It’s a cold winter night and you’re looking for a warm, cozy meal that you can whip up in minutes. This hearty Filipino Picadillo is just that and more.
Packed with rustic and earthy flavors and a fairly simple process to put this together, this dish is one you’ll keep coming back to.
Ready to give the recipe a try? Here’s all you need to know about making it the right way.
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
This dish is actually a super flavorful beef stew that you can put together in one pan.
It uses a simple, classic blend of flavors, and a few pantry staples, which makes it an easy dish to make on a weeknight, or even meal prep for the week.
Ingredients
- Ground beef
- Tomatoes
- Potatoes
- Onion
- Jalapenos
- Green peas
- Stock
- Seasonings and spices
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make the Filipino Picadillo
Using a large skillet over medium-high heat, pour and heat vegetable oil.
Once the oil is ready add the cumin, garlic and onion and cook until they have softened.
Next, add the potatoes and ground beef. Mix and cook until the ground meat is no longer pink.
Now add the chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper, jalapenos, seasoning, chili powder, peas and stock.
Mix, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil.
Adjust the heat to medium-low and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes.
Continue simmering your Picadillo until the vegetables are cooked.
Uncover, taste, and adjust seasoning. Mix, turn the heat back to medium, cover, and cook for 2 more minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and transfer it into serving plates. Serve and enjoy your Filipino Picadillo!
Substitutions
- You can use practically any kind of stock for the recipe- chicken stock, vegetable stock, mushroom stock or even just water. Beef stock, however, offers the best depth of flavor and deliciousness.
- If you don't have fresh tomatoes, you can make do with canned tomatoes too. The idea is to bring some nice savory and tangy deliciousness into the dish.
Variations
- To bump up the flavor and deliciousness of the Filipino Picadillo, you can top it with a drizzle of your favorite hot sauce, right before you serve.
- Carrots also make for another great addition to this dish. It can add tons of flavor and up the nutritional value too.
- You can also top the Picadillo with some raisins to lend it little bursts of deliciousness.
Equipment
Storage
What I love the most about this dish is the fact that it freezes really well, which means you can easily make it in a big batch and store it for months. I like to use my favorite freezer safe meal prep containers for these.
If you have some leftovers, you can transfer them to a food safe container and refrigerate them for up to 3 days.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Filipino Picadillo
- Make sure the onions are finely chopped- the goal is for them to get to the caramelization stage faster, and then eventually almost disappear after the Filipino Picadillo is ready.
- Want the Picadillo to have an extra burst of salty deliciousness? You can add some pitted green olives into it towards the end.
- If you don't have green olives, you could also add some chopped capers.
- To add some extra flavor and deliciousness, drizzle a bit of fish sauce and/or Worcestershire sauce into the mix.
- If you can’t seem to get that perfect hue and color to the Picadillo, add a bit of dark soy sauce into it.
- Remember to reheat the Filipino Picadillo on low heat, ideally over the stovetop in a heavy bottomed pot or your skillet.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
The flavorful and delicious skillet Filipino Picadillo tastes perfect when you pair it with some steamed rice. This can, in itself, be a complete meal. However, if you’re looking to go the extra mile, you can also team it up with a nice crunchy salad on the side.
Some traditional recipes also top the Picadillo with some savory fried plantains and a fried egg on the top.
Loved how easy it was to put this dish together? On the hunt for some more exciting and fun recipes to try out? Here are a few good ones you might want to take a peek at.
FAQs
You sure can. You can use ground chicken or turkey if you don’t have ground beef at hand.
While this recipe already has the classics- potatoes and peas, you can also throw in some other veggies of your choice to make the Picadillo healthier and more nutritious. Chopped bell peppers, zucchini and carrots are good options, and if you have them at hand, don’t hesitate to add them into the mix.
Yes, you totally can! You can prepare the skillet Filipino Picadillo in a large batch and allow it to cool down completely before transferring everything to a freezer safe container.
Any leftover Picadillo can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Just remember to use a clean airtight container with a lid to preserve its freshness.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Filipino Picadillo
Ingredients
- ½ cup oil
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 small onion (finely chopped)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1.25 cup tomato (chopped)
- 1.5 cup stock
- 2 medium potatoes (diced)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin seed
- 2 pcs jalapenos (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ cup green peas
- 1 teaspoon salt and ground black pepper (for seasoning)
Instructions
- Using a large skillet over medium-high heat, pour and heat vegetable oil.
- Once the oil is ready add the cumin, garlic and onion and cook until they have softened.
- Next, add the potatoes and ground beef.
- Mix and cook until the ground meat is no longer pink.
- Now add the chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper, jalapenos, seasoning, chili powder, peas and stock.
- Mix, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil.
- Adjust the heat to medium-low and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes.
- Continue simmering your Picadillo until the vegetables are cooked.
- Uncover, taste, and adjust seasoning
- Mix, turn the heat back to medium, cover, and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and transfer it into serving plates.
- Serve and enjoy your skillet Filipino Picadillo!
Nutrition
Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove