Cuban picadillo
45 min · 47 g protein · 519 cals / serving
Cuba's weeknight favourite: lean ground beef simmered in a cumin- and oregano-scented tomato sauce with sweet peppers and onion, then studded with briny green olives, capers and a few plump raisins, so every bite is salty, savoury and a little sweet. A splash of white wine brightens it. Spoon it over white rice with black beans and lime on the side, the way it comes in every Cuban café.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 lb ground beef (97% lean)
- 1 tsp salt
Sofrito
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 1/2 large bell peppers, green, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 cup white wine, dry
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can (14 oz) canned crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup green olives, halved
- 1 1/2 tbsp raisins
- 1 tbsp capers, drained
To serve
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, or parsley, chopped
- 1 lime, in wedges
- 1/2 cup white rice, long-grain white rice, cooked
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained, warmed with a pinch of cumin
Steps
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and salt and cook, breaking it up and then leaving it alone for a minute at a time so it browns, 6–7 minutes, until no pink remains (160°F).
- Add the onion and pepper and cook 6 minutes, stirring, until soft. Add the garlic, cumin and oregano for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Pour in the wine and let it bubble away for a minute, scraping the pan. Stir in the tomato paste and crushed tomatoes and add a bay leaf if you have one.
- Add the olives, raisins and capers, cover and simmer gently 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick and glossy. Add a splash of water if it gets dry. Taste for salt; the olives and capers bring plenty.
- Scatter with cilantro and serve over the rice, with the black beans and lime wedges on the side.
Good to know
Do I have to use raisins?
They are traditional and give the little bursts of sweetness that make picadillo picadillo, but plenty of Cuban families leave them out, and it's about the same score. Try it with them once.
Can I add potatoes?
Yes, picadillo con papas is just as classic. Add 2 small diced potatoes with the tomatoes and simmer until tender, and serve a little less rice.
What else goes with it?
A fried egg on top (a la caballo) or fried sweet plantains. Leftovers make great empanada or stuffed-pepper filling.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 96
- Protein
- (38%)
- 9 g
- Fat
- (20%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (42%)
- 11 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 244 mg
About 40% of the alcohol remains after cooking; the label counts only that.
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2075 kcal goes into the pot and 2375 g of ingredients comes out as about 2170 g of food: 96 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.