An Easy, Beefy Picadillo Recipe to Make Weeknights Just A Little More Delicious
Easy, hearty, filling and bursting with flavor, picadillo has long been a comfort food in homes throughout Latin America, and now we’re adopting the tradition, too. A little bit hash-like, this humble dish of ground beef, spiced with cumin and cinnamon and simmered with tomato, garlic, onions and carrots, is meaty, gently spicy and just so very easy to fall in love with. It’s right up there with chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese as meals that are certain to please everyone at the table. Plus, it’s really versatile and easy—serve it with rice for a super simple supper, or think of it as a taco filling and plan a whole taco night around it. There’s no wrong way to do it!
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What Is Picadillo?
Versions of picadillo can be found all over Latin America and there’s plenty of variance from region to region as well as family to family. Classic Cuban picadillo is defined by the addition of briny green olives and sweet raisins, while other versions are heavier on the potatoes. Some use tons of fresh tomatoes, some use paste, some are tomato-less. But the unifying thing is the dish’s namesake meaty base of ground or minced beef, because the Spanish word “picadillo” in English means “minced” or “hash” deriving from the root “picar” which means “to chop”. While we love olives as much as the next person, when it comes to making picadillo, we like to keep it as simple as possible. So, our picadillo recipe is more like what you’d find in Mexico than Cuba—in other words, no raisins or olives here, but plenty of warm spices and an umami hit from a good squeeze of tomato paste, too.
Everything You’ll Need To Make Our Picadillo Recipe
If you keep a pretty good stock of basic spices around, picadillo is almost a pantry recipe. Tomato paste keeps for ages, so we always have it on hand. As for garlic and onions, we try to never run out of those because can you even cook anything without onions and garlic? And even ground beef is usually in our freezer somewhere, if not the fridge. In other words, the picadillo recipe is seriously unfussy! It’s a “hey I can make that and I don’t even have to go to the grocery store” kind of recipe—our very favorite kind of recipe. Here’s what’s in our picadillo:
- Ground beef
- Yellow onion
- Fresh garlic
- Green bell pepper
- Carrot
- Chili powder
- Dried oregano
- Cumin
- Cinnamon
- Tomato paste
- Chicken stock
- Russet potatoes
How to Make Picadillo
Our picadillo is not spicy at all, though it is generously spiced and deeply flavorful. If you like a little heat, serve it with some fresh or pickled jalapeño slices to finish. Here’s how to make the very easiest picadillo:
- Brown the ground beef in a pan with the onions, garlic, bell pepper and carrots.
- Stir in all of the spices and tomato paste.
- Pour in the chicken stock and the potatoes, and bring the pan to a gentle simmer.
- After about 20 minutes—when the potatoes are nice and tender—your picadillo is done!
Tools You’ll Need:
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A New Go-To Picadillo Recipe
We hope this easy, tasty picadillo becomes a fast favorite in your home, just like it has in ours! Try it out and let us know how you like it, OK? Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
