Puerto Rican Picadillo

Puerto Rican Picadillo Recipe -- fragrant, flavorful ground beef stew with potatoes, tomatoes, olives and raisins. Easy and no fuss cooking; perfect for lazy weeknight meals or for parties served as stuffing for bell peppers, tacos, burritos, enchiladas and empanadas.

Ingredients

• 2-3 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 pound vegan ground beef
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 small green or red pepper
• 2 tablespoons cilantro
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1/2 cup olives chopped
• 1/2 cup or more raisins
• 1 packet Sazon to taste or use beef or chicken bouillon
• 2 cups potatoes optional

Instructions

1. Add about 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet followed by onions, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne, oregano, sweat for about a minute.
2. Then add bell pepper, tomato sauce, bring to a simmer, add ground meat , potatoes (if using potatoes )  and cook for about 7-10 minutes or more , while stirring frequently to prevent burning burn add about broth or water as needed. Until potatoes is soft and tender . 
3.  Season with salt, vegan chicken bouillon or sazon.
4. Finally add olives , green onions and cilantro, adjust for seasoning. Remove and set aside.

Recipe Notes

1. Some recipes would call for cooking first the ground beef first until it’s nicely browned. But I’d prefer sauteing garlic and onion first for an added aroma and flavor mixed into the ground beef as it is being cooked.
2. For the olives, you may experiment with the plain or fancy one. But most people would agree that pimento-stuffed green olives work best on this dish to balance out the strong, salty flavor of olives.
3. You may also substitute potatoes with chayote depending on your preference.