Toaster-Oven Beef Empanadas
By America's Test KitchenPublished on January 19, 2022
Time
1¼ hours (15 minutes from frozen)
Yield
Serves 8
Toaster oven setting
Air-fry or convection
Ingredients
Before You Begin
The number of empanadas you can bake at one time will depend on the size of your baking sheet. The air-fry or convection setting helps to achieve a crisp crust on the empanadas; if your toaster does not have these functions, use the standard bake function.
Instructions
- Microwave beef, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and oregano in bowl, stirring occasionally and breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until beef is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Transfer beef mixture to fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl and let drain for 10 minutes; discard juices. Return drained beef mixture to now-empty bowl and stir in Monterey Jack, salsa, and cilantro.
- Adjust toaster oven rack to middle position, select air-fry or convection setting, and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line large and small rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll 1 dough round into 12-inch circle on lightly floured counter. Using 5-inch round biscuit cutter, stamp out 4 rounds; discard dough scraps. Repeat with remaining dough round. Mound beef mixture evenly in center of each stamped round. Fold dough over filling and crimp edges together with fork to seal.
- Space desired number of empanadas at least 1 inch apart on prepared small sheet; space remaining empanadas evenly on prepared large sheet. Brush all empanadas with egg.
- Cook small sheet of empanadas until golden brown and crisp, 15 to 25 minutes. Transfer empanadas to wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
- Freeze remaining large sheet of empanadas until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer empanadas to 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Cook frozen empanadas as directed; do not thaw.
Time
1¼ hours (15 minutes from frozen)Yield
Serves 8Toaster oven setting
Air-fry or convectionIngredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Microwaving ground beef, garlic, and spices bloomed flavors and let us drain away excess liquid that could sog out the dough. We then stirred in Monterey Jack cheese, which added smooth richness and created a cohesive filling, along with salsa for depth of flavor and cilantro for freshness. Using a 5-inch round biscuit cutter guaranteed equal and evenly sized empanadas. The filled empanadas baked to golden perfection (thanks to a quick egg wash) and only needed 15 minutes to cool—save your mouth and wait the full time for the hot filling to cool down, no matter how tempting they may be.
Before You Begin
The number of empanadas you can bake at one time will depend on the size of your baking sheet. The air-fry or convection setting helps to achieve a crisp crust on the empanadas; if your toaster does not have these functions, use the standard bake function.
Instructions
- Microwave beef, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and oregano in bowl, stirring occasionally and breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until beef is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Transfer beef mixture to fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl and let drain for 10 minutes; discard juices. Return drained beef mixture to now-empty bowl and stir in Monterey Jack, salsa, and cilantro.
- Adjust toaster oven rack to middle position, select air-fry or convection setting, and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line large and small rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll 1 dough round into 12-inch circle on lightly floured counter. Using 5-inch round biscuit cutter, stamp out 4 rounds; discard dough scraps. Repeat with remaining dough round. Mound beef mixture evenly in center of each stamped round. Fold dough over filling and crimp edges together with fork to seal.
- Space desired number of empanadas at least 1 inch apart on prepared small sheet; space remaining empanadas evenly on prepared large sheet. Brush all empanadas with egg.
- Cook small sheet of empanadas until golden brown and crisp, 15 to 25 minutes. Transfer empanadas to wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
- Freeze remaining large sheet of empanadas until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer empanadas to 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Cook frozen empanadas as directed; do not thaw.
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