Argentinian Empanadas with Beef Tenderloin

Last Updated on April 15, 2024 by Carne Diem

Protein:

Origin: Argentina, South American

Method: Stovetop, Oven

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These Argentinian style steak empanadas with olives and raisins are a classic in South America. Also known as Carne cortada a cuchillo these beef empanadas are made with hand cut steak and a variety of spices and seasoning. The homemade empanada recipe is great as an appetizer or as a meal.

Empanadas are a common finger food in Argentina, with most households holding their own secret recipe. While empanadas can be widely found throughout much of South America and Latin America, the Argentinian versions have proven to be some of our favorites. During our travels in Buenos Aires and Argentina, empanadas, with their flaky crust and variety of flavorful filling became a go too meal when we needed a quick bite.  This recipe takes advantage of one of Argentina's best culinary products: high quality beef. In this case we use beef tenderloin, and these steak empanadas are inspired by a recipe found at one of our favorite local Argentinian restaurants and by our travels through Argentina.

What is an Argentinian Empanada?

Argentinian empanadas are typically flour based which can differ from other South American countries where the empanada may by corn based. They are typically filled with savory ingredients and may be either baked or fried.  Our favorite Carne cortada a cuchillo empanadas are the baked varieties that are traditionally cooked in a clay oven.

Making the Argentinian Steak Empanadas

Gather and prep your ingredients

This steak empanada recipe calls for a mild spice mix that lets the beef shine through. Traditional olives, onions, scallions, bell peppers, and garlic round out the empanada filling.

What are the best olives to use in empanadas?

Feel free to use your favorite green olives, but our personal favorites are the buttery, rich, and sweet Castelvetrano olives.

Dice the onions, pepper, and garlic and chop up the olives into small pieces. If using fresh oregano, remove it from the stem and chop it up as well.

Combine the seasonings/spices in a small bowl and set aside. In Argentina, meat empanadas come in mild varieties often seen as Carne Suave, or as Carne Picante versions which typically contain cumin or chili powder, though they are not ever particularly spicy.  These South American empanadas are pretty mild, so if you would like a little kick, you can add a little crushed pepper flakes to the recipe or increase the cayenne pepper as well.

Cook the beef tenderloin empanada filling

In a large skillet or frying pan heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When warm, stir in the diced beef tenderloin and cook until browned, but not fully cooked. Then remove the beef to a pan with a slotted spoon.

Add the yellow onion and pepper to the pan and cook until soft then add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute.

Add the spices, oregano, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute while stirring. Add in the chicken broth, reserved beef and the green onion. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Continue cooking until most of the liquid is gone, stirring occasionally. This typically takes 45 minutes to 1:15 minutes.

The mixture should be nice and thickened at this point. You do not want a lot of excess liquid, or the empanadas will be soggy, and no one likes soggy empanadas!

Remove the steak mixture from the heat and let it cool for about 5 minutes, then stir in the olives and raisins. Taste and season with a little black pepper and kosher salt as desired. Place the meat in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but overnight is even better.

How to make Empanada Dough

While you can use store-bought empanada dough for the homemade empanadas, making the dough from scratch has given us the best results.  We have found that using pie dough or pie crust gives subpar results and never achieves that perfect crispy dough that you are looking for.  

To make the empanada dough recipe, combine the flour and salt in a food processor. You can use the dough blade, but a regular blade tends to work better because the dough blade does not reach the sides of the bowl. You can also mix the dough by hand if you do not have a food processor.

Cut the butter and lard into the flour, about a tablespoon at a time.

Mix the egg yolk and the milk, then slowly add it to the flour, pulsing to mix after each addition. The empanada dough should begin to form small balls when you are getting close. To get the proper consistency you may not use all of the milk or may need up to an additional ¼ cup of warm milk.

Remove the dough from the bowl and form into 2 equal sized balls. The dough should not be sticky or form dry flaky cracks when you form into a ball. If it is sticky, add a very small amount of flour until you get the right consistency. If it is cracking, you may need to add a very small amount of warm milk or water.

This dough ball has some soft cracks which are ok. It is the dry, flaky dough ball that you want to avoid. A perfect ball has no cracks but is not sticky.

Place the dough balls on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until ready to make the empanadas.

Forming and Cooking the Argentinian Beef Tenderloin Empanadas

Preheat your oven or smoker to 425 degrees.

On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out one of the dough balls to about ⅙ of an inch. Next use a large cup or cookie cutter to cut the pastry dough into about 4-inch diameter circles. Pull up the leftover dough, form a ball and roll it out again, repeating the process until you have used all of the dough. Repeat the process with the 2nd dough ball. When done, you should have roughly twenty 4-inch empanada dough discs.

To fill the Carne cortada a cuchillo, place a scant 2 tablespoons of the filling in the middle of each pastry. Fold over and press the edges of the empanada dough disc to seal in the beef filling.  

Be sure the empanadas are properly sealed so that they do not come apart during baking and the meat mixture does not leak out. You may choose to dampen the outer edge of the empanada crust with a bit of water or egg wash to fully seal.

To make the task of making empanadas even easier, you can use a dumpling or empanada press.

Place the unbaked empanadas in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Best egg wash for empanadas

Before baking, lightly brush the top of the empanadas with the egg wash. Depending on the amount of browning and gloss you want on the empanadas there are a number of different egg washes you can use. We choose the whole egg/milk wash which provides a medium golden-brown crust with a medium gloss with a buttery, flaky texture. If you want even more gloss, substitute heavy cream for the milk. If you want less browning, try using just the egg whites.

Bake the empanadas for about 15-20 minutes, until they are nicely browned and the filling is nice and warm.  Depending on the oven or grill type used, bake time may vary so keep an eye on the empanadas as they are cooking.

Serving Argentinian Beef Empanadas

Serve the South American steak empanadas warm, as a finger food, or make it a meal.

The Argentinian Beef Tenderloin Empanadas are great on their own, but we find they also pair very well with some homemade chimichurri sauce, spicy criolla, Aji Verde or your favorite dipping sauce. 

If you are looking for the perfect side dishes to eat the empanadas as a meal, we have found charro beans and pigeon pea rice to be perfect accompaniments or serve with some Brazilian Feijoada: Meat and Black Bean Stew.

We are all about that steak! You love steak as much as we do? Be sure to check out some of our other steak recipes:

• Grilled Hawaiian Ribeye Steak Recipe
• Reverse Seared Argentinian Ribeye With Chimichurri Sauce
• Filet Mignon with Goat Cheese Sauce and Grand Marnier Sautéed Peppers
• Reverse Seared Teres Major
• Garlic Basted Picanha
• Grilled Brazilian Fraldinha

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