Puerto Rican-Style Picadillo Empanadas (Empanadillas)
An adaptation of one of my family’s Puerto Rican recipes: shortcut Puerto Rican-style beef empanadas! These Puerto Rican picadillo empanadas (AKA empanadillas) are filled with a rich Puerto Rican-style ground beef and potato hash. I partnered with Libby’s Vegetables for today’s recipe, using Libby’s Sliced White Potatoes to make the prep a lot quicker and easier. Recreate the recipe year-round and learn more about Libby’s Vegetables.
Servings Prep Time
14empanadas (about 7 servings) 20minutes
Cook Time
30minutes
Servings Prep Time
14empanadas (about 7 servings) 20minutes
Cook Time
30minutes
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the ground beef, sofrito, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano. Cook until the beef is completely browned (about 12 minutes).
  2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the chopped Libby’s Sliced White Potatoes, tomato sauce, and sliced green olives. Simmer until the mixture is warmed through (3-4 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  3. Add the corn or vegetable oil to a deep skillet or frying pan so that the oil is at least 2” deep. Turn on the stove to heat the oil while you are assembling the empanadas.
  4. Take your pre-made empanada dough and roll each piece with a rolling pin until they are about ½” larger in diameter.
  5. Add ¼ cup of the ground beef and potato mixture to the center of one half of an empanada wrapper in a half moon shape (so it follows the curve of the wrapper). Dip your fingers into a bowl of water and run water around the entire edge of the wrapper with your fingers. Fold the wrapper in half to cover the meat filling and pinch the edges of the dough together to seal. Use a fork to crimp the edges to secure the wrapper further. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
  6. After the oil has reached about 350 degrees F, add the empanadas to the oil to fry (you will have to work in batches so that the empanadas can cook in a single layer without overlapping). Fry until the empanadas are golden brown and crispy (about 5 minutes), flipping once or twice so that they brown evenly while frying. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to cool.
Recipe Notes

I partnered with Libby’s Vegetables for today’s recipe, using Libby’s Sliced White Potatoes to make the prep a lot quicker and easier. Recreate the recipe year-round and learn more about Libby’s Vegetables.