Chef Carla Dilorenzo’s Beef Empanadas

These empanadas are the delicious synthesis of Italian, American and Argentinian cuisine, courtesy of Chef Carla Dilorenzo. You can recreate the magic in your own kitchen, but you’ll need plenty of Certified Angus Beef ® ground beef. 

Empanadas

“My restaurant has three themes: Italian, Argentinian, and American. It’s the perfect combination of my family and everything I love.” That’s how Chef Carla Dilorenzo explains the distinctive style she brings to every dish at her Miami restaurant, Los Tanitos. If you want to experience those influences in perfect, delicious harmony, you can now make her signature beef empanadas at home. Just be sure to pay proper respect to the recipe by using the best ingredients.

“Everything I cook and prepare is part of who I am: there is a rich tradition behind it, and I’ll only use the very best to showcase my heritage,” Dilorenzo says. “I use the freshest ingredients, and the best beef—that's the Certified Angus Beef ® brand.”

Chef with beef

It might take some practice to get the right fold on these empanadas. But one thing you can get right from the start is filling each one with Certified Angus Beef ® ground beef. Now let’s dive into what else you need to do to bring these amazing empanadas to life. Here's where you can find the Certified Angus Beef ® brand near you.

Ingredients

  1. 2 ½ pounds Certified Angus Beef ® ground beef
  2. 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
  3. 1/4 cup olive oil
  4. 2 large yellow onions, diced
  5. 1 red bell pepper, diced
  6. 1 green bell pepper, diced
  7. 4 fresh garlic cloves, minced
  8. 2 tablespoons dry oregano (Argentinian preferred)
  9. 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper (Argentinian preferred)
  10. 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  11. 1 ½ tablespoons garlic powder
  12. 1 tablespoon paprika
  13. 1 tablespoon white pepper
  14. 4 eggs, hard boiled and diced
  15. 40 empanada dough discs
  16. 40 green Spanish olives, optional
  17. 2 additional eggs (for egg wash)

Instructions

  1. Step 1

    In a large saute pan, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, diced peppers, fresh garlic, oregano, crushed red pepper, salt, garlic powder, paprika and white pepper. Sear and stir until onions begin to soften, 6-8 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Increase heat to medium high and add Certified Angus Beef ® ground beef to veggies. Stir until beef is browned and fully cooked, about 10 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Put mixture in a large colander over a bowl to drain excess liquid, about 2 minutes. Beef and vegetable blend should stay juicy but not overly saturated. Let sit at room temperature or refrigerate for 30 minutes to cool.

  4. Step 4

    Preheat oven to 375F. Remove mix from the refrigerator and stir in diced hard boiled eggs.

  5. Step 5

    Lay out 6-8 dough discs at a time and fill each with 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of the mix. In a cup of water, dip your finger just enough to wet the inside edges of the dough to seal the dough. Begin to close your empanadas, adding 1 olive per empanada (optional).

  6. Step 6

    Place empanadas on parchment-lined baking sheets with a little room between each one. In a small mixing bowl separate yolks from whites, reserving yolks; beat yolks together. With a pastry brush, paint the empanadas with the egg yolks. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden.

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