Puerto Rican picadillo is savory ground beef cooked with onions, peppers, potatoes and olives in sofrito sauce. This Puerto Rican comfort food is super easy to put together on a busy weeknight. I love that this meal is also very kid-friendly. My kids love picadillo with white rice and veggies or salad on the side.
What culture is picadillo from?
Picadillo is a popular dish in Latin America. The ingredients vary from country to country but it usually consists of ground beef, onions, peppers and tomato sauce. In Puerto Rico, picadillo also has olives, potatoes and sometimes raisins.
As a child, I preferred picadillo as plain as possible and would pick out ingredients like olives and raisins. But now as an adult, I have grown to love picadillo as is, in all its glory!
How to make picadillo?
Picadillo comes together quickly with staple foods like onions, peppers and potatoes. Begin by dicing the potatoes and boil them for about 10 minutes. They will continue to cook in the picadillo later.
Brown your ground beef and remove any excess fat from your skillet. Add sofrito, tomato sauce, onions and peppers. Season and cook for a few minutes until the vegetables become tender. As for seasoning, I use Healthy Rican Adobo and Sazón. They are free of harmful ingredients like MSG and dyes. Use my code: curlsnpearlsss for 10% off your order!
Add the potatoes, olives and also raisins (if using). Allow the picadillo to continue cooking until the potatoes are tender.
What to serve with picadillo?
Picadillo is delicious to eat over white rice and beans. It’s also a great stuffing for empanadas, pasteles, papas rellenas, alcapurrias and pastelón. Other side dishes that pair wonderfully with picadillo include tostones (fried green plantains), maduros (fried sweet plantains), and yuca with mojito.
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Puerto Rican Picadillo
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/4 cup sofrito
- 1 tbsp chicken or beef bouillon paste Better than Bouillon
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1 small onion diced
- 1/4 green bell pepper diced
- 1/4 red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 potato diced
- 2 tbsp green pimento stuffed olives sliced
- 1 tbsp raisins optional
- 1/2 tbsp adobo Healthy Rican
- 1 tsp sazón Healthy Rican
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ground oregano
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Dice the potatoes and boil them in water for about 10 minutes. They will continue to cook in the picadillo later.
- Brown your ground beef and remove any excess fat from your skillet.
- Add sofrito, tomato sauce, onions and peppers. Add seasonings and cook for a few minutes until the vegetables become tender.
- Add the potatoes, olives and raisins (if using). Add a little water if the picadillo dries up. Allow the picadillo to continue cooking until the potatoes are tender.
Video
Notes
Check out my other Latin recipes!
Puerto Rican Beans (Habichuelas Guisadas)
English 
Spanish 
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I absolutely love this recipe. It’s on my weekly rotation now. It is such a simple yet tasty dish. One day I will attempt to make your Alcapurria recipe.
This is so delicious!
Thank you for your kind words! Picadillo is a favorite for sure!
Picadillo is delicious and easy to do especially when you don’t gave a lot of time it’s quick to make and with the leftovers you could make a different recipe like tacos or piononos
Yes this is a quick and easy recipe for sure. Thank you for your feedback. I hope you enjoy!
This recipe is amazing, I tried this with my picky toddler and she loved it! Keep these simple recipes coming!
Yay that makes me so happy! Thank you for your feedback. I’m glad your toddler enjoyed this recipe.
Pingback: How to Make Alcapurrias (Puerto Rican Fritters) - Todo Wafi
-I usually make this for my family the Cuban way, but this Puerto Rican recipe!! Yummm! I plan on keeping this!
Thank you Feli! Picadillo is a favorite in my house, and so easy to make on busy weeknights! Enjoy love!
I absolutely love this recipe. It’s on my weekly rotation now. It is such a simple yet tasty dish. One day I will attempt to make your Alcapurria recipe.
Thank you Renee for your amazing feedback! I am so happy you enjoy this picadillo recipe. Please let me know when you try my alcapurria recipe as well! xo