Picadillo Recipe

The picadillo I grew up eating was the one my mom made with ground beef. She would let it simmer until the meat was very tender, then we ate it with warm rice. I remember going back for another serving.

For this recipe, I let the beef simmer in the tomatoes and broth for about 30 minutes before adding the potato and carrots. The vegetables only need another 8 minutes, so they can turn tender without getting too soft.

I also add raisins and Manzanilla olives. The raisins give you a little sweetness, while the olives add a salty and slightly sour bite. These are also the two ingredients that make this different from my pork giniling.

What is Picadillo?

Filipino picadillo can look very close to giniling because both can have ground meat, tomatoes, potato, and carrots. The version I make uses ground beef with raisins and green olives. I also use diced tomatoes and beef broth instead of tomato sauce, so there is enough sauce to spoon over rice without making the dish soupy.

There are plenty of ways to make picadillo at home. Some Filipino versions use pork and leave out the raisins or olives completely. My pork giniling is closer to that style. For this recipe, I keep the raisins and olives.

Why This Picadillo Recipe Works

• Give the beef a head start. I simmer it for 40 minutes before the potato and carrots go in. If everything goes into the pot at the same time, the vegetables can get too soft before the beef is tender.
• Diced tomatoes and beef broth instead of tomato sauce – You get pieces of tomato in the finished dish and a sauce that is not as thick or as sweet as canned tomato sauce.
• Add the raisins early. They need time in the sauce to soften. The olives can wait until the vegetables go in.
• Salt is added at the end – The olives and the broth are both salty, and some brands are saltier than others. Taste after they have simmered, then add salt.

Picadillo Ingredients

• Ground beef – Ground beef with some fat will stay more moist during the simmer. Drain only if a lot of fat pools in the pot after browning.
• Yellow onion – Minced small so it softens into the sauce.
• Garlic – Four cloves, minced. It goes in with the onion.
• Diced tomatoes – One 14-ounce can, juice and all. Plain is best. The seasoned ones with basil or chili will change the flavor.
• Beef broth – Low sodium if you have it. The olives bring plenty of salt, so season at the end.
• Raisins – Regular dark raisins. They soften in the sauce and give the dish a sweet bite here and there.
• Manzanilla olives – The small green olives stuffed with pimiento, sold in jars. Drain them well. Leave them whole, or halve them if you want the flavor spread out more.
• Potato – One potato, cut into half-inch cubes.
• Carrots – Cut these the same size as the potato so they turn tender at the same time.
• Frozen green peas – No need to thaw. They go straight into the pot.
• Olive oil – For sautéing. Any cooking oil is fine.
• Salt and ground black pepper – To taste, at the end.

1. Heat the olive oil in a cooking pot.
2. Sauté the onion and garlic until the onion softens and turns translucent.
3. Add the ground beef. Cook while stirring until the beef turns light brown.
4. Pour in the diced tomatoes and beef broth, then add the raisins. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes.

Lower the heat to a simmer once it boils. A hard boil with the lid on will cook off the broth before the 30 minutes are up.

1. Add the Manzanilla olives, carrots, potato, and green peas. Stir to combine.
2. Cover the pot and continue cooking for 8 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
3. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Continue cooking for 3 minutes.
4. Transfer the picadillo to a serving plate and serve with warm rice.

Check the potato with a fork before you season. It should go in with no resistance.

What to Serve with Picadillo

• Rice – Warm white rice, with some of the sauce spooned over it.
• Garlic Fried Rice – For leftover picadillo the next morning.
• Fish sauce with chili – A small saucer of patis with a crushed siling labuyo on the side, for anyone who wants it saltier or spicier.
• Toast or pandesal – Picadillo spooned over toasted bread works as breakfast.

Storage

• Refrigerator: Let it cool, then keep it in a covered container for up to 4 days. The sauce thickens as it sits, so expect it to look drier on day two. Reheat only the amount you plan to eat.
• Freezer: It freezes well for up to 3 months in freezer bags or containers, portioned so you can thaw one meal at a time. The potato gets softer after freezing but still holds together. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
• Reheating: Warm it in a pan over medium heat with a few tablespoons of water or broth to loosen the sauce. Stir now and then until it is steaming hot all the way through. The microwave works too, covered, with a stir halfway.

More Ground Meat Recipes

• Chicken Giniling with Green Peas – Ground chicken cooked in tomato sauce with potato, carrot, and bay leaves.
• Pork Giniling with Quail Eggs – Ground pork in tomato sauce and beef broth with raisins, carrot, peas, and boiled quail eggs.
• Arroz a la Cubana – Ground beef and pork cooked with raisins and green peas, served with rice, a fried egg, and fried saba bananas.
• Tortang Giniling – Ground meat sautéed with tomato and bell pepper, then mixed into beaten eggs and fried as an omelet.
• Beef Empanadas – Ground beef with raisins and green peas baked inside a pastry crust.

• Manzanilla olives – Any pimiento stuffed green olive is the same thing. Plain green olives work too. You can also leave them out, which makes the dish closer to giniling.
• Raisins – Use a quarter cup if you want less sweetness, or skip them.
• Diced tomatoes – An 8-ounce can of tomato sauce. The sauce will be thicker and smoother with no tomato pieces in it.
• Beef broth – One cup of water with half a beef bouillon cube dissolved in it.
• Ground beef – Ground pork or a half-and-half mix of pork and beef. My pork picadillo uses all pork with boiled eggs. Ground chicken or turkey works, but the dish will be lighter.
• Frozen green peas – Canned peas, drained, added in the last 3 minutes with the salt and pepper.

Serve the picadillo hot with plenty of warm rice and spoon some of the sauce over the top. Make sure each plate gets some potato, carrots, raisins, and green olives along with the ground beef. The beef should be tender, while the potato and carrots should still hold their shape instead of breaking apart in the sauce.