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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!
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 rides.
Why *this* recipe for Picadillo is special!
- Easy! This is the perfect weeknight recipe.
- One-pan recipe. If you’re looking for something that doesn’t create a bunch of mess, this is it!
- Versatile. If you want to use ground chicken, meat substitute or ground bison, this recipe is perfect for swap-ins.
What ACK Readers are Saying About This Recipe:
“This is amazing! Itโs part of the rotation. I make this for my omni parents but with impossible! Itโs always a hit.” – Katie
“It was my first time making Picadillo and this was delicious! The spices work perfectly and the raisins give a great hint of sweetness.” -Crystal
What is Picadillo?
Well, the literal translation of picadillo in English is “all chopped up.” The potatoes, egg and meat are all chopped up, too. Many countries make their renditions of a picadillo: Colombians put it in empanadas, Peruvians put it in papa rellenas, 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
- 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.
- Onion, bell pepper and garlic – The sofrito is essential to begin this recipe.
- 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.
- Spices – I love adding paprika, cumin, coriander and bay leaves for a flavorful picadillo. The combination of flavors is similar to my Homemade Taco Seasoning that I use for my Ground Beef Tacos.
- Green Olives – You can slice these or add them whole – your call!
- 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 Cuban Picadillo?
- Prep the potatoes. Dice them and make them as dry as possible.
- Cook the potatoes. Pan-fry 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!).
- Cook the ground beef, along with the spices and salt. Add in with tomato paste and beef broth. This makes it nice and thick and saucy.
- Mix in the boiled egg (optional), crispy potatoes, olives and red wine vinegar.
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.
Recipe FAQs
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).
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.
What to Serve with Picadillo
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Picadillo
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 sautรฉ 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 sautรฉ 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 itโs 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.ย
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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!
aww love hearing this! i make it at least once a week. ๐
Hand’s down one of our favorite dishes in the rotation
This is amazing! Itโs part of the rotation. I make this for my omni parents but with impossible! Itโs always a hit.
love to hear it!!
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 didnโt 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 canโt say enough good things about this delicious Picadillo recipe!
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!
Love hearing this! ๐
We made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit! I usually donโt like olives but went for it, and have zero regrets. Delicious! Thank you for introducing me to this delicious recipes ๐
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
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!
I didnt have green olives but I had capers. Amazing. Not fond of raisins so I left them out.
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?
I personally love castelvetrano olives because they’re sort of buttery and briny. Super delicious!