Slow-Cooker Picadillo
Published March 20, 2024
- Total Time
- 5½ hours
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 5¼ hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 2tablespoons olive oil, plus more if necessary
- 2pounds ground beef, preferably 85 percent lean
- Salt and pepper
- 1large yellow or red onion, diced
- 1large red bell pepper, chopped
- 8garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
- 2tablespoons tomato paste
- 2teaspoons ground cumin
- 1teaspoon dried oregano
- ½teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1(14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
- 1½teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1large Yukon Gold or red potato (about 12 ounces), scrubbed and chopped into ½-inch pieces, optional
- 2fresh or dried bay leaves
- 2teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1cup/about 5 ounces drained, halved pimento-stuffed green olives
- ¾cup raisins
- Cuban black beans, for serving
- White rice, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
642 calories; 39 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 2 grams trans fat; 19 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 43 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 17 grams sugars; 32 grams protein; 996 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Put the oil into a large (12-inch) skillet or Dutch oven over high heat (see Tip). When the oil is warm, add the beef, season with 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt, and cook, breaking the meat up with a spatula, until it is no longer pink, forms coarse crumbles, and is starting to brown, about 8 minutes. (It may not brown much depending on the moisture in your beef; that’s OK.) Use a slotted spoon to remove the beef to a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker.
- Step 2
Reduce the heat to medium-high. Add the onion, pepper and garlic to the pan along with a generous pinch of salt. (Add another drizzle of olive oil, if the pan looks dry.) Cook, stirring often, until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Step 3
Add the tomato paste, cumin, oregano, cinnamon and several generous grinds of black pepper. Stir well to combine and to briefly toast the spices, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and vinegar, and scrape the bottom of the pan to incorporate any browned bits. Scrape the mixture out of the pan and into the slow cooker.
- Step 4
Stir the potato (if using), bay leaves and Worcestershire into the slow cooker. Add a small pinch of salt. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.
- Step 5
About 30 minutes before eating, stir in the olives and raisins. Serve with rice and black beans.
Tip
- This recipe is written with the assumption that your slow cooker does not have a sauté function, but if yours does, you can use it for the first 3 steps and avoid using another pot. Just transfer the beef to a bowl after it is browned, then sauté the aromatics as described and add the beef and any accumulated juices back into the pot along with the remaining ingredients before slow cooking.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Brooklyn gal
Skip the five hours in the slow cooker. Not necessary. You’re using canned beans and canned tomatoes. After step 4 leave the food in the Dutch oven, simmer for about half an hour. Add olives and raisins. See the other Piccadillo recipe in Times Cooking.
Barbara
I learned how to make this dish at my Perto Rican grandma's side. I've enjoyed it in Mexico, (they add some jalapeno of course,) Spain, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Miami and Tampa. All very similar to this recipe, but no potatoes. We made it at home in an iron skillet, browning the meat with all ingredients except the diced tomatoes first, then add the tomatoes and simmer for about 30 minutes. Dice the raisins - do not put in whole. No cumin, cinnamon, or Worcestershire; Green not red bell pepper.
Jefferson's Dad
The forward to the recipe reads "Raisins and green olives give this Cuban-inspired version its distinctive sweet-salty-tangy pop, and here, they are added toward the end of the long cooking time so they retain their intensity." So, I think the point is to not overcook the raisins and olives and adding them during the last 30 minutes of cooking is the way to go.
María
Slow cooking is not necessary. None of the ingredients need to cook for five hours. I like to cook on the stove and then put the pot in the oven for the last half hour or so to deepen the flavors.
suprematis
Outstanding recipe. I also skipped the slow cooker and decided to simmer in a Dutch oven for 1.5 hours with the lid on and low heat. I love the touch of cinnamon on it and appreciate the amount of olives and raisins chosen for the recipe. Made it along with the Cuban Black Beans recipe and white rice. Added this recipe to my go to list.
cara
It's not Picadillo without them.
Patricia Morgan
I make this in a Dutch oven. No need for a slow cooker. I also use fake meat which is perfect with all these flavors no one can tell. Corn bread on the side and a Corona to wash it down. Yummy!
Diana
I have been making picadillo for years, because I am Cuban. Picadillo is not supposed to have "sauce" it is supposed to be dry, but quite flavorful. I cooked this today, and it is really delicious. I found it authentic (for Cuba). I always add the pimento-stuffed olives to mine. Cubans do not add red peppers or Worcestershire sauce to their picadillo, but I know other countries do, and I have even seen some add jalapenos. Ingredients are slightly different depending on the country.
Don.t1
Doesn’t really need slow-cooker as the meat is browned first, but I found it convenient.
Ben
This is good and easy. Like some others, though, I eschewed the slow cooker in favor of a Dutch oven. Made the entire dish in the Dutch oven (cooking the ground beef and vegetables at the same time), then put the Dutch oven in a 275° oven for 2 hours. As another observed, this is a dry dish, and I found it necessary to add a half cup or so of water to get a little sauce. I increased the spices slightly to add flavor. Red pepper flakes wouldn't hurt this either.
brecks
Excellent
RD
I'm now convinced, based on this and a few other of her recipes, that this writer doesn't seem to grasp the purpose of using a slow cooker, and instead simply adds it in as an afterthought as a final step to say it is a slow cooker recipe. As others mentioned, with all of the earlier steps, moving this to a slow cooker is pointless as it can just be finished up in about 30 minutes in the same pot everything else was cooked in already, without wasting energy or dirtying a slow cooker needlessly.
Stephan
Made this in my slow cooker. There wasn't much liquid until I gave it 1 hour at high temp, then shifted down to low for the next 4. Delicious, made as suggested and added sliced almonds as the description suggests. Great with rice and with the cuban beans, I'm going to try them in corn tortillas tonight.
Harold
I took the advice of those who removed the browned ground beef from the skillet (well seasoned cast iron) and in that same pan added the rest of the ingredients and finally added back the beef and let the whole lot simmer 45 minutes. Absolutely delicious served over boiled rice. Very little mess, no fuss.
Great
Really good! Made with nyt black beans. Positive feedback from Hubby and teenage son. Made as written but added red pepper flakes, as we like a little spice
martie
I learned to make this when I worked as a nurse in the hospital in Key West. My co-workers made it without the potato but with the black beans in the dish itself. I make it all in a cast iron skillet and serve it over rice. Astounding mix of flavors and always eaten to the last morsel.
Patricia Morgan
I make this in a Dutch oven. No need for a slow cooker. I also use fake meat which is perfect with all these flavors no one can tell. Corn bread on the side and a Corona to wash it down. Yummy!
Rodger
I made this dish exactly to the recipe. It is a very good dish with a great flavor. The raisins seemed to get lost but still an excellent recipe. I served this with white rice. I would not hesitate to serve this at a dinner party. I decided to make the Cuban Black Beans and serve them with the leftover Piccadillo. The combination seems like a perfect match.
KJ
Consider a good jar of Shakshuka sauce to enhance your picadillo recipe and expedite dinner. I use Sam Sifton's recipe (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016814-picadillo) and substitute the shakshuka for the tomatoes. Think of it like Cuban/Moroccan Sloppy Joes. No slow cooker needed - just a good deep skillet.. I also skip the Chorizo (family preferences) and sometimes use a mix of high quality ground pork and beef. Mix the leftovers with rice for stuffed peppers. Manchego to finish.
Diane K
I made this both on the stove top and in the oven, rather than in a slow cooker. It was pretty good, but I think lacked some flavor. I took another poster's advice and made empanadas with the leftovers and those were GREAT! I highly recommend making baked empanadas with this recipe.
Gail
Does this freeze well?
María
Slow cooking is not necessary. None of the ingredients need to cook for five hours. I like to cook on the stove and then put the pot in the oven for the last half hour or so to deepen the flavors.
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