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Baked ham and cheese empanadas on small white round plate with one empanada cut in half to show the inside. additional empanadas in the background on a round white plate. on white kitchen towel with blue and gray stripes. Small vase with gray cracks and purple flower in the background

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 1 vote
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 42 minutes
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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