Picadillo a la Cubana (Cuban Beef Hash)
Minced beef cooked in a tomato sofrito with cumin, olives, capers and raisins, a sweet-salty-savoury Cuban weeknight favourite. Served with white rice and a fried egg.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Make the sofrito
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook the onion and green pepper for about 6 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute until fragrant.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 1 green pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
✅ Done when: onion and pepper are soft and the garlic smells fragrant, not browned
Brown the beef
Turn the heat to high and add the minced beef to the pan. Cook 6-8 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned all over with no pink left. Stir in the cumin, oregano and salt.
- 600 g minced beef
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
✅ Done when: beef is browned all over with no pink remaining and reaches 71 °C / 160 °F on a food thermometer
Add the sauce
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Add the olives, capers and raisins
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Serve
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Make the sofrito
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook the onion and green pepper for about 6 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute until fragrant.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 1 green pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
✅ Done when: onion and pepper are soft and the garlic smells fragrant, not browned
Brown the beef
Turn the heat to high and add the minced beef to the pan. Cook 6-8 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned all over with no pink left. Stir in the cumin, oregano and salt.
- 600 g minced beef
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
✅ Done when: beef is browned all over with no pink remaining and reaches 71 °C / 160 °F on a food thermometer
Add the sauce
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Add the olives, capers and raisins
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Picadillo comes from the Spanish picar, 'to chop'. Versions of it are cooked across the Spanish-speaking world, but the Cuban one stands out for its trio of olives, capers and raisins, which balance salty, tangy and sweet.
It's an everyday dish in Cuban homes, cheap and quick to make, and is also used as a filling for empanadas, stuffed peppers and papas rellenas.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Sweet and salty in every bite, it's the definition of Cuban comfort food.
💡 Fun Fact
In Cuba, picadillo served with rice, a fried egg and fried plantains is called 'picadillo a caballo', picadillo on horseback.
Havana and all of Cuba
23.11°N, -82.37°W
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