Crock Pot Empanada Recipe (Baked or Fried)
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Every culture has their version of the "Meat Pie;" Empanadas, Pasties, Paztizzi... you could go on and on. These are great as an on the go meal and they are fantastic for parties and gatherings. They can even be made ahead of time and frozen before cooking.
Below is my version of an Empanada Meat Pie. Don't let the long post intimidate you, I just wanted to make sure I covered everything. You really are just doing 3 steps; cooking a roast in a crock pot, shredding the roast and adding a few extra items and then filling premade empanada dough.
This recipe makes about 30 empanadas (more if you add diced cooked potato to your meat mix).
Ingredients for Crock Pot Roast:
3-4 pound sirloin roast
1 yellow onion, quartered
3 cloves of chopped garlic OR 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 1/2 cups of carrots chopped
1 cup of celery chopped
1/2 tablespoon of pepper
1 ½ cups red wine (any Merlot, Cabernet etc. will do)
1/2 tablespoon salt
Combine all the ingredients in a crock pot and cook on high for one hour and them move to low for 6 additional hours; for about 7 hours of total cook time or until the meat is cooked and fork tender.
Remove the meat and let it cool. Strain the juices leftover in the crock pot and discard the solids, but save the drained liquids / beef broth.. You will need approximately 1 cup of the beef broth for the empanada filling. The rest of the beef broth you can use / freeze for other recipes or use it as a starter for soup.
Shred the meat once it has cooled.
Ingredients for Empanada Filling
Shredded Meat
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tablespoon salt
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cups beef broth
Optional: you can stretch this recipe by adding a few cups of diced boiled potato and/or peas to your empanada filling as well.
In a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the oil, onions, garlic and salt. Cook them until they are soft, but not browned. Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Simmer over low heat until the broth is reduced and the mixture is thickened (about 10 minutes). Add additional broth, if needed. The filling should be slightly moist, but not overly wet. Remove from heat and let cool at least an hour before making the empanadas. You can refrigerate this and make them the next day if you like.
Preparing the Empanadas
You will need you meat filling, 30 premade Goya Empanada Discs (check your grocer's freezer), a small bowl of water, a fork (and eggs, vegetable oil, a cookie sheet and Silpat or parchment paper for baking).
(1) Using clean hands, dip your fingers in your water bowl
and wet the outer 1/2 inch of the disc.
(2) Add about 2 tablespoons of the beef mix to the center of each dough disc.
(3) Fold into a half moon shape. Using a fork, crimp the edges of the dough together.
At this point you can freeze any empanadas you do not want to immediately bake so you can cook them at a later date **(see below)**
Once you empanadas are assembled you can pan fry, deep dry or bake them.
Baking Empanadas
(1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
(2) Place the empanadas on a cookie sheet lined with a
Silpat Non-Stick Silicone Baking Liner, 11 5/8-Inch by 16 1/2-Inch
or Parchment Paper.
(3) Brush the empanadas with a beaten egg. I prefer to use a OXO Good Grips Silicone Pastry Brush.
(4) Bake at 350 for 15 minutes
(5) Quickly remove the empanadas and brush them with vegetable oil and a small dash of salt, Return the empanadas to the 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve alone or with seasoned sour cream. These are also great cold the next day.
