These Beef Empanadas are lightened up AND delicious!!
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I was scrolling through Facebook one day and I got sucked into one of the ads. It was for a dough press. I wondered if it would work as well as they claimed it would, so I had to buy it!
Luckily I was able to find the dough press on Amazon. I’m a prime member so I received it in two days.
For Christmas every year I make homemade pierogi. I thought this dough press would be perfect to help me out.
But first, I needed to experiment with it. Like most reviews on Amazon there are some people that absolutely love it, and some that hated it.
I decided I would make beef empanadas with the dough press.
For the mixture of these empanadas I used 95% lean ground beef, reduced fat Mexican cheese, salsa and some spices. The lean ground beef and reduced fat cheese helped to keep these lower in points.
To make this recipe easy I bought refrigerated pie crust. It comes with two crusts in the box and I was able to make 16 empanadas with the dough.
The first thing I did was made the filling. Once that was ready I started getting the dough ready.
I unrolled my first dough and used a rolling pin to roll it out more. Then I started using my dough press. I was so excited!!
The great thing about the dough press is that it comes with a cutter so the dough fits perfectly in the dough press.
This is the dough press I bought:
I used the white press for the beef empanadas. I first used the press to cut the dough.
Next I set the dough onto the dough press.
Then I added about a tablespoon of the beef.
After that I closed the dough press. You want to make sure you press it together really hard so it seals. After I pressed it together I made sure it was completely sealed. A couple of the empanadas I had to pinch together a spot or two on the edge.
That’s it! After that I placed the empanada on a baking sheet then finished the other 15.
You will have to ball up the dough and roll it out a couple of times throughout the process to get 16 empanadas.
Once the empanadas were all done I brushed some egg wash onto the dough, then they were off to the oven to bake!
These empanadas are extremely easy to make, especially with the dough press! I’m excited to try it out with my pierogi at Christmas!
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Yield: 16 Empanadas
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- 1 box Pillsbury pie crust (it comes with two crusts)
- 1/2 lb. 95% lean ground beef
- 1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 3 tablespoons salsa
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat Mexican cheese, shredded
- egg wash
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
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Brown the ground beef with the onion. Drain any grease from the ground beef.
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Add the garlic to the ground beef and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the cumin and chili powder, then add the salsa. Check to see if the beef mixture needs salt and pepper. Add the cheese and stir until it melts. Turn off the heat.
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Unroll the pie crust. Use a 4" circle cutter to cut out 16 circles. You will have to roll together the dough and use a rolling pin to roll it out to get all 16 circles.
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Fill each circle with a tablespoon of beef mixture then fold over and pinch together the sides. Repeat with the rest of the ingredients. Place the empanadas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
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Brush the egg wash onto the dough.
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Bake for 15 minutes. Enjoy!
If you’re looking for some zero point recipes, check out my post 20 Zero Point Recipes or my post 20 (More) Zero Point Recipes. Both are filled with delicious recipes that won’t cost you a single point! They’re perfect for days when you’re running low on points, or trying to save up points for a night out.
If you’re looking for dessert recipes you can visit 50 Weight Watchers Freestyle Desserts. It’s filled with delicious desserts perfect for Weight Watchers!
