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Football Empanadas

On the hunt for the perfect app for gameday? Look no further. These football-shaped turkey empanadas will be the MVP of your watch party! Perfect to prep beforehand or fun to make with friends, our ground turkey empanada recipe is bursting with flavor and fresh ingredients.
Prep 50 Minutes
Total Time 1 Hours 15 Minutes
Servings 16

Ingredient List

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 lb lean ground turkey (we used 90% lean)
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon from 1 container (6.25 oz) Old El Paso™ Original Taco Seasoning Mix
  • 1 can (4 oz) Old El Paso™ Chopped Green Chiles
  • 2 tbsp juice from 1/2 lime
  • 1 can (10 oz) Old El Paso™ Mild Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
  • 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mixed cheddar and Jack
  • 2 boxes (14.1 oz) refrigerated Pillsbury™ Pie Crusts (2 Count)
  • Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water)

Green Chile-Avocado Crema

  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 can (4 oz) Old El Paso™ Chopped Green Chiles (undrained)
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onion (6 small green onions)
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
  • juice from 1/2 of a lime
  • 1/2 of an avocado
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
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Recipe Continues Below

Preparation

  1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Brown the ground turkey, then add onion and garlic to pan.
  2. When the onion is translucent, add the taco seasoning and green chiles.
  3. Stir in green enchilada sauce and cook 5 minutes to thicken sauce.
  4. Cool the filling to room temperature.
  5. Add the shredded cheese to the filling.
  6. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
  7. For football-shaped pies: Unroll one of the pie crusts.
  8. Using a 3 1/2 inch football cookie cutter (you can also use a pliable round cutter and bend it into the shape of a football), cut out 7 footballs from the crust. Repeat with the second crust. Reroll the dough scraps together and cut out 4 more footballs. Repeat with the second box of pie crust.
  9. Place about 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center of a football, then spread it out slightly to create an even layer of dough with a 1/4 inch border around all sides. Brush the egg wash around the outer edge of the football, then place a second dough football over top and press the edges down to seal them together. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
  10. Crimp the edges with a fork, then brush the tops with egg wash.
  11. Bake for 23-25 minutes until golden brown and delicious.
  12. For round pies: Unroll one of the pie crusts.
  13. Place tablespoons of the filling: 7 around the outer edges of the circle and 1 in the middle so there’s plenty of room to cut them all out without overlapping.
  14. Brush egg wash around the filling. Unroll the second pie crust and lay over top of the bottom crust.
  15. Lightly press the dough around each mound of filling. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles of the dough with the filling in the middle of each pie. If you don’t get egg wash on the dough scraps, you can reroll them to get 2 more pies.
  16. Makes 16 footballs or 16-20 round pies depending if you re-roll the dough scraps of the round pies.
  17. Green Chile-Avocado Crema: Add all the ingredients to a blender jar and blend until smooth. Add a pinch of salt if needed.

Expert Tips

  • A small cookie scoop makes it easier to add the same amount of filling to each ground turkey empanada. It’s always better to err on the side of not enough filling than to try stuffing too much in each football; the dough will be harder to close if there’s not enough of an edge around the filling in the middle, and the footballs could burst and spill the filling out onto the tray while baking.
  • Don’t skip the egg wash! The egg wash acts like “glue” to seal the pie dough around the filling.
  • Like it hot? Serve with your favorite hot sauce.

Nutrition

    *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

    Ratings and Reviews

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