Cuban Picadillo – Ground Beef Stew

Cuban Picadillo, one of the most popular Cuban meals, is a deliciously seasoned ground beef stew. Perfectly flavored with onion, green pepper, garlic, tomato sauce, olives, and raisins. It’s easy to make and ready in under an hour. True comfort food.

I grew up in Miami, surrounded by a wonderful mishmash of cultures. My first friends were girls from Lebanon, Brazil, Colombia, and Italy. They each looked, sounded, and dressed differently. As a kid, you don’t think anything of those differences. You just meet on the school bus one day and strike up simple conversations with kids who seem nice, no matter what they look like. But now, years later, I realize how fortunate I was to have grown up where diversity was the norm and where being different didn’t make you feel different. I suppose I was part of that mixed bag too…half my family from Nicaragua and the other, Cuban.

One of the advantages of living somewhere with such a strong international vibe is the abundance of interesting and amazing foods. I think it’s safe to say that in Miami, the most prevalent cuisine and the one that carries the city’s beat the loudest, is Cuban cuisine. There’s no shortage of good Cuban restaurants in South Florida, but perhaps the best thing about Cuban food, is that it’s delicious while also being simple to make at home. There’s nothing fussy or difficult about it, which is one of the reasons you’ll find so many Cuban recipes here at Casablanca Cooks.

Cuban Picadillo is comfort food. For those who are not familiar, it’s basically a highly-seasoned ground beef stew. It’s served over rice and often accompanied by fried sweet plantains (maduros). Picadillo was one of my favorite meals growing up. I ordered it frequently when we ate at Cuban restaurants. It was second only to my all-time favorite, Ropa Vieja (here’s an excellent Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja recipe, by the way).

Picadillo is made with easy to find ingredients. Having said that, it’s also one of those dishes that has countless variations. No two recipes are the same, although to be truly authentic, it should include olives and raisins. In my version, I use ground chuck or ground sirloin, onion, green pepper, garlic, tomato sauce, white wine, oregano, olives, and raisins. There’s something special about this ingredient combination…the sweetness of the raisins against the sharp tomato sauce and bitter, salty olives.

But, perhaps the best thing about making Picadillo, is how easy it is. It cooks in one pot (thumbs up for easy clean-up) and can be on your table in under an hour. Pretty great for a meal that tastes like it cooked all day!

Let’s cook! Onions, green peppers, and garlic cloves are sautéed first. Once they soften a bit, the ground beef is added and cooked until only slightly pink. The rest of the ingredients go in next and then it simmers for 35-40 minutes. I usually cook the rice while it simmers, so that everything is ready at about the same time.

This meal can be easily doubled for parties. It also makes an amazing filling for empanadas or tacos. Another bonus – it’s loved by adults and kids alike. If your kids are like mine, they’ll pick out the olives and raisins, but once those are out of the way, it’s full speed ahead!

This Cuban Picadillo is filled with flavor and comfort. My recipe is an authentic version of a great Cuban classic. I hope you like it as much as my family and I do!

You might also like:

Carne Chorizada – Nicaraguan Ground Beef

Slow Cooker Cuban Black Beans – Frijoles Negros