Everybody needs cute little pies in their life! And if that can be combined with tacos… well, then you have a sure fire winner on your hands (Ha! See what I did there? It’s been a while with the puns. I couldn’t help it.) These taco hand pies are so easy, you’ll wonder why you don’t have more empanadas in your life. Spicy ground beef and melted cheese wrapped in a golden, flaky crust, make these little hand pies the perfect pick for tailgating, parties, after school and weekends. The fact that they are made with a pre-made, roll out crust and baked only make them better!
What You Need To Make Taco Hand Pies
- pre-made pie crusts
- ground beef
- grated Colby/Jack cheese blend
- chili powder
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- crushed red pepper flakes
- paprika
- oregano
- cumin
- salt & black pepper
- egg whites
Pre-made pie crusts are a god-send. I use them for several of my recipes. While it is an art to be able to make your own tender, flaky crust, many of the pre-mades are so good these days that there’s no shame in using one or two to make things go more quickly in the kitchen! To get this recipe started, I simply roll out the crusts and use my pizza cutter to cut out 3X5 rectangles from the crust.
Spoon on a little ground beef and cheese, top with a second crust and you’ve got a pie in the making! A little egg white and a quick trip around the edges with a fork finish off what will be soon become one of your favorite ways to eat a taco.
Just look at how they bake up crisp and golden brown. We can thank the egg whites for that. As soon as they cool enough to remove them from the pan, it’s time to eat!
I like to eat them when they’re still warm and the cheese is soft and melted. Topped with a little lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and black olives, and they are collapse-in-a-heap-of-ecstasy good.
If you had an awesome guacamole recipe (hint, hint), you would definitely want to dip them in that too. Or queso. Or salsa… The world is your oyster… or taco… whichever. I just know that with these in your life, your world is going to be good.
Things You Might Need to Make & Serve These Taco Hand Pies!
Easy Taco Hand Pies
Ingredients
- 2 pkgs 2 ct. roll out pie crusts
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 12 oz grated colby/jack cheese blend
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 egg whites
Garnish
- shredded iceberg lettuce
- tomatoes finely chopped
- sour cream
- sliced black olives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Put all seasonings in a small bowl and mix together. Set aside.
- Brown ground beef in a medium sized skillet. Drain any fat. Return to skillet. Add seasonings and ½ C water. Simmer 5 minutes until all the excess moisture is absorbed.
- Unroll pie crusts. Using a pizza cutter, cut out as many 5 inch by 3 inch rectangles as possible. Rework any leftover dough to make more rectangles. You should be able to make 24 rectangles in all.
- Spoon 1-2 tablespoon seasoned ground beef onto 1 rectangle. Top with grated cheese. Dip finger in egg whites. Run around edge of rectangle.
- Top with second rectangle. Use a fork to crimp edges of the two rectangles together. With a knife cut 4 slits in the top of the pie. Use a brush to brush egg whites over the top of pie.
- Repeat until all pies are made. Place pies on baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve with lettuce, sour cream tomatoes and olives.
***Pin this Easy Taco Hand Pie!***
Enjoy this and other great recipes at Weekend Potluck, Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday!
Your Taco Hand Pies will be a really big hit here at the cottage! Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday!
Miz Helen
Recipe sounds awesome. What do you recommend if someone prefers chicken?
Hi, Jennifer! Yes, I think shredded chicken with taco seasoning in this would be delicious! Let me know how it goes!