Description
This is my grandmother’s Cuban picadillo (ground beef hash/chili) recipe which is usually served with white rice, beans and plantains. Picadillo also goes great with mashed potatoes and can be made without the squash. This dish is a favorite at home so I usually make 2 pounds to have leftovers for making empanadas (meat pies) the next day. Picadillo also freezes well. Of course my kids say this is the best picadillo they’ve ever had and I have to agree!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ onion, chopped
- ½ green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup red cooking wine
- 3 tablespoons hot sauce (such as Louisiana®)
- 1 (1.41 ounce) package sazon seasoning (such as Badia® Tropical®)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground bay leaf
- 3 ounces Spanish-style olives
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
Instructions
- Cook and stir ground beef in a large stockpot over medium-high heat until crumbly and browned
- 5 to 10 minutes. Drain grease.
- Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion
- bell pepper
- and garlic to hot oil; cook and stir until fragrant
- 2 to 3 minutes. Add to beef in the stockpot.
- Pour tomato sauce
- water
- wine
- and hot sauce into the stockpot. Stir in sazón seasoning
- parsley
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- cumin
- pepper
- and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer picadillo
- uncovered
- until slightly thickened
- about 10 minutes.
- Split olives in half with your fingers and stir into picadillo. Add squash. Simmer until squash is tender and liquid reduces but picadillo is not dry
- 45 to 60 minutes. Season with salt.
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr 7 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 22 mins
Servings: 8