These ground turkey empanadas are made with a simple picadillo filling. It’s made with a savory tomato sauce flavored with onions, garlic, spices and olives. Plus, we use store-bought empanada discs making them as easy to make as they are delicious.
Empanadas are stuffed pastries that are baked or fried. They’re usually stuffed with savory meat like chicken, ham, chorizo or beef and they make a great appetizer, snack or lunch.
Ground turkey is one of my favorite ingredients for weeknight meals. It is a great alternative to ground beef and can be used as a delicious substitute, like in this turkey meatloaf and this super easy turkey taco soup.
Recipe tips
- Allow the filling to cool completely, refrigerator chilled is better. If the filling is too hot the empanada dough will tear.
- Seal the disc completely. Moisten with water all the way around. Press the edges lightly with your fingers then use a fork to ensure the seal.
- It’s best to work with the discs when they’re cold. If they warm up too much they’ll be difficult to work with. Pop them in the refrigerator or freezer for a couple of minutes if they get too warm (soft).
- Cover the empanadas and unused dough with a damp (not wet) kitchen or paper towel to prevent the dough from drying out and cracking.
- Add some salt when cooking the ground turkey, but not too much. The tomato sauce, tomato paste, and the olives all contain a good amount of salt already. Taste at the end and add more if needed.
Ingredients
- Ground Turkey - use lean but not turkey breast – we used 93/7
- Oil for the filling – we use olive oil but you can use your favorite, as long as it’s suitable for sauteing
- Vegetables – onions, carrots, celery and garlic flavor the ground turkey
- Liquid – tomato sauce and tomato paste add color and flavor, a little white wine adds a special touch
- Seasoning – dried oregano, cumin, salt and black pepper
- Olives – we use pitted Spanish olives
- Large Empanada Disks – depending on where you live you may be able to find empanada discs in the freezer section of larger food chains or Latin markets. They are round, thin dough discs that come frozen, usually ten to a pack. In Spanish they are called discos para empanadas or masa para empanadas.
- Oil for frying – use a neutral (flavorless) oil with a high smoke point (we use canola oil)
You will also need:
- 1-2 Large Baking Sheets
- Parchment Paper (to line the baking sheet)
- Pastry Brush (use your finger if you don’t have one)
- Paper Towels (to set the empanadas after frying to drain)
Prep Work
There are two parts to the prep work for empanadas, three really. First we have to make the filling then, let it cool completely. Finally, we build the empanadas.
Defrost the empanada dough according to package directions prior to using. I usually place them in the refrigerator overnight and they are ready to go when I need them.
- Dice the onions, carrots and celery. They are going in the pan at the same time so keep them in the same bowl. I like using glass nesting bowls to organize my ingredients for cooking.
- Mince the garlic.
- Chop the olives.
- Measure out the salt, oregano, cumin and black pepper. They go in at the same time so keep them together in a small bowl.
- Gather and measure out the remaining ingredients – the ground turkey, white wine, tomato sauce, tomato paste and water.
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery to the skillet and cook until the onions are translucent.
- Add the garlic and cook briefly.
- Raise the heat to high and the ground turkey, tomato paste, salt, oregano, cumin and black pepper and immediately start to stir to combine and break up the meat. Continue cooking until browned.
- Add the white wine to the skillet and cook until most of the liquid evaporates.
- Next, add the tomato sauce, water and olives to the skillet. Stir well to combine.
- Cook the turkey picadillo filling to allow the flavors to develop and come together.
Cook’s note: Picadillo is usually saucy because it is typically served with white rice. But, to make these empanadas we can’t have too much sauce. If the picadillo is too saucy, uncover the skillet and let it simmer so some of the liquid can cook away.
Taste the picadillo and add salt if needed. As a reference, we did not add extra salt to ours.
Allow the meat to cool some. Give it a good stir often to allow the steam to escape and help it cool faster. Add it to a large bowl and place it in the refrigerator and let it cool completely.
Build the empanadas
- Work with one empanada disc at a time and add 2½ - 3 tablespoons of the filling just a little off center. Arrange it so that it’s not mounded in the middle. Don’t go all the way to the edge.
- Prepare a small bowl with clean, cool water. Use a pastry brush (or your finger) to moisten the edges of the dough with water. Go all the way around.
- Fold the round in half, press the edges together gently.
- Use a fork to seal and crimp the edge of the empanadas.
Place the empanada on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover with a damp (not wet) paper towel so the dough does not dry out while you build the rest of the empanadas.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Fry the empanadas
The empanadas will be large so use a large, deep skillet to fry them. Add enough oil to cover the bottom of the skillet by about 1 inch of oil. How much oil to use will depend on how large the skillet is. We used a 12-inch large fryer and were able to do 2 at a time.
Heat the oil over medium high heat. We need the oil at about 325°F to 350°F add 1-2 empanadas, depending on the size of the pan. Fry the empanadas for 1-2 minutes until golden.
Carefully flip them and fry for another 1-2 minutes until golden on both sides.
Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon or spatula and place them on a paper towel-lined plate or platter. Repeat with the remaining turkey empanadas.
It may be necessary to lower the heat a bit for the second, third (etc.) batch. If the oil is too hot the empanadas may brown too much, right away.
Serve the empanadas with a little hot sauce, if desired and enjoy!
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📖 Recipe
Turkey Empanadas
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Onion finely diced – we used a yellow onion
- 2 Medium Carrots small dice
- 1 Celery rib small dice
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 pound Ground Turkey use lean but not turkey breast – we used 93/7
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 1 teaspoon Salt – we used Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ cup White Wine or use chicken broth
- 1 8 ounce can Tomato Sauce
- ½ cup Water
- ½ cup Pitted Spanish Olives chopped
- 10 Large Empanada Discs defrosted to package directions
- About 2½ cups Oil use a neutral oil with a high smoke point (we use canola oil) – how much oil to use will depend on the size of the skillet/pan used to fry
Instructions
Make the filling
- Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook the vegetables for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring almost constantly.
- Raise the heat to high and the ground turkey, tomato paste, salt, oregano, cumin and black pepper and immediately start to stir and break up the meat using a wooden spoon or a spatula.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes to brown the turkey while stirring and continuing to break it up.
- When the turkey is browned, carefully add the white wine to the skillet; cook about 1-2 minutes until most of the liquid evaporates.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and add the tomato sauce, water and olives to the skillet. Stir well to combine.
- Cover the skillet and cook for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to develop and come together. Stir occasionally and keep it at a simmer. If the liquid is boiling too vigorously, lower the heat a bit.
- If the picadillo is too saucy, uncover the skillet and let some of the liquid cook out. Stir often.
- Taste the picadillo and add salt if needed. As a reference, we did not add extra salt to ours.
- Let the meat cool some, then place it in a bowl and refrigerate until completely cooled.
Build the empanadas
- Work with one empanada disc at a time, add about 2 ½ - 3 tablespoons of the turkey picadillo just a little off center of the disc.
- Arrange the filling so that it is not mounded in the middle, but don’t’ go all the way to the edge.
- Use a pastry brush (or your finger) to moisten the edges of the dough with water. Go all the way around.
- Fold the round in half, press the edges together gently.
- Use a fork to crimp and seal the edge of the empanada.
- Place it on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover with a damp (not wet) kitchen or paper towel so the dough does not dry out while you build the rest of the empanadas.
Fry the empanadas
- Add enough oil to cover the bottom of a large, deep skillet by about 1 inch. How much oil to use will depend on how large the skillet is.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat. We need the oil hot, but nowhere near smoking (about 325°F to 350°F). Add 1-2 empanadas, depending on the size of the skillet. Fry the empanadas for 1-2 minutes until golden.
- Carefully flip them and fry for another 1-2 minutes or until golden on both sides.
- Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon or spatula and place on a paper towel-lined plate or platter. Repeat with the remaining turkey empanadas.
- It may be necessary to lower the heat a bit for the second, third (etc.) batch. If the oil is too hot the empanadas may brown too much, right away.
Notes
- Picadillo is usually a saucy dish. But, for these empanadas we can’t have too much sauce. If the picadillo is too saucy, uncover the skillet and let it simmer so some of the liquid cooks away.
- Allow the filling to cool completely, refrigerator chilled is better. If the filling is too hot the empanada dough will tear.
Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
Mary Kenny
Can these be baked like your other empanada recipes?
Elizabeth Rodriguez
Yes, absolutely!