Today I have simple and comforting Chorizo and Beef Picadillo recipe made with tomato sauce and served over white rice.
This variation of the Cuban style beef picadillo has definitely earned itself a spot on my list of favorite go-to recipes, and is absolutely one that I will be making again and again.
What is Picadillo?
It is a traditional dish in Spain and Latin America. It's typically made with ground beef, tomatoes, vegetables, spices and other ingredients that vary according to country, region and the cook. It is usually served with white rice or used as a filling in dishes such as stuffed potatoes (papas rellenas), croquettes and empanadas.
Ingredients You'll Need
You can find the printable recipe card with exact amounts and cooking directions below.
Oil: I recommend using a good quality olive oil.
Meat: You need ground beef and fresh chorizos for this recipe
Spices: Ground cumin, oregano, salt and pepper.
Vegetables: Onion, potatoes, garlic, green and red bell pepper.
Flavor and Condiments: Tomato sauce, tomato paste, red wine and beef broth. If you don't want to use wine replace it with more broth.
Many authentic Hispanic dishes call for the use of tomatoes and Latin women are known for using fresh, natural, quality ingredients when they cook for their families. Cooking with such ingredients are a way of life for Latinas, a tradition passed down from our mothers and our grandmothers!
This is a fabulous dish with a lot of flavor that had just the right amount of sweetness. This recipe isn't exactly a 30-minute meal, it takes a little bit of time and preparation, but if you have a few extra minutes, this Chorizo and Beef Picadillo is totally worth it. You can pull together your side dishes and lay the table while it simmers! I urge you to run, not walk, into the kitchen and get a pan of this started.
How to Serve this Dish
I served the picadillo with white rice, avocado, and fried green plantains (patacones). If you like Latin food, you need to have this picadillo in your rotation! Buen provecho!
How to Make Picadillo
- Place a sauce pan on medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
- Add the beef and chorizo. Brown, stirring occasionally, then add the cumin, oregano, onion, bell peppers, garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes more. Add the potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes more.
- Add the tomato sauce, wine, broth, olives and raisins. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Serve with white rice and fried plantains on the side.
More Easy Meals
Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice)
Chorizo and Beef Picadillo Recipe (Picadillo de Carne y Chorizo)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 fresh chorizos crumbled
- ½ teaspoon of ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon of ground oregano
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves crushed
- 4 small yellow potatoes peeled and cut in bite sized pieces
- Salt and pepper to your taste
- 2 cans tomato sauce 8 oz cans
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup of red wine
- ½ cup of beef broth
- ½ cup of stuffed Spanish olives or green olives
- ⅓ cup of raisins
Instructions
- Place a sauce pan on medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
- Add the beef and chorizo. Brown, stirring occasionally, then add the cumin, oregano, onion, bell peppers, garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes more. Add the potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes more.
- Add the tomato sauce, wine, broth, olives and raisins. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Serve with white rice and fried plantains on the side.
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch)
That looks flat out delicious. Picadillo is something I've been wanting to make. It's that "olive thing". 🙂 Thanks for the recipe.
Alanna Kellogg
Beautiful! I made picadillo for the first time a week or so ago when it was in the Sunday column in the New York Times. Love the olives!
Angie@Angie's Recipes
Your picadillo looks hearty and delicious, Erica.
ela@GrayApron
What a great dish! The olives is a delicious idea.
Louis
What kind of chorizo is used in this recipe?
Erica Dinho
I used Premio fresh chorizo.
Louis
Hi Erica. Just finished the dish and is delicious. Saludos desde California
Juliana
Erica, this picadillo looks delicious, I love the olives in it...delicious over rice...indeed a very heart meal.
Have a great week 😀
grace
you know, i just really dislike olives, but everything else about this dish sounds incredible! supreme comfort food, just in time for winter. 🙂
Donna
I making this right now. Shouldn't I drain the beef mixture before adding ingredients?
Erica Dinho
You can do it, but I like to use the fat for flavor. I used yellow potatoes and they cooked very fast, but you can cook them first and add them to the dish at the end.
Donna
Also my potatoes are not cooked after the 30 minutes. I think they should be partially boiled or microwaved first maybe? Lol as you can see, not a great cook here but trying!
Diana
My potatoes were still hard waaaaay after the 30min as well 🙁
Erica Dinho
You can partially cook the potatoes, before adding them to the picadillo.
Bev Pimienta
OMG this was amazing!! Cooked recipe as written & it needed nothing extra!! Super quick and easy for a weeknight meal & satisfying too. Next weekend im trying some of your bead/desert recipes!! Love this site.
Diana
I think 1 cup of red wine may have been waaaay to much :/ my family wasn't a fan of the flavor 🙁
I am going to retry it without it
Erica Dinho
Replace the wine for beef broth.
Daisy Beltran
I made this for one of my homework assignments in Spanish class. It's so delicious! 🙂
Katrina Lulng
Yo hice este para mi clase de español tres. La comida es major de pensaba. Es muy delicioso.
Susan Swonger
Made this dish last night - Yum!
I used little purple potatoes, my white ones were sprouting & old, they cooked perfectly.
I usually make a picadillio that is sweeter. It has cinnamon & nutmeg and calls for Sofrito -
This was a nice change!
Thank you!
Maxine
This was delicious thank you!