Flaky Empanada Pie with Ground Beef
Sometimes good things come in small packages. This is not one of those times! Enter my 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. Everything cooks in a skillet starting on the stove and then baking in the oven. It's a delicious and effortless family dinner! #empanadas #beefpie #savorypies
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Carrot
- 1 Celery stalk
- 1 pound Ground Beef, 90% lean
- 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
- 1 Ready-to-bake Pie Crust dough rolls (thaw in fridge the night before if frozen)
- 1-2 tablespoons All-purpose flour (for rolling the dough if needed)
Instructions
Prep-Ahead Steps
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Set one pie crust dough roll out on the counter (unopened) to bring to room temperature.
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Peel and dice the carrot. Dice the celery. Mince the garlic. Thinly slice the scallions. Beat the egg in a small bowl.
Cooking Steps
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Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees
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Make the ground beef filling. Preheat a large frying pan on high heat. Add 1 teaspoon Olive Oil, then the diced carrots, celery, and scallions. Cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a spatula. Cook for 5 minutes to brown the meat. Then add the minced 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.
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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.
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Place the pie dough over the beef mixture and fold in the edges. Brush the beaten egg over the top. With a knife, cut 3-4 1-inch slits in the top of the pie dough. Bake in the oven, center rack, for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let rest for 5 minutes, then cut and serve. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- 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. Buy a good quality ready-to-bake pie crust dough. I like Immaculate Pie Crusts, which are not overly sweet. The pie crust may be found 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.