Cuban Beef Picadillo That Solves Weeknight Dinner

I grew up eating cuban beef picadillo, and it's one of those recipes that's been in rotation for years because Cuban food is my favorite. It's ground beef cooked down with tomatoes, olives, cumin, and oregano in a skillet, and it's the kind of meal that makes the whole kitchen smell incredible.

I make this when I want something that feels like home but doesn't take all night. It comes together in one frying pan, and I usually serve it over a big fluffy bowl of rice.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• One frying pan, start to finish
• Ready in about 25 minutes
• Ground beef is budget friendly and easy to find
• The olives and their brine add a salty, tangy bite that makes this different from other ground beef recipes
• Great leftovers, honestly tastes even better the next day
• Serve it over rice, stuff it into empanadas, or eat it straight out of the pan (no judgment)

What You'll Need For This Cuban Beef Picadillo

• Ground beef (or ground turkey if you want a lighter version)
• Vine-ripened tomato, finely diced (or canned diced tomatoes in a pinch)
• Tomato sauce, canned
• Roasted cumin powder
• Dried oregano
• Onion, finely diced
• Bell pepper, chopped (frozen bell pepper works as a sub)
• Onion powder
• White wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• Bay leaf
• Green or Spanish olives
• Olive brine
• Salt and black pepper

Instructions

Start by browning your ground beef in a frying pan with a pinch of salt and pepper and a bay leaf. Once the meat is browned, add the finely diced onion and let it caramelize for a couple minutes.

Then go in with the diced tomato and bell pepper, followed by the cumin, oregano, onion powder, and white wine vinegar. Stir everything together and add the tomato sauce.

Let it cook down for about 5 to 8 minutes so the flavors come together. Right at the end, add your sliced olives and a teaspoon of olive brine, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

The olives go in last so they keep their texture and that briny punch stays bright.

Serve it over a bowl of fluffy rice.

Check the recipe card below for full instructions and amounts.

What to Serve With This

• Easy Fried Sweet Plantains (Maduros). This is the classic pairing. Sweet, caramelized maduros next to salty, seasoned picadillo is how I grew up eating it.
• Puerto Rican Style Stewed Black Beans (Habichuelas Negras). Rice, beans, picadillo. That's the plate. The stewed beans round everything out.
• Black Beans and Rice with Green Chiles. If you want to combine the rice and beans into one side, this is a good way to do it.
• The Easiest Stovetop Basmati Rice. If you just want a simple, fluffy white rice under the picadillo, this is my go-to method.

If You Like This, You'll Love These

I make a lot of ground beef recipes. Here are a few others I've made and loved:

• Ground Beef with Lemon and Parsley. Totally different flavor profile, lighter and brighter, but the same fast weeknight energy.
• Southwest Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Skillet. Another one-skillet ground beef dinner with a Tex-Mex angle.
• The Best Colombian Papas Rellenas (Beef Stuffed Potatoes). If you've got leftover picadillo, stuff it into these. Seriously.
• Ground Beef Orzo with Tomato Cream Sauce and Fresh Basil. Ground beef plus tomato sauce but taken in an Italian direction.
• Rabo Encendido (Cuban Oxtail Stew). If you're into Cuban cooking, this is the slow-cooked version of that same flavor world.

If you make this Cuban beef picadillo, leave a comment. I love reading your comments and will try to get back to every single one.

Olga

Cuban Picadillo (Ground Beef with Olives and Tomato)

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A classic Cuban ground beef recipe with olives, tomato sauce, and roasted cumin. One skillet, weeknight-fast, and even better as leftovers.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 4 people

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American, Cuban

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 vine-ripened tomato finely diced
• 1 8 oz can organic tomato sauce
• 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 small onion finely diced
• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• Handful of green or Spanish olives
• 1 tsp olive brine
• Salt and black pepper

Equipment

• 1 Saucepan
• 1 Wood Cutting Board
• 1 Chef Knife
• 1 Wood Spoon

Method

 

1. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add ground beef with a pinch of salt and pepper and the bay leaf. Break up the meat and cook until browned, about 5 to 6 minutes.
2. Add finely diced onion. Cook until softened and slightly caramelized, about 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add diced tomato and chopped bell pepper. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until softened.
4. Add roasted cumin, dried oregano, onion powder, and white wine vinegar. Stir to combine.
5. Pour in tomato sauce. Stir everything together and let it cook down for 5 to 8 minutes on medium heat.
6. Add sliced olives and 1 tsp olive brine. Stir and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Remove bay leaf. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
8. Serve over fluffy white rice.

Notes

Tips

• The olive brine at the end adds a salty, tangy punch. Don't skip it.
• Frozen chopped bell pepper works fine here if you don't want to chop fresh.
• This makes great leftovers. The flavors get even better after sitting overnight in the fridge.
• You can use this picadillo to fill empanadas, stuff peppers, or top tostadas.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!