Don Pepino Picadillo Puff Pastry Empanadas
Take your taste buds on a flavorful journey with Don Pepino Pizza Sauce Picadillo Puff Pastry Empanadas! This is my grand finale for the Don Pepino Pizzeria Bloggers Challenge! Boy, have I had some tasty fun!!!
Picadillo Puff Pastry Empanadas are packed with savory ground pork, warm spices, sweet raisins, tangy olives, and robust Don Pepino Pizza Sauce, this Latin-inspired filling is wrapped in light, flaky puff pastry and baked to golden perfection. Crisp on the outside and rich on the inside, these empanadas are perfect as a crowd-pleasing appetizer, lunch, or party snack!
Ingredients for Don Pepino Picadillo Puff Pastry Empanadas
When you want to take homemade empanadas to the next level, swapping traditional dough for flaky puff pastry and mastering a rich Picadillo filling is absolute magic. Before you jump into the kitchen for your next batch, here are two simple tips every home cook should know:
Keep your puffed pastry chilled.
Cool your filling before placing on puffed pastry.
The Secret to Perfectly Puffed Pastry Shells
Puff pastry gets its dramatic, flaky layers from thin sheets of butter melting and creating steam between layers of dough. If the dough gets too warm while you are filling, folding, and crimping, that butter melts early—leading to flat, heavy empanadas instead of light, airy ones.
The Pro Tip: Keep your puff pastry chilled! Work with one sheet at a time while leaving the other in the fridge. If your dough feels sticky or soft while you’re assembling your empanadas, pop the filled baking sheet into the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes before brushing with egg wash and sliding them into a hot oven. That quick blast of cold ensures maximum puff and crispiness!
What "Picadillo" Means (And Why It Works So Well)
If you’ve never made Picadillo before, the combination of ingredients might surprise you! Stemming from the Spanish word picar (meaning "to mince" or "to chop"), Picadillo is a beloved traditional ground meat hash across Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Flavor Secret: True Picadillo is all about balancing bold, contrasting flavors:
Savory & Earthy: Ground meat, garlic, onions, bell peppers, and warm spices like cumin and oregano.
Briny & Tangy: Green olives and tomatoes (or in our challenge dish, rich Don Pepino Pizza Sauce!).
Sweet: Raisins or diced cooked potatoes.
The magic happens when all these elements meld together. You get a bite that is simultaneously savory, sweet, tangy, and rich—making it one of the most dynamic and delicious fillings you can tuck inside a golden pastry crust.
The Pro Tip: Always taste your filling when you have cooked and added all of the ingredients. Your ingredients can vary versus my ingredients. I find a finishing touch that is often needed is fresh citrus juice, salt (or even fish sauce), and a few herb. Maybe you want your filling to be creamier then add 2 tablespoons of cream cheese or 1/2 cup of Monterrey Cheese. And remember some spicy heat, like hot sauce or crushed red chili flakes!
Choosing Your Protein for Picadillo Empanadas Puff Pastry
Pork vs. Beef vs. Chicken
While ground pork is a traditional and flavor-packed choice for Picadillo, this recipe is extremely versatile! Here is how changing the meat affects the overall taste and texture, along with a quick tip for each:
Ground Pork (The Rich & Traditional Choice)
Flavor Profile: Mildly sweet, rich, and juicy.
Why It Works: Pork naturally pairs exceptionally well with sweet and tangy ingredients like raisins, olives, and tomato sauce, absorbing warm spices like cumin and paprika beautifully.
Best Tip: Look for an 80/20 or 85/15 blend to ensure the filling stays moist inside the crisp pastry.
Ground Beef (The Deep & Classic Choice)
Flavor Profile: Robust, savory, and hearty.
Why It Works: Beef provides a strong, classic Picadillo base that holds up to bold spices and acid from lime juice and olives, delivering a deeper, comfort-food flavor profile.
Best Tip: Drain any excess fat after browning so the liquid doesn't make the bottom puff pastry crust soggy.
Ground Chicken or Turkey (The Light & Lean Choice)
Flavor Profile: Mild and light with a delicate texture.
Why It Works: Poultry acts like a blank canvas, allowing the Don Pepino Pizza Sauce, garlic, herbs, and sweet-salty additions to take center stage.
Best Tip: Lean ground chicken can dry out quickly. Consider adding a extra spoonful of pizza sauce or a quick drizzle of olive oil while simmering to keep the filling juicy.
Don Pepino Sauces Info!
For more recipes and news from Don Pepino Sauces check out these links and hashtags!
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Website: www.violetfoods.com
Don Pepino Picadillo Empanadas Puff Pastry
Yields: 10-12
Ingredients
1 cup cubed (under 1/2-inch) cooked potatoes, see step 2 quick cook tip
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 lb ground pork or ground beef or chicken
1 teaspoon each: smoked paprika, chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, granulated garlic
1¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup chopped bell pepper (yellow, red, orange, or green)
½ cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup Don Pepino Pizza Sauce (plus extra for serving)
½ tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
¼ cup chopped green olives
¼ cup raisins (black or golden)
¼ cup chopped cilantro
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
Egg wash: 1 large egg whisked with 1 tbsp water
Instructions
Prep Oven: Preheat oven to 400°F with the rack in the center position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Quick Cook Potatoes: Place potatoes and 1/4 cup water, 1/4 tsp salt in a microwave safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap to seal, and cook in microwave on high for 4 minutes. Remove from microwave and let steam for 2 minutes, drain, and set aside.
Cook Meat & Veggies: Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground pork and cook for 4 minutes, breaking it apart with a spatula. Reduce heat to medium, stir in spices, bell pepper, and onion, and sauté for 4 minutes.
Meld Flavors: Stir in Don Pepino Pizza Sauce, citrus juice, olives, raisins, cilantro, and potatoes. Simmer on low for 3 minutes. Season to taste (add red pepper flakes or hot sauce for heat). Remove from heat.
Cut Pastry: Using a 5-inch round cutter, cut 10–12 rounds from the puff pastry sheets. Arrange on the lined baking sheet.
Assemble: Brush a ½-inch border of egg wash around the edge of each round. Place 2 tablespoons of filling in the center. Fold over into a half-moon shape, press edges to seal, and crimp with a fork.
Bake: Brush tops with egg wash and prick 3 steam vents on each with a skewer. Bake for 12–15 minutes until puffed and deep golden brown.
Serve: Enjoy warm alongside extra Don Pepino Pizza Sauce for dipping!
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