Chilean Beef and Olive Empanadas

Total Time

Prep: 40 min. + chilling Bake: 20 min.

Makes

20 servings

Updated: Oct. 26, 2023
My hometown of Lorain is known as the International City because people came here from all over the world to work in the steel industry. During the summer, the city hosts a festival to celebrate our diverse community. One year I got to help my Chilean friend’s mom prepare these flavorful empanadas for the festival. They sure bring back happy memories! —Kristyne McDougle, Lorain, Ohio
Chilean Beef and Olive Empanadas Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 large onion, finely chopped
  • 3 hard-boiled large eggs, chopped
  • 1/3 cup chopped pitted green olives
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 2 packages (14 ounces each) frozen empanada dough disks, thawed
  • Salsa verde, optional

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until beef is no longer pink and onion is tender, 6-8 minutes, breaking up beef into crumbles; do not drain. Stir in hard-boiled eggs, olives and seasonings; heat through. Remove from the heat.
  2. Brush beaten egg over edges of dough circles. Place 3 tablespoons filling on 1 side of each. Fold dough over filling. Crimp edges and press to seal. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush tops with remaining beaten egg. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  3. Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes; serve warm with salsa verde if desired.
Test Kitchen tips
  • If you want to feed a larger crowd, stretch this recipe by reducing the filling to 2 tablespoons per empanada for 30 empanadas total.
  • If making these on a warm day, remove 10 shells from the refrigerator at a time, so they remain easy to work with.
  • Nutrition Facts

    1 empanada: 184 calories, 8g fat (3g saturated fat), 51mg cholesterol, 338mg sodium, 21g carbohydrate (0 sugars, 1g fiber), 9g protein.