPANADA BEEF PIE 

This recipe starts out on the stove and then moves to the oven for the pie crust to cook.  As mentioned below, you need a large frying pan or skillet that is safe for the oven.

On high heat, you first start to sweat and cook the diced carrots, celery, and scallions.

Then add the ground beef, breaking it up with a spatula. Cook for 5 minutes to brown the meat.

Then add the minced cloves garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, black pepper, the tomato sauce, and the broth. Cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and mix in the shredded cheese.

Roll the dough out onto a large smooth, clean and floured surface. If needed, using a Rolling pin, roll it out to the size of your pan/skillet + 1 inch (example if your pan is 10″ then roll it out to 11″ diameter). Lift it up to ensure it isn’t sticking to the surface, then fold it in half, then in half again to make it easy to unfold over the pan.

Place the pie dough over the beef mixture and then fold over any excess and press the edges together. 

Brush the beaten egg wash over the top. With a knife, cut 3-4 1-inch slits in the top of the pie dough.

Bake in 400 F degree oven, center rack, for 15 minutes or until golden brown. 

Beef Empanada Pie Recipe FAQs

Can I substitute Ground Chicken or Turkey in for the Beef?

You can substitute ground chicken, ground turkey, even ground plant-based proteins into this recipe!  The cooking instructions will be the same.

Can I use onions instead of scallions in this Empanada recipe?

You can use any type of onion that you have on hand in this recipe.  Yellow onions, red onions, shallots, or scallions will all work well.  

Can I use frozen vegetables in this Empanada Pie?

It is definitely a time saver to have frozen diced carrots or onions on hand and they will work great in this recipe.  You may not be able to find frozen celery but you can either use that fresh or leave it out.

Can I use butter in place of olive oil for the Empanada Pie filling?

When adding the vegetables to the pan for this Empanada filling, you can use butter instead of olive oil. I would recommend using unsalted butter.

Can I use a frozen pie crust dough?

One of the biggest time-savers for this recipe is using store-bought ready-to-bake pie crust.  This may be in the frozen section or the dairy section.  If it is frozen, make sure to put it in the fridge to thaw the night before.

Will Puff Pastry work in this Empanada Pie recipe?

You can use puff pastry in place of the pie crust, but there are a couple things to do differently. First, the puff pastry dough will likely come in a folded rectangle shape. So place it on a floured surface and unfold. Then gently roll it out so that it is large enough to fit the size of your skillet. Using a sharp knife, cut the puff pastry into a circle diameter 1-2 inches larger than your skillet or frying pan. From there, follow the same instructions.

Can I make this Empanada Pie ahead and reheat?

You can make this empanada pie filling in advance, but I recommend waiting to add the pie crust until you are ready to serve.  If you are reheating the filling anyway, it only takes 5 minutes to add the pie crust and 15 minutes for baking it.  Once you make the filling, store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days ahead.  Then add the filling to the frying pan or skillet and gently warm it on the stove over medium heat.  Once warmed, add the pie crust and bake according to the recipe instructions.

Can I freeze this Flaky Empanada Pie?

You can make this empanada pie filling in advance and freeze it, but I recommend waiting to add the pie crust until you are ready to serve.  If you are reheating the filling anyway, it only takes 5 minutes to add the pie crust and 15 minutes to bake it.  Once you make the filling, store it in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 4-5 months.  Thaw the filling the refrigerator, then add the filling to the frying pan or skillet and gently warm it on the stove over medium heat.  Once warmed, add the pie crust and bake according to the recipe instructions.

ENJOY!  😍 Carrie

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