Homemade Chorizo and Empanadas
Low Carb Chorizo and Chorizo Empanadas
I love chorizo, my husband loves chorizo, my son loves chorizo, we all love chorizo… However, I cannot get over the plastic wrapping and the grainy texture that store-bought chorizo has. This is why I make my own chorizo at home. It is simple, flavorful and has none of the grainy texture of the store bought kind.
Before I get started on the recipe, has anybody noticed how many food types start with the ch- sound? Chocolate, cheese, cheddar, chips, chops, chili, cheddar, chorizo… it is as if they came up with one word, loved it and then used the same letter pair for all the rest. It is no wonder I love all of those words that start with ch-.
Back to chorizo. The most important part for chorizo is ground pork. Make sure to get a good kind, I usually buy mine from Trader Joe’s, but Whole Foods usually has pretty good ground pork too. Spices are another important part of a flavorful chorizo; make sure you check your pantry and replace all old spices at least yearly. Final thing that you need for chorizo is time. The pork needs to marinate in the spices for at least 30 minutes-1 hour.
Once you have the chorizo made, you can get creative with the uses. One of the use I am suggesting today is Chorizo Empanadas. I used the paneer empanadas recipe for the empanada base.
Ingredients
- For Chorizo
- 1 lb ground pork
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (I used chipotle powder)
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbspgarl ic powder
- For the Empanada Base - follow this recipe.
Instructions
- Put your ground meat in a bowl and mix the spices in until the meat is all nice and red.
- Use a spoon or a stainless steel spoon to break up the meat as much as you can.
- Let it stand for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
- Cook in a pan till the pork is cooked thoroughly and any liquid is evaporated completely.
- Use the empanada dough recipe as listed here and fill the empanadas with the chorizo and cheddar and mozzarella cheese cubes.
- Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F till golden brown.
- Serve with any low carb dipping sauce or salsa.
Nutrition Information (Chorizo Only)
- Number of Servings 20
- Calories Per Serving 74
- Fat 5g
- Carbs 1g
- Fiber 0g
- Net Carbs 1g
- Protein 6g
- Fat 62%, Protein 33%, Net Carbs 5%
