A while back, I recommended a dish called Keema as a way to "spice up" your ground beef repertoire. The idea was we all have ground beef in the fridge or freezer, but aside from burgers, meatloaf, or tacos, what else can we do with it?
Here's another recommendation: picadillo.
Picadillo is a traditional Spanish meal, and like many such dishes it has a ton of variations. This particular recipe is simple, and of a Cuban origin.
Here's what you'll need:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 tablespoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup beef stock or low-sodium broth
Salt
Ground pepper
Optional
1/2 cup sliced pitted green olives
1/3 cup yellow raisins
Steamed rice, for serving
In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the ground beef, oregano, and cumin (and olives and raisins, if using) and cook. When the beef is no longer pink, add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce and stock and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes.
Serve with steamed rice - or rice and black beans, or as a healthier alternative, with quinoa.
Now, as I mentioned, there are many variations to this dish. As an alternative to olives and raisins, you could also use other ingredients that pop up in other countries: capers, potatoes, hard boiled eggs, chorizo, or top with a fried egg.
Salud!
This was a guest post submitted by my longtime friend the Fox Valley Native. Thanks for reading.
Simple Picadillo Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano crumbled
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- ounce One 15- can tomato sauce
- 1 cup beef stock or low-sodium broth
- Salt
- Ground pepper
- 1/2 cup sliced pitted green olives Optional
- 1/3 cup yellow raisins Optional
- Steamed rice for serving
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the ground beef, oregano, and cumin (and olives and raisins, if using) and cook. When the beef is no longer pink, add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce and stock and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes.
- Serve with steamed rice – or rice and black beans, or as a healthier alternative, with quinoa.
Gina
This is the traditional filling for Cuban Empanadas as well. My next door neighbor as a child made them by the dozen!
Fox Valley Foodie
Mmm... now I am hungry for Empanadas. 🙂
Becky
OH MY GOSH!!!! I made this last night and it was a HIT!!! Super easy and super tasty!!!! I pinned it and sharing it with all my family and friends. Thank you so much!