Cuban Picadillo

Classic Cuban comfort food made from ground meat and a flavorful combination of olives, capers, and raisins.

By
María del Mar Cuadra
A headshot of Maria del Mar Cuadra, a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
María del Mar Cuadra
María del Mar Cuadra is a food stylist, recipe developer, and art director. She has written three cookbooks and worked for America's Test Kitchen.
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Updated March 10, 2024
A blue ceramic plate with picadillo, white rice, and black beans.

Serious Eats / Diana Chistruga

Why It Works

  • A sofrito of chopped onion, garlic, and bell pepper creates a flavorful foundation. 
  • Briny green olives, capers, and raisins add brightness and texture to the final dish.

Picadillo is a Cuban-style hash made with ground pork, ground beef, or a combination of both. While simple to make, this classic Cuban dish is extremely flavorful. It begins with a sofrito of finely chopped onion, red bell pepper, and garlic. Sofrito is the base of many Latin American dishes and it is truly the backbone, so avoid taking shortcuts and cook the vegetables slowly, allowing them to sweat rather than crisp and color. Dried cumin, dried oregano, bay leaves, tomato paste, and white wine are additional ingredients that layer the picadillo.

What makes picadillo really sing is the addition of briny, pimento-stuffed green olives, capers, and raisins. I've had versions with and without potatoes and both are great, so if you're reluctant to double-starch (picadillo is served with white rice) feel free to leave the potatoes out.

Picadillo blends various textures and flavors, like concentrated saltiness and plump sweetness, which meld together seamlessly in a dish that's symbolic of good Cuban home cooking.

July 2012

Recipe Details

Cuban Picadillo Recipe

Cook 40 mins
Active 30 mins
Total 40 mins
Serves 8 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 medium yellow or white onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

  • 1 small red bell pepper, cored and seeded, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)

  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste

  • 4 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped (about 4 teaspoons)

  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin

  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1/2 cup dry white wine

  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef

  • 1 cup diced canned tomatoes

  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

  • 1/3 cup raisins

  • 1/2 cup pimento-stuffed olives plus 2 tablespoons brine

  • 2 tablespoons capers

  • 1 large waxy potato (such as Yukon Gold or red, about 8 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes

Directions

  1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and bay leaves and cook until fragrant and tomato paste darkens in color, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes.

    A collage showing the sofrito ingredients being cooked down in a stainless steel pan.

    Serious Eats / Diana Chistruga

  2. Add meat and cook, stirring and breaking up chunks, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, raisins, olives and their brine, capers, and potato. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes.

    A two-image collage showing meat and potatoes being added to the pan of cooked ingredients.

    Serious Eats / Diana Chistruga

  3. Remove cover and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove and discard bay leaves. Serve with white rice and black beans.

    A stainless steel pan containing the cooked picadillo, with bowls holding white rice and black beans on the periphery.

    Serious Eats / Diana Chistruga

Special Equipment

12-inch skillet

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
349Calories
19gFat
19gCarbs
25gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories349
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g24%
Saturated Fat 6g31%
Cholesterol 76mg25%
Sodium 492mg21%
Total Carbohydrate 19g7%
Dietary Fiber 3g9%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 25g
Vitamin C 44mg222%
Calcium 68mg5%
Iron 4mg24%
Potassium 771mg16%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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