Pork Picadillo Recipe

A classic Cuban dish basically made of ground pork, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, and green peas. This pork picadillo recipe is made more delicious with spices.

Pork Picadillo Recipe
Pork Special Occasion Quick and Easy Savory

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Origin of Pork Picadillo Dish

Pork Picadillo is a dish famous in Latin American countries, Spain, the Philippines, among others. The origin of the name came from the Spanish word “picar” which translates to mince or chop, which describes the presence of the ground meat like beef or pork. Pork Picadillo has a lot of variations nowadays; however, this dish is originally made of ground meat either pork or beef, tomato which can be substituted with tomato paste and/or sauce, minced garlic, onions and a lot of diced carrots, potatoes and green peas. It is commonly served with rice and sometimes used as fillings in foods like tacos or empanadas.

When is Pork Picadillo Typically Served?

Pork Picadillo is typically served as a side dish and is served in occasions like Christmas, Birthdays and Thanksgiving. It is famously served with a hot plain rice, but you can also consider some of the usual sides of this dish like fried egg, sliced bread or fried bananas.

Kitchen Utensils Needed

Cooking Pork Picadillo is so easy, and you will be needing the following kitchen tools and utensils in cooking this dish:

  • Frying pan
  • Cutting knife
  • Cutting board
  • Small bowls
  • Spatula
  • Vegetable peeler
  • Serving bowl

Pork Picadillo’s Primary Ingredients – Ground Pork and Diced Vegetables

Pork Picadillo’s main ingredients are ground pork and diced vegetables like carrots and potatoes. These are ingredients that can easily be found in supermarkets and malls. It is very common in tropical countries, specifically the carrots and potatoes all throughout the year.

Ground pork can be bought mostly in supermarkets. Ground pork or minced pork is made from the pork shoulder, it is often sold pre-ground and just sliced in small pieces. Though pork has more saturated fat the chicken meat, talking about its health benefits, it can also provide you something good, with moderate consumption. It is a good source of many vitamins and minerals like Vitamins B6 and B12, protein, Iron, Zinc and Niacin. Diced carrots and vegetables on the other hand is quite nutritious and brings a lot of benefits to the body. They are good source of fiber which can help you lose weight while keeping you full for a longer time, it is often rank low in glycemic index, which is a measure of how quickly a food raise blood sugar in a meal. They are extremely low in fat and is rich in Vitamin A, K1 and B6.

Interesting Facts

  • A potato is 80% water and 20% solids.
  • Germans eat twice as much as the number of potatoes the Americans consume.
  • Carrots were first grown in the country of Afghanistan.
  • Eating too many carrots can make your skin turn yellowish orange.

Tips and Tricks When Making Pork Picadillo

  • You can actually make Picadillo taco, it is basically made of ground meat, carrots, potatoes, onions, bell peppers and tomatoes. You can as well add your favorite toppings like cheese, mayonnaise or leafy vegetables like lettuce.
  • You can add bay leaves to the recipe of pork picadillo to give it a more inviting aroma and taste.
  • Use tomato sauce and paste as substitute to tomatoes in cooking Picadillo.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 kg ground pork
  • 1 pc medium sized carrots, diced
  • 1 medium sized potato, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large onions, finely chopped
  • 1 cup green peas
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
  • soy sauce and black pepper

Directions

  1. Heat a frying pan. Add cooking oil and sauté onions, peas, and garlic over medium heat.

    Pork Picadillo Recipe
  2. Add the ground pork and stir together.

    Pork Picadillo Recipe
  3. Next add the tomato paste and stir.

    Pork Picadillo Recipe
  4. Put in next the carrots, potatoes and green peas. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes.

  5. Add the tomato sauce and 1/2 cup water then mix together. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add soy sauce and black pepper then simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate. Serve with rice and enjoy!

    Pork Picadillo Recipe

Now you’re good to make your own version of Pork Picadillo. It is mostly drooling and undeniably rice consuming. You can now make an ordinary meal more special and memorable which will surely leave your guests a good and heartwarming impression. You can also add your preferred ingredients to the dish which compliments to the taste and give it a more delicious taste.