Keto Cuban Picadillo

Keto Cuban picadillo, because this girl grew up on picadillo, and it was time a low-carb keto-friendly version made an appearance.

When it comes to foods I associate with comfort, a Cuban picadillo is at the top of my list.  It was a dish my mom made frequently and for good reason since it was a tasty, fast, and budget-friendly meal.

It’s a good thing that this ground beef recipe is one that can be made easily with basic pantry items.

However, this childhood favorite needed a low-carb makeover if it was going to be enjoyed in our home now.

Clocking in at only 3.4 g net carbs per serving, it’s an easy dinner that allows the whole family to enjoy Cuban food!

My keto picadillo was made low-carb by omitting the typical raisins and diced potatoes. By doing so, I now had a keto-friendly Cuban picadillo that had all the flavor I loved without the high carbs.

Although my picadillo keto recipe is a Cuban version, there are variations of picadillo in many parts of the world that, with a little tweaking, could also be made keto-friendly.

Why not reserve a cup of that picadillo and make some keto ground beef empanadas, too?

Be sure to also check out our keto Cuban recipes and our keto ground beef recipes for more flavorful options!

Keto Cuban Picadillo

This recipe for low carb picadillo is a simple dish that gets its flavor by cooking ground beef in a sauce of tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, oregano, cumin, green olives, capers, and a little dry white wine.

You should note that the dry white cooking wine is optional, but it adds lots of flavors. In the case of picadillo, the cheap salted kind is best. It’s what is used in a traditional Cuban picadillo.

Raisins and potatoes are added to both Cuban and Dominican picadillo. However, both are no-nos when making a keto picadillo, so for obvious reasons, they were not added to the recipe.

Although I couldn’t find a substitute for raisins in my picadillo keto recipe, I do have a suggestion for replacing the potatoes that are customary in this dish: finely cubed turnips.

For simplicity’s sake, I left the turnips out of this recipe, but you can add 1/4 cup of raw turnips during the sautéing step, and it would only increase your carbs by 0.5 grams per serving.

Whenever I have turnips on hand, I will use them in a recipe to substitute potatoes. They mimic the texture wonderfully, and since they absorb the flavor of what you are cooking, they just work well.

Traditionally, picadillo is served over a bed of white rice, but rice, of course, has way too many carbs. So, I serve my Cuban picadillo with cauliflower rice instead.

Cauliflower rice makes a fantastic substitute for white rice since its texture is very similar, and the flavor is quite bland.

These days, you can pick up a bag of frozen cauliflower rice in most supermarkets, which is a massive win for the keto world.

Cuban Keto Picadillo Recipe

A form of picadillo can be found on several continents around the world. This minced meat dish also serves as a filling for recipes such as empanadas and hand pies.

For those who don’t know, my dad is Cuban, and my mom is from the Dominican Republic, so my keto picadillo has influences from them both.

But if I had to choose which of the two countries has influenced this recipe more, I would have to say Cuba.

My mom would have been the first to tell you that her cooking became more Cuban and that she kinda lost a lot of her D.R. cooking roots after she married my dad. This is a shame because I would have loved to have learned more about her traditional recipes.

However, I can’t help but think that at play here is the fact that she has lived for over 40 years in Miami, where a large community of Cubans resides.

Ingredients Needed For This Classic Cuban Dish, Gone Keto

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• Lean ground beef or ground turkey 
• Olive oil
• Green bell pepper or red bell pepper diced
• Garlic cloves, minced
• Sea salt
• Dried oregano
• Cumin powder
• Black pepper
• Tomato paste
• Diced tomatoes, fresh or canned
• Yellow onion, diced
• Dry white cooking wine
• Capers
• Apple cider vinegar
• Pimiento-stuffed green olives
• Hard-boiled egg sliced for garnish (optional
• Turnis cut into small cubes (optional)

Step-By-Step Instructions

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté onions, garlic, and green peppers until tender and translucent.

If using turnips, add them to the skillet and cook until fork-tender. Increase the heat to high and brown the ground beef, breaking it up.

Stir in tomato paste, canned or fresh diced tomatoes, cooking wine, olives, and capers, mixing well.

Season the ground beef with salt, dried oregano, cumin, and black pepper.

Reduce the heat to simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Adjust the seasonings as needed. Garnish with fresh cilantro, parsley, or slices of hard-boiled egg.

Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 weeks.

Picadillo Variations

In the Dominican Republic, picadillo includes a few slices of boiled eggs and a little beef bullion. And although this recipe doesn’t include these, I highly encourage you to also try to make your keto picadillo this way.

If you add a tablespoon of dry bullion powder, make sure to reduce the salt called for in this recipe by half.

Also, for a Dominican keto picadillo, add two sliced boiled eggs to the entire dish as a garnish before serving. I must admit that the boiled egg adds both a pleasant taste and texture to the dish.

For a Mexican keto picadillo, you can add some chilies and serve with sliced lime.

If you are a fan of picadillo, then also make sure you check out my keto Moroccan picadillo recipe for a delightful twist.

So, as you can see, I have given you several keto picadillo recipes that will allow you to customize them to your liking.

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Be sure to visit our Keto Hispanic Food for more Latin recipes!

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