Empanadas Con Queso

These are so yummy! This is supposed to serve 4, but DH and I always wolf it all down and it's just the 2 of us!! Serve with rice and beans. There will be a lot of cheese sauce, which is a little more than you need to top empanadas...but we love it so much, we drizzle it all over our rice and beans and use it as dip for our tortilla chips!! I usually make the filling up ahead of time so it goes faster for me. Note: The original recipe calls for you to make eight 4.5" circles out of both puff pastry sheets. I find it easier to just cut each pastry sheet into thirds (where it's been folded) and cut each third into thirds (each sheet gives you 9 squares, so 18 total). If you use circles, it will make 8 half moon shaped empanadas and if you use squares it will make 18 triangle shaped empanadas. I think it's so much faster to cut squares. Enjoy!

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 lb  steak, diced into 1/4-inch bite-size chunks or 1⁄2 lb ground beef
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  cajun spices (I use Old Bay)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon oregano
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cumin
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 1⁄4 cup onion, diced
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1⁄4 cup green bell pepper, diced
• 2  serrano peppers, minced (optional)
• 1⁄4 cup salsa
• 2  tablespoons beef broth (I use beef boullion granules)
• 1  tablespoon tomato paste (I keep a tube of sun-dried tomato paste in the fridge for stuff like this)
• 1  cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 2  puff pastry sheets, thawed
• 1⁄4 cup butter, melted

• Queso Cheese Sauce

• 1  tablespoon butter, unsalted
• 1  tablespoon flour
• 1  cup milk
• 1  cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cumin
•  salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Toss meat with cajun spices, oregano, cumin, salt and black pepper. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet, saute onions, peppers and garlic in oil until soft. Add seasoned steak and saute until cooked through.
3. In a small bowl, combine salsa, broth, and tomato paste. Pour over filling mixture in skillet, simmering for a minute or until slightly thickened.
4. Add cheese to filling, then transfer filling mixture to a bowl and chill in the fridge while you get to work on cutting the puff pastry.
5. Cut 18 squares from pastry sheets (you'll get 9 squares out of each sheet by cutting it into thirds at the two creases and cutting each strip into three squares). At this point, I like to sprinkle a little flour on each square and make them a bit bigger using a rolling pin.
6. Retreive filling from fridge and spoon 1 or 2 tablespoons of filling onto each square or circle. Moisten the edges with water and fold over meat mixture, creating a triangle. Make sure to stuff all the filling in and press the edges together well with your fingers. Then seal the dough by pressing down on the edges with a fork. Repeat with remaining filling and pastry.
7. Place empanadas on a baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray. Brush each empanada with melted butter and pierce the top with a fork to vent steam. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
8. While empanadas are baking, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Wisk in flour and cook for about 1 minute. Wisk in milk gradually until incorporated. Gradually stir in cheese until melted and thickened. Season with cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over empanadas.