🥟 Argentine Empanada
Argentine empanadas are baked half-moon pastries filled with minced or hand-cut beef cooked with onion, cumin and sweet paprika, plus chopped hard-boiled egg and green olives. The edges are folded into a decorative braid called the repulgue. They are eaten by hand as a snack, starter or full meal, especially at gatherings.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 empanada pastry discs (about 12 cm)
- 500 g minced beef
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- 60 g green olives, chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt and chilli flakes
Method
- Soften the onions in the oil, add the beef and brown it, then stir in cumin, paprika, salt and chilli; cool completely.
- Fold in the chopped egg and olives.
- Place a spoonful of filling on each disc, fold over and seal by braiding or crimping the edge.
- Bake at 200 °C for 18–20 minutes until golden.
- Rest 5 minutes before serving.
How to make it lighter
- Use lean minced beef (5% fat) and drain any fat after browning.
- Count empanadas: one or two with a large salad makes a balanced plate.
- Bake rather than fry; fried empanadas absorb considerably more oil.
History
Empanadas arrived in South America with the Spanish, and Argentina developed many provincial styles, with Salta and Tucumán famous for their versions. They remain a staple of Argentine family meals and celebrations.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →