• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Girl Meets Fire
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Father’s Day
  • About me
  • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Father’s Day
    • About me
    • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Beef and Lamb Recipes

    Picadillo. Not just a meat filling.

    Published: Apr 7, 2021 · Modified: Mar 7, 2023 by Zoe Morman · This post may contain affiliate links. ·

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    picadillo dressed with boiled baby potatoes, hard-boiled egg, and cilantro

    Picadillo, this is what we call the meat filling in Puerto Rico. We use this filling for everything from empanadas to stuffed potato balls, even lasagna. Today we will cover how to make this flavorful filling.

    In today's post:

    • What is Picadillo?
    • Varieties of picadillo
    • How to make a picadillo, the easy way
    • Here are a few recipes to use with picadillo;

    What is Picadillo?

    Picadillo literally translates to chopped into tiny pieces. It is ground beef cooked with onions, garlic, herbs, and spices. As the ground beef browns, we break the big clumps of meat to create a loose chopped meat mixture. But picadillo can also be used on its own, in tacos, or as a really flavorful chili base.

    Varieties of picadillo

    The traditional picadillo consists of the ingredients I listed above; ground beef, onions, garlic, herbs such as culantro and oregano, and spices like cumin, coriander, paprika, and annatto. Some picadillos will include the addition of hard-boiled eggs, raisins, and prunes. It has been my experience to find this type of empanadas and stuffed potato balls. Of course, if you are making it to fill a lasagna, you are more than welcomed to omit the eggs and raisins and sprinkle some crushed red pepper.

    raisins soaking to be added to picadillo

    How to make a picadillo, the easy way

    Start by bringing a skillet, saute pan, or frying pan to medium-high heat. Place one pound of ground beef onto the skillet. Do not add oil. Allow the natural fat from the beef to dissolve onto the pan. With a meat chopper or your cooking spoon, break the meat into smaller pieces. To the meat, sprinkle salt, pepper, paprika, powdered garlic, powdered onion, cumin, coriander, and annatto powder. Mix well and continue to break down any large lumps in the meat. Once all the pink of the meat has browned, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of sofrito and chopped olives. Saute the meat for a few more minutes to incorporate the flavors. Turn off the heat and set a side to be used in any given recipe.

    Here are a few recipes to use with picadillo;

    • Adobo, The Key to Amazing Puerto Rican Flavor
    • Sofrito, The Not-So-Secret Puerto Rican Secret Ingredient
    • How to Make a Delicious Eggplant Casserole

    Recipe

    a close up o empanada filling on an empanada dough before being closed. Ground beef, potatoes, olives, hard boiled eggs, and cilantro

    Picadillo Quick

    Zoe Morman
    This picadillo and its variations are the most popular way to fill anything from empanadas to stuffed potatoes, or yucca fritters like alcapurrias.  
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 25 minutes mins
    Course Meats
    Cuisine Puerto Rican
    Servings 6 servings

    Ingredients
      

    • One pound of ground beef
    • 1 tablespoon ground garlic
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 1 teaspoon of ground paprika
    • 1 teaspoon of annatto
    • 1 teaspoon of cumin
    • 1 teaspoon of coriander
    • 1 tablespoon of sofrito
    • 12 or as you like pimento-stuffed manzanilla olives green olives
    • 1 cooked potato diced
    • 2 hard-boiled eggs optional
    • Raisins to taste (optional)

    Instructions
     

    • Heat the skillet to medium heat.
    • Add ground beef and begin to sear.
    • Start breaking up the clumps of beef with a spoon, spatula, or a meat chopper.
    • Once the meat begins to sweat and brown, add all the spices and sofrito.
    • Continue to cook until meat is fully cooked and browned.
    • Add olives, potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and raisins if you would like to add that distinct Puerto Rican flavor.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook

    More Beef and Lamb

    • A plate of food
      Pan-Seared Lamb Loin Chops, A Basic Application With Incredible Results
    • a table setting with bowls of sancocho with rice, and a small bowl of bread and a glass of guava juice
      Sancocho, A Stew Like No Other
    • pastel with egg wash before baking
      Pastelón, Plantain Meat Pie
    • Eggplant Casserole on a white plate over an orange cloth napkin
      Delicious Eggplant Casserole with a Puerto Rican Twist

    Primary Sidebar

    Zoe standin in the kitchen smiling

    Hola! I'm Zoe. I love all things food and enjoy cooking. I created this site to reconnect with my Puerto Rican heritage while living in the United States. This is a great place to reconnect if you are floating in the diaspora. I would love to hear from you!

    About Zoe →

    Father's Day Recipes

    • an image of a glass of coquito
      Favorite Coquito Recipe
    • pinchos served with potato salad and collard greens
      Puerto Rican Pork Kabobs, Pinchos
    • a pan of drunken mussels fully cooked
      Drunken Mussels, The Easiest Way To Cook Mussels
    • close-up-of-roasted-chicken-thighs-on-a-serving-platter
      Delicious Puerto Rican Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs

    Popular Recipes

    • close-up-of-roasted-chicken-thighs-on-a-serving-platter
      Delicious Puerto Rican Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs
    • A bowl of funche with shrimp and tomato sauce
      Funche, The simple recipe that became a Building block To Our Puerto Rican Ethnic Roots
    • Closeup of a slice of keto-friendly pecan crusted cheesecake.
      Keto Cheesecake with Pecan Almond Crust
    • Puerto Rican Inspired Keto Cauliflower Yellow Rice
    • a stack of sprinkled polvorones with a glass of milk on the background
      Polvoron, A Puerto Rican Shortbread Cookie
    • a batch of freshly made sofrito with some of the ingredients (cubanelle peppers, onion, herbs, and garlic) surrounding the container.
      Sofrito, The Not-So-Secret Puerto Rican Secret Ingredient

    Interested in Keto? Start Here!

    eBook

    two pestles and mortars on a table

    Want to know the difference between a Ñame and a Yam?  Both sound similar but they are not the same tuber.  What is the difference between CULANTRO and CILANTRO? And what in the world is Pana, or Guanabana?  To find out these and many other ingredients CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE to sign up to my ebook waiting list.  The book with the answers is coming out very soon!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Cookies Policy

    Let's Connect!

    • Newsletter

    Contact

    • Contact Page

    I may earn from qualified purchases made through affiliate links on my website at no cost to you.

    Copyright © 2023 Girl Meets Fire LLC.