Cornmeal Empanadas
Submitted by lucille18
Baked empanadas with a flaky cornmeal pastry crust stuffed with spiced ground beef, raisins, and spaghetti sauce. A Mexican-inspired hand pie with sweet and savory picadillo-style filling.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
30 minREADY
40 minHand pies with a Tex-Mex twist and a crust that shatters when you bite into it.
The cornmeal pastry dough is flaky and slightly gritty in the best way, with that toasty corn flavor you don’t get from regular flour. Inside, a picadillo-inspired filling of ground beef simmers with spaghetti sauce, raisins, chili powder, cinnamon, and brown sugar for that classic sweet-meets-savory combination.
They bake up golden and crispy, and you get eight generous empanadas. Serve them with extra taco sauce on the side for dipping.
Pro Tips
- Use ice water for the dough and don’t overwork it. You want visible bits of shortening for a flaky crust, not a smooth paste.
- Let the dough rest 10 minutes before rolling. It relaxes the gluten and makes rolling much easier.
- Crimp the edges firmly with a fork. Nothing ruins empanada night like filling leaking onto the baking sheet.
- The raisins are essential. They plump up in the sauce and add little bursts of sweetness that balance the chili heat.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook ground beef; drain.
Simmer together filling ingredients.
Combine flour, cornmeal and salt in a bowl.
Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add ice water, alittle at a time, until dough froms a ball.
Cover and let rest for 10 min.
Divide into two balls; roll half on a floured surface to a 16- inch circle.
Cut into four 7½ in. rounds. Put ½ of filling on each round.
Brush with combined egg and water. Fold to form half circles; crimp edges to seal.
Repeat with other dough and fil Bake on greased baking sheet 25 to 30 minutes at 400℉ (200℃). until lightly browned.
Serve with additional taco sauce, if desired.
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