Have you ever gone into a Mexican restaurant and not eaten a single tortilla chip? Do you know anyone who can resist those freshly fried and salted chips? What about the salsa? Or the perfectly creamy queso dip? I sure as heck can’t resist them. Even if I walk into a Mexican restaurant with the best intentions of eating lighter and just sticking to my food, before I know it- the server is refilling the chips. Even when you get carry out, they’ll stick those suckers in the bag! I mean, I know that you could ask them to leave them out, but I’m not an animal.
So sometimes, I just want some Mexican food without all of the chips and queso… and margaritas. And if I can make it a little healthier when making it at home… why not do that as well? These Ground Turkey Empanadas give you all of the Mexican food feelings, except they’re baked instead of fried and a use lean ground turkey. They are also super delicious.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Start by grabbing a big ol’ skillet and over medium-high heat, add the EVOO, onion and ground turkey. You know the drill, break up the turkey as it cooks. Should take about 5 minutes.
Once the turkey is cooked, add the garlic, tomato paste, corn, black beans, water, green chilies, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Give it a good stir and let it simmer and reduce until the water is absorbed. SHould take about 5-10 minutes and it’ll look like this 👇🏻
Now remove the turkey mixture from the heat. Roll out your pie crusts and divide the filling between the two crusts, but be sure not to overfill so they don’t burst when baking (you may have some extra leftover- save for something else like a burrito or taco or just heat it and serve it with some eggs in the morning). Lay the filling down the middle of the pie crust, like so 👇🏻
I laid them on the sheetpan to fill them so that I didn’t risk them breaking when moving filled crusts.
Sprinkle some cheese over the top of the filling. Use whatever cheese you like and however much you like. Or none at all, totally up to you. I used a freshly grated sharp cheddar. I’d really recommend grating your own cheese. It melts so lovely. Now fold over the crust and fold and pinch it over. Use a fork to make sure they are sealed shut. Cut a few slits in the tops and brush with the egg wash.
Bake the empanadas for 20-25 minutes until the crust is nice and golden and looks like this 👇🏻
Let the empanadas cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to a cutting board. Slice each empanada into 4 slices (you should have 8 wedges total between the 2 empanadas). Serve with salsa and/or sour cream .
ENJOY!
| Prep Time | 15 Minutes |
| Cook Time | 20-25 Minutes |
| Servings |
Servings
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- 2 Pie Crust Shells (or 1 box)
- 1 Tbsp EVOO
- 1 LB Lean Ground Turkey
- 1 Small Yellow Onion, diced
- 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1/2 Cup Black Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 Cup Fresh or Frozen Corn
- 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 4 Oz Canned Green Chiles
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 1 Tsp Chili Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
- 1 Cup Shredded Cheese, like Colby-Jack, Cheddar or a Mexican Blend
- 1 Large Egg, whisked + 1 tsp water
- Salsa and Sour Cream, for serving
Ingredients
|
|
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add the EVOO, onions and ground turkey. Cook, stirring occasionally, to break up the turkey as it cooks.
- Cook until the turkey is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic, black beans, corn, tomato paste, green chilies, water, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir well to mix everything together and simmer for about 5-10 minutes until the water is absorbed .
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Lay out the round pie crusts and divide the filling between the 2 pie crusts. Place the filling in a line down the center of the pie crusts. Do not overfill them (you need to be able to fold them over to close) or they will break open while baking. You may have some leftover filling, depending on the size of your pie crusts.
- Top with shredded cheese and fold the pie crust over onto itself. Pinch it closed with your fingers first and then use a fork to seal shut. Brush the pie crusts with the egg wash and cut a few small slits in the top.
- Bake for about 20 minutes until the empanadas are golden brown. Let the empanadas cool for a few minutes and then slice each empanada in 4 slices. Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.
Welcome to Cupcakes and Sarcasm! My name is Maggie and I am the creator of C & S. I am a wife and mom of two beautiful kiddos. I grew up in Columbus, Ohio and now live in Northeast Ohio with my family. I have been cooking and baking since I was a kid. I decided in 2017 that I wanted to share my passion (and recipes) with all of you! On this site, you’ll find easy and delicious recipes- both savory and sweet. I’ll also sprinkle in some stories of parenting and our adventures along the way.