Even if you aren’t cheering for the Chiefs, these KC Doritos Crusted Empanadas With Avocado Lime Crema are the game-day snack that everyone will love. They’re crunchy, savory, and slightly spicy with a cool, creamy dipping sauce.
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For Superbowl games, I like to serve foods from both cities – either what the city is known for or different foods that you can eat in their football stadium. This fun empanada recipe is served at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City and apparently is very popular. If you’re lucky enough to get to Arrowhead stadium, pop over to Section 111 to get yourself some.
Why This Recipe Works
- Using refrigerated pie crusts makes this recipe very easy. The crusts bake up flaky and delicious without getting soggy.
- Aromatic vegetables, lean ground beef, and taco seasonings make for a flavorful filling.
- The Doritos add a crunchy, salty, savory crust with the familiar Doritos flavor. It complements the taco filling very well.
- Avocado lime crema is the perfect dipping sauce. The cool and creamy sauce cools any hint of spice.
Ingredients Needed And Substitutions
- Lean ground beef – I like 97/3% for this recipe, but you could also use ground chicken breast or ground turkey. For a vegetarian option, use a plant-based meat substitute.
- Refrigerated pie crust – I used Pillsbury, but the store brands are equally good. Don’t use the ones already in the pie pans.
- Avocados – I used ripe haas avocados. See below to learn how to pick and store avocados.
- Lime – don’t use bottled lime juice. Your crema won’t taste fresh.
- Salt, pepper
- Hot sauce – I used Frank’s, but any will work.
- Onions, green peppers, garlic
- Taco seasoning – choose one that you enjoy and make it as spicy as your family likes.
- Shredded cheese – I like Mexican blend cheese, but cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack, or Oaxaca cheese all work well.
- Eggs
- Sour cream – You could also use Greek yogurt.
- Doritos chips – I used the regular flavor, but I think these would be amazing with the Cool ranch flavor or any other flavor.
- Cooking spray
How To Pick A Ripe Avocado
How many times have you brought home avocados from the store only to find that they are too hard to eat…literally for days, or brown and mushy inside? Frustrating, right? Here are a few tips for picking the perfect avocado:
- Look for avocado skins that are deep, dark green, that can look almost black. This means they are perfectly ripe. Unripe avocados will have light green skin.
- Notice the stem. Pull off the little nub of the stem. If it’s brown underneath, the avocado is overripe. If it’s bright green, your avocado is ready to use.
- Pressure – pick up the avocado and use your palm to apply pressure to the fruit. If it gives slightly, it’s ripe. If it’s hard, it will take several days to ripen. If it feels mushy, its already overripe and should be discarded.
More Appetizer Recipes For The Big Game
- Quick And Easy Pizza Rolls
- Toasted Ravioli
- Game Day Reuben Dip
- Glazed Bacon Wrapped Onion Rings
- Spicy Roasted Red Pepper And Feta Dip
- Extra Flavorful Jalapeno Poppers
KC Doritos Crusted Empanadas
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 24 pieces 1x
Description
Even if you aren’t cheering for the Chiefs, these KC Doritos Crusted Empanadas With Avocado Lime Crema is the game day snack that everyone will love. They’re crunchy, savory, and slightly spicy with a cool, creamy dipping sauce.
Ingredients
Avocado Lime Crema
- 2 ripe avocados, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 large garlic clove
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce, or to taste
For the empanadas:
- 1 pound lean ground beef (I used 97/3%)
- 1 small onion, minced
- 1 small green pepper, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 package taco seasoning (I used Taco Bell brand)
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 2 boxes refrigerated pie crusts
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups finely crushed Doritos chips, I used the regular flavor.
- Cooking spray
Instructions
Make the crema.
In the bowl of a food processor, add all of the crema ingredients.
Process until you reach the desired consistency. I made my sauce very smooth.
Spoon into a bowl with a tight-fitting lid and chill while making the empanadas.
Make the empanadas.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire baking rack over the baking sheet. Set aside.
Place the Doritos in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. You can also place the chips in a zip-top bag and use a rolling pin to crush the chips to a fine meal. Set aside.
In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, saute the ground beef, onion, and green pepper until the beef is no longer pink. Use your spoon to break up any larger chunks of meat.
Drain off any fat from the skillet, return to the heat, and sprinkle the taco seasoning over the meat.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of water and stir well until all of the meat and vegetables are coated with seasonings.
Cook, stirring constantly until the liquid has evaporated, the meat is browned, and the vegetables are tender.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie crust to about ¼-inch thickness. Use a 4-inch round cookie cutter to cut circles out of the pie crusts. Reroll the scraps of dough as needed.
Repeat with remaining pie crusts to make 24 circles.
In a small bowl whisk the eggs with 2 tablespoons of water.
In another flat, shallow bowl, place the Doritos crumbs.
Lie the crust circles flat and lightly brush the edges with the egg mixture.
Place 2 tablespoons of the meat filling and 1 heaping teaspoon of the cheese in the center and then fold the crust in half, covering the filling.
Use a fork to seal the outer edge of the empanada.
With a pastry brush, brush the egg mixture on both sides of the empanada and press it into the Doritos crumbs, pressing to make them adhere. Do both sides and then place them on the wire rack.
Spray both sides with cooking spray.
Repeat with the remaining pie crusts and filling.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, turn them over, and bake for an additional 10 minutes until browned and crisp.
Remove from the oven and serve hot with the chilled avocado lime crema.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Starter – Appetizer
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: KC Doritos crusted empanadas, beef empanadas, Superbowl recipes, Kansas City food, game-day recipes, avocado-lime crema, empanada recipes
