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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 ride.s
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).
How to Make Picadillo?
- 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!)
- The sofrito (onion, bell pepper, garlic). The Cuban holy trinity. This is cooked until softened.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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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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.
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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.
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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.
- 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.
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.
