Quick & Easy Puerto Rican Picadillo

If you already have Puerto Rican Sofrito, you can make picadillo in 10 minutes, flat. This one-pot meal is perfect for weeknight dinners and is one of the famous Puerto Rican dishes. I typically serve it with rice and beans or, if I have extra time, as a filler for empanadas. Tastes even better with my organic annatto oil.

For an even easier weeknight meal, set up a taco bar! This tomato-based picadillo is excellent for tacos. My cousin, Mary, gave me the idea of a taco bar, and I haven’t looked back since. Set out different types of tortillas, toppings, and a bowl of picadillo, and let everyone serve themselves. My children are more apt to try new things if they’re in charge of choosing to try them rather than me suggesting them, heaven forbid. They don’t even mind it when I add Aceite de Achiote.

iBuen provecho!

All products featured on Domestic Gourmet are independently selected. I may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through links on this site.

5 from 1 vote

Quick & Easy Puerto Rican Picadillo

A quick one-pot version of Puerto Rican Picadillo

Servings 4 people

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Equipment

• 5 Qt. Casuela (Pot)
• Mixing spoon
• Measuring Cups
• Measuring spoons
• Can Opener
• Chef's Knife

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• ¾ cup puerto rican sofrito
• ¼ cup Spanish olives
• ¼ tsp sazón with achiote
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ tsp adobo all-purpose seasoning with pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder

If you don't have sofrito on hand:

• ½ Spanish onion, diced
• ½ green bell pepper, diced
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 ají cachucha (sweet peppers), diced
• 3 culantro leaves, minced
• ¼ cup cilantro, minced
• 1½ tbsp annatto oil (aceite de achiote)

Instructions

• Preheat pot over medium heat.
• Add the ground beef to the pot.
• Season the ground beef with the adobo, garlic powder, and onion powder.
• Break up the ground beef as much as possible with the mixing spoon and cook through. Ground beef will be brown when it is fully cooked.
• Create a well in the middle of the ground beef, and add the sofrito. Sauté the sofrito quickly before mixing it into the ground beef.
• Stir in the olives.
• Stir in the tomato sauce.
• Stir in the sazón and bay leaves.
• Simmer for 5 minutes to thicken, occasionally stirring, so the picadillo doesn't burn and stick to the bottom of the pot.
• Serve with rice, like tacos, over pasta, or as a filling for empanadas or lettuce wraps.

Pro Tip:

• If using lean ground beef, brown the meat using Domestic Gourmet Organic Annatto Oil (Aceite de Achiote) for a deliciously authentic upgrade!
• Finely mince the olives and sofrito for picky eaters.
• Like any stew, refrigerate the leftovers; it's even better the next day!

No Waste:

• Save all the seeds, stems, and skins; freeze the scraps to make vegetable stock another time. Use the search bar to find a no-waste vegetable stock recipe!
• Add a little bit of water to the tomato sauce can, swirl, and add it into the picadillo. Don't worry if it's a little watery; it'll thicken, and you'll have used all the tomato sauce!

Notes

How to include your child(ren): Your younger chef(s) can sharpen their fine motor skills by measuring out ingredients and setting up your mise-en-place. If you do not have sofrito on hand, let them get in some sensory play by ripping the green pepper, cilantro, culantro leaves and peeling the garlic and onion. Be sure to give them a pair of goggles if they’re handling the onion to avoid a meltdown during the cooking process!

Depending on the age and your comfort level, allow your little chef(s) to pour in the ingredients or mix alongside you.

Little chef(s) can explore their sense of independence by making this beginner-level recipe on their own, elevating their self-confidence and abilities in the kitchen.

Calories: 345kcal

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Caribbean, Caribeño, Latin, Latin America, Puerto Rican

Keyword: Picadillo, Puerto Rican, puerto rican food

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25lb | Calories: 345kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 498mg | Potassium: 579mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2534IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 3mg

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below, tag @domesticgourmet on Instagram, and hashtag #domesticgourmet.

About the Author: Ciji Castro

Ciji Castro is the CEO and Executive Chef behind Domestic Gourmet, a premium food and lifestyle brand rooted in honoring ancestral cooking and Latin traditions. With a deep love for bold, heritage-inspired flavors and clean ingredients, Ciji leads the vision and culinary direction of Domestic Gourmet’s product line.

Her flagship product, 🌿 Domestic Gourmet Organic Annatto Oil (Aceite de Achiote), brings vibrant color and flavor to every dish—celebrating the flavors of her Cuban and Puerto Rican roots while meeting the standards of today’s health-conscious kitchens.

Through Domestic Gourmet, Ciji is on a mission to share the richness of cultural cooking with a modern and convenient twist—one thoughtfully crafted product at a time.

Follow along at @domesticgourmet for recipes, cooking tips, and more.

Domestic Gourmet

See Full Bio