Empanadas Mendocinas (Argentinian Beef Empanadas)
Empanadas mendocinas are traditional Argentinean baked empanadas filled with beef, onions, paprika, hot pepper powder, cumin, oregano, hard-boiled egg and olives.
Back when I first started this blog, there was a blogger name Rebecca and her blog From Argentina With Love had an Empanada of the Month event. This is where I learned about these empanadas mendocinas from the Mendoza region in Argentina (also known for great wines). While empanada mendocinas are very famous, it was my first time preparing them. It was the perfect opportunity to learn what makes them different from other meat filled baked empanadas in South America.
I started with Rebecca’s recipe for the meat filling or picadillo. I adjusted the spice quantities a little bit, just based on my personal taste, and added fresh oregano and green onions. I also halved the quantity of meat (from 2 lbs to 1 lb) and had more than enough for ~~20 small to medium sized empanadas.
In Argentina, beef empanadas can be filled with either ground beef or chopped beef. The filling for these empanadas mendocinas uses a ground beef picadillo for the the filling. This variation is also known for not using raisins- which are common in other types of empanadas.
Another distinctive factor is the use of smoked paprika and picante or hot chili pepper. In addition to the flavor, these spices give the meat a bright red coloring that is considered a distinguishing factor for empanadas mendocinas.
The other thing that differentiates these empanadas is the dough, I was planning on making my standard baking empanada dough recipe for these or even using the store bought discs, but as I did my Google research I found out that the dough for empanadas mendocinas is unique because it is made with milk which give it a creaminess and softness that the standard empanada dough doesn’t have, so I adapted and translated the recipe for the dough from Recetas Ya and Club Gourmet.
The recipes all called for making the dough by hand, but of course I took the food processor shortcut and made a few conversions. If you have the time I really recommend making the dough from scratch (but with a food processor), it made such a difference and my empanadas just baked beautifully. This is my new favorite baking empanada dough recipe, most of the time I experiment with different fillings, and this time it was so much fun to try a different way to prepare the dough.
Another important part of these empanadas – and empanadas in general – is the churito or repulgue – ie the curvy ornate seal. I confess that the first times I made empanadas I was afraid of not being able to make that nice perfect repulgue. However, I quickly learned that it is one of those things that improves with practice.
Of course you can also use the edge or tip of a fork to press down and seal the empanadas, but I highly encourage you to practice making a repulgue style seal for the empanadas. It gives them a much more authentic and traditional look than using a fork.
The day before I made these empanadas I just happened to be reading Ines del Alma Mia by Isabel Allende. The main character in the book is a woman from Spain who travels to South America (and helps establish a Spanish colony in Santiago, Chile). The book is part fiction part history, but one of her talents is making empanadas, which helps her and others survive during situations of limited food availability.
I have to admit that I didn’t really know a whole lot about the history of empanadas, but for some reason I thought that their origin was Argentinean or Chilean. However, at least based on this book it seems they came from Spain (and probably before that from the Middle East). Latin Americans have done a great job of perfecting the empanada and preparing so many regional variations of empanadas.
Finally, I had to make a couple of dipping sauces and made two slightly different chimichurri sauces for these. The first one is a blended sauce with a little bit of white wine vinegar and for the second sauce I chopped the herbs instead and used balsamic vinegar. I especially love the contrast of the balsamic chimichurri with the meaty empanadas. An aji criollo type hot sauce or tree tomato hot sauce would also go well with these delicious empanadas.
Balsamic chimichurri sauce
Quick chimichurri sauce
Aji criollo hot sauce
Tamarillo or tree tomato hot sauce 
Empanadas Mendocinas (Argentine Beef Empanadas)
Ingredients
Dough for empanadas mendocinas – makes about 20 medium or 30 small empanadas:
- 3 cups flour
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup of grasa – lard or butter or mix of both
- ¾ to 1 cup of warm milk
- ½ tsp salt
Beef picadillo filling
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 white onions diced, about 3 cups
- 1/2 cup lard or butter
- 2 tbs smoked paprika
- 2 tsp chili powder or any ground hot pepper adjust to taste
- 1 tbs finely chopped fresh oregano
- ½ tbs ground cumin
- 1 bunch green onions finely chopped
- 3 hard boiled eggs sliced
- ¼ cup sliced green olives
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 egg white and yolk separated and lightly whisked
Instructions
Empanada dough
- Mix the flour and salt in a food processor, pulse until well combined.
- Add the lard or butter, blend well.
- Add the egg yolk and the milk in small amounts, pulse until small dough clumps start to form.
- Make a couple of balls, flatten into disks and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut out round disc shapes for empanadas (use round molds or a small plate).
- Use the empanada discs immediately or store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.
Beef picadillo filling and empanada assembly:
- Combine the ground beef, paprika, red pepper, cumin, salt and pepper in a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together and chill until ready to use.
- Melt the lard in a large frying pan or sauté pan, add the onions and salt, cook until the onions are soft, about 8 minutes.
- Add the meat mixture to the onions and cook on medium heat until the meat is done, stir frequently.
- Let the meat mixture or picadillo cool down, and then mix in the chopped green onions and chopped oregano.
- To assemble the empanadas add a spoonful of the meat mixture on the center of each empanada disc, add a slice of egg and sliced olive.
- Brush the edges of the empanada discs with the egg whites, you can also use water but the egg white is a good natural “glue” that helps seal the empanada.
- Fold the empanada discs and seal the edges gently with your fingers, twist and fold the edges of the empanadas with your fingers, as a final step use a fork to press down and finish sealing the empanadas.
- Lightly brush the top of the empanadas with the egg yolk; this will give them a nice golden glow when they bake.
- Let the empanadas rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes or until ready to bake.
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 F and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until golden on top.
- Serve warm with chimichurri sauce or other dipping sauces.
Nutrition
Step by step preparation photos for Argentinian empanada mendocina dough:
Step by step preparation photos for the Argentinian beef picadillo filling and empanada assembly:
Additional Empanada Recipes to Try:
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Hi Laylita, Im Ecuadorian as well as you are, from Guayaquil, and I love your website. Its great and you explain every step soooo much in detail, that i just love it!! My daughter told me about it, she is a fan of yours too :)
I am going to make these empanadas of course, but what i really want is the other ones, the ones that are just fried and have lots of cheese are they called Empanadas de Viento?? I believe so. I hope you can help me with that recipe. Thanks a lot.
Hi Evelyn – Thank you for your kind words! Here is the link to the empanadas de viento: https://www.laylita.com/recipes/2008/03/18/empanadas-de-viento/
These are wonderful!! Thanks for the recipe! Can you recommend a recipe for some nice dipping sauce?
I will definitely try these soon!!
Hi Francesa, Here a few sauces you can try:
Balsamic chimichurri: https://www.laylita.com/recipes/2008/06/11/balsamic-chimichurri-sauce/
Quick chimichurri: https://www.laylita.com/recipes/2008/06/11/quick-chimichurri-sauce/
Aji criollo or cilantro spicy sauce: https://www.laylita.com/recipes/2008/02/28/aji-criollo-or-hot-sauce/
Tree tomato hot sauce: https://www.laylita.com/recipes/2008/03/10/tree-tomato-aji/
Hi, I made these a couple of months ago and they are absolutely wonderful! I added half a pouch of sazon seasoning mix to the warm milk and mixed thoroughly. This mixture added a nice flavor and orange color to the dough. I will be baking another batch this weekend for a graduation party for all to enjoy. Thank you for this recipe, I truely love the dough taste and texture once baked.
Have you ever had to reheat leftover empanadas? I am alone right now my husband is deployed, but I just got done making a batch of 24..I can’t eat those all in one day. I shared some with my neighbor, but I was wondering could you reheat in the oven again? Do they taste okay afterwards…sorry I am new to cooking, but these came out so good :) I am proud. thank you for sharing your recipes! :)
Hi Elvira – You can set your open to Warm (or 200F) and let them warm-up, or you can just microwave them for 10-15 seconds. The oven re-heating is the better way (so they don’t get soggy), but the microwave is the “I’m starving and can’t wait” quick option. They taste great re-heated.
I also live alone but when I go to the trouble of making empanadas, you better believe I want leftovers! For a while!
For years I have been making a few batches of them at a time, and freezing the leftovers after baking/cooling them. Nothing fancy, I just put them in freezer bags and in they go! Then I can take out just one or two at a time. Ideally I try to let them thaw a bit, then just zap them in the microwave. It’s not as great as fresh out of the oven, but it does the job when all you want is to enjoy a delicious homemade empanada. I’ve also microwaved them just enough to warm them a bit, then finished them off in the oven.
Not sure if they can be frozen prior to baking. Never tried it.
This recipe sounds delicious and is very close to my recipe, which I got from a woman from Mendoza. I typically use Hungarian paprika, but am intrigued by the idea of using smoked. I have never added a heat element, such as ground red pepper. I love spicy so I might try that next time around. I find that if I go heavy on a good quality paprika, it adds a nice, mellow zing that is not overpowering. I love your ambition of making homemade dough. I’m usually lazy and buy the Goya discs, but perhaps some winter day when I’m snowed in I will go for the gusto.
Hi, I am so excited to try this recipe tomorrow, I actually grew up with a lady from Argentina and she always made us empanadas, sadly she moved away and I never got the chance to ask her for her recipe, one question I have is when you say lard what do you consider lard, I know we have pork lard but also here we have Crisco which is shortening, I really didn’t know what you meant that’s why I wanted to know, I just never knew if I could use lard we call (manteca) in a beef dish …. Well thank you so much hopefully you can answer me soon so I can make them I am so excited :D Last question when I do the egg wash is it just the egg, or just the yolk, or do I add water to the egg???? Sorry for so many questions …. Thank you and hopefully my empanadas look & taste like yours, I am super nervous bc I have never made these before :/
Hi Mya – To answer your questions, I mean manteca de chancho by lard. You can use butter if you don’t want to use lard. For the egg wash, I usually mix the yolk with 1 tablespoon of water.
nice work!! i love empanadas :) About the origin… I think they have some arabic origin and since Spain was ocuppaid by Arabs many many years empanadas stayed there and them come to South America.
How do you make it this shiny? I tried making these empanadas but I could not make it visually shiny like yours. Yours look so nice! and delicious!
Hi Elvira – Brushing them with the egg wash is what gives the empanadas that shiny look.
I’m so excited to have found your blog. My husband Nivaldo is going to be in heaven when I show it to him! We’ll definitely be following you now and trying your recipes.
I must say that I am an Empanada Lover. I made these and a chimichurri sauce and OMG they were delicious. I actually stayed up till 2am because I started late. The people who waited loved it too. Definetly will be making these over and over again. I’m a visual learner and the pictures helped out a lot!!!Thank you so much for sharing.
First time viewing your website…I was looking for a good empanda receipe. I am so very happy to find your recipe its exactly how my mother made her pumpkin empanadas..always a warm glossy finish product just like your photo.
My mother never put the receipe on paper just from her memory and everytime they came out perfect. I thought I would never find the receipe again until I saw the great photos…”there they were my mommy empanada. My mom used evaporated milk was the only type of milk available .
I will make these soon.