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Cuban Picadillo with Ground Turkey

Ground turkey with Cuban spice blend and seasonings
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Cuban
Keyword: Cuban, meat, picadillo
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

For Meat

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup sofrito
  • 2 lbs ground turkey 85% lean, 15% fat
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp adobo
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp sazón
  • 2 tbsp olive juice
  • 1/4 cup strained tomatoes or tomato sauce Pomi brand
  • a dash of hot sauce
  • a capful of white vinegar
  • 1/2 cup chopped Manzanilla olives or Spanish olives stuffed with pimento
  • a splash of dry white wine

For Sofrito

  • 1 small white onion
  • 1 head of garlic
  • 1/2 green bell pepper
  • 1/2 red bell pepper
  • 1/2 orange or yellow bell pepper
  • 1 9.5 oz jar Manzanilla olives or Spanish olives stuffed with pimento

Instructions

For Picadillo

  • Roughly chop 1/2 cup of Manzanilla or Spanish olives stuffed with pimento and set aside.
  • Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a large, hot pan over medium-high heat.
  • Add 1 cup sofrito and cook until fragrant (about a minute).
  • Add 2 lbs ground turkey and break it up with your spatula.
  • Add your seasonings as the meat browns: 2 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp oregano, 2 tsp onion powder, 2 tsp adobo, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp sazón.
  • Stir in the seasonings to coat the meat evenly.
  • Add 2 tbsp olive juice, 1/4 cup strained tomatoes or tomato sauce, a dash of hot sauce, and a capful of white vinegar.
  • Stir in 1/2 cup chopped Manzanilla olives or Spanish olives stuffed with pimento.
  • Add a splash of dry white wine and scrape the brown bits on the bottom of the pan, stirring in the flavor.
  • After adding all the seasonings, you should have been cooking your ground turkey for about 10 minutes. The total cook time will be about 10-15 minutes for the meat to brown yet stay juicy. If the meat sticks to the pan, add more white wine to keep it juicy.
  • Serve with rice and beans or save the picadillo for empanadas.

For Sofrito

The base of this recipe is Cuban sofrito. If you don't already have some made, you'll need to start by preparing a batch. For a full sofrito recipe with tips, see this blog post.

  • Roughly chop 1 small white onion into quarters and add to a food processor.
  • Peel 1 head of garlic and add cloves to the food processor.
  • Cut the bell peppers in half and remove the tops and seeds. Roughly chop bell peppers. Put half of each bell pepper into the food processor.
    You can freeze the other half of the bell peppers for fajitas or other recipes.
  • Add the olives from 1 9.5 oz jar Manzanilla olives or Spanish olives stuffed with pimento to the food processor.
  • Turn on the food processor and pulse until you have a consistent paste.
  • Use 1 cup of sofrito to make the picadillo and save the rest for another time.