Latin American & Caribbean · Lunch · Dinner
Picadillo
A savoury-sweet Cuban-style hash of lean ground beef simmered in tomato with briny green olives, plump raisins and diced potato. Comforting, quick and great over brown rice or in lettuce cups.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 33% · Fat 34% · Protein 33%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 500 gLean ground beef (93% lean)
- 2 tsp9 gOlive oil
- 1 medium150 gYellow onion, diced
- 1 medium150 gGreen bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves12 gGarlic, minced
- 1 medium200 gPotato, peeled and cut into 1 cm dice
- 1 tspGround cumin
- 1 tspDried oregano
- 1 leafBay leaf
- 1 can (400 g)Canned crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup120 gWater
- 1/3 cup45 gPimento-stuffed green olives, halved
- 3 tbsp30 gRaisins
- 1 tbsp9 gCapers, drained (optional)
- 1/2 tspSalt
- 1/4 tspBlack pepper
- 2 tbspFresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
Steps
- 1
Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
- 2
Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up, until browned with no pink remaining, about 6 minutes.
- 3
Tip off and discard any fat in the pan.
- 4
Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- 5
Stir in the garlic, cumin and oregano and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- 6
Add the diced potato, crushed tomatoes, water and bay leaf, and bring to a simmer.
- 7
Cover and simmer gently for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- 8
Stir in the olives, raisins and capers (if using), then simmer uncovered for 5 minutes until the potato is tender and the sauce has thickened; the beef should reach 71 °C / 160 °F.
- 9
Season with the salt and black pepper, remove the bay leaf and scatter with cilantro before serving.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use lean ground turkey instead of beef for a milder version, cooking it until it reaches 74 °C / 165 °F.
- Make it vegan by replacing the beef with 2 cans of drained lentils or crumbled firm tofu, and add a splash of soy sauce for depth (choose tamari labelled gluten-free if you need it gluten-free).
- Swap the potato for diced sweet potato or zucchini if that is easier to find or you prefer it.
- Leave out the raisins for a less sweet, more savoury picadillo, or use chopped dried apricots instead.
Storage
Cool and refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot throughout. It freezes well for up to 3 months, though the potato may turn a little softer after thawing.
Make ahead
Dice the onion, pepper, potato and garlic up to a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge, with the potato held in cold water. You can also cook the whole picadillo a day or two ahead, since the flavours deepen overnight.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
No major allergens in the ingredients.
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (406 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 349 kcal | 86 kcal |
| Protein | 30.1 g | 7.4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 29.2 g | 7.2 g |
| of which sugars | 12.3 g | 3 g |
| Fiber | 5.2 g | 1.3 g |
| Fat | 13.3 g | 3.3 g |
| of which saturated | 4.3 g | 1.1 g |
| Sodium | 745 mg | 183 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
