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Picadillo is one of my favorite Cuban recipes! Made with onions, peppers, olives, raisins, and spices in under 40 minutes!
This easy Cuban picadillo recipe is one of my all-time favorites. In other words, I love easy Cuban recipes. Olives and raisins are completely optional.
Vino Seco is a must when making this recipe. Although, any type of dry white wine works for this recipe.
If you enjoy small fried potatoes in your picadillo then check out this delicious picadillo con papas.
Traditionally Cuban picadillo is seasoned to perfection and very easy to make. Serve over white rice and Cuban black beans.
If you’d like to make this a low carb and keto-friendly recipe, omit the raisins. Serve this over a salad or with a side of steamed vegetables for a complete low carb meal.
What is picadillo?
Cuban picadillo is ground beef traditionally seasoned a bunch of spices and tomato sauce. Olives and raisins are optional.
Can I swap out the ground beef for any other type of meat?
Absolutely. You may use ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground veal.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Ground Beef
- Onions
- Green Bell Pepper
- Garlic
- Cumin
- Oregano
- Bay Leaf
- Vino Seco (dry white wine)
- Tomato Sauce
- Raisins
- Olives
- Adobo
- Salt and Pepper
How to make Cuban picadillo:
This recipe is extremely easy to make, here’s all you have to do:
- Heat some oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions and peppers for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant.
2. Add the ground beef and brown completely. Once the beef is completely browned, add the tomato sauce, dry white wine, cumin, oregano, adobo, salt, pepper, bay leaf, olives, and raisins. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.
3. Check for seasoning and discard the bay leaf. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Tip: For Cuban picadillo, you’ll want to use an 85/15 or 80/20 ground beef fat ratio. Authentic Cuban picadillo is usually on the greasy side. If you would like to make it a little healthier, use ground turkey or lean ground beef.
More Delicious Cuban Recipes You’ll Enjoy:
Picadillo
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3 tablespoon oil
- 1 small onion , finely diced
- 1 green pepper , finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons vino seco, dry white wine
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup olives
- 1 teaspoon Adobo Goya , optional
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 cup water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat up some olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the onions and peppers, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 15 seconds.
- Add the beef and cook until browned
- Add the dry white wine, cumin, bay leaf, tomato sauce, raisins, olives, salt, pepper, Adobo, and oregano.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover slightly, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the beef is fork-tender.
- Discard the bay leaves and serve immediately.
Notes
- If you're not a fan of olives, use capers or omit them altogether.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thankyou for these recipes, I love them.
So glad you’re enjoying them, Debbi!