Cuban Picadillo
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Deeply savory with a touch of sweetness, Cuban picadillo is an easy, satisfying dinner that’s great over rice.
Cuban picadillo is a comforting, family-friendly dish that’s perfect for a busy weeknight. It’s a quick, saucy beef dish made with ground beef simmered in a savory tomato sauce with onions, garlic, warm spices, briny green olives, and raisins—and it’s ready in about half an hour. If raisins sound unexpected, trust me—they add little pops of sweetness that really make the dish. Spoon it over rice and dinner’s done.
“Fantastic and easy. A keeper!!”
What You’ll Need To Make Cuban Picadillo
- Meat: ground beef, baking soda (for tenderizing)
- Aromatics: yellow onion, green bell pepper, garlic
- Sauce & seasoning: Spanish-style canned tomato sauce, beef broth, sazon seasoning, ground cumin, brown sugar, salt
- Add-ins & finish: raisins, pimento-stuffed green olives, red wine vinegar
- Cooking staple: olive oil
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1. Tenderize the beef. In a large bowl, mix the ground beef with the baking soda and water until evenly combined. Let sit for about 20 minutes to help keep the meat tender.
Pro Tip: Don’t skip the baking soda step. It might seem unconventional, but it raises the beef’s pH and helps it stay juicy as it cooks in the sauce—especially helpful since picadillo simmers rather than browns.
Step 2. Cook the aromatics. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, being careful not to let it brown.
Step 3. Simmer the picadillo. Add the tomato sauce, broth, raisins, sazón seasoning, salt, cumin, brown sugar, and olives, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, pinch off loose 1-inch clumps of the beef, and scatter them over the sauce. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally to break up the meat, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, then taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Pro Tip: Pinching the beef is important. Adding it in loose clumps (instead of dumping it in all at once) gives picadillo its signature texture—small, tender pieces suspended in the sauce rather than a uniform crumble.
Step 4. Serve or store. Serve warm over rice. The picadillo can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 3 months.
Pro Tip: Like many saucy dishes, the flavors deepen after a night in the fridge—making it a great make-ahead option for busy weeks.
More Ground Beef Recipes with Big, Bold Flavor
Cuban Picadillo
Ingredients
- 1¼ lbs 85% lean ground beef
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 small green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (8-oz) can Spanish-style tomato sauce (such as Goya)
- ½ cup beef broth
- ½ cup raisins
- 2 packets Sazón seasoning (2 heaping teaspoons; see note)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoons light or dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup chopped pimento-stuffed green olives
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, baking soda, and water. Mix until evenly combined, then let sit for about 20 minutes—this step helps tenderize the beef.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more; do not brown.
- Add the tomato sauce, broth, raisins, sazon seasoning, salt, cumin, brown sugar, and olives. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Pinch off loose 1-in (2.5-cm) clumps of the beef and scatter them over the sauce. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally to break up the meat, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Stir in the vinegar, then taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve warm over rice.
Notes
- Sazón is a Latin seasoning blend that typically includes salt, garlic, cumin, coriander, and annatto, which gives dishes a warm yellow-orange color and savory depth. It’s widely available in most supermarkets—look for it in the international foods aisle, often near other Latin or Caribbean products. I use Goya Sazón with Coriander and Annatto, but Sazón con Azafran works too.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: Picadillo can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator; reheat gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of water or broth if it thickens. It also freezes beautifully. To freeze, let it cool completely, then transfer to freezer-safe containers or zip-top bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and warm on the stovetop before serving.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
This recipe intrigued me from the first reading and did not disappoint. Everyone loved the various sweet and tangy elements that really came together in the end. I think it’s going to be even better tomorrow after the flavors meld and deepen. I served it over steamed rice as suggested. Like a Cuban chili…kind of 🙂
Really enjoyed this.
Really became indistinct, too many ingredients, so nothing stood out. Not sure how to tweak it. Added a lot more vinegar than called for, used a ground beef/pork mix for softer results. It was delicious, however, not very memorable. And I usually adore these recipes.
Hi Jenn
I’d love to make this recipe. I ordered the Sazon seasoning from Amazon but unfortunately it contains MSG. Are there spices I could use in place of the Sazon?
Thanks Jenn!
Hi Cindy, I’d recommend the following combination of spices:
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika (either sweet or smoked)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon turmeric (optional, for color)
I’d love to hear how it comes out if you try it!
Also you can buy loisa seasonings! They have a great adobo and sazon with no preservatives or msg.
This was really delicious. I was not sure my husband would like it because of the raisins, but he shocked me when he said the raisins made the dish! Thanks for another delicious recipe that was also quick and easy to make!
Made a double batch so I could freeze some for a quick dinner but we ended up almost finishing it!
This was such a pleasant surprise! I’ve never had picadillo before, and the combination of ingredients intrigued me because I love savory and sweet flavors together. It did not disappoint – this will be going into my “make frequently” rotation!
I enjoyed this recipe, slightly different, and easy to adjust for taste preferences. I served it over rice, which was perfect, but I think the leftovers will be a “sloppy Joe” type since it will be lunch portions. The only thing I would change would be the additional oil to cook the vegetables. Adding the meat directly into the sauce did not give me a chance to drain any extra fat, and the finished dish was a little too oily. I’ll go back to my usual of cooking the meat first, adding the vegetables, and draining before adding the sauce next time.
Jenn, I always know I will love your recipes but this one I didn’t. I used Impossible ground “beef” as we’re vegetarians. I increased to 3 packets of Sazon, increased cumin, garlic and olives and it still wasn’t as flavorful as others describe. Do you have suggestions?
Hi Barbara, I’m sorry this was not as flavorful as you would’ve liked. I think the culprit is likely the ground beef substitute you used, as regular ground beef adds a lot of flavor and fat (which translates to flavor).
A delicious and tasty combo. Made it exactly as written and my family (husband and two toddlers) loved it and asked me to keep it in the dinner rotation. Also reporting it is great for a leftover lunch!