Pork Tenderloin Empanadas

I love My Pork Tenderloin Empanadas! Normally we have beef, chicken and cheese empanadas in Dominican Republic but I thought, “Why not some pork tenderloin ones?”.  So I made some! I must say I loved them. There is nothing tastier like something with the word tenderloin in it!
Give them a try, they are perfect!

Ingredients:

Pork filling:
2 pork tenderloins (they usually come 2 in a pack)
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 small yellow onion chopped
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic
2 tablespoons of oil (Mazola corn oil)
1/2 green bell pepper chop
1/2 yellow pepper chopped
1/4 cup of Goya salad olives with its juices
1/2 teaspoon Goya adobo
1/4 teaspoon ground Dominican oregano
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
Chopped cilantro to taste

To make empanadas:
20 Goya empanada discs (they come 10 in a pack) usually in the frozen section. I get mine at Walmart.
4 tbs Mazola corn oil

Instructions:
Prep pork filling by thinly slicing the pork tenderloin and seasoning it well ahead of time. I prefer overnight or a minimum of 4 hours.

Pork seasoning:
In a bowl mix the sliced pork, adobo, oregano, salt, lime juice, pepper and garlic. 

Day of… thaw the empanada discs. Most likely these will be frozen. Microwave for 10 seconds at a time until they start separating. Make sure they aren’t too soggy. Place each one on parchment paper or non-stick Reynolds wrap and let sit while you cook the pork. Now start cooking pork filling.

Cooking the pork:
In a large skillet heat the oil over medium heat. Add the pork. Cook until pork is no longer rare but still watery.
Add onions, olives, peppers, cilantro and pepper.  Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until juices are absorbed and pork is beginning to brown. Once it’s starting to brown, begin to shred the pork while in the skillet with a fork and a knife or place on a cutting board and cut there. Once done, set aside.

Filling the empanadas:
Place one full tablespoon of the pork filling onto the center of the discs.

After this step, work on each empanada one by one. With (clean) fingers moisten the empanada disc all around. Fold in half and press disc edges down with the tips of a fork until fully sealed. Repeat with all discs.

Make sure to place uncooked empanadas side by side and not on top of each other as they will stick together. Fry the empanadas over medium heat in a large skillet. Make sure not to overcrowd. This is all about cooking the dough and it should take only a couple of minutes on each side.

I like to lay empanadas down on a paper towel lined plate to cool down. About 5 minutes and you are good to go!

Serve with hot sauce if desired. 

Enjoy!!!

Dominican Pork Tenderloin Empanadas

There is nothing tastier like something with the word tenderloin in it!

Enjoy these amazing Empanadas!

4 from 7 votes

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Course: Appetizer

Keyword: chicken, panini, Pesto, sandwich

Prep Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 20 Empanadas

Ingredients

Pork cooking ingredients

• 2 pork tenderloins
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 small yellow onion chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic minced
• 2 tbs corn oil I prefer Mazola
• 1/2 green pepper chopped
• 1/2 yellow pepper chopped
• 1/4 cup salad olives with its juices
• 1/2 tsp adobo
• 1/4 tsp ground oregano
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• cilantro chopped, added to taste

Empanada ingredients

• 20 Goya empanada discs (they come 10 in a pack) usually in the frozen section. I get mine at Walmart.
• Mazola corn oil up to 1 inch deep in skillet

Instructions

Seasoning the pork tenderloin

• Slice the tenderloin in half lengthwise. In a large bowl or ziploc bag, add the sliced pork, adobo, oregano, salt, lime juice, pepper and garlic. Mix well.  
• Refrigerate overnight or a minimum of 4 hours.

Cooking the pork tenderloin

• In a large skillet heat the oil over medium heat.
• Add pork to the skillet. Cook until both sides are browned and pork is cooked through but not dried out.
• When pork is done, place on a cutting board and chop into small pieces. Keep skillet with its juices on the side as you will be adding the veggies to it.
• In the same skillet you cooked the pork, add onions, olives, peppers, cilantro and pepper. 
• Cook over medium-low heat until juices are absorbed, pork is beginning to brown more and veggies become tender.

Filling the Empanadas

• Place one full tablespoon of the pork filling onto the center of the discs. You may add a piece or two extra if you think they can fit.
• With (clean) fingers wet the empanada disc all around. Fold in half and press disc edges down with the tips of a fork until fully sealed. Repeat with all discs. one at a time.
• Make sure to place uncooked empanadas side by side and not on top of each other as they will stick together. 
• Fry the empanadas over medium heat in a large skillet. Make sure not to overcrowd. This is all about cooking the dough and it should take only a couple of minutes on each side.
• I like to lay empanadas down on a paper towel lined plate to cool down. About 5 minutes you are good to go! Serve with hot sauce if desired.