Description
These Organic Beef & Olive Picadillo Empanadas with Golden Raisins and Pepper Jack Cheese offer a delicious fusion of savory and sweet flavors wrapped in flaky pizza dough. Served alongside a fresh baby lettuce and cucumber salad tossed in southwest dressing, this recipe brings a perfect balance of textures and tastes for a satisfying meal experience.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough and Coating
- ½ cup flour
- 1 unit pizza dough
- Cooking oil (for frying)
Filling
- 10 ounce organic ground beef
- 1 unit onion
- 1 unit tomato
- 1 ounce golden raisins
- 1 unit green olives
- ½ cup pepper jack cheese
- 1 tablespoon fajita spice blend
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 unit beef stock concentrate
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Salad
- 1 unit baby lettuce
- 1 unit mini cucumber
- 1.5 ounce southwest dressing
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare Dough: Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of flour over a clean work surface. Remove pizza dough from packaging and cut into four equal portions (for 4 servings, cut into eight). Lightly coat each piece in flour, shaking off excess. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. (If baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees and adjust oven rack to the top position.)
- Prepare Produce: While dough rests, wash and dry all produce thoroughly. Halve, peel, and dice the onion into ¼-inch pieces. Dice the tomato into ¼-inch pieces. Roughly chop golden raisins and green olives.
- Cook Filling: Heat a drizzle of cooking oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add diced onion along with salt and pepper; stir occasionally until slightly softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add ground beef, breaking it apart, and cook until browned, 3-4 minutes.
- Add Flavorings: Stir in diced tomato, chopped raisins, fajita spice blend, garlic powder, and beef stock concentrate. Cook while stirring occasionally until beef is fully cooked through, 1-2 minutes more. Drain excess grease if necessary. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Wash and dry the pan.
- Roll Dough: After the initial 15-minute rest, sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of flour onto a clean surface. Using a rolling pin, roll each dough piece into rough circles and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Prepare Salad: Trim and discard the root end from the baby lettuce leaves and chop into bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice the mini cucumber into rounds.
- Finish Filling: Once the beef mixture has mostly cooled, stir in chopped green olives and pepper jack cheese until well combined.
- Shape Empanadas: Stretch each dough circle into about a 6-inch diameter. Spoon 1/3 cup of beef filling onto the bottom half of each dough circle, leaving a ½-inch border. Moisten the border with water using a brush or finger. Fold the dough over the filling and press edges to seal, avoiding air pockets. Use a fork to crimp the edges securely.
- Fry Empanadas: Pour a ⅓-inch layer of cooking oil into the cleaned pan and heat over medium heat. Test oil temperature by adding a pinch of flour; it should sizzle immediately. Carefully add 2 empanadas at a time using a slotted spoon. Fry 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown, adjusting heat as needed. Drain on paper towels.
- Alternative Cooking Methods: For baking, place empanadas on a baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 13-18 minutes until golden and cooked through. For air frying, spray empanadas lightly with nonstick spray, arrange in the air fryer basket without overcrowding, and air fry at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Toss Salad: In a large bowl, combine chopped lettuce, cucumber slices, southwest dressing, salt, and pepper. Toss well to coat evenly.
- Serve: Divide empanadas and salad between plates and enjoy immediately.
- Safety Tip: Ensure ground beef reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit to be fully cooked and safe to eat.
Notes
- Use lean ground beef for a healthier, less greasy filling.
- Rolling dough into rough circles is sufficient; perfect circles are not necessary.
- Make sure to seal the empanadas well to avoid filling leakage during frying or baking.
- Adjust spice levels in the filling by altering the amount of fajita spice blend according to taste.
- For a gluten-free variation, use gluten-free dough alternatives and adjust flour quantities accordingly.
- Empanadas can be baked or air-fried as healthier alternatives to frying.
- Resting the dough enhances its elasticity and makes it easier to shape without tearing.
- Drain excess grease from the cooked filling to avoid soggy empanadas.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 1120 kcal
- Sugar: 23 g
- Sodium: 1540 mg
- Fat: 63 g
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 45 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 95 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 46 g
- Cholesterol: 125 mg
