Where do I even begin with these loaded beef empanadas. Let’s just say for the ultimate taste explosion experience, enjoy them straight out of the oven! WOW. I was inspired by my friends, Veronica and Lisa, when they did a joint face time empanada making session last week, they looked incredible! Veronica and Lisa are my college friends, and one time they visited my hometown and I brought them to “the best empanada place”, it was a tiny gas station in the middle of nowhere, and yes they had the best empanadas. Sooo, let’s just say after I saw them eating them, I needed to try to recreate these “gas station empanadas”. I swear sometimes the hole in the wall places are the best. These were surprisingly easy! I used goya discos, found in the freezer section and made up my own filling. You can honestly substitute anything in the filling to your liking. Also, I have never flash fried anything before- I was imagining oil flying everywhere, but it was much calmer and easier than I thought! I can’t wait until Mark comes home from work, because I am pretty sure this is making his top 3 of my dishes. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- Goya Foods, Empanada Discos, 10 (defrosted)
- 1 lb of ground beef (you can use protein or veggie of choice)
- 1/2 of a yellow onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup of chopped pimento stuffed green olives
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/2 tablespoon of paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon of cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon of oregano
- Salt & Pepper
- 1/2 Cup Mexican shredded cheese
- Cilantro
- Vegetable oil (for frying)
- Sauce of your choice (I used Italian Hot Pepper Bomba Sauce)
Directions
- Make your filling. In a saucepan on medium heat, add garlic and onions and saute for 2 minutes. Add ground beef and seasonings, cook until browned. Add in the chopped olives and mix together. Put your filling aside.
- Lay out your empanada discos and place about a 1/2 cup of the beef filling on one side of each circle. Add your cheese and cilantro and close the disco by folding together and ensuring it is sealed.
- In a saucepan on high heat, fill with vegetable oil the height of the empanadas. Heat for 5 minutes to make sure it is really hot.
- Drop 2-3 empanadas into the saucepan and heat for less than one minute on each side until crispy (eye this and don’t walk away). Use a slotted spoon or tongs to grab them and place on cooling tray placed over a paper towel.
- Serve hot, with a sauce of choice and garnish with cilantro, ENJOY!
I hope you enjoy these, I know you will! Tag me on instagram if you make them so I can see! I can’t wait to see how you decide to make them. They are for sure the first thing I will make when we’re allowed to have gatherings again, this is a CROWD PLEASER for sure. Stay safe & healthy!
xo Jamie
Jamie Devergillo 