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This Puerto Rican Beef Picadillo recipe is a delicious, quick fix, easy dish filled with flavor. It is perfect for weeknight dinners, layered in casseroles and even as a filling for your homemade savory pastries.
Beef Picadillo is one of my family’s favorite dishes. My daughter loves when I make it to eat with rice and stew black beans. It is the one meal she would devour instantly and would lick the plate if she could.
She is a legit picky eater. So, whenever I find a dish that she would eat this much, I tend to make it often, mostly because she would ask for it continuously, but also because it’s so easy and quick to make.
Picadillo is a really versatile dish and that is why I love it. I am not going to lie. There are weeks when I make this dish multiple times. But that is only because it lends itself to creating so many different meals with it.
For more Puerto Rican favorites, be sure to try my Coquito Drink and Arroz con Gandules.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Bell pepper
- Red onion
- Garlic
- Ground beef
- Adobo
- Black pepper
- Oregano
- Sazon culantro
- Tomato sauce
- Pimento stuffed olives
- Freshly squeezed lime juice
- Cilantro
How to make beef picadillo
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-hot heat. When hot, add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Stir well and cook until onion and bell pepper begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add ground beef and stir while breaking down the meat with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle adobo, pepper, oregano, and sazón. Stir to combine. Continue to cook beef until brown while stirring and breaking up occasionally.
- Once the beef is browned, add tomato sauce, olives, and water. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until all the water has evaporated, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in lime juice, and cilantro.
- Serve warm over a bed of rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like to serve beef picadillo with rice and black beans for an easy weeknight meal, but there’s so many uses for it!
You can have picadillo in tacos, as a filling for your empanadas and even layered in your casseroles like I did in this Mashed Potato and Beef Casserole and this Sweet Plantains and Picadillo Casserole.
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it’s perfect to batch cook and enjoy throughout the week. Once you have made the picadillo, let it cool and then transfer it to an airtight container. It will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days and can be reheated on the stovetop.
Yes, this beef picadillo is great for freezer meals. Place the cooled dish into freezer safe containers or bags and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating and serving.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- It’s best to use lean ground beef for this dish so that it’s not too greasy.
- You can easily swap the beef for ground turkey, lamb, chicken or even plant based ‘meat’ crumbles.
There is so much you can do with this dish. And I didn’t even mention topping your tostones with it. Like, hello! Can it get any better than that?
Tell me, how would you like to have your picadillo?
More Beef Recipes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ bell pepper , chopped
- ½ medium red onion , chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 pound lean, ground beef
- 1 teaspoon adobo
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 pack sazon culantro
- ¼ cup tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon lime juice , freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon sliced pimento stuffed green olives
- 1 tablespoon cilantro , roughly chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-hot heat. When hot, add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Stir well and cook until onion and bell pepper begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add ground beef and stir while breaking down the meat with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle adobo, pepper, oregano, and sazón. Stir to combine. Continue to cook beef until brown while stirring and breaking up occasionally.
- Once the beef is browned, add tomato sauce, olives, and water. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until all the water has evaporated, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in lime juice, and cilantro.
- Serve warm over a bed of rice.
NOTES
- It’s best to use lean ground beef for this dish so that it’s not too greasy.
- You can easily swap the beef for ground turkey, lamb, chicken or even plant based ‘meat’ crumbles.
Nutrition
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