Picadillo

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This Cuban Picadillo recipe consists of flavorful ground beef, spices, green olives, boiled egg and raisins cooked in a delicious tomato sauce, and then served over a bed of rice. This is the ideal weeknight meal because it can be made in under 30 minutes!

Picadillo in pot with tostones in background.

I grew up eating renditions of this dish. When I was a teeny kid, my mother would make picadillo and it’d simply be fried diced potato with ground beef over rice.

Every couple of years, as I got older, the recipe’s identity evolved from crazy plain to what you see now. I guess you could say I went from super picky, pain in the butt eater to normal human, and this recipe was along for the ride.s

What is Picadillo?

Well, the literal translation of picadillo in English is “all chopped up.”  Picado in Spanish means “chopped.” The potatoes, egg and meat are all chopped up, too. A lot of different countries make renditions of a picadillo. Colombians put it in empanadas. Peruvians put it in papa rellenas. And Puerto Ricans put it in empanadas and alcapurria. The version you see here is Cuban-style Picadillo. I LOVE Cuban food (Ropa Vieja and Lechon Asado are my personal favorites).

Ingredients You’ll Need for Picadillo

Ingredients all laid out on counter.
  1. Potatoes – This dish consists of beginning with pan-frying cubed up potato. If I’m on a bit of a health kick, I’ll skip it entirely OR use sweet potato.
  2. Onion, bell pepper and garlic – The sofrito is essential to begin this recipe.
  3. Ground Beef – I like using 85%/15% for maximum flavor. But feel free to use 90%/10% if you’re wanting something a bit leaner.
  4. Spices – I love adding paprika, cumin, coriander and bay leaves for a flavorful picadillo.
  5. Green Olives – You can slice these or add them whole – your call!
  6. Tomato paste – This thickens everything up and makes it nice and glossy.

For the rest of the ingredient list, please refer to the recipe index card below!

How to Make Picadillo?

  1. Cook the potatoes. This recipe starts with dicing up potatoes and frying them in the pan in a few tablespoons of oil. After they’re crispy, the potatoes are removed from the pan and set aside (we’re going to add them back at the end!)
  2. The sofrito (onion, bell pepper, garlic). The Cuban holy trinity. This is cooked until softened.
  3. Cook the ground beef. I used a 85%/15%, grass-fed organic beef. Surprisingly, I’ve also have made this with ground bison which was so delicious. I bet you could even use ground chicken. Break up the ground beef until it resembles crumbles.
  4. Spices and salt go in, along with tomato paste and beef broth. This makes it nice and thick and saucy. This is the time when I like to add the raisins (in today’s recipe I used golden raisins because I’m fancy but regular ones will do, too) because it allows them to simmer in the sauce and rehydrate a bit.
  5. Add in the diced egg, crispy potatoes, olives and red wine vinegar. I’ve read that diced egg is actually Dominican. Most Cubans don’t add diced egg. I’ve always eaten it this way. The additions really make this picadillo so flavorful and delicious.
Pan with picadillo. Egg on top.

Variations for this recipe

Use different ground meat. I love bison for this recipe.

Leave out the add-ins. I’ve had this without raisins, egg and have subbed in different briny things like capers. All delicious.

Make this recipe ahead. This makes delicious leftovers. I love making this the day ahead and keeping it in the fridge in an airtight container.

Picadillo in pan with olives added.

Recipe FAQs

What should I serve Picadillo with?

I love it served on a bed of white rice. That is essential. I also love to serve it with maduros (sweet plantains) or tostones (fried green plantain).

Do you add cinnamon to your picadillo?

I personally don’t but feel free to. It’s traditional in a lot of Cuban-style picadillo recipes.

How is Cuban-style picadillo different than Mexican-style picadillo?

The texture and sauce are very different. Mexican picadillo is a little sweet, while Cuban picadillo is more briny and tart (due to the added olives and red wine vinegar).

Can I use another meat for this picadillo?

Yes, absolutely. I’ve made this with ground bison with amazing results. I’ve used ground chicken with solid results (not stellar lol). I would recommend using ground dark chicken meat vs. ground white chicken meat. You could also use a vegan ground meat alternative. I’ve never tried ground lamb but I bet it would be good too.

Picadillo in pan with tostones on the side.

What to Serve with Picadillo

If you tried this Picadillo Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

5 from 23 votes

Picadillo

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 6
Cuban Picadillo consists of flavorful ground beef, spices, green olives, boiled egg and raisins cooked in a delicious tomato sauce, and then served over a bed of rice. This is the ideal weeknight meal because it can be made in under 30 minutes! 

Equipment

  • 1 (4-quart) Dutch oven or braiser pot

Ingredients 

  • 3 tablespoons neutral oil, (I like to use grape seed or avocado oil)
  • 1 russet potato, peeled and cubed
  • 1/2 large yellow onion (or 1 small yellow onion), peeled and diced
  • 1 green or red bell pepper, diced
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, (I used 90/10 lean grass-fed beef)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons ground smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup tomato paste
  • 1 cup beef broth or water
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup green olives
  • 2 large eggs, boiled and diced

Instructions 

  • In a large sauté pan, set over medium heat, add the oil. When hot, add the diced russet potato and cook until crispy on both sides, about 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes from the pan and transfer to a sheet of paper towels or on top of a clean kitchen towel to drain.
  • In the same large sauté pan, add more oil, if needed. Add the onion, red bell pepper and garlic; cook until softened about 5 minutes. Add the meat and break up with a large spoon until it’s into crumbled ground beef. Add the salt and spices and give it a mix. Next, add the tomato paste, broth and golden raisins. Mix until all combined. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, we really want the flavors to combine and marry.
  • Lastly, mix in the red wine vinegar, crispy potatoes and diced boiled egg. Give it a taste and adjust the salt according to your liking. Serve alongside rice and tostones or maduros.

Notes

Alternative Versions: 
Like I said in the blog post, I’ve had this numerous ways, leaving things out if I don’t have them. If you don’t like the egg, leave it out! If you don’t have raisins, leave it out. 
If you want to make this very Keto and Whole 30, make it with sweet potatoes vs. regular potatoes. This recipe is very flexible. 
Equipment:
Le Creuset Braiser 

Nutrition

Serving: 4g | Calories: 405kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 151mg | Sodium: 843mg | Potassium: 777mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 492IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Cuban
Like this Recipe? Please Rate & comment below!

Cozy Latin-Inspired Comfort Food Recipes

Hi! I'm Adrianna and this is my cozy space on the internet that is super-charged by butter, flour and copious amounts of pasta. Stay awhile, will you!

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45 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Ahh, this recipe has been my absolute go-to whenever I have ground meat! I am obsessed with how easy it is to make and the amount of comfort it brings to my tastebuds? Exquisite. My ma also loved it and told me to go crazy with the raisins next time hah. Thank you so much for sharing and years down the line, best believe I’ll still be making this recipe!

  2. 5 stars
    This is amazing! It’s part of the rotation. I make this for my omni parents but with impossible! It’s always a hit.

  3. 5 stars
    This recipe is perfect! It came together so quickly and the steps were easy to follow! I had just about every ingredient on hand so I didn’t have to make a trip to the store which was great! Also I only had to use 1 pot so the cleanup was so easy! I can’t say enough good things about this delicious Picadillo recipe!

  4. 5 stars
    It was my first time making Picadillo and this was delicious! The spices work perfectly and the raisins give a great hint of sweetness.
    Definitely saving this one!

  5. 5 stars
    We made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit! I usually don’t like olives but went for it, and have zero regrets. Delicious! Thank you for introducing me to this delicious recipes 🙂

  6. 5 stars
    This was SUCH a great meal!
    I love that it combines ingredients I would never think to pair. I love how versatile it can be and that it comes together so quickly!
    I made it with sweet potato and black raisins as that’s what I had on hand.
    We cant wait to make this recipe again, thank you so much xo

  7. 5 stars
    Huge hit! Made this tonight and it was so flavorful and delicious. Whole family loved it. Sharing it with the rest of my fam now!

  8. Is there a brand/kind of green olive that you would recommend? Should I get them from an olive bar at the store or use canned?

    1. I personally love castelvetrano olives because they’re sort of buttery and briny. Super delicious!