Cuban-style picadillo is a dish I am very familiar with, but to be honest, it’s hard to find a good picadillo. Nothing compares to homemade. My all-time favorite is the one my Mima makes me with olives and raisins YUM-sorry mom lol. I have always been afraid to make it thinking it would not come close to my abuelas; however, she and my mom recently approved, so I decided to share! This recipe goes so well over rice, pasta, and you can even use the filling to stuff your homemade empanadas (will post our family empanada recipe soon). This recipe offers a slight tang from the tomatoes and olives, yet a hint of sweetness when you bite into the raisins.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground meat, we use 90% lean
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium sized yellow onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 3 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce of your choice
- 1 14.5 oz can of diced fire roasted tomatoes, we use this one
- 4 tbsp Spanish manzanilla olives, sliced
- 2 tbsp raisins
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 2 tbsp oregano
- 2 tbsp basil
- 1 tbsp thyme
- 1 tbsp cumin
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Cooking Instructions
- Grab a skillet, add olive oil, and set it to medium high heat.
- Place you onions and pepper in the skillet and cook for about 5-7 minutes until tender.
- Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the ground meat and begin breaking it apart.
- Now add all the spices and toss to make sure they are well incorporated.
- Cook for about 7-10 minutes.
- Once the meat is browned and almost done, add the fire roasted tomatoes and tomato sauce.
- Mix well.
- Add the olives and the raisins.
- Set the heat to low and let simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
- Pour over rice or pasta and enjoy!
Note: If I am able to find cubanelle peppers, I use two of these instead of the red peppers. I know cubanelles aren’t commonly seen in all grocery stores, so just in case you come across them, try them out in this recipe. Also, instead of olives, sometimes I use this olive salad… OMG must try.
Did you try this recipe? Rate it below and leave a comment. I’d love to hear your feedback.
Hooked on Food 