Ah, Picadillo 🥩🍅 — a classic Latin comfort dish! Ground beef (or pork) cooked with vegetables, spices, and sometimes sweet elements like raisins, giving it that perfect savory-sweet balance. Great served with rice, tortillas, or even used as a filling for empanadas.
🍛 Classic Picadillo
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 lb (450 g) ground beef (or ground pork, or mix)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small green bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium carrot, diced (optional)
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup green olives, sliced
- 1/4 cup raisins (optional, for sweetness)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Cook aromatics & beef
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper, and carrot until soft (~5 min).
- Add ground beef and cook, breaking it apart, until browned.
- Add seasonings & tomatoes
- Stir in cumin, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Add tomato sauce (or crushed tomatoes) and simmer 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add sweet & salty elements
- Stir in olives and raisins (if using) and simmer 5 more minutes to meld flavors.
- Serve
- Serve hot over white or yellow rice.
- Optional garnishes: chopped cilantro, sliced hard-boiled eggs, or a squeeze of lime.
Pro Tips
- Make it saucy or dry: Adjust tomato sauce quantity to your preference.
- Spicy kick: Add 1 diced jalapeño or a pinch of cayenne.
- Variations: Some recipes include potatoes, peas, or capers.
- Freeze-friendly: Picadillo freezes beautifully — perfect for meal prep.
I can also give you:
- 🇲🇽 Mexican-style picadillo with potatoes and peas
- 🇨🇺 Cuban-style picadillo with raisins & olives
- 🌶️ Spicy picadillo for tacos
- 🥟 Picadillo filling for empanadas
Do you want the Cuban-style version with raisins and olives?
