A simple and flavorful Cuban picadillo recipe made with ground beef, tomato sauce, spices, olives, and raisins. Perfect weeknight meal made in one skillet! You and your family will not get enough of these delicious Cuban flavors.
If you were to ask me what was the recipe I had the most often during the week as a kid, the answer would be this Cuban picadillo recipe!
My mom was never a microwave mom. She cooked every night. On those busy nights, there was nothing easier to make than this flavorful tomato-based ground beef dish. Needless to say, I always have ground beef and ground turkey in my freezer ready to go. Old habits die hard.
I’ll be honest, for a long time, I would only make picadillo with ground turkey. And while it was good, nothing truly compares to Cuban beef picadillo! Let me show you how to make it.
What is picadillo?
First things first, let’s talk about what exactly is picadillo. Picadillo [pee-ca-dee-yo] is a classic Cuban dish made with ground beef, tomato sauce, raisins, olives, and lots of spices. This one-pan meal is usually served over white rice. It’s an easy and flavorful weeknight meal. The leftovers the next day are even better!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Onion, green pepper, garlic. Cuban sofrito is the basis of most Cuban dishes. Some call it the “Holy Trinity”. It consists of garlic, onions, and green peppers. You sauté the sofrito in a skillet with a bit of olive oil before continuing with the rest of your recipe and that’s what gives meals such a unique and distinctive flavor!
- Ground beef. I like using 80% lean ground beef for this recipe since when cooked properly, it’s juicy from soaking the spiced sauce. Yum!
- Tomato sauce. The basis of this dish. I only add about 6 ounces so it adds enough sweetness and acidity without it being too saucy or having too much of an intense tomato flavor.l
- Ground cumin and oregano. Earthy spices are the best spices. You can also use complete seasoning if you have it.
- Green olives. Salty, briny olives complement all these flavors so well. Be careful when you’re adding salt this dish since the olives are already salty enough.
- Raisins. A touch of sweetness. I know it sounds weird and it’s a bit controversial in some places (lol) because raisins are boring but it does taste good mixed in with everything else. I’ll be honest though, I’m not the biggest fan of raisins and sometimes don’t add them so it’s totally cool if you want to omit them.
How To Make Picadillo
- Make the sofrito. In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, green pepper, and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Brown the meat. Add ground beef and cook at medium heat, breaking the meat apart using this meat chopper tool, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Simmer with the sauce. Turn the heat down to low. Stir in tomato sauce, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Garnish and serve! Stir in the green olives and raisins (if using). Remove from heat and serve over white rice. You can also serve picadillo with veggies or even inside of sweet potatoes.
Common Questions about Picadillo
Picadillo is not spicy. It’s a saucy, fragrant, tomato-based, hash-style ground beef dish and it’s delicious!
I like to serve picadillo over white rice, black beans, and/or sweet plantains. You can also serve it in lettuce wraps, inside empanadas, roasted potatoes, or fried eggs.
Nope, they are completely optional but they do give the savory picadillo a touch of sweetness.
That’s all folks! I mean… how good does that look! It’s very versatile and that’s one of my favorite things about it. Make it tonight!
You may also like:
- Cuban Black Beans (Frijoles Negros)
- Classic Cuban Arroz Con Pollo
- Cuban Beef Stew (Ropa Vieja)
- 30-Minute Arroz Con Salchicha (Cuban Yellow Rice + Sausage)
- Cuban Arroz Con Leche (Rice Pudding)
Cuban Picadillo
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 small onion finely chopped
- 1/2 green pepper finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground beef or lean ground beef
- 6 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons green olives cut in half
- 1/2 cup raisins
Instructions
- In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, green pepper, and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add ground beef and cook, breaking the meat apart, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to low. Stir in tomato sauce, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add green olives and raisins. Serve and enjoy!
I add 1 cup of dry cooking wine, multi-color sweet peppers and capers. Also, chopped cherry tomatoes instead of tomatoe sauce.
Yay! Found you on page 1 when searching for picadillo.
I will be making this every week for the foreseeable future! So easy, such clean ingredients, and great flavor! Topped it with lots of cilantro. OBSESSED.
So happy you + the fam loved it, Ari!!
Do you not drain the beef after you cook it??
Hi Karen, I don’t drain the beef because I like to incorporate it into the rest of the ingredients. It’s flavorful after all. That said, it also depends on the meat you use. If you find that there is WAY too much liquid/fat in the pan after you cook it, you can drain it. Hope that helps!
Dont skip the raisins!! Delicious!
So glad you loved it! It’s one of my faves too! :)
Delicious! My Dad grew up in Cuba so I made this dish for him using this recipe. He LOVED it. He was most happy to have this over fluffy rice, with plantains, and black beans. I’m going to work on flan next which actually requires voodoo. Thanks for giving this experience to my Dad and family. ❤️
Oh my! Yet another favorite done right! Made this tonight and it was amazing. Simple but the right ingredients put together to make this Cuban staple. I thoroughly enjoyed it on a Monday evening! Thanks for all you do Jamie, I really appreciate you! :)
Happy you loved it, Chris!
This is a staple meal in our house. I add about 3/4 cup of small cubed russet potato which I pan fry in oil till crispy before adding the peppers, onions, and garlic. I use extra lean beef, the entire 8 ounce jar of tomato sauce, 1 cup of raisins (they’re my husbands favorite part!), omit the olives and season with all purpose Goya Adobo seasoning (salt and pepper too, of course). I also add a can of Goya pink beans (they’re a staple in our American/Puerto Rican home). I allow it to stew in my cast iron skillet for a bit to develop flavor. I serve on rice or tortillas with a side of plantains.
The beans and potato really bulk up the meal so we can look forward to some “better-the-next-day” leftovers.