Abuela's Picadillo

This recipe for picadillo, a ground beef hash with butternut squash, olives, and fragrant seasonings, comes straight from a Cuban abuela.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins
• Calories: 378 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons hot sauce (such as Louisiana®)
• 1 (1.41 ounce) package sazon seasoning (such as Badia® Tropical®)
• 3 ounces Spanish-style olives
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
• 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 0.5 onion, chopped
• 0.5 teaspoon garlic powder
• 0.25 cup olive oil
• 0.5 teaspoon onion powder
• 0.5 green bell pepper, chopped
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cumin
• 0.5 cup red cooking wine
• 0.25 teaspoon ground bay leaf

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Cook and stir ground beef in a large stockpot over medium-high heat until crumbly and browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain grease.

Step 2

Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic to hot oil; cook and stir until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add to beef in the stockpot.

Step 3

Pour tomato sauce, water, wine, and hot sauce into the stockpot. Stir in sazón seasoning, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer picadillo, uncovered, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Step 4

Split olives in half with your fingers and stir into picadillo. Add squash. Simmer until squash is tender and liquid reduces but picadillo is not dry, 45 to 60 minutes. Season with salt.