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–+ servings
A bowl of picadillo with pieces of green olives, onions, capers, and pimentos mixed throughout.
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5 from 2 votes

Puerto Rican Picadillo

Enjoy the delightful and flavorful Puerto Rican Picadillo, a versatile base for many beloved dishes. This quick and easy recipe is perfect for regular weekday meals, whether as a filling or a main course.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Meats
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 158kcal
Author: Zoe Morman

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon garlic Ground or paste
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1 tablespoon Sofrito
  • 12 green olives roughly chopped

Instructions

  • Heat cast iron or skillet to medium heat but not smoke. Do not add oil.
  • Place meat on the skillet. Let sit for a minute before breaking the meat into small clumps.
  • Continue mincing with a spatula or meat chopper. Allow about one or two minutes between chopping to allow the meat to brown.
  • Add onions and let sweat for a minute. Follow with garlic paste or adobo, sofrito, and tomato paste. Cook for about 5-7 minutes.
  • Add adobo powder or seasonings: paprika, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Also, add olives and capers and cook for 3-5 minutes.
  • Add Beef Broth to create a sauce. About one ounce at a time until you have desired thickness. You may add more tomato paste for a saucier picadillo.

Notes

  • When browning the ground beef, you are looking for a few things:
    • Every cook meat.
    • Make sure to break big clumps into smaller clumps. This helps with even cooking the meat.
    • We want to remove the pink from the meat before seasoning it to ensure it is partly cooked. This way, you know there are no raw particles left behind.
  • If using potatoes and raisins.
    • Add the potatoes raw with the onions or,
    • Fry them and set them aside. If fried potatoes are used, add them along with the olives.
    • Add the raisins with the garlic to allow them to plump while cooking.
  • One pound of picadillo will fill about 20 small empanadas.
  • When using picadillo as a filling for empanadas, allow the mixture to cool before filling the empanadas.
  • I use tomato paste instead of tomato sauce because it renders excellent flavor, and I can control the amount of liquid throughout the process.
  •  

Nutrition

Serving: 3oz | Calories: 158kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 162mg | Potassium: 178mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 171IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg