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Picadillo: Super Easy Ground Beef Recipe

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Picadillo Recipe
Do you have certain comfort foods that everyone in your family enjoys? For my husband and I both, we have a few foods we grew up enjoying. For me, this consisted of a variety of Italian and western European dishes. It was actually quite interesting eating with my husband’s family when we first started dating.  Normally, when people say ‘interesting’ this is a bad thing, but not with his family. His mother is a fantastic cook, and actually made many dishes that I wanted the recipe for once we were actually living together. One dish that I have greatly enjoyed making for us is his mother’s picadillo recipe.

Never had picadillo? If you are like I was years ago, you are likely wondering, “What the heck is picadillo?” This dish has Spanish roots and is actually a very tasty, simple dish. With a mixture of sweet spices, raisins, and ground beef, it is a savory and slightly sweet dish like no other. Normally we eat it over rice, but I haven’t really found many ways it doesn’t taste good. We also love eating it wrapped in tortillas. Knowing that many of you love quick, healthy dishes, I thought I would share with you one of our family favorites. Once you have tried this dish you will likely have a new family favorite – and you don’t have to tell people it’s easy!

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Picadillo – Super Easy Ground Beef Recipe

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4.9 from 7 reviews

Picadillo is a delicious Spanish dish that has a sweet flavor, consisting of a variety of different vegetables. Traditionally, this is served over rice but we found it is also very tasty in tortillas and over nachos!

  • Author: Susan Bewley
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 4-6 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: Spanish/Latin

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 lb Ground Beef
  • 1 Large Yellow Onion
  • 1 Tbsp Garlic (I use jarred garlic)
  • 3 Roma Tomatoes
  • 1 Green Pepper
  • 1/2 cup Raisins
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt
  • 2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 2 –3 Tsp Ground Clove (I use a mortar & pestle to grind my own whole cloves down)
  • 1/2 cup Sliced Pimiento-Stuffed Olives (aka Salad Olives)
  • Precooked Brown or White Rice.

Instructions

  1. Chop tomato, green pepper, and tomatoes with a sharp knife. Set aside.
  3. In a large pan (10 – 12 inches), cook the ground beef and garlic on medium heat until the beef is thoroughly cooked.
  4. Add the chopped tomatoes, chopped green pepper, chopped tomatoes, raisins, salt, cinnamon, and clove to the pan. Cook for five minutes, stirring constantly to make sure all the vegetables are evenly cooking.
  6. Lower the heat to low and cover. Cook for 12 minutes.
  7. Remove cover and mix in the olives. Cook for another 2 minutes.
  9. Remove from heat and stir the picadillo. Server hot over rice.

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Now that I have shared with you one of my family’s favorite comfort foods, what are some of yours? Make sure to tell us in the comments below. Also, make sure to tell us what you think of this recipe! We always love to hear your thoughts!

About 

Susan Bewley is a professional writer who has been writing content online & in print format for over 10 years. As well, she is an alumni of the University of Louisville with a Masters Degree in Special Education. When not working as an online business consultant or ghost writing, she can be found writing on Budget Earth, on her own novel, or working with various entities in the pet industry.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. This sounds really good but I would most likely use seitan or Boca crumbles if I made it since I am a vegetarian. My husband isn’t and he loves spicy food. He says it makes him feel fuller, faster. He likes to quote Pulp Fiction “……my girlfriend’s a vegetarian which pretty much makes me a vegetarian.”

    • LOL!! I bet it would be delicious with Boca Crumbles! My sister Demelza is a vegetarian and I doubt she ever thought of that! I will have to share that with her!

  3. Have never heard of this– definitely going to try it, though nobody around here likes green olives– deal breaker, you think? Or still good without?

  6. This does sound good, I don’t think that I have ever tried anything like this Picadillo worry about the green olives in it, but perhaps hubbywill try it if I make it without, thank you for sharing this recipe.


  7. This recipe is new to me in that I have neverheard of it.This sounds really interesting though and I am curious how it will taste because of the spices in it.Thanks for sharing it.I will be trying it soon.

  8. This looks good. I have too many comfort foods. I like cornbread and buttermilk, beans cooked with plenty of fatback, stewed potatoes, anything that my grandmother use to make.

  10. This recipe looks and sounds delicious. I am always looking for new recipes to try to get out of making the same old thing all of the time.

  11. This sounds really good! I bet it would be good wrapped in tortillas or lettuce like wraps.

  12. This looks so good. I can’t wait to make it! Thank you for sharing the recipe.

  13. wow ‘ i make this already and i add this into a pie shell, some i add cheese, so good and thanks for share

  15. This looks so good! I love picadillo but I didn’t think it was this easy to make. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

  16. This looks tasty and delicious! I would make it and put in some tacos or use with chips too.

  18. I haven’t tried it. The recipe does have an interesting blend of flavors. This sounds like something new to try. I’m stuck in a rut as far as meals go.

  20. I was just looking at a recipe similar to this. Will be trying it soon at the request of my hubby