Healthy and flavorful, this protein rich Cuban picadillo is like a hash with potatoes, green olives, and the flavors of the Latin cuisine.
What is picadillo made of?
Picadillo is made with either ground pork or ground beef (you can also use ground turkey). Picadillo is like a bean-less chili without the excess liquid.
Cuban picadillo is known for it's added potatoes and green olives. Some people even choose to add raisins and capers too!
Related Post: Puerto Rican Picadillo
How To Make Picadillo
You cook the onions, garlic, ground beef and seasonings in a pan with olive oil to make the picadillo. Once the beef has browned, you add in the wine, let it reduce, and add in the remaining ingredients, lower the heat, let the potatoes become tender and voila your picadillo is done!
What do you eat with picadillo?
Cuban picadillo is one of our go to dinner sides that is great with leftover rice or to fill dough discs to make empanadillas or even quick tacos. Picadillo is very versatile, and you can add more liquid or use less liquid depending on how you want to serve your picadillo. Ask yourself, do you want it to pour over mashed potatoes, or to fill potatoes? This changes the liquid amount, but the flavor profile remains the same!
Here are some amazing dishes you can eat with picadillo:
- White rice with picadillo
- Fried plantain cups with picadillo
- Potato balls stuffed with picadillo
- Sweet plantain boats with picadillo
- Pastelon with picadillo
- Mashed potatoes with picadillo
Success Tips For Making Picadillo
Use the best lean ground meat you can.
Drain excess grease.
Use white wine that you would drink (aka not cooking wine).
Chop your potatoes into smaller chunks for a quicker cooking time.
Season your layers. Taste as you go.
Double your batch to use for more recipes for leftovers!
That's it mi gente, I hope this Cuban picadillo recipe will be a hit with your family. Let me know in the comments below if your family makes this recipe and if you make your picadillo a bit differently.
Cuban Picadillo Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 pounds of lean ground beef
- 1 onion chopped
- 6 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon of dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of cumin
- 2 aji dulce peppers (or 1 red or green bell pepper
- 3 bay leaves
- ½ cup of white wine
- 2 roma tomatoes chopped
- 8 oz of tomato sauce
- 2 small potatoes peeled and chopped
- ½ cup of green olives with pimentos
- ½-1 cup of water
- 1 packet of ham bullion optional
Instructions
- In a large pan over medium high heat, warm oil and add in onions.
- Cook for a minute before adding in ground beef, garlic, and seasonings.
- Brown ground beef and drain excess grease.
- Return beef to pan and add in white wine. Cook for 2 minutes or until wine reduces before adding remaining ingredients.
- Lower heat to a simmer (medium/medium low) and allow to cook an additional 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
- Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed.
