Chickpea Picadillo

By Rick A. Martínez

Published April 23, 2025

  • Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
40 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(742)
Comments
Read comments

This plant-based take on a Mexican picadillo trades the traditional ground meat for a deeply savory mix of mushrooms, tofu and chickpeas, simmered with tangy tomatillos, poblano and scallions until everything melds into a rich, comforting hash. A box grater gives the tofu a ground meat-like texture that crisps beautifully in the pan, while the tomatillos add a tart freshness that keeps each bite lively and light. This weeknight-friendly dish is flavorful and deeply satisfying — especially when served alongside rice and beans or made into tacos or burritos. Make a double batch and freeze the leftovers: This is the kind of comfort food whose flavor gets better with time.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 8 ounces mushrooms (such as cremini), chopped

  • 12 ounces extra-firm tofu, grated on the large holes of a box grater

  • 5 large scallions, chopped, green and white parts separated

  • 1 medium poblano chile, seeds removed, chopped

  • 1 to 2 jalapeños, chopped (use 1 seeded jalapeño for a milder dish, 2 with seeds for medium heat)

  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

  • 6 ounces tomatillos (about 3), husked, rinsed and chopped

  • Salt

  • 1½ cups vegetable or mushroom stock 

  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, undrained

  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems

  • Rice and beans, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

48 grams carbs; 3 milligrams cholesterol; 524 calories; 17 grams monosaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 29 grams fat; 13 grams fiber; 1088 milligrams sodium; 24 grams protein; 11 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

  1. Step 1

    Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large well-seasoned cast-iron or nonstick skillet over high. Cook mushrooms, tossing occasionally, until browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl.

  2. Step 2

    Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the same skillet and cook tofu, tossing occasionally, until any liquid has evaporated and the edges are browned (tofu should look like shredded and browned egg whites), 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms.

  3. Step 3

    Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the same skillet and add the scallion whites, poblano, jalapeño, garlic, tomatillos and salt and cook, tossing occasionally, until the scallions are just starting to brown and the tomatillos begin to break down, about 5 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Reduce heat to medium-high and return the mushrooms and tofu, along with any juices, to the pan. Stir in the vegetable stock and the chickpeas along with their liquid. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits, until all the vegetables are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with more salt if needed.

  5. Step 5

    Mix in cilantro and scallion greens just before serving. Serve with rice and beans.

Tip

  • Picadillo (without cilantro or scallion greens) can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave or in a small saucepan, covered, on low.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
742 user ratings
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Comments

Brian

Freeze the tofu first, then grate it. Not only does this make grating easier, freezing will draw out some of the water, and a drier tofu will absorb more of the sauce in the pan. You'll also get more of a ground meat texture by grating frozen tofu.

Stacy

To be annoying: if you use super firm tofu, not extra firm, there’s no need to freeze or press out liquid before grating. It’s truly a wonderful, protein- packed version of tofu and so easy to use. Just a thought.

HeyBCool

This is terrific. Instead of grating the tofu, I used a fork and broke it up until it resembled the consistency of ground beef. I air fried the crumbled tofu while I prepped and sautéd the mushrooms, which was a time/effort saver. Better than Bullion roasted garlic base was a great alternative to the broth. I’ll be making this again.

Francis Urquhart

Based on comments, I added the following with the onions and peppers: 1.5 tablespoons of tomato paste 1 tsp of Smoked Paprika 1.5 tsp of cumin 1.5 tsp of coriander I didn’t have tomatillos so I added in 3/4 jar of Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde with the tofu and chickpeas instead of stock. (Next time I will add the whole jar.) After I put the tofu and chickpeas in I also added about a dozen sliced green olives from Trader Joe’s that were stuffed with garlic and jalapeno for the last five minutes of cooking. I also squeezed in the juice of two small limes before scattering the green onion and chopped cilantro. I also added another clove of garlic for a total of four. Really delicious served over brown rice. It will be a regular in our house!

Wendy

One of the best recipes I’ve made in a while. Will definitely repeat.

Soooo good!

This recipe is great! My teenage boys loved it. I didn’t have tomatillos — I substituted 1 chopped bell pepper, 6 ounces grape tomatoes sliced in halves, and 1 teaspoon lime juice. I added 1 teaspoon salt.

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