Puerto Rican Pastelillos (Empanadas)
Original Recipe
Notes
- Empanada dough and achiote oil can be store bought or homemade.
- Homemade or store-bought sofrito can be used in place of the bell pepper and cilantro.
Ingredients
- 10 empanada dough discs (store bought or homemade)
1/2 tbsp. achiote oil
1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup pimento stuffed olives
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. adobo
1 tsp. sazon
1 large bay leaf
2 oz. tomato sauce
1/4-1/2 cup water
Nonstick cooking spray
Salt
Black pepper
Directions
- Chop onion, bell pepper, and cilantro. Mince garlic.
- Heat achiote oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Prepare picadillo by browning ground beef and vegetables until beef is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
- Season with adobo and sazon and additional salt and pepper to your taste. Stir to incorporate.
- Add tomato sauce and water. Start with a quarter cup and if the mixture is still on the dry side, add more a little at a time. Stir well.
- Add olives and bay leaf. Allow to simmer for five to 10 minutes to bring all the flavors together.
- Take picadillo off heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Once cooled, add about a quarter cup of picadillo to the center of each dough disk. You can do this assembly-line style or one at a time.
- Fold the dough over the meat mixture to form a half-moon.
- Dab a tiny bit of water along the edge of one side of the disc.
- Press both sides of the dough together and then use a form to crimp the edges together to create a sealed pocket.
- Spray air fryer basket or tray with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat air fryer for three to five minutes.
- Add a single layer of pastelillos to the air fryer, spray the tops with more cooking spray, and cook at 400 degrees for 5-6 minutes on each side, flipping once, until the pastelillos are golden brown.
- Repeat until all of the dough is used.
Information
- Yield
- 10 empanadas
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 45 minutes
- Total Time
- 54 minutes, 59 seconds