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Cuban · Caribbean

Picadillo a la cubana

Non-vegetarian

Ground beef simmered in a cumin-scented tomato sofrito with green olives, raisins and capers — salty, sweet and tangy all at once. A quick Cuban home classic served over white rice.

Picadillo a la cubana is a Cuban main course, ready in about 40 minutes and made with ground beef, green olives and raisins. It serves 5 and is rated easy to cook.

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Cuban picadillo, seasoned ground beef, served with white rice
Photo: Cary Bass / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-3.0
Prep
10 min
Cook
30 min
Total
40 min
Serves
5
Level
Easy
Calories
434

Ingredients

5 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oil in a large pan and soften the onion (opens in a new tab), pepper (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) for 5 minutes.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Add the beef and cook, breaking it up, until no longer pink. Season with cumin (opens in a new tab), oregano (opens in a new tab), salt and pepper (opens in a new tab) and splash in the wine, letting it bubble away.

    • 8 min
    • medium-high heat

    Food safety: Cook ground beef until no pink remains.

  3. Step 3

    Stir in the passata, olives, raisins (opens in a new tab) and capers (opens in a new tab), then simmer, partly covered, for 15 minutes until thick. Fold in the fried potatoes (opens in a new tab) if using.

    • 15 min
    • low heat

  4. Step 4

    Serve over white rice (opens in a new tab).

    • 1 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Cuba · Commonly attributedPicadillo is made across the Spanish-speaking world; the olive-raisin version is strongly identified with Cuba.Also popular in Puerto Rico, United StatesMore food from Cuba
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses
Cooking method
Sautéed, Simmered
Taste
savoury, sweet & savoury, tangy, salty
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Pork-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Without the optional extras: Whole-food focused, Paleo-style, Alcohol-freeWith the listed swaps: Beef-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pan · Everyday · Budget-friendly · Freezer-friendly · Child-friendly
Cook more with
Ground beef · Green olives · Raisins · Onion · Green bell pepper · Garlic
Techniques
Sautéing · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Sulphitesfrom dry white wine, raisins

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

434 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 271 g · recipe makes 5

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 26%
  • Carbohydrate 16%
  • Fat 58%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy434 kcal160 kcal
Protein28.1 g10.4 g
Carbohydrate17.8 g6.6 g
Net carbohydrate14.9 g5.5 g
Sugars10.6 g3.9 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre2.8 g1.1 g
Fat28.2 g10.4 g
Saturated fat9 g3.3 g
Trans fat1.2 g0.4 g
Cholesterol95 mg35 mg
Sodium1001 mg370 mg
Salt equivalent2.5 g0.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
821 mg
Calcium
64 mg
Iron
4.7 mg
Magnesium
50 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
26 µg
Vitamin C
28 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Vitamin B12
3 µg
Folate (DFE)
23 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: dry white wine, potato, long-grain white rice.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • A spoonful of the olive brine brightens the sauce.

Serve with

  • With white rice, black beans and fried ripe plantains (maduros), or topped with a fried egg (a caballo).

Storage

  • Refrigerate 3 days or freeze for 3 months.

Reheating

  • Reheat in a pan with a splash of water.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 2, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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