When you need a 30-minute dinner that uses what you already have in the cupboard, this Healthy Picadillo is the ultimate answer. This isn't your average ground beef hash; it's a vibrant, spice-forward meal that's both Weight Watchers-friendly and kid-approved. By using extra lean ground beef and skipping the unnecessary oils, I've created a high-protein, low-point dinner that tastes like it simmered all day. Serve it over rice or tuck it into tacos for a fresh take on a Latin classic that your weekly rotation has been missing.
It's not easy to find healthy, easy, quick and Weight Watchers friendly recipes made with ground beef; especially recipes that use mostly pantry ingredients.But this recipe is exactly that! And it has been one of my go-to recipes for years. It is popular around Cinco de Mayo in May, but great for any time of the year!
What is picadillo?
Picadillo is a traditional dish in many Latin American countries and the Philippines that is similar to hash. It is made with ground beef, tomatoes, raisins, olives, capers, and other ingredients that vary by region. I LOVE my picadillo with not only olives but capers too, and that is the Cuban version!
Most versions of this classic dish fall into two camps: either too sweet or a bit too plain. But my Picadillo breaks the mold by blending traditional Cuban roots (hello, capers and olives!) with a zesty Mexican flair of fresh lime and cilantro. And if your family is "anti-raisin," you're in luck-I've swapped them for a hint of brown sugar to keep that signature sweet-and-salty balance without the texture issues. It's a quick, one-skillet meal that proves "healthy" and "ground beef" definitely belong in the same sentence.
🥘 Ingredients Notes
- Extra lean ground beef - I love making healthy and Weight Watchers friendly recipes with extra lean ground beef; there aren't enough of them out there. My Hamburger Soup is another! Many WW picadillo recipes use ground turkey for the ground meat, and although I enjoy it, I can't give up my ground beef! However, you can make it into turkey picadillo by using ground turkey, or use ground chicken breast, if you wish.
- Raisins - The original recipe I use as a base calls for raisins, but since most of my family is not crazy about raisins, I add a little brown sugar instead.
- Cilantro - Although this is a Cuban Picadillo recipe, I do like to add a Mexican flair to this version of picadillo by including fresh lime and cilantro - this combination gives this recipe such a fresh flavor!
- The Sauce: Instead of a sugary canned sauce, a combination of tomato paste, water, Worcestershire sauce, and red wine vinegar creates a rich, tangy, low-calorie base.
- Bell peppers - you can use any type/color (yellow, orange, or red peppers) if you prefer
*See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities
📖 Variations & Substitutions
- Protein: Swap extra lean ground beef for ground turkey, chicken, or bison.
- Sweetener: Use 2 tablespoons of raisins for a traditional touch, or monk fruit for a keto option.
- Vegetables: Add ½ cup of peas and diced potatoes (traditional) or finely diced zucchini for extra "hidden" nutrients.
- Spice: Add a diced jalapeño or a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes for extra heat.
- Vinegar: Replace red wine vinegar with apple cider or white vinegar if needed.
- Tomato: Use 1 cup of tomato sauce in place of the paste and water.
- Brine: If you don't have capers, add extra chopped olives and a splash of olive juice.
- Low Carb: Serve over cauliflower rice or in lettuce wraps instead of white rice.
🔪How to Make Healthy Picadillo (with Lean Ground beef)
- Step 1: In a large non-stick skillet, cook ground beef with onions and peppers over medium-high heat.
- Step 2: Cook until browned, then drain.
- Step 3: Reduce the heat to a simmer, then add tomato paste, water, olives, capers, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, cilantro, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Step 4: Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Serve over rice or in taco shells. Squeeze fresh lime over picadillo.
Expert Recipe Tips
- The "Flavor Bomb" Brine: For an extra punch of flavor without adding calories or points, don't just add the olives-add a teaspoon of the olive juice (brine) from the jar into the skillet. It deepens the "Cuban" saltiness that makes this dish authentic.
- Don't Overcrowd the Pan: When browning your extra lean ground beef, make sure your skillet is nice and hot before the meat hits the pan. If you crowd the pan or cook it on too low a heat, the meat will "steam" in its own juices rather than browning. Browning (the Maillard reaction) is where all that rich, "beefy" flavor comes from!
- The Vinegar Balance: Picadillo is all about the balance of acid, salt, and sweet. If you find the dish tastes a little "flat" after simmering, add a tiny extra squeeze of lime or a splash of red wine vinegar right before serving. The acid wakes up the spices.
- Finely Dice the Veggies: For the best texture, try to dice your onions and green peppers to be roughly the same size as the crumbles of ground beef. This ensures you get a bit of everything in every bite and helps the vegetables soften quickly during the short simmer time.
- Let it Rest: If you have the time, let the picadillo sit for 5-10 minutes off the heat before serving. This allows the beef to reabsorb some of the tomato-vinegar sauce, making it much more moist and flavorful.
- Pantry Swap: If you run out of tomato paste, you can use ½ cup of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes instead. Just reduce the amount of added water by half so the picadillo stays thick and doesn't become a soup.
- Keep it Moist: Because extra lean ground beef has very little fat, it can sometimes feel "dry." If you find your mixture is thickening too much during the simmer, don't be afraid to add an extra splash of water or beef broth to keep it saucy.
🥗 Side dishes & how to eat picadillo
It is often served with rice or used as a taco filling, with corn tortillas, savory pastries, or croquettes. But I prefer to simply serve it over brown rice or cauliflower rice.
It also goes really nicely with mixed veggies or a salad on the side, such as a garden salad, my Mandarin Orange Salad Recipe, or Spinach salad (shown).
🔢WW Points
This easy picadillo recipe is only 1 WW point per serving (not including rice and the extra olives for garnish). Because extra lean ground beef is now a ZeroPoint food on the current Weight Watchers plan, you can enjoy it without using up all your daily points!! I recommend serving it with cauliflower rice to keep your total meal at just 1 point.
🌡️Storage
Store leftover picadillo in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
👪 Serving Size
This healthy picadillo with ground beef recipe makes 8 servings. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust. If you are making a big batch, you'll need additional skillets.
❔Recipe FAQ's
To make this a low-carb picadillo, simply skip the brown sugar (or use a brown sugar monk fruit substitute, but only half the amount) and serve the mixture over cauliflower rice or inside lettuce wraps instead of traditional white rice or tortillas.
Cuban picadillo (which this recipe is based on) typically features briny elements like olives and capers and is often a bit saucier. Mexican picadillo usually includes diced potatoes and carrots and often uses more chili-based spices. This recipe offers a "fusion" by adding Mexican-inspired cilantro and lime to a Cuban base.
As written, this is a savory and tangy dish, not a spicy one. If you prefer more heat, you can add a diced jalapeño when sautéing the onions and peppers, or add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce.
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📋 Healthy Picadillo Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs extra lean ground beef
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 teaspoon minced or pureed garlic
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 5.5 oz -can tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup chopped pitted olives
- 2 tablespoon capers drained
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro finely chopped
Garnish:
- fresh lime wedges
- cilantro sprigs
- whole green olives
Instructions
- In a large non-stick skillet, cook ground beef with onions and green peppers, over medium-high heat until browned. Drain and return to skillet.2 lbs extra lean ground beef, 1 onion, 1 green bell pepper
- Reduce to simmer, then add tomato paste, water, garlic, olives, capers, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, cilantro and Worcestershire sauce.2 teaspoon minced or pureed garlic, 5.5 oz -can tomato paste, 1 cup water, ¼ cup chopped pitted olives, 2 tablespoon capers, 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro
- Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
- Serve over brown or white rice, cauliflower rice or use as a filling for tacos.
Garnish:
- Garnish with cilantro sprigs, lime wedges and whole green olives, if desired. Squeeze lime over dish (highly recommmended) and sprinkle on black pepper, if desired.fresh lime wedges, cilantro sprigs, whole green olives
Notes
- The "Flavor Bomb" Brine: For an extra punch of flavor without adding calories or points, don't just add the olives-add a teaspoon of the olive juice (brine) from the jar into the skillet. It deepens the "Cuban" saltiness that makes this dish authentic.
- Don't Overcrowd the Pan: When browning your extra lean ground beef, make sure your skillet is nice and hot before the meat hits the pan. If you crowd the pan or cook it on too low a heat, the meat will "steam" in its own juices rather than browning. Browning (the Maillard reaction) is where all that rich, "beefy" flavor comes from!
- The Vinegar Balance: Picadillo is all about the balance of acid, salt, and sweet. If you find the dish tastes a little "flat" after simmering, add a tiny extra squeeze of lime or a splash of red wine vinegar right before serving. The acid wakes up the spices.
- Finely Dice the Veggies: For the best texture, try to dice your onions and green peppers to be roughly the same size as the crumbles of ground beef. This ensures you get a bit of everything in every bite and helps the vegetables soften quickly during the short simmer time.
- Let it Rest: If you have the time, let the picadillo sit for 5-10 minutes off the heat before serving. This allows the beef to reabsorb some of the tomato-vinegar sauce, making it much more moist and flavorful.
- Pantry Swap: If you run out of tomato paste, you can use ½ cup of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes instead. Just reduce the amount of added water by half so the picadillo stays thick and doesn't become a soup.
- Keep it Moist: Because extra lean ground beef has very little fat, it can sometimes feel "dry." If you find your mixture is thickening too much during the simmer, don't be afraid to add an extra splash of water or beef broth to keep it saucy.
*NOTE: Adapted from "Picadillo" Pg. 58. Canadian Living's Best- 30 Minutes and Light
Jersey Girl Cooks says
I love that this is weight watchers friendly. Looks delish too!
Terri Gilson says
That's my fave part too!
Anne Lawton says
I love picadillo with all of the flavors going on, I'm going to give this version a try soon!
Terri Gilson says
I hope you enjoy!