directions
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, red bell pepper, garlic and parsley. Cook for 5 minutes until vegetables are just softened.
- Add sausage to the skillet with the vegetables and brown, breaking sausage up into small crumbles as it cooks.
- When sausage is browned, add in tomato paste, cumin and oregano. Stir until well blended. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Scrape mixture into a bowl. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Beat egg in a small bowl with a fork to make an egg wash.
- Cut circles out of both sheets of pie crusts using a 4 inch round biscuit cutter. If you don’t have one this size then place a bowl the same size upside down on the dough sheets and cut around the edge using a small knife. You can get 10 to 12 circles out of the dough. If you want you can gather up the scrapes and re-roll and cut to get a few more circles. Otherwise discard scrapes.
- Working on a flat surface, gently put about 1 generous teaspoon of sausage mixture in the center of a dough circle. Brush all around edge of circle with egg wash. Fold dough circle in half over the filling to create a half circle. Crimp edges of dough using a fork to seal. Repeat with remaining sausage mixture and dough. As you work place filled empanadas on the parchment lined baking sheet not touching.
- Brush each empanada with egg wash. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until puffy and golden brown.