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A Delicious and Easy Recipe for Veggie-Packed Picadillo
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If you’ve never had picadillo before, buckle up – because this dish is straight-up comfort food magic. Plus, it’s a one-pan wonder, making clean up a breeze.
What is Picadillo?
Picadillo is a classic comfort food dish found across Latin America, Spain, and the Caribbean, with every region adding its own unique spin.
At its core, picadillo is a savory, stewed ground meat dish —usually made with turkey or beef—cooked with tomato sauce, aromatics like onions and garlic, all blended together with a myriad of sweet and salty elements. Think briny ripe green olives, golden raisins, the umami of mushrooms, and bold spices all mingling together in one pan. Some versions are spicier, while others are slightly sweeter, but all of them are hearty, flavorful, and designed for easy weeknight cooking. This is the kind of recipe that can feed a hungry crowd, stretch ingredients you already have on hand, and have everyone coming back for seconds.
California Ripe Olives Show Up in This Picadillo Recipe in Three Ways
This Picadillo recipe is big on olives, calling for olive oil, ripe green olives from California, as well as some of the olive brine from the can of ripe olives. The unique flavor of olives is evenly dispersed throughout every bite, just the way we like it.
Here are a few more delicious recipes featuring California Ripe Olives for you to try next.
Easy Horseradish Roasted Potatoes
This incredibly easy side dish pairs crispy + creamy yellow potatoes with zesty horseradish, fresh parsley, ripe green olives, extra virgin olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon–all ingredients you’ll find growing right here in the Golden State.
Blood Orange Olive Shallot Focaccia
This focaccia recipe from Baking the Goods features vibrant ingredients with complementary flavors. That enchanting combination of blood oranges, green olives, and shallots is the perfect topping for homemade focaccia.
What is Sazón Seasoning?
Say hello to the flavor bomb you didn’t even know you needed, sazón seasoning. It’s bold, bright, and totally unforgettable. Originally popular in Latin American and Caribbean cooking, sazón is a blend of spices that includes coriander, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and sometimes annatto or turmeric, which lends it its signature color. It’s not spicy, but it is packed with savory, earthy depth and just enough warmth to make any dish taste like it’s been simmering all day. Add it to soups, stews, rice, beans – honestly, add it to whatever you’re cooking as it instantly elevates the dish.
We used a sazón seasoning created by our friend Illyanna Maisonet in this recipe, which makes assembling and cooking this recipe even easier.
You can also make your own at home if you like. We’ve included a recipe for you below that makes enough for this recipe with only a small amount left over. If you find that you are a big fan of this seasoning blend, we suggest making a double batch.
How to Make Your Own Sazón Seasoning at Home
- 1 TBSP fine sea salt
- 1 TBSP ground annatto (achiote) or sweet paprika
- 1/2 TBSP garlic powder
- 1/2 TBSP onion powder
- 1/2 TBSP ground cumin
- 1/2 TBSP ground turmeric
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
In an airtight container, combine all ingredients. Cover and shake to blend. This recipe makes approximately 1/4 cup of seasoning.
Raisins in a Savory Recipe? You Betcha!
Honestly, we do it all the time! Raisins lend a sweet, unexpected pop of flavor to savory recipes that will have your taste testers coming back for more.
Here are some more of our favorite savory recipes that feature raisins in their ingredient lists.
CA GROWN Pasta Foriana
This simple pasta dinner recipe – a California riff on Pasta Foriana or Spaghetti alla Foriana, is pantry and budget friendly, a meatless option that doesn’t miss on flavor, and is truly delicious.
If you’re a fan of throwing incredible meals together in a hurry or looking for a fabulous late-night pasta recipe, this is for you.
Pilaf with Raisins and Almonds
This traditional pilaf recipe, Arroz de Festa, is a staple at Brazilian festivals and celebrations. It’s perfect for soaking up stews and sauces. You could also serve it alongside roasted meats or as a vegetarian main dish.
Walnut, Raisin, and Chickpea Salad Sandwich
If you’ve been searching for the perfect balance of crunch, creaminess, and a little California sunshine packed into a sandwich, look no further. This Walnut, Raisin, and Chickpea Salad Sandwich is all of those and more wrapped up into one simple Golden State-inspired recipe you can make in about 10 minutes.
Step-By-Step How To Make Our Veggie-Packed Version of Turkey Picadillo
This recipe, with its intriguing mix of ingredients, may seem complicated, but it’s actually quite simple. All you have to do is slice, dice, sauté, and stir your way to one of the most flavorful dishes you’ve tried in a while.
- Prepare all of the ingredients. Slice, dice, mince, measure.
- Sauté aromatics and cook the turkey.
- Add the sazón seasoning.
- Add the remaining ingredients and cook covered for 15-20 minutes.
- This recipe is ready to serve when the liquid has cooked out of the Picadillo.
- Serve it any way your heart or taste buds desire.
Here’s the thing about picadillo – it’s not fancy, but it’s the kind of meal that reminds you why you fell in love with cooking in the first place. It’s simple, flexible, and built for real life. Make it once and you’ll find yourself craving it on repeat. Serve it over rice, tuck it into tacos, or pile it high on a baked potato – or just dip it with some homemade tortilla chips. There are no rules, just ridiculously good food made from good for you ingredients grown in the Golden State.
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Share your picadillo creations on social media by snapping a pic and tagging it with #CAGROWN—we love seeing what you’re cooking up! Craving more delicious dishes? Check out our Pinterest for more CA GROWN recipes.
Veggie-Packed Turkey and Olive Picadillo
Equipment
- chefs knife
- large skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1/4 cup minced cilantro
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground turkey Dark meat is preferred here, but you can use ground turkey breast if that is your preference.
- 3 TBSP + 1 tsp Sazón seasoning
- 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt, or more to taste.
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2/3 cup water, or chicken broth, if desired.
- 1/4 cup sliced, ripe green olives
- 1 pint sliced, shiitake mushrooms You can use any variety of mushrooms you like.
- 1/4 cup raisins You can use any variety you like; we used golden raisins.
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet or pan over medium heat. Once warm, add the olive oil followed by the onions, peppers, minced cilantro, and garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions and peppers begin to soften.
- Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces, until browned and almost cooked through, approximately 8 minutes.
- Stir in the Sazón and salt, and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until the spices are fragrant and all the meat and veggies are coated with them.
- Now stir in the tomato sauce, water, mushrooms, olives, olive brine, and raisins. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. Stirring once or twice throughout the cooking time to prevent sticking.
- Remove the lid and taste for seasoning, adding more salt or pepper if necessary. If the mixture is still a bit soupy, cook over low heat with the lid off until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Top the prepared picadillo with more fresh diced onion, to taste, and cilantro leaves before serving. Serve with chips for dipping, we like sweet potato tortilla chips, or over rice, in tacos, or even over leafy greens.
Notes
How to Make Your Own Sazón Seasoning at Home
- 1 TBSP fine sea salt
- 1 TBSP ground annatto (achiote) or sweet paprika
- 1/2 TBSP garlic powder
- 1/2 TBSP onion powder
- 1/2 TBSP ground cumin
- 1/2 TBSP ground turmeric
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper