This 30 minute Puerto Rican style Picadillo is the perfect weeknight meal. Ground beef is cooked with traditional spices like adobo and sazon, colorful sofrito, pimento olives, and tomato sauce.
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This popular dish takes ground beef and gives it that classic Puerto Rican flair with sofrito, lots of fresh veggies, and traditional spices. The result is a super rich and flavorful dish that is lick-your-plate addictive.
If you've tried many Puerto Rican recipes, you know Picadillo is super popular. Both as an entree, and as an ingredient in recipes like these empanadillas and alcapurrias.
Ingredients
The Puerto Rican style Picadillo gets its name from the Spanish word Picar, which means to chop or mince. Here's what you'll need to make it:
- olive oil
- yellow onion, diced
- red bell pepper, diced
- sofrito
- ground beef (lean)
- sazon seasoning
- adobo seasoning
- bay leaves
- can of tomato sauce
- pimento stuffed olives, sliced in half
- water
- salt to taste
- cilantro to garnish
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Raisins in Picadillo?
Raisins are a traditional ingredient many Puerto Ricans like to include in their Picadillo.
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.
If you like raisins and you're into the idea of adding them in this recipe, feel free to add a half a cup of them in when you add the tomato sauce.
Instructions
Start with olive oil, onions, and peppers in a pan over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, until the onions become translucent.
Add sofrito and sauté another minute before adding in ground beef. While the ground beef is browning, break it up with a wooden spoon.
Hint: making your sofrito ahead of time makes this recipe come together even faster! It can be made up to a week in advance.
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.
Lower to a simmer, cover slightly and cook for 10 minutes or until beef is fully cooked. Serve with rice, plantains, or pan de agua.
What to Serve with Picadillo
The options for what to serve with your picadillo are truly endless. Here are some classic puerto Rican pairings:
- Rice - serve with a generous spoonful of warm rice and let the sauce do it's thing!
- Tostones or Mofongo or Maduros - pairing your picadillo with plantains is about as Puerto Rican as it gets! Feel free to try one of my popular plantain recipes as a side to this savory dish.
- Pan de Agua - the Moroccan in me just loves a good bread and meat pairing, so this one makes me extra happy. Pan de Agua is really fun to make and makes an excellent vehicle for scooping up any leftover sauce on your plate.
If you have leftover picadillo or aren't sure how to use it, there are also many traditional Puerto Rican recipes that use it as a filling.
Puerto Rican vs Cuban vs. Mexican vs. Filipino Picadillo
If you're familiar with Picadillo, chances are you've noticed there are many different variations. This popular ground beef based dish has roots in countries all over the world from Cuba to Mexico, to the Philippines.
What's interesting about Picadillo is that despite the various origins, the base of dish remains the same. It's always ground beef with a blend of alliums (usually onions and garlic), usually with some kind of pepper.
From there you will notice ingredients vary in seasonings and vegetable add ins (think potatoes, peas, and even sometimes things like white wine).
Here's what makes Puerto Rican Picadillo stand out from the rest:
- seasonings: we use a blend of classic Puerto Rican spices (adobo and/or sazon) to give this dish that signature island flavor.
- sofrito: this dish wouldn't be Puerto Rican without our not-so-secret ingredient, sofrito!
- raisins: many Puerto Ricans like to use rum soaked raisins to add a bite and sweetness to this rich dish.
Picadillo in the Instant Pot / Crockpot
If you're looking for a way to make picadillo in one of your handy-dandy counter top appliances... I've got you covered! Here are my tips:
- 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.
Picadillo as a Filling and Ingredient
Some of my favorite Puerto Rican recipes use this Picadillo as a filling or ingredient. If you do have leftovers or just feel like getting creative in the kitchen, here are a few ideas for how to use it:
- Empanadillas - pie dough stuffed with picadillo. Enough said.
- Alcapurrias - fritters made with plantains and yucca, then stuffed with picadillo and fried. Again... enough said!
- Empanada Rice - this dish incorporates rice into the picadillo for a one pot version of the classic rice pairing.
Storage
This Puerto Rican style Picadillo stores great in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 5 days.
Buen Provecho!
30 Minute Puerto Rican Style Picadillo
This 30 minute Puerto Rican style Picadillo is loaded with traditional spices, olives, and sofrito, making it the perfect weeknight meal.
- 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
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ⅓ cup sofrito
- 1 lb ground beef (lean)
- 1 tsp sazon seasoning
- 1 tsp adobo seasoning
- 3 bay leafs
- 1 (15oz) can of tomato sauce
- ⅓ cup pimento stuffed olives, sliced in half
- ¼ cup water
- salt to taste
- cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Start with olive oil, onions and peppers in a pan over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, until the onions become translucent.
- Add sofrito and sauté another minute before adding in ground beef. While the ground beef is browning, break it up with a wooden spoon.
- 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.
- Lower to a simmer, cover slightly and cook for 10 minutes or until beef is fully cooked. Add salt to taste, garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice, plantains, or pan de agua.
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.
Keywords: Picadillo, Puerto Rican Picadillo
Comments
Aida
I was born in Puerto Rico and I have tried this recipe. It tastes just like my grandmother’s and mom’s make it has the same ingredients minus the water. We also use Picadillo when we make stuffed cabbage/peppers only difference being we add diced potatoes.
★★★★★
Salima Benkhalti
Aida, this made my day. Thank you so much for trying the recipe, reviewing, and sharing your experience! The way your mother and grandmother use it to stuff cabbage and peppers sounds delicious. I will have to try that as well as the addition of potatoes 🙂
Glenda
Excellent you make it just like my mom taught me. This is a weekly staple in my house. My kids love it over pasta like and we make tacos.
★★★★★
Salima Benkhalti
Thank you for your comment Glenda. This would be SO GOOD in tacos 😍 what a great idea!
Marla
Loved the recipe! I make picadillo often, using it to make my empanadas, alcapurrias, etc. My mom would add hard boiled eggs and cubed potaties to it and used the picadillo as a turkey stuffing! I add pieces of cooked ripe plantains (maduros) instead of raisins. The sweet and savory combination is fantastic! Thank you for sharing your version.
★★★★★
Salima Benkhalti
Thank you so much for your comment and review Marla. Your mom's version sounds so delicious, I can only imagine how fabulous it would be as a stuffing!