Cuban inspired Beef Picadillo (Picadillo de res Cubano)

A mix of Cuban and Puerto Rican flavors all in one pan! (Links may be affiliated)

You can't ever go wrong with making a picadillo. It doesn't matter if it's a Mexican, Cuban, Thai, Puerto Rican, South Asian or any other version of picadillo. It's such a comforting dish to eat on any day of the week.

What is beef picadillo? (Que es el picadillo de res Cubano?)

A picadillo can be made with any ground protein but it's typically made with ground beef and vegetables. It's served with white rice and depending on the country served with a side such as tostones in Puerto Rico, chicharritas in Cuba, etc. My version of picadillo is inspired by the Cuban and Puerto Rican cuisines. I use typical ingredients used in Cuban recipes but include ingredients such as sofrito from Puerto Rico.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef, I use 90% lean: if you don't eat red meat you can substitute with any ground protein you'd prefer

• 3 Cloves of garlic

• 3 tbsp sofrito

• 1 packet of Sazon

• Pepper and salt to taste

• 1/2 tbsp Adobo

• 1/2 tbsp beef bouillon

• Green olives

• 4 tbsp tomato sauce

• 1/2 cup of red wine: Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir are top choices

• Vegetables: typically carrots and potatoes are added. However I add mushrooms, red and yellow bell pepper and zucchini in addition to potatoes and carrots.

• 2-3 tbsp of olive oil

How to make beef picadillo?

1. Prep your vegetables

   1. Mince your garlic

   2. Chop your other veggies into small pieces. I use this vegetable chopper because it saves me a lot of time! If you are adding zucchini chop it and place it in a separate container so that you can add it at the very end.

2. Place a sauce pan to heat and then add the olive oil. The amount of oil depends on how lean your protein is, the more lean the less oil I use. Make sure to use a pan that will fit the meat, veggies and liquids. I use my favorite pan from Our Place!

3. Add garlic and chopped veggies to sauté for 2-3 minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste. To keep the zucchini from overcooking, save it and add it later.

4. Add your ground protein, season with salt and pepper, and break your ground beef apart.

5. Add in the rest of the ingredients: Saxon, adobo, beef bouillon, tomato sauce, olives and red wine. You can add salt and pepper to taste, I normally don't any any more salt because the seasonings already have salt. Taste and adjust as needed.

6. Mix well, cover and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes or until your vegetables are tender. In the last 5 minutes of simmering add in your zucchini.

7. Turn off heat, let it rest for 10 mins and serve with rice. I prefer white rice to absorb all the flavor from the picadillo but you can serve it with anything you'd prefer.

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