Spiced ground beef with tomatoes, olives, raisins and capers in a fragrant sofrito — Cuba's most versatile everyday dish, served with rice and beans.
Cuban picadillo is one of the most versatile and comforting dishes in Latin American cooking: ground beef cooked with a fragrant sofrito of garlic, onion, cumin and tomato, then enriched with olives, capers and raisins that give the dish its characteristic sweet-salty-briny complexity. The unusual combination of raisins and olives with savoury beef reflects the Moorish influences on Spanish cuisine, which were carried to Cuba during the colonial period. Picadillo is eaten over white rice, used as filling for empanadas and pastelitos, or served as a simple weeknight dinner with plantain. It is one of the most economical and satisfying dishes in Cuban cuisine — a complete meal built from humble ingredients.
Serves 4
Brown beef mince in a little oil over high heat, breaking it up. Once browned, drain excess fat.
In the same pan, fry onion, garlic and green pepper for 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook 2 minutes. Return beef to the pan.
Add tinned tomatoes, cumin, oregano, salt and sugar. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir in raisins, olives and capers. Cook for 5 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning — it should be sweet, salty and slightly tart all at once. Serve over white rice.
The raisins and olives are not optional — they are the defining flavour of Cuban picadillo.
Picadillo is excellent as empanada filling — refrigerate overnight first so it firms up.
The dish should be slightly sweet from the raisins and briny from the olives — taste and balance these.
Taste and adjust salt at the very end — flavors concentrate as liquids reduce, and a final pinch of flaky salt sharpens the whole dish.
Add diced potato and egg (hardboiled) to make it more substantial.
Puerto Rican picadillo uses annatto oil and slightly different spicing.
Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.
Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.
Refrigerate for up to 5 days. Freezes well for up to 3 months.
Picadillo is found across Latin America, Spain and the Philippines — all reflecting the Spanish culinary diaspora. The Cuban version is distinguished by the generous use of olives, capers and raisins, reflecting the Moorish influence on Andalusian cooking that was transplanted to Cuba during the colonial period. Cuban picadillo became one of the country's most widely cooked everyday dishes, adaptable to whatever is available.
Yes — ground turkey is a lighter but delicious alternative. The flavour is slightly less rich but the dish works very well.
Yes — most of the components can be prepared up to a day in advance and refrigerated separately. Reheat gently and assemble just before serving so textures stay distinct.
Stay close to the role each ingredient plays: swap aromatics for similar ones (shallot for onion, lime for lemon), and keep the fat-acid-salt balance intact. Spice blends can usually be approximated with what's in the cupboard.
Authenticity sits on a spectrum — what matters more is honoring the technique and balance of flavors. If the dish tastes harmonious and respects how cooks in its home region would build it, you're on solid ground.
Per serving (320g / 11.3 oz) · 4 servings total
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