Slow-Cooker Picadillo
Published March 19, 2024
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 5½ hours
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 5¼ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if necessary
2 pounds ground beef, preferably 85 percent lean
Salt and pepper
1 large yellow or red onion, diced
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
8 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
1 ½ teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 large Yukon Gold or red potato (about 12 ounces), scrubbed and chopped into ½-inch pieces, optional
2 fresh or dried bay leaves
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup/about 5 ounces drained, halved pimento-stuffed green olives
¾ cup raisins
Cuban black beans, for serving
White rice, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)
54 grams carbs; 107 milligrams cholesterol; 691 calories; 20 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 39 grams fat; 2 grams trans fat; 7 grams fiber; 960 milligrams sodium; 33 grams protein; 17 grams sugar
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.
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Preparation
- 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.
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
Comments
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.
Made exactly as written and I loved it. I think the people who are making such a big deal that it doesn’t need a slow cooker are missing the point. I can do the 20 minutes of prep sometime during the day and then LEAVE the kitchen. It’s awesome. Thank you. I wish there more slow cooker recipes on the site.
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.
I doubled this recipe for a church board meeting, and it was a big hit! Since I hadn’t made it before, I followed the recipe pretty closely, except for the Worcestershire sauce, which I didn’t have handy. I doubled the amount of cumin, “just because.” I was skeptical of adding cinnamon, but it added a certain depth of flavor to the dish. A lot of New Mexicans say they dislike green olives, so I put them on the side for people to add. I liked the color the red bell peppers provided. The potatoes were a delicious addition, and meant I could stretch the meat a little. I’ll definitely make this again! Next time, I might try adding some mild green chiles for a New Mexico touch.
Added pinch of ground gloves, a little fresh ground nutmeg and a generous pinch pepper flakes. Delicious.
cloves, not gloves! haha
I made this without using a slow cooker. Followed directions, and then simmered in dutch oven for ~1.5 hrs instead of using slower cooker. Used russet potatoe instead of yukon gold because that is what I had on hand. Added the potato for the last 45 minutes. Added chopped cilantro prior to serving with lime wedges. I thought this was really good. Used around 2 tsp of salt total and probably equal amount of black pepper.