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Dominican Style Beef & Cheese Empanadas are filled with savory ground beef and creamy cheese all inside a flakey dough that’s fried to perfection!
It’s no secret that I am one of the biggest fans of empanadas! In fact, having these fried savory delights is an absolute must at any gathering with my family.
They go crazy for my Dominican Style Beef Empanadas which are filled with savory ground beef all inside a flakey dough that’s fried to perfection!
The love for empanadas – and especially pastelitos comes directly from my grandmother! For a woman of very few words, making these was always her way of showing her love and appreciation.
She always made a variety of empanadas mainly- Traditional Dominican Style Beef Empanadas and Chicken Empanadas. Occasionally she would save any leftovers and use those as fillings as well for a quick snack that wouldn’t go to waste.
When I met my husband, I quickly learned that he LOVES cheese. Therefore, it was no surprise that in his family, the empanadas and pastelitos almost always consist of cheese fillings.
His favorites are the kind that we’re making today – Dominican Style Beef and Cheese Empanadas!
All empanadas and pastelitos, regardless of filling, start off with a delicious filling. In this case, we’re making a Dominican Style Picadillo / Carne Molida. It’s the same filling that I use on popular dishes like Pastelon, Papas Rellenas, and Coditos con Carne. I highly recommend making your filling ahead of time so that everything flows smoothly.
Next, every empanada needs a simple dough. You can always make the empanadas dough from scratch and this is fairly easy to do. I break it all down, step-by-step on websites and on my YouTube Channel – Chef Zee Cooks.
Now if you’re short on time, you can also use ready-made discs. You easily find these in the freezer section of your supermarket, or big box stores like Target and Walmart.
To start, I always like to flour my work surface with some all purpose flour. I then like to roll out the dough a few times until it’s pretty thin.
I do this regardless if I’m using homemade dough or ready-made empanada discs. Giving it a few rolls allows for the empanada to flake and crisp up perfectly when frying them later on.
Filling empanadas is also fairly simple. It’s also a fun way to get family members and even kids involved in the kitchen.
Once you’ve floured your work surface and rolled out the dough, add your filling to the top half of the dough. You want to leave about ⅓ to ⅕ inch of dough free at the edge.
Afterwards, dip your finger in some water and lightly run your wet finger across the edge of the dough. This will ensure that the dough will stick to each other. Then fold the dough over and seal the edges by crimping it down with a fork.
Now this is an extra step, but one of my trademarks are perfectly formed empanadas. Once you’ve sealed the edges with a fork, take a pizza cutter and cut any excess dough. This will leave you with a perfect half-moon shaped empanada with continuous edges.
I also recommend making your empanadas ahead of time and freezing them! In fact, freezing them is a breeze. Simply take a baking sheet or even an aluminum pan and line it with parchment paper.
Then add your first row of empanadas making sure that they’re not touching each other. You want to prevent them from sticking. When it’s time for your second row, add saran wrap or any kind of plastic wrap.
You want to keep the layers separate and you want to keep the empanadas from touching each other. Now add your second row. Repeat again making sure to separate each row of empanadas with plastic wrap or saran wrap.
Once you’re done, add the final layer of saran wrap to the top layer of your pan. Store in the freezer for up to two months. Here you have empanadas that are always ready to be enjoyed!
And when you’re craving the savory delights, simply thaw them for 20-30 minutes while your frying oil comes up to temperature. You fry them up just like any other empanada and enjoy them while they’re warm!
You can also use this trick when making Cuban Style Pastelitos de Carne! These pastelitos are just as tasty as my Dominican empanadas and pastelitos!
When it comes to the cheese filling of your empanadas, the possibilities are endless! You can use any cheese that you like.
A few of my favorites to use are American Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese, Monterey Jack, Cheddar Cheese, and Gouda Cheese. I always recommend that you use a cheese that you genuinely love since this will impact the flavor of the empanada.
I also recommend freshly shredding the cheese yourself since it makes all the difference when melting.
Try These Tasty Recipes Next!
Dominican Beef And Cheese Empanadas
Dominican Style Beef & Cheese Empanadas are filled with savory ground beef and creamy cheese all inside a flakey dough that’s fried to perfection!
- Total Time3 Hours
- Yield8 Servings 1x
Ingredients
Ground Beef Filling
- 2 lbs Grass-fed Ground Beef
- 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese or American Cheese
- 1 cup Shredded Gouda Cheese or Colby Jack Cheese
- 3 tablespoons Homemade Sofrito
- 1 1/2 tsp Dominican Oregano
- 1 tablespoon Sazon con Achiote
- 1/4 teaspoon Cumin
- 1/2 cup Tomato Paste
- 1 cup Water
- 2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Empanadas / Pastelitos
- 20 Empanada Discs
- 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup Water
- Vegetable Oil for Frying
Instructions
Ground Beef Filling
- Season lean grass-fed ground beef with kosher salt, black pepper, Dominican oregano, cumin, sazon con achiote, and sofrito. Mix until well combine and then set aside
- In a large skillet, over medium high heat, add 1 tbs of olive oil. Then add seasoned ground beef. Brown beef for 10 minutes making sure to use a meat masher to break up any clumps. Once the meat has fully browned, add 1 cup of water and stew on low for 20 minutes. This will insure that the meat comes out velvety smooth. Once the water has evaporated by 90% taste and test for texture. If the meat is chewy, add another 1/2 cup and simmer again on low until meat is softer in texture.
- Once the water has evaporated by 90%, add tomato paste and mix until well combined. Feel free to add 1-2 tbsp of water to help tomato paste incorporate into the ground beef. Saute for another 3-5 minutes and then set off to the side
Forming Empanadas / Pastelitos
- Shred desired cheese and place into a bowl. If using more than one kind of cheese, mix shredded cheeses in a bowl so that it’s evenly distributed once you fill the empanadas. Set cheese bowl aside
- On a large wooden cutting board, flour work surface and then place thawed empanada disc. You can also use homemade empanada dough. Afterwards, sprinkle flour on dough and roll 4-5 time rotating in between to make sure that the disc does not stick to cutting board. You want to roll out the disc until it has increased by 20%
- Dust off any excess flour. Carefully fill top half of the disc with ground beef. Then place shredded cheese on top of the meat. Make sure to leave anywhere between 1/3 to 1/5 inch of dough exposed at the edge. Dip clean finger into water and then run wet finger along the exposed edge of the empanada disc. (The side where the filling is)
- Once the empanada is filled, carefully take the other end of the dough (the side without the filling) and bring it to the front to cover the filling. You may have to tuck the meat inside so that it remains snugly fit. When the two ends of the empanada dough meet, gently press down on the ends to seal the edges. Then take a fork and crimp down on the edges as well. Your empanada should have a half moon shape. For perfect edges, run a pizza cutter along the crimped side to achieve perfect smooth edges. Repeat steps 5-7 until all empanadas have been formed.
Freezing Empanadas
- If freezing your empanadas for future use, line baking sheet or aluminum pan with parchment paper. Add first row of formed empanadas making sure that none are touching. When you’re ready for the 2nd row, add saran wrap or plastic wrap to cover the first row. Then add 2nd row of empanadas making sure that none are touching as well. Repeat until you’ve stacked all of your empanadas with plastic / saran wrap in between. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw for 20-30mins once you’re ready to fry them.
Frying Empanadas
- When frying empanadas, warm up your frying oil of choice for 20-30mins over medium-high heat. Carefully add 3-4 empanadas to the oil. Gently flip so that they brown evenly on all sides. Empanadas should be a golden brown color. Once they’re golden brown on all sides, remove from oil and place into a bowl with a paper towel to drain any excess oil. Repeat until all empanadas have been fried. Enjoy empanadas while they’re still warm.
Notes
Freezing / Storage
- You can store and freeze uncooked empanadas for up to 2 months
Re-Heating
- For best results, reheat empanadas in the oven or airfryer at 300°F for 7-10 until warm throughout
- Prep Time: 1 Hour
- Cook Time: 2 Hours
- Category: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
- Method: Frying, Sautéing
- Cuisine: Caribbean, Dominican, Latin