This is my grandmother’s Cuban picadillo recipe for ground beef hash/chili, usually served with white rice, beans, and plantains. Picadillo also goes great with mashed potatoes and can be made without 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 agree!
Preparation Details
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins
Servings: 8
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 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Steps
- 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.
