Cuban beef picadillo is a one-pot comfort food that cooks in 30 minutes! The versatile dish is easy to make and delicious. Eat it as is, or use the ground beef mixture as a filling for casseroles, picadillo soup, or empanadas.
What is Beef Picadillo?
Picadillo, pronounced [pi-kuh-di-yo], comes from the Spanish word ‘picar,’ which means ‘to mince.’ It is a popular meal in the Philippines, Caribbean, and Latin America (no doubt thanks to trade routes). While the spices and some ingredients vary by region, the building blocks are mostly the same.
- Cuban picadillo includes bright-tasting ingredients like capers, green olives, and red wine.
- Puerto Rican picadillo is known for the sweet addition of raisins.
- Potatoes and peas are commonly found in Mexican picadillo con papas.
- Filipino picadillo is more brothy, and they serve it over rice.
What is Cuban Picadillo Made of?
This delicious picadillo recipe is one of the best ways to use the ground beef tucked in your freezer, and it is ready in 30 minutes using mostly pantry ingredients. Here’s what you need to get started.
- Tomato Paste: Adding a spoonful of tomato paste intensifies the flavor and deepens the color of the dish.
- Sofrito: I prepare a quick homemade sofrito made with yellow onion, red bell pepper, and garlic. You can also purchase store-bought sofrito to avoid all the chopping.
- Ground Beef: The literal translation of picadillo means minced in English, so take your time mincing the ground meat. One pound of ground beef feeds my family of six with leftovers.
- Tomatoes: I use a can of diced tomatoes, but you can use three fresh Roma tomatoes.
- Chicken Broth: Simmer the ground beef mixture in chicken broth for additional flavor.
- Red Cooking Wine: I use red cooking wine to enhance the flavor, but replace it with more chicken broth if you want to leave it out.
- Spices: Season the ground beef with a sazon seasoning blend, ground cumin, dried oregano, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Potatoes: Cuban beef picadillo doesn’t commonly include potatoes, but I like adding them to make the dish a one-pot meal. Use one large, russet potato or two smaller Yukon gold potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces so they cook at the same rate.
Additions and Substitutions
I love how customizable the easy picadillo recipe is. Here are some recommendations for changing the ingredients based on your family’s taste.
- Use ground turkey, chicken, pork, or a plant-based alternative. Many Cuban homestyle recipes call for a blend of ground beef and chorizo.
- Adding a hard-boiled egg is common in Peru and the Dominican Republic.
- Different versions of this recipe include ingredients like sugar, honey, or sweet raisins.
- Use salty capers instead of green olives.
How to Make Beef Picadillo
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Warm oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, red bell pepper, and garlic. Cook until they soften and become translucent, for about 10 minutes. Then, stir in the tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds.
Step 2: Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a meat chopper until minced. Cook until brown and heated through. Then, nestle the potatoes into the mixture.
Step 3: Stir in the sazon, cumin powder, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Continue cooking for another minute.
Step 4: Deglaze the pan with diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and red cooking wine. Add a bay leaf, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, add the olives, and cook for 5 minutes.
Expert Tips
- Cut the potatoes into 1-inch pieces to ensure they cook at the same rate.
- If using lean ground beef, consider adding more oil or chicken broth if the mixture appears dry. The desired texture for picadillo is a nice glaze.
If you enjoy Cuban beef picadillo, try more dinner recipes from Jamil Ghar!
Serving Suggestions
The best way to serve the Cuban picadillo recipe is with fresh flour tortillas, corn tortillas, or tostadas, but here are more ideas of what to pair with the dish:
- Grains: Yellow Rice, White Rice, Cilantro-Lime Rice, Quinoa, Brown Rice
- Beans: Moro, Black Beans, Pinto Beans, Refried Beans
- Appetizers: Air Fried Plantains
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftover ground beef and potatoes in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Let the dish cool and transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag. Beef picadillo freezes for 2-3 months.
- Reheat: Warm the leftovers on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Repurpose: Use the ground beef as filling for casseroles, empanadas, quesadillas, and tacos. You can remove the potatoes and use the ground beef mixture for papa rellenas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this recipe ahead of time?
Prepare the easy dish in advance, leftover picadillo tastes even better the next day! Like aloo keema or ground beef lettuce wraps, this dish is perfect for meal prep or a freezer meal to save for a rainy day.
More Easy Ground Beef Recipes:
Beef Picadillo
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, finely diced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 packet sazon seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 can (14-ounce) petite diced tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup red cooking wine
- 2 medium russet potatoes, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1-2 dried bay leaves
- 1 cup green olives, plus one tablespoon olive brine
- Warm oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, red bell pepper, and garlic. Cook until they soften and become translucent, for about 10 minutes. Then, stir in the tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a meat chopper until minced. Cook until brown and heated through. Then, nestle the potatoes into the mixture.
- Stir in the sazon, cumin powder, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Continue cooking for another minute.
- Deglaze the pan with diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and red cooking wine. Add a bay leaf, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, add the olives, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Cut the potatoes into 1-inch pieces to ensure they cook at the same rate.
- If using lean ground beef, consider adding more oil or chicken broth if the mixture appears dry. The desired texture for picadillo is a nice glaze.
Alejandro
Friday 26th of May 2023
Absolutely love this Beef Picadillo! The tomato-based sauce brings all the ingredients together perfectly. Quick and easy to make, it's my go-to for a comforting and satisfying meal. Great for leftovers too!
Tressa Jamil
Saturday 27th of May 2023
I couldn't agree more. I love to make this meal when I need leftovers for a few days. It's a great recipe to meal prep for sure.
Carlos Diaz
Friday 26th of May 2023
This Beef Picadillo recipe took me straight back to my Cuban roots! The seasoned ground beef, potatoes, and olives were so flavorful. A must-try!
Tressa Jamil
Friday 26th of May 2023
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful feedback on the Beef Picadillo recipe! I am happy you enjoyed it.