Easy Puerto Rican Empanadillas/Pastelillos Recipe | The Best Picadillo

Welcome to my kitchen! In this video, I'll show you how to make delicious Puerto Rican empanadillas using store-bought Goya discs.
For the filling, I'll be making a flavorful picadillo with ground turkey, sofrito, tomato sauce, olives, and cheese. However, feel free to use any filling you prefer - from chicken to vegetables!
I'll then demonstrate how to assemble the empanadillas using the pre-made Goya discs, including how to add the filling and fold the discs into that classic empanadilla shape.
Finally, we'll fry the empanadillas until they're crispy and golden brown. I'll also provide you with some tips and tricks to ensure your empanadillas turn out perfect every time.
Whether you're a seasoned cook or a beginner, you'll love making these flavorful and convenient Puerto Rican empanadillas. So, let's get started - ¡buen provecho!
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Picadillo Ingredients:
• 1lb ground meat - any
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 1 small potato, peeled and diced
• Pimientos/olives
• 1/2 tsp all-purpose seasoning
• 1/2 tsp creole seasoning (sub for extra all-purpose seasoning)
• black pepper to taste
• oregano to taste
• 1/2 tsp white or packed brown sugar
• 3-4 tbsps sofrito
• 2 - 3 tbsps tomato sauce
• 1 packet Sazón con culantro y achiote
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Note: If my recipe serves as inspiration for your video or other content, please make sure to give credit. 🙏🏽
Thank you for watching! Hit that notification 🔔 because new recipes will be uploaded every week!
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Verse of the Week✨ - And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ-everything in heaven and on earth. (‭‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬‬:‭10‬)
❤️
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[@denir1096]

Omg, these look amazing! 🤤 I call them empanadas, but I’m black and married to a handsome PR man 🤣 can’t wait to try these, thank you Mari 🫶🏽

[@mariscookingpr]

🤣🤣🤣❤️

[@Hashydavison]

Lucky fella he is.

[@car5757]

There are many ethnic backgrounds that make the same foods. They just call it something different or they may have 1 or 2 different ingredients. NY has food from all the different countries. And I just love it!

[@lizzierose007]

N.Y. Rican here... Pastelillos is what those are. 🇵🇷

[@GracieHernandez-w9m]

❤😮

[@melyndatraube1879]

I am not Hispanic but I make them and call them empanadas and they are delicious !!

[@Jackiesnoah]

Growing up in Chicago I call them Pastelillos but when I moved to Houston I have to say empanadas cause everyone is like huh? What’s a pastelillo lol thanks for the video😁👍🏼love pastelillos aka empanadas

[@mariscookingpr]

Lol! Isn’t that interesting? I love the diversity within our heritage!

[@DBrown-vg1fi]

Same and I’m from NY!

[@devonbrown4894]

Yup that’s what we called them in upstate NY as well

[@Lonewolf-xm5wj]

Empanada's is Mexican

[@patcarroll-ub5yx]

​@@devonbrown4894 in Boston that's what we call them too

[@marisolvasquez2683]

Growing up in Ponce PR we called them empanadillas 🤤🤤🤤

[@ALGLink]

To say that empanadillas and pastelillos are the same thing, respectufully, they aren't. The empanadilla doug, the one you can make the braided edge, is thicker than the ones used to make pastelillos. Just compare both at your next grocery stop; that's why the manufacturer always will tell if the disks are to make pastellios or empanadas o empanadillas.

[@gsv4128]

Well, I'm going to break my diet, because I miss my mom's empanadas and her cooking. Born in Brooklyn, New York, from my Puerto Rican, parents raised Southern California. I got to make some together with arroz con gandules. RIP! I miss my parents they're in heaven, the best Puerto Rican parents that I can ever have. 🇵🇷

[@joshp2424]

In Hawaii we call it panadillas nice video I got to try my grandma would make and I could eat all thanks for the video I will try soon aloha from hawaii.

[@hectorrivera6624]

At Coquito's right now in Waianae eating empanadillas. We call it the same in PR. Depending which part of the island you live.

[@joshp2424]

@@hectorrivera6624 🤙🤙 westside yep its soo ono I going try make maybe tomorrow but no more goya dough I can find had to buy woun ton wrap I'll try post if come out good 🤙🤙aloha take care🇱🇷🇱🇷

[@hectorrivera6624]

@@joshp2424 Sounds like they going to come out great. Good luck brudahh!

[@The.Hawaiian.Kingdom]

When I was small there was a Puerto Rican couple that owned a liquor store, the wife used to also sell patele (pastele) and empanadillas.

[@simpleton2090]

Looks delicious. Growjng up in a family full of Puertoriquenos and none never made pastelillos but it does bring me back to getting like three at the local bodega! Sounds dangerous but the bodegeros always kept their places mas limpio. Mmmmmmm Ill be making some soon! Thank you for this!

[@mariscookingpr]

That sounds wonderful, actually! Thanks for sharing! 🥰

[@Yve55]

I grew up hearing pastelillos 😄🇵🇷 Thanks for your video🖖

[@twin9568]

My late coworker would always make me a special container at Christmas! OMG! The would be soooo delicious. We called them pastelilos. I won't share with my other coworkers!!! I will try to make them using your recipe in memory of my dear Lydia. Bless you.

[@mariscookingpr]

Oh I love that! Thank you for sharing! 🙏🏽💕

[@augsantana9740]

Awesome video !!! I’m learning to cook since COVID and I’m going to rock this recipe!

[@mariscookingpr]

Sounds great! 🫶🏼

[@willandpaultravel]

I'm not PR but my mother made these often and we loved them as kids. She got the recipe from a friend (who was PR) and we always called them empanadillas.

[@JinetteBouGonz]

I love cooking this for my family also for gathering my kids love it. I wanna leave a Legacy of everything. My mom taught me specially Puerto Rican appetizers and great dishes amazing.❤🌻🦋🧡

[@cybersurfer3768]

Mom used to make these Empanadas 2 or 3 times a month in Miami 305. I miss those days. Thanks to this channel, i can now try to remake some of her cooking. Gracia doña Mari 💪🏾❤️

[@mariscookingpr]

Awww thank you!! ☺️

[@CamirrasKitchen]

looks good! might try this baked.

[@hhnn33xo]

These look amazing- can’t wait to try this recipe out!

[@mariscookingpr]

Yay!☺️

[@nataliemscrzysxycoolharris]

Hey Mari! You know I’m here watching. Empanadas is the name I know. My daughter is part Colombian and we embrace the culture through food. They look great!!

[@mariscookingpr]

I love that! ☺️

[@joelbarron5328]

Buen provecho 😋

[@fannagirl1]

Yes Queen, share these recipes lol 😂 this brings back memories. I love these, can’t wait to make em.

[@BM-df2mv]

Born and raised in PR, those are pastelillos. But they look good regardless 👍🏼

[@lulatomlin7227]

Look delicious

[@Nicolee7764]

These look good. I will have to try this kind with the cheese and potato.

[@kd1687]

Pastelillos for me but it doesn't matter as long as it tastes deliciouso👌🧡

[@sandramajeau2829]

They look so good!

[@brendagarcia5905]

I will try it, looks amazing

[@lmdny]

Thank you for a yummy recipe! To me, it’s all the same but we called them up Pastelillos! ❤❤

[@Lilith_Nightshade]

Well, this looks AMAZING😋!!! I can't wait to try it. Thank you!

[@tonyvillabol5472]

Empanadillas old school

[@rainicascadia5514]

New subscriber here! Heard of you from Camirra @ Camirra's Kitchen channel. This dish looks delicious and I can't wait to try it! Thank you! 💗

[@mariscookingpr]

Welcome! So happy you’re here! 👋🏽❤️

[@gabrielarazo7769]

Looks so good ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@dare2beme708]

These looks amazing good!! ❤ I’m Puerto Rican from Bronx Ny! I make these all the time! I never done it with olives tho…I will try it. Thanks for sharing

[@mariscookingpr]

Thank you! Hope you enjoy!

[@imari2305]

Hello Mari. Here in NYC we call them Pastelillos. Yours looks so delicious just how I like them. I'm not PR but my daughter makes them just like the local bodega does with the picadillo being a bit drier. One of my favorite snacks next to the stuffed potato balls (Rellenos de Papas). Thanks for sharing😋🥰

[@mariscookingpr]

Thank you for sharing! 🥰 Also, my latest video is rellenos de papas if you’re interested!

[@mortmortmort8908]

American cheese is probably my favorite for these. Something about the combination of ground beef with melty American just can't be matched.

[@mariscookingpr]

@@mortmortmort8908 Omg I agree and was actually thinking about this yesterday lol! I love some good deli American cheese 🥹

[@synthiathompson1259]

Thank you looks yummy ❤

[@ShackledDreamz]

That reminds me. I'm gonna try to make a batch this weekend

[@1111Greek]

Yum Mari!!! Thank you for sharing!!!

[@mebestlife888]

🌴🌺 Thank you! I’m going to make these for my family along with your rice recipe

[@wanda8977]

Making these empanadas are my favorite! Am going to try ur recipe

[@mariscookingpr]

Yes! 🥰

[@CristinaMartinez-xc2tr]

Remembering the OG turkey and spinach ones.

[@mariscookingpr]

Yes! And they were baked! 🤣 My experimental days 😆

[@mflournoy2971]

LQQks delicious. TFS.

[@mariscookingpr]

Thank you!

[@garylespron7-WS]

mmm....es mas bueeno 😉👍

[@ChosenIsOfTheEgo]

🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴 I JUST LOVE THESE

[@MaylorMorales]

Looks great I have a food truck and need some of your cooking style pastellos. I’m in San Sebastián 457 near plana stop by. Thank You

[@mariscookingpr]

That would be so cool!

[@umisdaughter]

Looks delish!!!!

[@mariscookingpr]

Thank you!!

[@ericarivera9573]

I'm making these and your chicken ones now thank you for your recipes I already used a lot of your recipes. Btw I always called them pastelillos

[@mariscookingpr]

Glad you like them! 🙏🏽

[@danielcruz9446]

I'm from Fajardo, I was brought up calling these "Pastelillos". I want to see you make these with Chillo. 😁😁👍👍

[@DizzyBuns9]

Wow, great recipe!! Definitely going to try soon. I love how you do the pizza version for your kids, kind of like a hot pocket!! 😆❤

[@mariscookingpr]

Yes! To be honest, I enjoy the pizza ones too! 😆

[@techshabby0001]

You have the nicest voice. 😊 Looks yummy.

[@mariscookingpr]

Awe, thank you!

[@ashleysantiago4683]

I'm making these right now with this exact recipe minus the potatoes cause my daughter doesn't like potatoes 😢 but I know they'll still be bomb !

[@mariscookingpr]

@@ashleysantiago4683 Love that! That’s what cooking is all about - making it your own. 🙏🏽

[@ashleysantiago4683]

@@mariscookingpr yes thank you so much for your videos. You taught me how to cook so much 🙏❤️

[@chaneljimenez3135]

Thank you 🙏🏽

[@lakersin556]

Can you send me a couple dozen of those? 😂 Looks delicious 😋

[@yvettesmith4991]

Looks so good😳. I’m so glad you didn’t show us the preparation. I hate when some cooks on KZbin feel the need to show how they cut up onions and everything 🤔.

[@mariscookingpr]

Thank you! Also, good to know. I think I showed the chopping in the very beginning of my YT journey and decided to stop because I find it pointless. 🥲

[@mariscookingpr]

If you look at my first video - sofrito, it’s nothing but chopping LOL

[@kevincordero4742]

I'm so glad i found your channel. New subscriber and I'm ashamed to say I'm such an americanized Puerto Rican that i havent made these delicious dishes for my kids. But definitely changing that going forward because i loved my mas and my grandmas dishes. Just wondering, have you ever made gandinga? May have mispelled that but its something my ma used to make as well. Also Morcilla? Again with the spelling 😅 Anyway can't wait to try these pastelillos (Chicago def calls them Pastelillos in Humboldt Park 😉). Thanks so much for all your recipes and great instruction! God Bless!

[@mariscookingpr]

Hi there! 🤗 So, I’ve never been big on the more country meals that involve the organs, but that’s just me! However, morcillas I don’t mind but have yet to make them! Also, don’t be ashamed. We have no control over where we were born or how we grew up! The best part is that it’s never too late to tap into your roots! 🙏🏽❤️

[@kevincordero4742]

@mariscookingpr Absolutely! I only hope to be able to honor my ma and grandma with my efforts. Thanks so much for your help and I look forward to learning more from you! 😁

[@anthonydejesus3070]

Pastelillos!!!! 😊

[@adavidal2315]

Yummy!!!❤

[@smoothvideo1865]

please i will pay money fo some of those.. they ae so good.. look so good.. make me fall in love...

[@mariscookingpr]

😂😂

[@lokon44]

empanadillas 100%

[@shirlenapatterson3306]

I don't know exactly what these are but🤤🤤

[@bepos1luvok989]

Enjoyed the video tfs

[@hectortorres542]

Thank you

[@IzaryahIsrael]

I made these today! I used the ground beef instead tho. I had left over filling so I put it in the freezer for another time.

[@lacressaschimmerhorn616]

I’m just your everyday white girl and I call these delicious ❤

[@mariscookingpr]

🤣❤️

[@marinaridley4186]

see if the kids might like a sweet one. Use the Goobers peanut butter and jelly. Yum

[@mariscookingpr]

Oooo Interesting! For a sweet alternative, guava (guayaba) and white cheese is really good! Maybe I’ll try both with them. 😂

[@lindaaaron9653]

What's in your homemade sofrito mix? I am not Puerto Rican and I am clueless, but it looks delicious.

[@mariscookingpr]

@@lindaaaron9653 Hi! Check these out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZm9n2OFrsl_facfeature=shared kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5-8q6JviZWanbMfeature=shared

[@knatural7754]

I call them empanadillas or pastelillos and I make the chicken , beef y cheese , pork , ham y cheese , cheese y pepperoni , guava y cheese 😋

[@veronicasalas2666]

New sub!

[@mariscookingpr]

Yay! Thank you!

[@gugulethuzubane2444]

Mouthwatering babe

[@UncleKameha49]

Looks great! What's in the your sofritos if you don't mind me asking?

[@mariscookingpr]

I have 2 different videos how I make it and what’s in it! kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZm9n2OFrsl_facfeature=shared kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5-8q6JviZWanbMfeature=shared

[@UncleKameha49]

@@mariscookingpr Thanks!! 🙏

[@amykingery8577]

My former husbands family in the fillipinesmade these with raisins and peas in there

[@KathiMiller]

I was looking for a recipe for panadillas like I have but I haven't found one yet. Mine is cooked pork, garlic, tomato paste and green olives, then you save some of the grease/sauce off the pork filling to make the dough so it has a orange tint, then they are deep fried. My aunt lived in Cleveland and her neighbors were from Puerto Rico. My family loves them, but they are an undertaking for one person. As I listen I think your pronunciation it sounds like the EM was not pronounced throughout my family.

[@mariscookingpr]

Hi! I will actually be making a tutorial on homemade empanadilla dough the way you described. It’s super easy. The frozen discs, Goya brand and others, are simply convenient, but I prefer them fresh as well. Make sure you select notifications so that you can follow along when the video comes out!

[@mrs.whatley5596]

Yummmy

[@nakeaanderson2272]

Delish 😋

[@mariscookingpr]

Thank you!

[@wandaviruet3621]

I call them both empanadillas or pastelillos ❤️🇵🇷

[@shakebkqueen5846]

Best empanadas i had were in Atlanta at a place called purple rain lounge

[@02Nawal]

In Mexico, they're called empanadas. I wish my store sold those empanadilla discs.

[@The.Hawaiian.Kingdom]

In Hawai’i I grew up buying these from a Puerto Rican woman who called them empanadillas. It’s interesting seeing how people call them by different names, I wonder if it’s a regional thing, like some parts of Puerto Rico say pastelillos and others say empanadillas. I’ve also gone to Puerto Rican restaurants and shops asking for empanadillas, and they said they didn’t know what that was, so I’m guessing pastelillos is a more common name for them… good to know. I noticed some people here in the comments saying they’re called empanadas… isn’t that the Mexican, central & South American version? Or do Puerto Ricans call them empanadas too?

[@mariscookingpr]

@@The.Hawaiian.Kingdom Hi! So, we call them either pastelillos or empanadillas; never empanadas! Typically, pastelillos are the ones that are sealed with a fork, whereas, empanadillas are sealed with the braided method and tend to be a bit bigger. Hope this helps!

[@joycarson3959]

What is the green sauce that you used in the beginning?

[@mariscookingpr]

Sofrito!

[@mariscookingpr]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZm9n2OFrsl_facfeature=shared kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5-8q6JviZWanbMfeature=shared

[@iwantslimjims]

Make a video trying to make these in the air fryer

[@02Nawal]

Can you air fry them?

[@mariscookingpr]

@@02Nawal I haven’t tried it yet, but let me know if you do!

[@samuelrivera936]

ENPANADILLAS.

[@caddiman9834]

Pastelillos. Im from N.Y. and i grew up calling them that.🤷🏽‍♂️

[@Godsgirl818]

I grew up calling them pastelillos

[@Patty-LoveMe]

Which store? 😊

[@mariscookingpr]

For what exactly, love?

[@nancyvargas2279]

I use both names.

[@gigistephens2057]

Pastelillos

[@mariscookingpr]

😮😂

[@AmaliaMarin-ps4yv]

I call them patelillos 😊

[@adavidal2315]

Enpanadillas

[@nelsonfeliciano9717]

We always called them empanada or empanadilla

[@albaayala1671]

Empanadillas empanadas son de carne.......pastelillos son de frutas como guayaba Cheryl etc, ect..... se ven deliciosas....tambien se pueden hacer de pizza

[@juliethornberry5353]

what type of oil?

[@mariscookingpr]

Vegetable, peanut, or canola

[@Arringtonkids]

Empanadas

[@EthanJoe-b4i]

What pizza sauce you use ?

[@mariscookingpr]

I use a local brand, but any is fine!

[@ChristopherBrown-y8b]

Empanadillias

[@mariscookingpr]

Yes! Finally! 😂

[@lucyaliat8780]

Puerto Rican I call them pastelitos

[@mariscookingpr]

Noooooooooooo Jk 😝

[@fredesamson-h1f]

Me and my sister Americanized them to “meaty pies”. 😂

[@mariscookingpr]

🤣

[@fv1291]

Baked would be healthier.

[@mariscookingpr]

I’m not baking these 😂

[@netrap9937]

That's not how they are made tho soooooo not really lol

[@TheBlvdjewel]

But - not necessarily tastier!!

[@damnman6773]

It's pastelillo...not litto

[@mariscookingpr]

I didn’t say “pastelito” 😅

[@lisaalicea6540]

No sofrito? Could have helped u use less powdered ingredients and more of a fresh flavor no? Either way delicious

[@mariscookingpr]

01:18 - Sofrito was added before the spices. Also, all ingredients are in the description box.

[@manueldones253]

Pastelillos! 😂🫶🏼 that’s it! 🫶🏼🦋🙂‍↔️

[@mariscookingpr]

Nooooooooo 🤣😆

[@peachezplaitzlyfetingz]

I think I licked my phone 😩😂❤