Cuban Picadillo a la Habanera Recipe: A Budget-friendly Cuban Comfort Food Classic Beef Dinner Budget Recipes

“Say ‘Cuban food’ and most people think picadillo, a moist, fragrant hash of sautéed ground meat made subtly sweet-tart-savory with olives and raisins – an Arab influence on Spanish cuisine that was exported to Cuba," states an article on the James Beard Foundation website. "Picadillo is to Cuban and Latin-American cooking what ragù is to Italian: an ingenious way to stretch out a cheap cut of meat into a comfort food classic."

This traditional Cuban picadillo a la habanera recipe uses simple, flavor-packed ingredients and is on the table in about 40 minutes. Serve this Cuban ground beef recipe with rice and black beans, or use it as a filling for empanadas. Take a trip to Cuba without leaving your kitchen!

Cuisine: Cuban 
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 to 8  

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup black olives or pimento-stuffed green olives
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 cup raisins

Here's how to make it: 

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the ground beef, onion, green pepper and garlic. Cook, breaking up the meat as you stir, until cooked through and browned. Drain fat. 
2. Add the tomato sauce, olives, cumin and oregano. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. 
3. Add the raisins. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 more minutes. 

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