Made with a flaky, buttery crust and filled with a delicious cheesy filling, these homemade empanadas are incredibly good! Plus, they’re portable and freezer-friendly!
The rain had been coming down for weeks, if not months. The dirt roads to town were flooded, meaning there were no taxis conveying students back and forth from the school. No coffee. No breaks away from campus. And perhaps worst of all, no empanadas from Mama Rosas (our favorite supplier of non-cafeteria cuisine).
The dorms on campus were airtight, thankfully, but the walk from the dorms to the main part of the campus was anything but dry.
After a few weeks of this, we had all resigned ourselves to sitting through classes with a chill, to putting on our least-damp pants for study hall, and to savoring the moment five minutes after sliding under the covers at night when we were finally warm for the first time that day.
We were to learn some time later that what we experienced was the wettest and coldest winter Argentina had met with in many years.
One of my fondest memories from my year studying in Argentina took place during this wet, dreary winter. All of the students at the school were expected to work– often and hard. It was a part of the curriculum, so to speak, and we learned to make the best of it.
When the nearby roads had reached a critical point making travel risky, the men undertook the job of fixing the deep ruts and holes which lined the muddy roads. Like the many days before, the weather was cold and the rain was a constant.
The female students were not expected to go out and work on the roads, but my best friend and I were not keen on missing out on all the fun. Together, we volunteered to deliver hot coffee and pastries to the workers.
Brew the coffee in the cafeteria. Transfer it to the large thermoses. Trudge through the mud laden down with cups, coffee, and treats. Return and do it again.
It may not sound like a lot of fun, but young college students have an apt for transforming drudgery into diversion. We reveled in the mud and sang the Battle Hymn of the Republic and Indian Outlaw as loud as we could as we trekked back and forth.
I have no idea why we sang Indian Outlaw.
We were wet and cold and very dirty, but it was a day I will never forget.
Ham & Cheese Homemade Empanadas
The rainy season did come to an end eventually, of course. Trips to the town resumed. Our clothes dried. We ceased smelling of mildew.
Mama Rosas started delivering again.
I enjoyed my first empanada thanks to Mama Rosas. I couldn’t begin to estimate just how many empanadas we ate that year. They were inexpensive, filling, and SO DELICIOUS.
These empanadas are a tribute to my second favorite place in the world.
Empanadas are not especially difficult to make, but they do take a little extra time to roll out the dough and fill each empanada. I like to put these on the menu when I have leftover ham, or have a little extra time to make something a little extra tasty.
Watch how to make the empanadas, or scroll for the full printable recipe.
Ham & Cheese Empanadas
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: About 20 empanadas 1x
- Category: main dish
Description
Made with a flaky, buttery crust and filled with a delicious cheesy filling, these homemade empanadas are incredibly good! Plus, they’re portable and freezer-friendly!
Ingredients
- double pie dough
- 2 C chopped ham (half a ham steak)
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- 1 C shredded mozzarella
Instructions
1. Make the pie dough if necessary. Divide the dough into two. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and let it chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator while you assemble the filling.
2. Cook the ham steak in a nonstick skillet for about five minutes on both sides over medium heat, until darkened on both sides. Remove to a cutting board to cool before chopping.
3. Saute the chopped onion with 1/2 tablespoon of butter in the same pan you used to brown the ham. Cook for 5-10 minutes until softened.
4. Chop the ham into 1/2 inch pieces. Combine the ham, onion, and mozzarella in a bowl and stir well.
5. Preheat the oven to 400°.
6. Roll one half of the pie dough into a 1/4″ thickness on a floured surface. Cut circles in the dough using a 5″ cutter. (I use the lid to the coconut oil container I buy at Costco).
Spoon a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each circle and fold the circle in half, pressing the edges with a fork to seal**. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
7. Continue rolling and filling the dough until you run out of dough or filling.
8. Combine an egg and a teaspoon of water in a small bowl and mix with a fork. Brush the empanadas with the egg wash. Bake the empanadas for 15-20 minutes in preheated oven, until the empanadas are hot and golden brown.
9. Cool for five minutes before serving. The filling is very hot right out of the oven!
Notes
Empanadas, like many other things, may be a little awkward to make the first or second time you try. But after you’ve made them once or twice, the process gets easier and you’ll figure out how to make them with less difficulty and in less time!
Ingredient List
- double pie dough
- 2 C chopped ham (half a ham steak)
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- 1 C mozzarella
Method
1.Make the pie dough if necessary. Divide the dough into two. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and let it chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator while you assemble the filling.
2. Cook the ham steak in a nonstick skillet for about five minutes on both sides over medium heat, until darkened on both sides. Remove to a cutting board to cool before chopping.
3. Saute the chopped onion with 1/2 tablespoon of butter in the same pan you used to brown the ham. Cook for 5-10 minutes until softened.
4. Chop the ham into 1/2 inch pieces. Combine the ham, onion, and mozzarella in a bowl and stir well.
5. Preheat the oven to 400°.
6. Roll one half of the pie dough into a 1/4″ thickness on a floured surface. Cut circles in the dough using a 5″ cutter. (I use the lid to the coconut oil container I buy at Costco).
Spoon a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each circle and fold the circle in half, pressing the edges with a fork to seal**. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
7. Continue rolling and filling the dough until you run out of dough or filling.
8. Combine an egg and a teaspoon of water in a small bowl and mix with a fork. Brush the empanadas with the egg wash. Bake the empanadas for 15-20 minutes in preheated oven, until the empanadas are hot and golden brown.
9. Cool for five minutes before serving. The filling is very hot right out of the oven!
**Empanadas, like many other things, may be a little awkward to make the first or second time you try. But after you’ve made them once or twice, the process gets easier and you’ll figure out how to make them with less difficulty and in less time!
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What an incredible experience that must have been. Reading your words made me feel like I was there. I love the photos and on top of all that you get to take home some ethnic cuisine ideas! Looks delicious.
Oh my, these look beyond tasty!! And your lead in story was riveting! <3 – http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
Thank you for your kind comment Gingi!
I love all of our memories from that year! Can’t wait to try your recipe! Man, I’d love some Mama Rosa’s right now!
Me too! A big box of fries and empanadas would be so good.
Hi there, Lisa! This is a great story from your time in Argentina 🙂 Thanks for linking up with this awesome recipe! I’ve been in a big-time mood for ham lately, so I definitely want to make these sometime this week!
I hope you enjoy them AnneMarie! Thank you for reading 🙂
Oh my goodness, studying in Argentina sounds amazing. What a cool experience! And these empanadas look delicious too 🙂
It really was such a great experience! I hope to go back some day!