Baked Empanadas de Picadillo

This post is sponsored by Blue Apron.

One of my favorite things that happens in our kitchen is family cooking–little chairs scooched up to counters to get a better view, tippy toes on stools, tiny hands reaching to stir, extra mess that’s easily forgivable because meals assisted by little hands are the best meals of all. When I had only one kid and Lainey was very little, we made kitchen messes almost every day. There was nothing better to do, and I loved every minute of it. Matching aprons, piles of flour, long afternoons spent letting her measure every ingredient and lick the beaters. I miss those days. With more kids, a busier schedule and a whole mess of life roots that have branched off from the slow and steady days, it’s easy to forget how special it is to slow down in the kitchen and let the kids help rather than finding entertainment for them so I can hurry and finish dinner. I’ve been feeling a little of bit of panicky “I can’t slow the clock” feelings lately–watching childhood whiz by and knowing “It’s now or never.”

“All our little family dreams?” I told Brett the other day, “They’re growing so fast. We have to make them happen or they’ll be gone someday and we’ll kick ourselves for not trying hard enough.”

I want more memories of kitchen dance parties and little helping hands for meals. And it’s more likely to happen when I’m not running around last minute trying to throw something together for dinner.

Last month, I had forgotten I’d set up our Blue Apron order. I had returned from a trip and spent the day doing laundry and getting things back in order at home when the doorbell rang, and I found our big box full of everything we needed for two good meals in it. Suddenly, everything shifted from work, work, work to enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. Without planning anything, our evening turned into a memory–music in the kitchen, a therapeutic chopping session, and Nella in my lap helping me fold empanadas.

I love the creativity that returns to our kitchen when we have Blue Apron Meals. (And stay tuned–at the end of this post, there’s info on a Blue Apron special offer–2 free meals on the first Blue Apron order for the first 50 ETST readers who subscribe.)

This meal was no exception–Baked Empanadas de Picadillo (which just means minced filling) with Arugula, Queso Fresco and Pickled Onion Salad (full detailed recipe found here).

What you’ll need:

1⅛ Pounds Ground Beef
10 Empanada Wrappers
1 8-Ounce Can Tomato Sauce
4 Ounces Arugula
1 Red Onion
2 Ounces Queso Fresco
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Sugar
½ Cup Sour Cream
¼ Cup Dried Apricots
¼ Cup Sliced Almonds
1 Tablespoon Fiesta Spice Blend

The chopping–it’s my favorite part. So therapeutic.

Brown 1 1/8 lb. ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Drain drippings. Return to heat and add 1/2 onion, diced and Fiesta Spice Blend (4 parts Paprika, 4 parts Chile Powder, 2 parts Cumin, 2 parts Coriander, 2 parts Garlic Powder, 2 parts Oregano, 1 part Cocoa Powder, 1 part Cinnamon). Stir in pan until onion is softened. Add 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce, 1/4 c. dried apricots (chopped), 1/4 c. sliced almonds and 1/2 cup water. Cook 1-2 minutes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl.

Lightly oil a sheet pan and fill a small bowl with water. Place empanada wrappers on work surface, filling each–one at a time–with 2 tbsp. of meat filling in the middle of wrapper.

Lightly moisten the edges of wrapper with water using your fingers, and fold in half over the filling. Press edges of wrapper with fork to seal. Drizzle empanadas with oil and bake in oven 16-20 minutes, turning them halfway through. Remove from oven and let stand for 2 minutes.

While the empanadas are baking, combine the other onion half–sliced–with the vinegar, sugar and ¼ cup of water. Cook on medium, occasionally swirling the pan until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is slightly reduced in volume. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and set aside to pickle, stirring occasionally, for at least 10 minutes.

Drain the pickled onion but save the pickling liquid. In a large bowl, combine the pickled onion, arugula and queso fresco; season with salt and pepper. Add half the pickling liquid and a drizzle of olive oil for dressing. Season with salt and pepper. To make the dipping sauce for the empanadas, combine the sour cream with remaining pickling liquid; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the baked empanadas and salad with the dipping sauce. Enjoy!

As always, Blue Apron let’s us create delicious, chef-designed recipes at home. We get farm-fresh ingredients–every single drop we need in the exact proportions–delivered to our our door in a refrigerated box. They also offer a recycling program now so you can reuse your Blue Apron packaging. Blue Apron ships to most of the country–for free–and you can skip or cancel service at any time.

My favorite thing about Blue Apron is that it spices up our dinner menu–we’ve made so many great recipes we would have never tried on our own. And with the convenience it offers, it invites us to really have fun in our kitchen–make a memory of mealtime with our family.

They also offer an incredible variety of delicious recipes anyone can try at home. I’m interested in trying the Napalese Chicken Takari
Blue Apron has a special offer for ETST readers–the first 50 readers will get two free meals on their first Blue Apron order! Just click here! Enjoy!