Here’s a delicious and popular dish from the Philippines that’s perfect for your busy weeknights. Filipino Picadillo has ground beef, vegetables, and raisins that give that hint of sweetness in every spoonful. Make sure you have enough for seconds!
Filipino picadillo is one of those dishes that’s always a regular in our house when I was growing up — because the ingredients are pretty much kitchen staples in my mother’s kitchen.
So, what is a Filipino-style picadillo?
It’s a stew that traditionally uses ground beef as picadillo meat, cooked with tomatoes, potatoes, and carrots — plus some peas and raisins for that hint of sweetness.
Nowadays, ground pork is commonly used as picadillo meat or sometimes a mix of ground beef and pork.
So, feel free to use whatever ground meat you have for this picadillo recipe.
And if you think it’s hard to resist when it’s just been transferred from the pan, Filipino-style picadillo tastes even better the following day.
Don’t take my word for it. See (or taste) for yourself!
IF YOU WANT MORE AUTHENTIC FILIPINO RECIPES, THEN YOU WOULD LIKE THESE POSTS!
Ingredients
- Oil – vegetable oil; we never use olive oil in traditional Filipino dishes.
- Garlic – minced or finely sliced.
- Onion – yellow onion or red onion is great for Filipino picadillo, as long as you chop it finely.
- Ground beef – sometimes called minced beef (depending on which part of the world you come from 🙂 ).
- Tomato sauce – just use your favorite brand.
- Stock – beef stock is excellent for this Filipino picadillo recipe.
- Potatoes – the waxy kind, not the starchy one.
- Carrot – peeled and then diced.
- Raisins – use the brand you have on hand.
- Soy sauce – provides more salt to this beef picadillo (plus a bit of umami).
- Peas – frozen green peas are great for this recipe.
- Salt and ground black pepper – use what you have available.
Preparation
Start preparing your Filipino picadillo by heating the vegetable oil on a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is ready, add garlic and onion and cook until they softened.
Add ground beef.
Mix and cook until the meat is no longer pink.
Add tomato sauce, stock, salt, and pepper.
Mix, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil.
Adjust the heat to medium-low and simmer for twelve to fifteen minutes.
Add the potatoes, carrots, and raisins.
Mix, place the lid back on, and adjust heat to medium.
Cook your beef picadillo for about ten minutes, then add the soy sauce.
Cover with the lid, adjust the heat back to medium-low and continue simmering until the vegetables are cooked.
Uncover, taste, and adjust seasoning and add the peas.
Mix, turn the heat back to medium, cover, and cook for two more minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and transfer your Filipino picadillo into serving plates.
Serve.
Helpful tips
- Chop the onion finely — the aim is for them to disappear (once cooked) in your Filipino picadillo completely.
- Dice the carrot and potatoes in the same size, and just slightly bigger than the green peas, if possible.
- While chicken or vegetable stock are good alternatives; beef stock is the best kind that you can use to give more depth to the flavor of beef picadillo.
Recipe variation
- Green olives. It provides that ‘salty‘ burst against the sweetness of the raisins and peas; giving an excellent contrast of flavor for your Filipino-style picadillo.
- Tomato paste. Some use less tomato sauce, more stock, and then a tablespoon (or two) of tomato paste.
- Bell pepper. Red bell pepper can also be added to beef picadillo, chopped the same way as the potatoes and carrot.
- Worcestershire sauce. Admittedly, this is anything but traditional for making Filipino picadillo. But if you have it around, add the same quantity as the soy sauce (and at the same time), and I promise you, you will love it. 🙂
FAQs
Steamed white rice is excellent with it.
Filipino-style picadillo is already packed with flavor, so you need a neutral dish to complement it.
Absolutely.
Transfer it in a tight, freezer-proof container as soon as it gets cold, then place it in the freezer for longer storage.
See how easy it is to make this Filipino-style picadillo recipe? So, try it tonight and let me know in the comment section below! 🙂
OR YOU CAN GET IDEAS FROM THIS LIST OF MAIN DISHES FROM AROUND THE WORLD!
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Filipino Picadillo Recipe
Equipment
- Large Pan/Skillet with Lid (3.5 qt)
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, sliced finely
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 & 1/4 cups tomato sauce
- 1 & 1/2 cups stock
- 2 medium potatoes, diced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1/2 cup raisins, heaping
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 cup green peas
- 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 garlic and onion and cook until it softened.
- Add ground beef.
- Mix and cook until the ground meat is no longer pink.
- Add tomato sauce, stock, salt, and pepper.
- Mix, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil.
- Adjust the heat to medium-low and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes.
- Add the diced potatoes, carrots, and raisins.
- Mix, place the lid back on, and adjust heat to medium.
- Cook for about 10 minutes, then add the soy sauce.
- Cover with the lid, adjust the heat back to medium-low and continue simmering your beef picadillo until the vegetables are cooked.
- Uncover, taste, and adjust seasoning and add the peas.
- 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!
Notes
- Cook’s Tip #1: Chop the onion finely — the aim is for them to disappear (once cooked) in your Filipino picadillo completely.
- Cook’s Tip #2: Dice the carrot and potatoes in the same size and just slightly bigger than the green peas, if possible.
- Cook’s Tip #3: While chicken or vegetable stock are good alternatives, beef stock is the best kind that you can use to give more depth to the flavor of beef picadillo.
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