Argentinian Empanadas (with Chimichurri!)

In today’s recipe, we venture outside Mexican cuisine, to the southernmost part of our continent. Argentinian cuisine is mostly famous for its meat, and “Asado” culture but today I want to share the recipe for what you typically eat before— empanadas.

These Empanadas are a ton of fun to make but can be a time commitment of about 1.5 hours. That said, this recipe is to make about 30-40, so unless cooking for a family, you will be able to store some of them. These can be stored in the freezer and are great to whip up a quick lunch since you only have to put them in the oven for them to thaw. Also, you won’t need any special equipment other than an oven, cookie cutter, rolling pin, and a baking tray or two. If you don’t have a cookie cutter you can use a big lid, around 10cm in diameter.

You should also know, right off the bat, that this recipe includes what I consider a Mexican twist to the Argentinian empanada. You see, we Mexicans love adding salsa to things or generally dipping food in some sort of condiment, just to, as they say, spice things up. Now, most of us wouldn’t be so coarse as to add a Mexican salsa to the Argentinian empanada, but what sauce would make sense?

Enter chimichurri. While usually saved for asados and adding some zest to the grilled meat, this Argentinian uncooked sauce goes great with empanadas as well. I say it seems like a Mexican twist to the concept because it’s the only country where I’ve seen empanadas served with a little bowl of chimichurri on the side. In Argentina and Spain, you never get any sauce with them.

Yet, it’s so delicious, that some Argentinians do indulge in the practice. One of my Argentinian friends says it’s not that uncommon for somebody to put chimichurri on an empanada, if the sauce just happens to be there on the table because the meat is coming up as a second course. So there you have it. Nobody will judge you, and it will be yummy.

Now, as to the recipe, we’ll learn to make everything from the dough to a couple of the classic fillings (meat & tuna), and how to bake these empanadas. Unlike the variations from regions like Tucumán, or Venezuelan empanadas, these won’t be deep fried. Of course, we’ll also learn how to whip up that chimichurri from scratch.

Instructions

Empanada dough (for 30-40 units)

1 Kg wheat flour
400 g unsalted butter
2 eggs
6 g salt
4 g sugar
250 ml whole milk

Sift flour and add salt, sugar and butter.

Rub with your hands until the mixture is like a rough sand.

Add the eggs and milk, and mix together until a soft dough is formed.

Wrap with plastic and let rest for 1 hour.

Meat stuffing (to make 15-20 empanadas)

300 g beef cutlets
50 g finely chopped onion
1 finely chopped garlic clove
1 egg
1 small diced green pepper
4 tbsps finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
Olive oil

Cut the meat into small 1/2 cm cubes.

Place the egg in boiling water for 10 minutes. Take out of the water, let cool, peel and chop finely.

Heat a little olive oil in a pan, add the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes at medium heat.

Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the green pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the chopped meat and season with salt, paprika, cumin, and oregano.

Continue to cook at medium heat for another 5 minutes and add parsley and the chopped egg. Let cool.

Tuna stuffing (to make 15-20 empanadas)

140 g canned tuna in water (2)
50 g finely chopped onion
1 finely chopped garlic clove
2 finely diced tomatoes
1 egg
1 small diced green pepper
50 g, finely chopped olives
4 tbsps finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
Olive oil

Drain the tuna.

Place the egg in boiling water for 10 minutes. Take out of the water, let cool, peel and chop finely.

Heat a little olive oil in a pan, add the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes at medium heat.

Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the green pepper and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the drained tuna, season with salt, paprika, cumin and oregano.

Continue to cook at medium heat for another 5 minutes, add parsley and the chopped egg. Let cool.

Chimichurri salsa

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tbsps dried oregano
2 finely chopped garlic cloves
1 tbsp paprika
2 tbsps red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

Mix together all the ingredients. Season with salt and keep in refrigeration for at least a day before serving.

You can use a food processor to blend everything but I recommend chopping everything by hand. This will give the chimichurri salsa a rustic, coarse texture that suits these homemade empanadas.

Baking the Empanadas

Divide the empanada dough by half. One for meat stuffing and one for tuna.

Stretch the dough to about ½ cm thick. Cut circles using a cookie cutter (around 10 cm diameter).

Stuff each of the circles in one half, stretch the other half to cover the stuffed half. Using your thumb and index finger, pinch the edge of the empanada, stretch a little to the outside and then bring back to the edge of the empanada, press to seal and repeat across each empanada.

You can just seal them with a fork but this “pinching” method gives them a nice rustic look.

Place the empanadas on an oiled oven tray, brush lightly with melted butter and bake at 200·C for 15-20 minutes. They should have a nice, appetizing, golden brown color.

Let cool and serve with a little chimichurri salsa on the side.

Recipe Notes

Argentinian Empanadas in Mexico?

I’m not Argentinian and have never been to the country. But I admire their culture, and I have tried numerous empanadas in Argentinian restaurants in Mexico and Spain, so I can confidently say that this is a pretty authentic recipe, tried by some Argentinians themselves!

Argentinian Meat Pies (or a faster alternative to this recipe)

A slightly less time-consuming recipe could be making pies, just cut the dough into 4 pieces, stretch the dough on a pie mold, fill it with the meat or tuna stuffing, cover with another quarter of the dough, and bake until golden brown. This recipe works for two 30cm diameter molds.

What is Chimichurri?

Chimichurri is a vibrant, uncooked sauce traditionally used to accompany grilled meats in Argentina’s famed Asado culture. Made from finely chopped parsley, dried oregano, garlic, red wine vinegar, paprika, and vegetable oil, chimichurri offers a fresh, tangy, and slightly spicy flavor profile. Its rustic, coarse texture enhances its versatility, making it a popular condiment for grilled meat, the traditional choripán, and in this case, empanadas.

How spicy does it need to be? This can be a contentious subject! I feel this recipe works well enough without too much hassle. Some recipes call for some kind of pepper, to give it a little spice. I didn’t include it here since I feel the stuffings will have enough personality of their own.

Want more Mexican cuisine? I upload recipes here on a weekly basis. Subscribe below to get them straight to your inbox, or check out one of the favorites next, Mexican Burritos Recipe.

Special thanks to Cristian Rojas of Los Muertos Crew for some of the photos.

Go back