Recipe Details
Community Pick: Bacon and Egg Empanadas
Photo by Jonathan Melendez
Quick Recipe Stats
Total Time: 35 minutes
Number of Ingredients: 11
Yield: 8 empanadas
Serves: 8
Ingredients
6 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon dried parsley
¾ teaspoon seasoned salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
⅔ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons butter
5 large eggs, beaten
1 (7 ⅓ ounce) can refrigerated jumbo flaky biscuits
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1–2 teaspoons sesame seeds (optional, for garnish)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the first four ingredients (cream cheese, parsley, seasoned salt, and pepper) until fully blended, then mix in the shredded cheddar.
Melt butter in a 9-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the beaten eggs and let them cook undisturbed until the bottom layer begins to set.
Pull a spatula across the bottom of the skillet to form large soft curds. Continue cooking until eggs are lightly thickened but still moist (do not stir constantly during this step).
Remove the skillet from heat and let the eggs cool completely.
Flatten each biscuit into a 5-inch round on a clean work surface.
Spread an even layer of the cream cheese mixture over each round, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges uncovered.
Top the cream cheese evenly with cooled eggs and crumbled bacon.
Fold each dough round in half over the filling, then pinch the edges firmly to seal.
Arrange sealed empanadas 2 inches apart on a 15x10 inch jelly roll pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
Brush the top of each empanada evenly with egg white, then crimp the sealed edges with the tines of a fork to secure.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds if using.
Bake 14–16 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
Transfer baked empanadas to a wire cooling rack with a spatula.
Serve warm.
Storage & Reheating
Let leftover empanadas cool completely, then store in a sealed zip-top bag in the refrigerator. To reheat, wrap in a paper towel and microwave at 50% power for 1–2 minutes.
Note: This recipe works great for once-a-month meal prep (OAMC)
Common Reader Questions
Can these empanadas be made gluten-free? I haven’t been able to find pre-made refrigerated gluten-free flaky biscuits.
Can I use mascarpone cheese instead of cream cheese?
I can’t find the biscuits called for here. What can I substitute?
Can I prep all ingredients the night before, then assemble the empanadas the next day?
How long do these keep in the fridge or freezer and still taste good for meal planning?
Reader Reviews
These were very good and incredibly easy to make. They turned out beautiful enough to serve to company! I didn’t pick up a strong cream cheese flavor, but it probably keeps the filling nice and moist (or I may just not have spread it thick enough). I plan to make these many times and add this recipe to my personal cookbook. They’d also be perfect to prep ahead for camping trips. Thank you for this great recipe!
Delicious! I’m not a morning person and hate spending a lot of time on breakfast, so I made these for dinner and saved leftovers for breakfast the next day. I cut down on calories and fat by using 4 ounces of reduced-fat cream cheese, ¼ teaspoon of seasoning salt, skipped the cheddar, used 3 whole eggs plus 2 egg whites, and used cooking spray instead of butter for the eggs. I didn’t lose any flavor at all. Thanks for posting, I’ll make this again!
These were delicious and fairly easy to prepare, but I don’t think they freeze very well.
I loved these! I used homemade crust from another recipe and got six biscuits. I only used 4 eggs and 3 ounces of onion and chive cream cheese. 30 seconds in the microwave on high this morning and they were perfect.
Wow, these are awesome! They were much easier to make than I expected. I was looking for something new for breakfast and this recipe caught my eye— I’m so glad I tried it! I kept the original filling ingredients but added diced hot breakfast sausage, and it was incredible. I really enjoyed the subtle flavor the cream cheese mixture adds. I’m planning to make a few batches to freeze for quick grab-and-go breakfasts. Thanks so much for posting, this is definitely a keeper!
(View 21 additional reader reviews)
Reader-Tested Tweaks
I don’t like cheese (weird, I know!), so I substituted smashed avocado for the cheese. I also used turkey bacon to make this even lighter. Give it a try— it’s amazing!
I substituted soy sausage for bacon (we don’t eat pork bacon), so I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but it was still so good. I also used all egg whites and fat-free cream cheese, and mine were done in 10 minutes. My husband loved it, so I’ll be making this again.
About the Recipe Author: Karen
My name is Karen, and I love to cook. I collect cookbooks, and my favorite are the community cookbooks from churches or schools full of people’s personal favorite recipes. Whenever I travel out of state, I always try to bring home 1 or 2 of these special cookbooks.
My hobbies are painting, cross-stitch, scrapbooking, and spending time with my three children: Megan (21), Jeremy (16), and Clayton (8). People love my recipe for pizza swirls! I love all kinds of food, I enjoy testing complicated recipes just for fun, and I bake a lot of my own bread from scratch. Cooking with my kids is one of my favorite traditions—it’s a great way to connect when life gets crazy with school and busy schedules. We now have a weekly smoothie night where we make all kinds of smoothies for dessert, and occasionally even have smoothies for dinner! It’s kid’s choice, and they love browsing Recipezaar for new ideas—I have a dedicated cookbook on here just for smoothie recipes, and my daughter has come up with some really incredible creative combinations.
In January 2009, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and began treatment to get back to good health. Update, November 2009: I have finished my radiation and chemotherapy and I’m on the mend! Chemo caused nerve damage in my leg, so I need a cane and brace to walk, but otherwise I’m doing great!
I’m a forum host on Recipezaar for:
Cooking Q & A Forum
Desserts Forum
In September 2009, the Pink Ribbon Tour came through Wickenburg. The tour uses two pink fire trucks, with firefighters wearing pink, to travel across the U.S. raising breast cancer awareness. I had the honor of signing my name on one of the trucks at the start of its cross-country tour. It was such an incredible experience, I could feel all the love and healing in the air (even though it was raining that day!). You can learn more about their amazing work at their website.
(Embedded legacy galleries: Family photos, original photography, and event banners from Recipezaar community events I participated in)