Baked Ham and Cheese Empanadas

Growing up I remember loving Hot Pockets. One of my favorite flavors was always ham and cheese. I can’t even remember the last time I had one. It was probably 15-20 years ago?

Did you have the same love for Hot Pockets, or is it just me? I can remember coming home from school and having one as a snack. So these Baked Ham and Cheese Empanadas are kind of nostalgic for me. I like to think of them as a grown up version of a Hot Pocket.

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We generally try to eat less processed frozen foods. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great frozen things out there that we really enjoy. But Hot Pockets or frozen TV dinners are not one of them. I would say that our tastes have grown up and things that were great from childhood just aren’t the same now. Do you ever find that something was so good when you were a kid, but now it’s just meh?

I love, love, love, the pastry dough from the Baked Turkey Curry Empanadas. I’ve even turned leftover dough into Easy Blueberry Lemon Galette, which I highly recommend. This time I wanted something a little different and easier to make. If you don’t feel like making the dough, you could use store bought pie crust or even puff pastry.

These Baked Ham and Cheese Empanadas are good, like really good. It may be dangerous for me to know that. I could easily polish off a whole tray of these. They are crispy, cheesy, salty, and deliciousness in a hand held pocket.

Filling options

Ham and cheese are my fillings of choice for these empanadas. I like to use ham steaks that you can find at the grocery store. I have not tried this with ham lunch meat and I don’t think I would. I like the fact that I can dice the ham steak to my desired size. I think lunch meat would be a little too thin for my liking. That being said, let me know if you decide to try these with lunch meat.

We always have a mild cheddar on hand so that is what I used. You can use any type of cheese you’d like. I always recommend shredding your own cheese, shredded cheese contains additives that prevent the cheese from caking together. If you are in a rush though, it would work just as well.

If you want a meatless version, you could easily substitute the ham with something else. I have tried these with sliced black olives and they are just as delicious. You could even do ham, cheese and olives!

Assembly

I like to roll my dough out to at least 1/8″ thickness if not a little thinner. I love that my rolling pin is adjustable with removable guides so you get a consistent thickness. There’s nothing worse than having uneven dough, that means uneven cooking times.

I didn’t have a cutter on hand so I just used a plastic mason jar lid. I always have these around and it was the perfect size. If you want to make larger empanadas, you can use a larger cutter. I like this size as they are good for an appetizer or snack. If you want to make a meal out of them you just eat a couple more and serve with a side dish or two.

The filling amounts for each empanada may seem like too much, but the dough will be able to stretch over the filling. I would much rather have lots of filling than an under filled empanada. It just takes a little bit of practice with the folding and pleating of the dough. Mine sometimes have holes in them, but that’s how you know they are homemade and filled with love!

What kind of fillings would you stuff your empanadas with?

Made this recipe? Be sure to comment below and rate the recipe. I’d love to hear what you thought about it!

Baked Ham and Cheese Empanadas

Amy’s Delicious Mess

Baked Ham and Cheese Empanadas are crispy, cheesy, and salty goodness in a hand held pocket. A reminder of a childhood favorite but better!

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 42 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Snack

Cuisine Latin American

Servings 26 empanadas, approximately

Ingredients

  

• 1 batch pastry dough, see notes
• 2 cups diced ham
• 2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese, packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp. water, for the egg wash

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 450° F and line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. 1/8″ should be about the perfect thickness.
• Cut out rounds of dough with a 3 1/2 inch cutter. (See above for what I used.)
• Holding the dough circle in the palm of your hand, add about a tablespoon of each ham and cheese. Starting at one end, bring the dough together while using your other hand to push the filling into the dough.
• Once your dough is closed, you can either crimp with the tines of a fork or fold over the dough empanada style. I like folding the dough over as it makes for a better presentation.
• Starting at one end, you simply fold the edge of the dough on itself until you get to the other end. Tuck the end of the dough onto the empanada. Repeat until you have used all of your filling.
• Place the finished empanadas onto the prepared baking sheet spaced about 1/2" apart. You don't want them to touch each other.
• In a small bowl make your egg wash. Beat together the egg and 1 tbsp of water.
• Brush the empanadas before baking with the egg wash.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

1. I used the same pastry dough I used in my Baked Turkey Curry Empanadas and Easy Blueberry Lemon Galette.  If preferred, you can use store bought pastry crust.  You may have some extra dough, which you can make more empanandas or a dessert.
2. I used a ham steak and diced it up.  I wouldn’t make the chunks too big, as it would make it harder to close the empanadas.
3. If you want you can make these meatless.  I have made them with cheese and olives and they were equally delicious.
4. These empanadas have a mild cheddar in them, you could certainly use what ever kind of shredded cheese you have.  I recommend grating your own cheese and not using the pre-grated cheese.
5. The baked empanadas freeze well if you have any leftovers.  Just place into a freezer bag and they should stay good for a couple of months.  To reheat, bake at 375ºF for 10 minutes or until warm.  You can also reheat in an air fryer, which is our preferred way.

 

The nutrition facts below are based on the recipe above.  This is only an estimation and intended for informational purposes only.

 

Keyword Cheese, Empanadas, ham, pastry

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