Pastelitos with Ground Beef Filling
If you're wondering what is Pastelitos, you've come to the right place. These little Cuban pastries are baked puff pastry filled with sweet or savory fillings. The name suggests that they're filled with cream and ricotta. But what's in a Pastelito? Here's what you need to know. If you're not a Cuban, you're missing out!
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Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 263kcal
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Equipment
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 3/4 lb. ground beef
- 1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Before frying:
- All-purpose flour
- Oil soybean oil or canola
Materials
- Heavy bottomed pot
- Slotted spoon or metal spatula
- Paper towels
Instructions
For the filling:
- Sautethe ground beef and stir in the seasonings. Cook this for about 15 minutes and set aside. Make the dough while you’re waiting for the beef filling to cool down.
For the dough:
- Incorporate the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and add shortening intermittently until the mixture is crumbly.
- Drizzle little water over the flour mixture. Mix quickly with whisk or fork until you form it into a ball.
- Divide the ball into 12 parts or pieces. Form flat circles from the 12 pieces and put a tablespoon of meat filling into the center of the circle. Fold, forming half circle and seal the corners using a fork and set aside.
Frying Method:
- Dust the surface of a plate with little flour and place the pastelitos onto it.
- Pour 3-4 inches of oil into the pot and heat the pan into a medium high heat. Wait until the oil is hot enough for deep frying.
- Fry pastelitos for 2-3 minutes and you will know that they are cooked if they float in the surface. Let them stay on the surface for another minute.
- Get them out using a slotted spoon or metal spatula. Put over paper towels so the excess oil will be absorbed by the towels. You can serve your already cooked pastelitos hot.
Video
Notes
Unlike tacos, pastelitos are smaller, round and stuffed with ground beef. They are traditionally filled with ground beef, which is cooked with onions and peppers. You can also use boiled egg or shredded chicken. To ensure that the filling is cooked through, the meat mixture should be allowed to absorb all the moisture from the potatoes. In addition to meat, the filling should also be tender and savory.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 193mg
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This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the Spoonacular Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.