A classic Cuban dish turned Keto! Seasoned ground beef with onions, peppers and yes.. olives!
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If you are looking for an easy Low Carb ground beef recipe, you will love this! This Picadillo is such a quick and easy recipe that uses ground beef, peppers, olives and a great blend of spices served over cauliflower rice to make one tasty dish!
Before Keto, I used to make Picadillo for my husband all the time, but of course I always served it over rice. I gave my original recipe a low carb update and made it Keto friendly! Sadly, I omitted the raisins because they are just too high in sugar/carbs, but this dish is not lacking in flavor at all!
This is such a simple dish to make and if you don’t want to meal prep, you can cut the recipe in half for 4 servings. By no means is this the official version of Cuban Picadillo, I just happen to love it making it this way!
What’s in Keto Picadillo?
- Grass-fed ground beef (I use 85%)
- Cauliflower, riced
- Onion
- Green olives stuffed with pimento
- Red pepper
- Ground cumin
- Dried oregano
- Garlic cloves
- Olive oil
- Grass-fed butter
- White wine (I use Pinot Grigio)
- Bay leaf
- Ground cinnamon
- Tomatoes (I used grape)
- Tomato paste
- Salt and pepper
*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
How to Make Keto Picadillo
Brown the ground beef in a large pot over medium heat and season with salt and pepper.
Cook until you get some good color and most of the fat has cooked off. Once the meat is browned, remove and set aside.
Add in the olive oil, onion, red pepper, salt and pepper.
Sauté for about 2 minutes, then add in the garlic and cook for another 20 seconds.
Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up the brown bits of flavor.
Add the spices, olives, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf and water.
Add the meat back in and simmer on on low for 15 minutes, with the lid offset.
Once the Picadillo is cooked, remove from the pan, discard the bay leaf and leave behind a small amount of the drippings.
Add the butter, then the cauliflower.
Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring often or until it reaches your desired consistency. I like mine a little al dente. Serve the Picadillo over a bed of cauliflower rice.
This is one of my favorite recipes to meal prep. It makes a lot of servings, freezes and reheats beautifully. You can store leftovers in the fridge or freezer in these glass storage containers.
If you like Cuban food, you might also like my Instant Pot Ropa Vieja…
More great Keto and Low Carb recipes you might like…
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Skillet
Poblano and Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf
Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
Creamy Poblano Chicken
Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Shop my favorite products on Amazon and check out my Keto Pantry List!
Picadillo – Keto and Low Carb
Recipe Video
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds grass-fed ground beef I use 85%
- 8 cups cauliflower riced
- ⅓ cup onions minced
- ½ cup green olives stuffed with pimento chopped
- ⅓ cup red pepper minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon grass-fed butter
- ¼ cup white wine I use Pinot Grigio
- 1 small bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup tomatoes chopped (I used grape)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- Salt and pepper to taste
PREPARATION
- Brown the ground beef in a large pot over medium heat and season with salt and pepper. Cook until you get some good color and most of the fat has cooked off. Once the meat is browned, remove and set aside.
- Add in the olive oil, onion, red pepper, salt and pepper. Sauté for about 2 minutes, then add in the garlic and cook for another 20 seconds.
- Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up the brown bits of flavor. Add the spices, olives, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf and water. Add the meat back in and simmer on on low for 15 minutes, with the lid offset.
- Once the Picadillo is cooked, remove from the pan, discard the bay leaf and leave behind a small amount of the drippings. Add the butter, then the cauliflower. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring often or until it reaches your desired consistency. I like mine a little al dente.
- Serve the Picadillo over a bed of cauliflower rice. Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer.
I made this yesterday. Delish. But did not try the “cauliflower rice”. Love the BVD! 🙂 Thanks
That’s awesome, glad you enjoy it and the scripture 🙂
What can I use instead of wine?
You can use chicken or beef stock instead, if you’d like.
Jow much is a serving size thank you
Hi Elizabeth,
A serving size is basically 1/8 of the entire recipe. In terms of cups, no I have not measured it out by the cup.
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