Picadillo is a tasty quick and easy recipe using ground beef, peppers, olives and a great blend of spices served over cauliflower rice.
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If you're looking for an easy low carb ground beef recipe, you will love this! This Cuban Picadillo recipe gets a slight Keto makeover and instead of using rice, it's served over seasoned cauliflower rice.
Before Keto, I used to make Picadillo for my family all the time, but of course I always served it over rice. But with a few Keto friendly substitutions, this recipes maintains all the same savory flavors but with a lot fewer carbs!
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. And though this is is a low carb Picadillo beef version, and varies a bit from the official version of Cuban Picadillo, with the amount of carbs you will be saving, I am certain you will 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.
Is Picadillo Keto? What are the Carbs in Ground Beef?
Making this Picadillo recipe using ground beef is an excellent source of protein and healthy fat. And the best news of all is there are ZERO carbs in ground beef! So the only carbs you get are from the added seasonings and tomato products and the few carbs from the white wine.
Are There Variations of Picadillo?
Picadillo is not just a Cuban dish. It's a traditional dish in many Latin American countries including Spain and Mexico. It's also super popular in the Philippines.
It’s name originate from a Spanish word “picar," or “to mince.” That is the reason you'll find it most often times made with ground beef, though some regions of the world use ground chorizo or ground turkey.
Tips for Buying Ground Beef
Ground beef take front and center row in this Keto Cuban Picadillo recipe so you'll want the very best ground beef you can find. Here are some great tips to keep in mind:
- Ground chuck is the juiciest and most flavorful of all the different types of ground beef. It contains 15% to 20% fat and is the perfect choice for burgers and casseroles.
- When purchasing ground beef, refer to the “packaged on” date and try to either cook or freeze it within 2 days of packaging.
- Ground beef should be bright red in color with fat marbled evenly throughout.
- For freezing, I prefer to use a food saver to get all the air out first. If you don't have a food saver, you can wrap your ground beef in heavy duty plastic wrap or freezer paper then placed in a freezer bag. For best quality, use within 4 months.
- Thaw ground beef in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
More Keto Ground Beef Recipes
- Italian Meatballs
- Instant Pot Chili
- Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
- Beef Stroganoff Casserole
- Swedish Meatballs
- Cheeseburger Salad
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Keto Picadillo
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
Instructions
- 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.
*Nutritional data is provided as a courtesy and is accurate to the best of my knowledge. You can verify it using the nutrition calculator of your choice. All data is based on net carbs, without sugar alcohol: Swerve, Erythritol, Monk Fruit or Allulose.
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Erin Horaski
Tasty. Love the olives. I think I’d like to try it over cauliflower mash
Keto Cooking Christian
I bet that would be delicious!
Erin Horaski
I didn’t add the riced cauliflower to the Picadillo. Yes, it was delicious over mash…maybe not traditional, but delicious 😋
Keto Cooking Christian
Sounds like a great variation!
pebbles
I made this yesterday. Delish. But did not try the "cauliflower rice". Love the BVD! 🙂 Thanks
Keto Cooking Christian
That's awesome, glad you enjoy it and the scripture 🙂
Stacie
What can I use instead of wine?
Keto Cooking Christian
You can use chicken or beef stock instead, if you'd like.
Elizabeth
Jow much is a serving size thank you
Keto Cooking Christian
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.