This is the recipe post that almost didn’t happen. As much as I love this meal, I could not imagine taking an enticing picture of it. Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest food of them all? “NOT ground beef,” my imaginary mirror replied. I know there are many talented food photographers out there…ones who are able to snap drool-worthy photos of things like oatmeal, mashed potatoes, and ground beef. I’m not in that line-up. But, luckily, I came to my senses and remembered that taste is more important than looks and that ugly food is often the most delicious. So, I threw caution to the wind and am sharing my family’s favorite ground beef recipe, Carne Chorizada – Nicaraguan Ground Beef. It’s pretty spectacular.
Carne Chorizada is comfort food…a meal you may find being cooked in Nicaraguan kitchens on any given weeknight. It’s unfussy, unassuming, and unbelievably delicious. The layers of flavor in this dish set it apart from any other ground beef dish I’ve ever had. Herbs and spices, like oregano, achiote or annatto seed powder, and cinnamon (the secret ingredient) infuse this dish with unique and delicious aromas and seasoning.
This is basically the Nicaraguan version of Cuban Picadillo, which I also love and will feature in a future post. The main difference is that Cuban Picadillo is tomato-based and has different spices. Also, the vegetables in this version (baby corn and green beans) are not typically found in Picadillo. So, while both are tasty ground beef meals that are served over rice, their flavor profiles and ingredient lists are quite different. I love them both equally, but I make this Carne Chorizada more often because my daughters and my husband prefer it.
The name of this dish is a little misleading. The Spanish word chorizo is used here in adjective form (chorizada) to mean “ground”. There’s no sausage here. Aside from ground beef, other ingredients include, onion, garlic, potatoes, baby corn, green beans, oregano, cinnamon, and achiote powder.
Achiote or Annatto powder is made from ground annatto seeds. It’s used to flavor and color foods. Used frequently in Latin American cooking, it gives foods a yellow-orange tinge and is sometimes described as having a slightly floral, earthy flavor. In South Florida, it’s easy to find in grocery stores in either powder or seed form. While the powder form is ready to use as is, the seeds need to be cooked in a little oil to give off their color and flavor. This oil is then used for cooking. If you have trouble finding it where you live, you can find it here. Another option is to substitute a little turmeric and paprika for it.
This is an easy, one-pot meal that comes together relatively quickly. It’s ready in under an hour with most of the work coming from chopping onions and potatoes. To keep things simple, I buy canned baby corn and cut frozen green beans, which both work well here. Since I live with baby corn thieves and can’t leave them on my counter very long, I usually add those in last. Feel free to substitute other vegetables for the green beans and baby corn. Diced carrots often take the place of the green beans in variations of this dish.
Carne Chorizada is best eaten over rice and, in Nicaragua, often accompanied by maduros (fried sweet plantains) . I didn’t have any on hand when I made it this time, so I used what I had at home. Before someone calls the Carne Chorizada police on me, I will add that I do realize that the broiled tomatoes sort of crashed the party here. No harm done.
I grew up eating Carne Chorizada, so it’s comfort food to me. Now, it’s a favorite at our house, especially for my middle daughter who requests it any time I ask for dinner suggestions. I know that ground beef isn’t the most exciting food and that it won’t win many beauty pageants, but I promise it will make your taste buds very, very happy.
You may also like:
Gallo Pinto – Nicaraguan Rice & Beans
Cuban Picadillo – Ground Beef Stew
Carne Chorizada – Nicaraguan Ground Beef
Carne Chorizada is a deliciously flavored and traditional Nicaraguan Ground Beef dish made with potatoes, green beans, and baby corn. It’s infused with amazing flavors from oregano, annatto, cinnamon, onion, and garlic. A family favorite.
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 3 teaspoons ground annatto/achiote
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2" cubes
- 2 cups cut frozen green beans
- 1 (15 oz) can baby corn, sliced into 1/2" pieces
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In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground annatto, oregano, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
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In a large saucepan with about 2″ sides, heat oil over medium heat. Once heated, add onion and saute until onion has softened, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
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Increase heat to medium high and add ground beef and vinegar. Break up beef into very small pieces with side of cooking spoon as it cooks. Cook until mostly browned with only small amounts of pink left.
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Add 2 cups water. Once water begins to boil, add potatoes, green beans, and baby corn. Stir gently. Bring to a quick boil again and then decrease heat to medium. Cook for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
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Serve over rice.
In Nicaragua we use cloves instead of cinnamon to give this meal its fragrance. You should try it!!
Thanks for the tip! 🙂
Hi Blanca! I make this dish every now and then with white rice, and boiled plantains as sides. Traditionally, it includes diced cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and baby corns. Some people add raisins or prunes to it but I try to make it as traditional as possible. Now, chilotes (baby corns) are hard to find fresh, outside of Miami. So, I use jarred ones and it still works! When it comes to the historical part of it, I’ve always known this dish as “enchorizada” rather than “chorizada”. But I imagine it may be a younger generation way of talking! 🙂 Anyway, thanks for sharing such a great Nicaraguan dish! 🙂
Hola Tino. Thanks for your comment 🙂 I use canned baby corn too and my girls fight over it. I actually also grew up calling this dish Carne Enchorizada. It wasn’t until I was looking through old Nicaraguan cookbooks for this post that I realized the actual correct name is Carne Chorizada. I believe that when you say both words together, it sounds like enchorizada, so that term stuck over the years. Anyway, like you, I LOVE it. My favorite way to eat it is with white rice and maduros.
Heck yeah! Takes me back to being a kid and eating fresh home-made Nica dinner every night by my mom. She has Alzheimer’s now and I found one of her old Nica cookbooks (also included cinnamon instead of cloves) and this was one of the recipes I wanted to try but I first had to look up what it looked like just to make sure I had the right dish. So yummy, thank you for sharing!!!
Hi Melissa. I’m so happy you liked this recipe and that it reminds you of special meals your mom made you as a child. It takes me back to my childhood too…comfort food. Thanks for commenting. You may want to try my Gallo Pinto recipe too 😉
Hola Blanca, me encanto sobre todo el punto de la canela y es super facil de hacer. Muchas gracias por compartir esta receta nica. Saludos cordiales!!
Cuanto me alegra que les gusto. En mi casa es uno de nuestros platos favoritos 🙂
Ha! I wanted to find another version of this recipe and the first thing that popped up in Google was your recipe! I made it last night, albeit with some vegetable modifications, and it was great! My novia quien es Nica tenía años de no comer carne chorizada y le encanto! Gracias!
Thank you for these recipes. When my children were growing up I made the Carne Enchorizada almost every week and to this day they don’t like it. Too bad for them, I love it! Con una tortilla hecha a mano y queso fresco, no le puedo pedír más al mundo 😋
Takes me back to Granada!