Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

picadillo, cuban ground beef

Recipe by
Pamela Rappaport
The Villages, FL

I lived in Miami for 18 years and fell in love with Cuban food. Picadillo is a traditional Cuban dish and every household does it a little differently. This is how I was taught to make it. Serve it with white rice, sweet plantains, and an avocado salad and you'll think you are in Little Havana!

yield 8 serving(s)
prep time 15 Min
cook time 45 Min
method Stove Top

Ingredients For picadillo, cuban ground beef

  • 1/4 c
    olive oil
  • 2 clove
    garlic, minced
  • 1 lg
    onion, chopped
  • 1 lg
    green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 lb
    lean ground beef
  • 15 oz
    can diced tomatoes with the juice (or 2 large very ripe tomatoes if you have them!)
  • 1/2 tsp
    ground cumin
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 Tbsp
    apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp
    tomato paste
  • 3/4 c
    pimento stuffed green olives, sliced
  • 2 Tbsp
    capers

How To Make picadillo, cuban ground beef

  • 1
    Saute onion, peppers and garlic in oil until tender
  • 2
    Add the ground beef and brown, breaking the meat up. Drain the fat if you like but it's not traditional to do so.
  • 3
    Add tomatoes, tomato paste, cumin, salt and pepper, and vinegar. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes.
  • 4
    Add the olives and capers and warm through.
  • 5
    Serve over white rice
  • 6
    Note - Many recipes call for a cup of raisins.
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