Cuban Style Beef Pastelitos | Cuban Recipes | Chef Zee Cooks

beef

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground pork

Ground turkey is leaner, while ground pork is often less expensive.

pastry dough

🥗Healthier: whole wheat dough

💰Cheaper: homemade dough

Whole wheat dough adds fiber, and homemade can save costs.

olive oil

🥗Healthier: avocado oil

💰Cheaper: canola oil

Avocado oil is healthier, while canola oil is often cheaper.

egg

🥗Healthier: flaxseed meal

💰Cheaper: aquafaba

Flaxseed meal is a healthy egg substitute, while aquafaba is cost-effective.

Heat a tiny bit of oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.

Brown the lean grass-fed beef, mashing it into small pieces with a meat masher.

Add freshly diced onions, bell peppers, and garlic to the beef and cook until softened.

Add water and stew the mixture for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Mix in kosher salt, black pepper, cumin, Dominican oregano, and tomato paste until thickened.

Set the beef filling aside once cooked.

Prepare a simple syrup with equal parts sugar and water, about half a cup.

Make an egg wash with 1 egg and about 1.5 tablespoons of water.

Roll out thawed store-bought puff pastry and cut it into circles using a 3.25-inch cookie cutter.

Brush the edges of the pastry circles with egg wash.

Add a generous amount of the beef filling to the center of each pastry circle and fold over to seal.

Crimp the edges with a fork to secure the filling inside.

Make two slits on top of each pastelito for air release.

Brush the tops with egg wash and bake at 425°F for 20 to 22 minutes until golden brown.

Once baked, brush the tops with the prepared simple syrup.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens