Breakfast Empanadas

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: Latin American, Puerto Rican/Hispanic

Keyword: bacon, eggs, empanadas, empanadillas, pastelillos, turnovers

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 35

Total Time: 1

Servings: empanadas

Calories: 235kcal

Easy Breakfast Empanadas have a filling of fluffy scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, and tangy cheddar cheese inside a flaky empanada shell.

It's important to begin this stage of the recipe about 15 minutes ahead so the filling has time to cool.
Use a whisk to beat the eggs in a large bowl until they are runny, and no clumps remain.
Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the eggs to the skillet and cook them, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula, for 4 minutes, or until just past runny.
Don't overcook the eggs since they will continue to cook in the oven later.
Add the chopped bacon to the egg mixture and stir it into the eggs to combine.
Allow the egg and bacon filling to cool for 15 minutes.

Heat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Line a half sheet pan with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and set it aside.

Add the large egg and a tablespoon of cold water to a small bowl.
Whisk the egg and water together until the egg wash is runny and free of clumps.
Set this bowl aside for now.

Roll out the empanada discs into an 8-inch circle on a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin.
Use a #16 portion scoop, about 1/4 cup or 60 grams, to place a scoop of the egg filling onto the center of each dough circle once it's cool.
Top the egg filling with a generous pinch (about 1 1/2 tablespoons or 17 grams) of shredded cheddar cheese.
Brush a light glaze of the egg wash on one half of the empanada disc.
Fold half the dough circle over the other to create a half-moon shape.
Use your fingers to press the edges of the empanada dough together, then crimp them with your fingers or the tines of a fork.
Place the sealed breakfast empanadas on the prepared sheet pan and brush a liberal amount of the egg wash over the breakfast empanadas.
Use a sharp knife or fork tines to pierce venting holes in the top of the empanadas to keep the empanadas from exploding while they bake.
Sprinkle a teaspoon of everything bagel seasoning over the surface of the breakfast empanadas.

Bake the breakfast empanadas for 30-35 minutes.
After baking, remove the golden brown breakfast empanadas from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking tray for 2-3 minutes.
Remove them from the pan to a wire rack to continue cooling for another 5-10 minutes.
Add fresh fruit, Greek yogurt, and orange juice to make this a complete, healthier breakfast.

Swaps and Substitutions:

You can substitute the eggs with an egg replacement to make the filling an egg-free option.
Replace the chopped bacon with diced, cooked ham, crumbled chorizo, crumbled breakfast sausage, or a meat replacement.
Remove the bacon completely (or use a meat substitute) to make these vegetarian empanadas.
Add 1/4 cup of sautéed onions, bell peppers, red pepper, fresh cilantro, green onions, or sautéed mushrooms to the filling for more variety.
Replace the sharp cheddar with pepper jack cheese, Monterey jack, crumbled cotija, diced cream cheese, or shredded gouda.
You can use empanada discs, found in the freezer aisle of your local grocery store, pie crust, homemade biscuit dough, thinly rolled puff pastry, or your own empanada dough in place of my empanada dough in this recipe.
You can omit the bagel seasoning or replace it with sesame or poppy seeds.

Tips and Techniques:

Adding the hot filling to your empanada dough causes the dough to become too soft, leading to tears or rips in the pastry.
As the eggs cool, they continue to cook (a process known as carryover cooking) so they won't end up as runny as they were.
An egg wash acts as a glue to seal the edges of the empanada together, but it also provides a glossy appearance to the baked breakfast empanadas. You can seal the empanadas with water instead.
The filling is hot when fresh from the oven, so cooling the breakfast empanadas is essential.
Serve breakfast empanadas on their own or with a dip like salsa, mayo-ketchup, or sour cream.

Storage Instructions:

Store leftover breakfast empanadas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Avoid storing breakfast empanadas at room temperature since they contain eggs.
Reheat breakfast empanadas in the air fryer for 4 minutes at 400°F (204°C), in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes, or in the microwave for 1- 1 1/2 minutes.

Freezer Instructions:

To freeze unbaked breakfast empanadas:
1. Freeze the formed empanadas until solid on a silicone-lined sheet pan.
2. Pack them into a freezer storage bag, and freeze them for up to 3 months.
3. Remove the frozen empanadas from the freezer and thaw them overnight in the fridge.
4. Once they're thawed, bake them all or just one or two.
To freeze baked breakfast empanadas:
1. Allow the empanadas to cool completely on a wire rack so the trapped steam doesn't make them soggy on the bottom.
2. Return them to the sheet pan and freeze them until solid.
3. Once frozen, transfer the empanadas to a freezer storage bag and store them in the freezer for 2-3 months.
4. Thaw the frozen empanadas in the refrigerator and reheat as instructed above.