Empanadas with Sofrito: Argentina Food Recipe

By Rachael Lake — Founder of Takeout Kit (Forbes, TechCrunch, BuzzFeed)

Salta vs. Tucuman Empanadas

This Argentina food empanadas recipe is Salta-style. Argentina has two main types of empanada recipes, Tucuman and Salta. Tucuman empanadas are fried and baked in a clay oven. Salta empanadas are simply baked, with no added fat or oil. This is a basic recipe to get the dough and folding down before you move on to other fillings.

Where Empanadas Come From

Empanadas, a type of stuffed pastry, originated in Spain, and Spanish colonists brought them to Argentina, where they’re a popular street food and show up at celebrations. The history goes back further, to the Moors, who occupied Spain from the 8th to the 15th centuries. The word “empanada” comes from the Spanish verb “empanar,” which means “to wrap in bread,” and that’s what you’re doing: wrapping the filling in dough before baking or frying.

What is an Empanada?

An empanada is a palm-sized pocket of dough stuffed with meat, cheese, or vegetables, then baked or fried. It came from Spain and is now eaten all over Latin America, especially Argentina, as a snack, an appetizer, or a main course, from home kitchens to street food stalls.

What Are the Different Empanada Fillings?

In Argentina, you can identify the filling of an empanada recipe by looking at its pattern. This pattern, known as "repulgue," allows people to distinguish between different fillings at a glance. For instance, a common filling includes a ground beef mixture with onions, green olives, and hard boiled eggs.

How Do You Make Argentinian Beef Empanadas?

The classic Argentinian filling is ground beef, onions, green olives, and hard boiled eggs, and this version adds bell pepper. Empanadas can be baked or fried and are often served with chimichurri. They’re also a good date night or dinner party project. Grab some friends who don’t mind working for their food, open a bottle of Malbec, and start folding.

Empanada Dough Recipe

For the dough, you’ll need:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup vegetable shortening
• ¼ cup warm water
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Cooking Methods and Variations

Baked empanadas are the lighter option. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush with a bit of egg wash, and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

For a crispier shell, fry them. Heat several inches of oil in a pot to about 365 degrees over medium heat. Fry one or two empanadas at a time, flipping once, until golden on both sides, usually about 1-2 minutes per side. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.

Traditional Argentinian beef empanadas use ground beef, but chopped beef, chicken, cheese, or vegetables all work. Diced potatoes or extra chopped onions add texture to the filling.

Tips for Working with Empanada Dough

Empanada dough can be a bit tricky to handle. A few tips:

• Flour Your Surface and Rolling Pin: To prevent the dough from sticking, make sure to generously flour your work surface and rolling pin.
• Adjust Dough Consistency: If the dough feels too sticky, add a little more flour. If it’s too dry, add a bit more water.
• Achieve a Golden Brown Crust: For a crispy and golden brown crust, brush the empanadas with an egg wash before baking or frying.
• Freezing Dough: To freeze the empanada dough, place the rolled-out circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze until solid. Then, transfer the frozen dough to a freezer-safe bag or container for future use.

Tips and Tricks

• Keep the meat mixture from getting too wet or too dry.
• Avoid overfilling the empanadas, as this can cause them to burst open during cooking.
• Use a fork to crimp the edges of the empanada, sealing it tightly to keep the filling inside.
• Serve them with chimichurri or pico de gallo for dipping.
• For convenience, use empanada discs or pre-made empanada dough.
• Add a sprinkle of chili powder or sweet paprika to the filling for an extra kick.
• Green onion or chopped fresh herbs freshen up the filling.
• Use a food processor to chop the onions and peppers quickly and evenly.

More from the Americas: For more Argentinian recipes, check out my Argentinian Recipes, and if you need ingredients, try this Argentinian Supermarket. For another South American dish, try my Peruvian aji de gallina, which is creamy and spicy. For more Latin-style hand food, there are my birria tacos.

Argentine Empanadas & Sofrito Recipe

Argentine-style baked empanadas with flaky pastry stuffed with seasoned ground beef, onions, hard-boiled eggs, olives, and spices. Perfect for parties or weeknight dinners.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine Argentine, South American

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

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Empanada Dough:

• 450 g Unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon Sea salt
• 55 g Sunflower oil (about 2 fl oz)

Sofrito Dipping Sauce:

• 1-2 cans El Pato tomato sauce
• ½ tablespoon Lemon juice
• 2 teaspoon Cilantro (chopped)

Protein (choose 1):

• 2 cups Ground beef (cooked)
• 2 cups Chicken breast (cooked, shredded or chopped)
• 2 cups Plant-based crumbles (cooked)

Achiote Spice Blend:

• 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano (fresh or dried)
• 1 teaspoon Achiote (or ground annato)
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Garlic (granulated or fresh minced)
• 1 teaspoon Onion powder
• 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika

Other:

• 1 oz Manzanilla olives (sliced or chopped)
• ½ oz Honey
• 1 Egg

Drink Pairing (optional):

• 1 bottle Malbec or Torrontes wine

Instructions

 

Create Empanada Dough

• Mix sunflower oil and 1 cup of water in a large bowl. Stir about half of the unbleached all-purpose flour and sea salt into the water/oil mixture with a wooden spoon. Gradually add more mix only until the dough no longer sticks to the spoon. Note: you will have leftover flour.
• Sprinkle part of the remaining flour onto a clean surface. Knead the dough with the palm of your hand for about 5 minutes, adding more flour until dough stops sticking to your hands. Wrap dough in a moistened paper towel and rest in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
• Continue to next step…

Empanada Filling

• Prepare your protein: clean, cook (if needed), and cut about 2 cups of protein into small pieces or shreds.
• Preheat oven to 425°. Thinly slice olives and combine with your choice of protein in a medium bowl.
• Open one El Pato tomato sauce can and add about 3 Tbsp. to the mixture along with the Mexican oregano, achiote, cumin, garlic, onion powder, smoked paprika, and honey.
• Using a fork, mix all ingredients well.

Make Empanada Shells:

• Remove dough from refrigerator and separate into about 14 golf size balls.
• Sprinkle the remaining flour onto a working surface.
• Using your fingers or a rolling pin, flatten each ball into a thin 5'' diameter circle.

Fill & Seal:

• Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling onto one side of each circle, leaving a ¼ inch border from the edge.
• Dip your fingertips into a small bowl of water and "paint" half of each empanada border (this will act as a glue).
• Carefully fold one side over the other and press the overlapping side with a fork to crimp the empanada closed.
• Arrange empanadas on a greased baking sheet.
• Tip: wet your fingers to prevent them from sticking to the dough.

Bake Empanadas Until Golden Brown:

• Reuse the small bowl to mix egg with 2 Tbsp. of water. Dip a paper towel or basting brush into the egg wash & brush the top of each empanada.
• Place in oven for 20-23 minutes or until golden brown.
• In a small bowl, combine the remaining El Pato tomato sauce, lemon juice, and cilantro to make a sofrito dipping sauce.

Serve & Enjoy:

• Remove empanadas from the oven and transfer to a platter or divide between plates.
• Serve with a side of the sofrito dipping sauce.
• Enhance your experience with an Argentine music playlist (takeoutkit.com/playlists).
• Enjoy your meal! "¡Buen provecho!"

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