I set about to make some empanadas but quickly realized that my version would be very different from the original. We ate Juanita's empanadas in Colombia and they were incredible. I am intimidated by masrepa and aji so I used a few short cuts. I made my fake empanadas in premade pie crusts and topped them with salsa. One day I will be brave and venture into true empanadas, but for today this is my version called Taco Pies. This will cut down on the hate mail significantly because I am not misrepresenting my pies as empanadas. =)
Ingredients:
2 lbs lean ground beef 6.08
1 1/2 pkg taco seasoning .80
1 medium onion chopped .40
2 Roma tomatoes chopped .45
1 green pepper chopped .48
1 bunch cilantro .75
8 oz cheddar cheese shredded 2.33
2 boxes refrigerated pie crust 5.00
Directions:
In a large pan brown the ground beef and drain. Stir in the chopped onion, green pepper and tomato. Add 1/2 cup water and the 1 1/2 pkgs of taco seasoning. Heat and stir over medium heat until well incorporated and veggies start to get tender.
Turn off heat. Chop one large handful of cilantro leaves (about 1 cup). Shred the cheese. Add the cheese and cilantro to the meat mixture and stir well. Let cool to room temperature.
Open your pie crusts and unroll one crust on the counter.
Slice the crust down the middle to create two moon shaped pieces.
Place two heaping spoonfuls (about 1 cup) on the top half of each moon shaped pie crust.
Dip your finger in cold water and lightly run your finger around the edges of each moon shaped crust. Then pull the bottom of the crust up over the filling and match the edges to the top half.
Take a fork and press the seams together to seal
Place the completed taco pies on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet in the freezer.
Freeze for one hour so the pies don't stick together. Gently peel off parchment paper and put pies into a large freezer ziplock bag.
When ready to bake place one taco pie per person on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. You can bake these directly from frozen. It may increase the baking time by 10 minutes, but just keep peeking until they are nice and golden.
We like to serve ours with salsa and sour cream. This is how they look on the inside.
I'm sorry the quality of the photo is so bad. Next time we eat them I will retake this photo and replace it. I need a little practice on my food styling!
We were able to make 8 taco pies for $2.04 per pie. If you have any leftover meat mixture that doesn't fit in the pie crusts you can eat it with chips or tortillas. Delicious!
I hope you enjoy!
Christie aka Keeza
