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Picadillo in English would translate to a hash, it’s not limited to meat but typically when you say picadillo you’re referring to a beef dish. In this case I’ve substituted the beef for turkey. My grandmother has been making this recipe for decades but even she prefers my turkey version. 

I grew up eating picadillo and it’s the base for some of my favorite dishes such as empanadas, papa rellena (fried stuffed potato balls filled with meat), and pastelon which is a Spanish Caribbean version of a lasagna made with plantains instead of noodles.

The good news is this dish is easy to make, fast, great for groups, and the best part is that it’s a great dish to make in advance because the flavor gets better as it sits. I’d recommend storing for up to 3 days in the fridge or freezing it.

I hope you enjoy it! And if you need to double, triple, etc. feel free, this recipe is very forgiving.

Cuban Turkey Picadillo

Prep time: 3-5 min.
Cook time: 15 min.

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:

1 pound ground lean turkey
1 diced green pepper (about ¾ cup)
1 diced red pepper (about ¾ cup)
1 diced medium onion (about 1 cup)
5-6 large garlic cloves
2 tbsp. of olive oil
1 tbsp. of oregano
1 8 oz. can of unsalted, unseasoned tomato sauce
salt
pepper

Optional Ingredients (but recommended):

2 tbsp. sherry or red wine (I prefer sherry) 
¼ cup of raisins
14 sliced olives - I prefer Goya Spanish Manzanila Olives stuffed with pimientos- (not all olives are created equal).
 

Directions:

1 pound ground lean turkey
1 diced green pepper (about ¾ cup)
1 diced red pepper (about ¾ cup)
1 diced medium onion (about 1 cup)
5-6 large garlic cloves
2 tbsp. of olive oil
1 tbsp. of oregano
1 8 oz. can of unsalted, unseasoned tomato sauce
salt
pepper

Optional Ingredients (but recommended):

2 tbsp. sherry or red wine (I prefer sherry) 
¼ cup of raisins
14 sliced olives - I prefer Goya Spanish Manzanila Olives stuffed with pimientos- (not all olives are created equal).

Directions:

-Dice the green pepper, red pepper, and onions. My pieces are about 1/3 of an inch. 

-Mince the garlic cloves

-Pour the olive oil into a sauté pan and heat over medium heat for 1 minute.

-Add the onions, peppers, and garlic. Sweat them, meaning no caramelization or dark brown bits, but cook until aromatic and the onions are translucent. About 3-5 minutes. I also add ½ tsp. of salt here to help bring out the flavor of the vegetables.

-Add the ground turkey meat, oregano, pepper, and additional salt, I add about another 1 tsp. at this point. Cook until the turkey is nearly done, about 5 min. but not fully cooked.

-Add the can of unsalted tomato sauce and sherry. Cooking for an additional 3 min.

-Add the sliced olives (optional), raisins (optional). Stir together so ingredients are fully incorporated.

 -Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until turkey is fully cooked.

The best part of cooking is tasting! Add salt and pepper to taste. The amount of salt that I use start to finish is 1 to ½ tsp. of salt.