Categories: Beef, Entree

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 2 cups leftover sliced beef, finely chopped
• 1 cup Monterey jack cheese
• 1- 4oz can diced green chilies
• 1- 4oz jar diced pimentos, drained
• 2 9-inch refrigerated pie crusts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine the beef, cheese, chilies, and pimentos and mix well.

3. Unroll the pie crusts onto a flat surface. Top one of the crusts evenly with the beef mixture, spreading it out to within ½ inch of the edge. Top with the second pie crust. Using a pastry cutter or sharp knife, cut the circle into four equal wedges. Pinch around the edges of each wedge to seal (making four empanadas). (At this point, you can refrigerate the empanadas for up to three days or freeze for up to three months before baking; there’s no need to thaw the empanadas before baking.)

4. Transfer the empanadas to the prepared baking sheet and make small slits in the top of each one to allow steam to escape during cooking. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 8-10 minutes (if the empanadas are frozen, this may take another 5 minutes). At this point you can let the cooked empanadas come to room temperature and freeze up to three months. Reheat thawed, cooked empanadas in the microwave or a preheated 350°F oven for 15 minutes.

5. **An option: instead of using the pie crusts for the crust, you could cook the beef mixture in a skillet and serve wrapped in tortillas. Makes a delicious wrap!

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