Kids’ Beef & Veggie Empanadas
+ Snack: Apple “Nachos” with PB Chocolate Sauce
- Wheat
- Sesame
- Peanuts
- Milk
- Soy
Empanadas—Latin American meat pies—are perfectly portable and great fuel for kiddos at home, school, and beyond! These heat-and-eat hand pies are filled with gently seasoned beef and vegetables, and baked to golden perfection. Serve them with chips and salsa, carrots, and orange slices for a tasty meal. But what about snacktime? We’ve included all the fixins for irresistible apple “nachos!” You’ll drizzle a pile of juicy sliced apples with a peanut butter-swirled chocolate sauce and tangy yogurt. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, then watch them get gobbled up (or stash in the fridge and serve later). Yup, we’re thinking outside the lunchbox! This recipe is designed to provide lunch and snack components for multiple days. For each lunch and snack meal, 3 servings and 6 servings are provided for a 2 person and 4 person box respectively. Nutrition information under the Nutrition Values section below is for the lunch portion. The following nutrition information is for 1 serving of the snack meal: Calories: 350, Fat: 17g, Sat. Fat: 8g, Chol: 10mg, Sodium: 45mg, Carbs: 43g, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 34g, Protein: 4g. Download the nutrition labels to see final nutrition information for both lunch and snack components.
Ingredients
7.5 ounce
Maspanadas Beef Empanadas
(Contains: Wheat)
1.5 ounce
Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
(Contains: Sesame)
12 ounce
Pico de Gallo
6 ounce
Carrots
1 unit
Orange
1 unit
Apple
1 unit
Granny Smith Apple
1.15 ounce
Peanut Butter
(Contains: Peanuts)
2 tablespoon
Yogurt
(Contains: Milk)
3 ounce
Semisweet Chocolate Chips
(Contains: Soy)
2 teaspoon
Honey
Not included in your delivery
1 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Salt
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Wash and dry produce. • Halve orange; slice widthwise into ½-inch-thick half-moons. Trim, peel, and cut carrots into sticks (like fries; ours were 3 inches long and 1⁄3 inch thick).
• Working in batches if necessary, place empanadas on a large plate in a single layer. Cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave until warmed through, 1½-2 minutes. Carefully remove. • AIR FRYER ALTERNATIVE: Working in batches if necessary, coat an air fryer basket with cooking spray; arrange empanadas in a single layer in basket. Coat tops with cooking spray. Air fry at 375 degrees until golden brown, turning halfway through, 10-12 minutes.
• To serve: Divide empanadas between plates. Serve with tortilla chips, pico de gallo, carrots, and orange slices on the side. • To stash: Let empanadas cool completely. Refrigerate empanadas, tortilla chips, pico de gallo, carrots, and orange slices in separate containers and pack as desired!
• Halve, core, and thinly slice apples. • Place peanut butter, honey, half the chocolate chips, and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 6 servings) in a medium microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Microwave until peanut butter is softened and chocolate chips are melted, 30-45 seconds. Add a pinch of salt. Whisk until smooth and combined. • In a small bowl, combine yogurt and 1 tsp water (1½ tsp for 6) until smooth. • Fan out apple slices on a large parchment-lined plate (it’s OK if they overlap!). Drizzle with as much PB-chocolate sauce and yogurt as you like (it’s normal for the chocolate sauce to harden slightly as it cools). Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over top and serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Feb 2026- Flavor: Empanadas were delicious and enjoyed by kids and adults alike. Some found them a bit bland; consider adding extra seasoning.
- Ease of prep: Quick and simple to prepare, with empanadas ready in just a few minutes. Try using the oven's air fryer setting for crispy results.
- Suggestions: Consider serving a dipping sauce with the carrots. For picky eaters, the pico de gallo might be too spicy or sour.
- Leftovers: Empanadas may not taste as good cold; reheat for best flavor. The chocolate sauce can be tricky to store.
- Apple nachos: A creative, healthy treat that's fast to make. Some preferred caramel instead of chocolate sauce for personal taste.
Reviews from our home cooks
I liked the variety in this meal, but the pico was spicy for my son and I wasn't a fan of the texture of the empanadas. The apple nachos were amazing though.
Empanadas were tasty and easy. Cooked them in the oven on air fryer setting.
The empanadas and apple nachos were great. The chips and pico were weird. The pico was too sour and had some preservative that made the liquid thick. The chips are not what we expected and they are seasoned.
The maspenadas are delicious! I also loved the chocolate-pb sauce on the apples. I could do without the yogurt though.
These healthy nachos are so great! Very fast to make and a treat for kids and adults!
No doubt we will order this again my children loved it and we had some too and thought it was excellent!
I had some trouble dealing with the chocolate sauce for leftovers. But, the white sauce and chocolate chips were good on their own.
Grandson loved it. Now I have to make the peanut chocolate sauce for breakfast toast.
This meal was ready in 3 minutes, super yummy and filling
The pico de gallo to empanada/chip ratio was kinda high
