Cast Iron Beef Empanadas

These perfectly seasoned hand held cast iron beef empanadas are tender, flavorful, and super easy to make and then reheat in the toaster oven for a quick lunch or easy family dinner.

Trying to get a two and five year old to say “empanada” might be my new favorite thing. Because dang, it is adorable! And then watching those same two kids absolutely WOLF them down was just icing on the proverbial cake.

There are two huge bonuses with this recipe. One is that you can use store bought pie dough if you want. And if you’re like me, making pie crust is the bane of your existence. And I have zero time, or patience. TWO, is that these are easy to freeze and pop into the oven to reheat for when you need something quick.

List of Ingredients for Cast Iron Beef Empanadas

• Ground Beef – preferably from my friends at Widnor Farms!
• Garlic
• Homemade Taco Seasoning
• Baking Soda
• Chili Powder
• Cumin
• Oregano
• Monterey Jack Cheese
• Salsa
• Cilantro
• Pie Dough
• Egg

Why Add Baking Soda to Ground Beef?

It seems so strange right? But there is a really good reason to do this in all of your ground beef recipes. Baking soda slightly raises the pH level of the ground beef on the surface, and prevents that proteins from binding up too much and extracting too much moisture, thus keeping it in the meat instead of in the pan. You don’t need much, just 1/4-1/2 teaspoon per pound.

How to Make Cast Iron Beef Empanadas?

1. Prepare pie crust, or allow prepared store bought crust to rest at room temperature. If you’re like me, I hate making pie crust so I stick with the roll-and-go store bought variety. You may still need to reroll the scraps to get enough to make 6 to 8 empanada rounds, but it is up to you.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with the oven rack on the middle setting. You can try to bake two racks at a time by setting the racks on the upper middle and lower middle settings. Adjust making times as necessary, and switch the pans halfway through baking.
3. In a cast iron skillet heated over medium high heat, add in a couple tablespoons of olive oil or other neutral oil and heat until shimmering. Add in ground beef, garlic, shallot, and baking soda. Cook until the ground beef is nearly cooked through and only a small amount of pink remains.  Drain off any remaining liquid.
4. Add in homemade taco seasoning, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook ground beef until cooked through. If you have ever tried my homemade taco season, it is so much better than store bought!
5. Stir in salsa, monterey jack cheese, and cilantro. Set aside. If you’re not a big fan of cilantro, I understand. Feel free to omit it, if you must.
6. Using a 5 or 6-inch diameter cookie cutter cut out circles, if necessary reroll crust to create about 8 rounds of dough. Fill one half of each round with 1/4 to 1/3 cup of filling. Using a pastry brush, or clean finger, brush water along the edge of the pastry round. Fold the other half of the pie crust over the filling and lightly press the pie crust together. Using the tines of the fork seal the empanadas together. 
7. Brush each empanada with egg. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 15-20 minutes, or until deep golden brown on top. 
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet prior to serving. 

How to Reheat Frozen Empanadas

Once the empanadas are cooled completely, you can freeze them individually on a baking sheet until they are firm, about 1-2 hours. Place them into a Ziploc bag and store them for up to a month.

To reheat them, place them on a baking sheet in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. Cook the frozen empanadas for 15-25 minutes until heated through. Do not thaw prior to reheating. Enjoy!

More Inspired Recipes!

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas with Butternut Squash and Black Beans

Crispy Baked Coconut Shrimp Tacos

Equipment Used in this Recipe

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