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Abuela's Traditional Cuban Picadillo

4.8
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PREP TIME
15 min
COOKING TIME
70 min
TOTAL TIME
85 min
SERVINGS
8 servings
Dinner Caribbean
Abuela's Traditional Cuban Picadillo
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 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
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground bay leaf
  • 3 ounces Spanish-style olives
  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
  • 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
1
Brown ground beef in a large stockpot over high heat, stirring constantly until it reaches a crumbly and browned state, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove excess fat.
2
Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, then add sliced onion, diced bell pepper, and minced garlic to the hot oil. Stir frequently until the aromas are released, 2 to 3 minutes. Combine the cooked vegetables with the browned ground beef in the stockpot.
3
Combine tomato sauce, water, red wine, and hot sauce in the stockpot. Add the dried herbs sazón seasoning, chopped parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin, black pepper, and dried bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil; then reduce heat to low and let it simmer, uncovered, until the picadillo thickens slightly, about 10 minutes.
4
Add halved black olives to the pot and stir them in. Introduce diced squash into the mixture, then continue to simmer until the squash is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, leaving a rich picadillo. Season with salt to taste.