Jump to Recipe·5 from 7 reviews

This Puerto Rican-style Picadillo, aka Carne Molida is the perfect 30-minute weeknight meal. Ground beef is cooked in a flavorful tomato based sauce seasoned with traditional spices like adobo and sazon, colorful sofrito, and olives.

picadillo in bowls on a white table

This popular ground beef dish takes humble ingredients and transforms them into something fabulous with that classic Puerto Rican flair. The result is a super rich and flavorful Carne Molida that is lick-your-plate addictive.

If you’ve tried many Puerto Rican recipes, you know Picadillo is a staple dish, used in many ways. Both as an entree and as a main ingredient in recipes like pastelón, empanadillas and alcapurrias.

Instructions

onions and peppers in a pan
Start with olive oil, onions, and peppers in a pan over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, until the onions become translucent.
picadillo in a pan
Add sofrito and sauté another minute before adding in ground beef. While the ground beef is browning, break it up with a wooden spoon.

Tip: Making your sofrito ahead of time makes this recipe come together even faster. It can be made up to a week in advance. Remember you can also buy it premade.

picadillo in a pan
Next add sazon, adobo, bay leaves, and tomato sauce. Mix to evenly incorporate everything into the beef. At this point, add olives and water before bringing to a boil. If you want a thicker consistency, you can skip the water.
picadillo in a pan
Lower to a simmer, cover slightly and cook for 10 minutes or until beef is fully cooked.

Raisins & Potatoes

Raisins and diced potatoes are traditional ingredients many Puerto Ricans like to include in this dish.

While I’m not a huge fan of raisins in general, I can admit that they add a sweetness that can help to balance out all the richness from the ground beef. For me, the potatoes add a heaviness I’m not always a fan of.

If you like potatoes and/or raisins and you’re into the idea of adding them in this recipe, feel free to add a diced potato with the onion and bell pepper. You can add a half a cup of raisins in with the tomato sauce.

What to Serve Alongside

The options for what to serve with your picadillo are truly endless. Keep it simple and serve over white rice or go all out with these classic puerto Rican pairings:

Crispy Puerto Rican-Style Tostones

Fluffiest Pan de Agua (Water Bread)

Fried Sweet Plantains (Platanos Maduros)

Traditional Puerto Rican Mofongo (25 Minutes!)
picadillo in bowls on a white table

Picadillo As A Filling

Some of my favorite Puerto Rican recipes use Carne Molida as a filling or ingredient.

If you have leftovers or just feel like getting creative in the kitchen, here are a few ideas for how to use it:

Homemade Alcapurrias (Puerto Rican Fritters)

Empanadillas (fried Puerto Rican turnovers)

Papas Rellenas (Stuffed Potato Croquettes)

Baked Pastelón (Sweet Plantain Lasagna)
a bowl of picadillo with rice

Buen Provecho,

Salima written in cursive
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picadillo in bowls on a white table

Puerto Rican-Style Picadillo (Carne Molida)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 7 reviews
  • Author: Salima Benkhalti
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Entree, Dinner, Lunch
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Puerto Rican, Latin
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

This Puerto Rican-style Picadillo, aka Carne Molida is the perfect 30-minute weeknight meal. Ground beef is cooked in a flavorful tomato based sauce seasoned with traditional spices like adobo and sazon, colorful sofrito, and olives.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/3 cup sofrito
  • 1 lb ground beef (lean)
  • 1 tsp sazon seasoning
  • 1 tsp adobo seasoning
  • 3 bay leafs
  • 1 (15oz) can of tomato sauce
  • 1/3 cup pimento stuffed olives, sliced in half
  • 1/4 cup water
  • salt to taste
  • cilantro to garnish

Instructions

  1. Sauté the veggies. Start with olive oil, onions and peppers in a pan over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, until the onions become translucent.
  2. Add sofrito and ground beef. Add sofrito and sauté another minute before adding in ground beef. While the ground beef is browning, break it up with a spoon.
  3. Add seasonings, olives, and water. Next add sazon, adobo, bay leaves, and tomato sauce. Mix to evenly incorporate everything into the beef. At this point, add olives and water before bringing to a boil.
  4. Lower to a simmer, cover slightly and cook. Cook for 10 minutes or until beef is fully cooked. Add salt to taste, garnish with cilantro. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Equipment

Notes

  • Crockpot Picadillo: follow the directions as instructed up until step 4 (just before lowing the temperature to a simmer and covering). At this step, transfer everything to your crockpot and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
  • Instant pot Picadillo: follow the directions as instructed, sautéing everything directly in your Instant pot. At step 4, cover the Instant pot and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.

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