Mexican Picadillo
Seasoned ground beef with olives, raisins, and tomatoes—a rustic, sweet-savory dish ready in 30 minutes. Serve over rice or in warm tortillas.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 385
- Protein
- 32g
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs ground beef
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 15 oz canned tomato sauce
- ¾ cup green olives, pitted and halved
- ½ cup raisins
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- 1
Dice the onion into 1/4-inch cubes by first cutting the onion in half from root to tip, then laying each half flat and making horizontal cuts, then crosswise cuts, then lengthwise cuts.
- 2
Mince the garlic cloves until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice—about the size of pencil-tip dots—by placing the flat side of the knife over each clove and pressing down, then cutting.
- 3
Cut each green olive in half lengthwise from top to bottom around the pit, discard the pit, and place the halves in a small bowl.
- 4
Heat the 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it is hot to the touch on the outside, about 90 seconds—this is when you will see wisps of smoke just beginning to form.
- 5
Add the ground beef to the hot skillet in one clump, then let it sit undisturbed for 2 minutes so it browns on the bottom, then break it apart with a wooden spoon into 1-inch chunks.
- 6
Continue breaking the beef into smaller pieces as it cooks, stirring once every 30 seconds, until no pink remains and the pieces are the size of peas, about 4 more minutes total.
- 7
Tilt the skillet and use a spoon to push the cooked beef to one side, pouring off excess fat into a small bowl until only 1 tablespoon remains in the pan.
- 8
Add the diced onion to the same skillet and stir constantly over medium-high heat until the onion pieces soften and turn slightly translucent at the edges, about 2 minutes.
- 9
Add the minced garlic and stir into the onion, cooking for 30 seconds until the kitchen smells strongly fragrant—this releases the garlic's flavor.
- 10
Stir in the cumin and oregano, stirring constantly for 20 seconds until the spices smell very fragrant and coat the meat and onion.
- 11
Pour in the 15-ounce can of tomato sauce and stir everything together with a wooden spoon, scraping up any stuck-on brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- 12
Add the 0.75 cup of olive halves and 0.5 cup of raisins, stir to combine, then reduce heat to medium-low so the sauce simmers gently.
- 13
Simmer the picadillo uncovered, stirring once every 2 minutes, until the sauce darkens slightly and the raisins are plump and soft, about 8 minutes total.
- 14
Taste the picadillo and add 0.25 teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper, stir well, taste again, and adjust as needed.
Tools you’ll need
- 12-inch skillet with lid or large saucepan
- wooden spoon
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- small bowl
- spoon for tasting
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