📋 Healthy Picadillo Recipe
This easy, quick and Healthy Picadillo recipe is a Cuban picadillo that's Weight Watchers friendly. It's made with extra lean ground beef and pantry items like olives, capers and tomato paste, as well as cilantro and lime for a Mexican twist! Serve it with rice or as filling for tacos.
Servings 8 servings
Calories 197kcal
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
Expert Recipe Tips:
*NOTE: Adapted from "Picadillo" Pg. 58. Canadian Living's Best- 30 Minutes and Light
- 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
Nutrition
Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 395mg | Potassium: 670mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 382IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 4mg
