Turkey Picadillo (often called Picadillo de Pavo) is a savory, generously seasoned Puerto Rican recipe of lean ground turkey simmered with tomato sauce, sofrito, and bold spices. This version of Puerto Rico’s go-to minced meat recipe is the perfect low-fat swap for your pastelón, empanadillas, or rellenos de papa. Looking for a less fussy way to serve it? This turkey picadillo recipe only needs white rice and a salad to become a comforting, well-balanced dinner or lunch.
What Is Picadillo In English?
Picadillo, pronounced pee-kah-DEE-yoh, comes from the root word “picar,” [pee-car] means mince or chop in English. The dish is called picadillo because it’s always made with ground or minced meat. Ground beef is the most popular protein in picadillo, but many other proteins, such as ground pork, ground chicken, or turkey, can be used.
Picadillo is a dish found in Latin American cuisines, with the most common versions coming from Mexican, Cuban, and, of course, Puerto Rican cuisine.
This recipe for turkey picadillo is inspired by the Puerto Rican beef version. My mother prepared the beef version a lot growing up. Picadillo is a popular dish because it’s an economical one-pot dish that can feed a large crowd. Some people call it a struggle meal, but I don’t think that degrades the dish. It’s a meal you can prepare after a long day of work or school with minimal effort and cost. Picadillo is also a foundation for many other recipes in the Puerto Rican diet. Its versatility is what makes picadillo such a popular recipe.
Cuban and Puerto Rican picadillo recipes are nearly identical in preparation. However, the Puerto Rican version of picadillo rarely includes potatoes like the Cuban one. Sometimes, sadly, Puerto Rican picadillo includes raisins. I say sadly because it’s gross, but I also haven’t matured fully.
What Ingredients Do I Need To Make It?
The ingredients in turkey picadillo are very simple: ground turkey, green bell peppers, yellow onion, garlic cloves, tomato sauce, sofrito, green olives, capers, sazón, adobo, dried oregano, black pepper, and bay leaves.
A white onion will also work in this turkey picadillo if you don’t have yellow. You can also replace the green bell pepper with a red bell pepper for a sweeter (but not super-sweet) turkey picadillo. Olives and capers aren’t a must in this recipe, but the brine they provide does give the picadillo a tangy flavor, which makes it taste so freakin’ good.
Can You Make Picadillo With Ground Turkey?
Clearly. This is a whole post dedicated to just that.
Picadillo is most often made with ground beef, but you can make it with any ground meat, including turkey—especially if you’re looking for a low-fat version. The seasonings remain the same, so you won’t miss any flavor you’d expect from the beef version.
I recommend using 99%/1% ground turkey in this recipe because you won’t have to drain any oil. If I can skip a step in cooking, I definitely will. My cardiologist also told me to chill out on my red meat consumption, so this is my alternative. Lean ground turkey is virtually free of fat and contains zero saturated fat, the amount of cholesterol is a little bit higher, though. When compared to ground beef, it’s still a much healthier option.
Ground turkey is so lean that it can stick to the pot when you try to cook it without olive oil. To avoid that, add the ground turkey to a cold, large skillet, dutch oven, or caldero. Turn the stove on medium-high heat to coax the little bit of fat from the meat.
While you wait for the pot to heat up, use a wooden spoon or a potato masher to begin breaking up the ground turkey. The goal is to break it up into crumbles about the size of peas.
What Spices Do You To Season Picadillo?
Once the ground turkey spreads about the pot, sprinkle on the spices. The most common spice blends used in Puerto Rican picadillo are sazón and adobo. I go a step further and add black pepper and dried oregano leaves to my turkey picadillo. If you want a Cuban vibe, add cumin. Add a pinch of powdered scotch bonnet or cayenne pepper for a spicier picadillo.
Adding the spices to the ground turkey while still raw allows them to penetrate the meat better. Once they absorb those spices and caramelize in the pot, the seasoning is sealed in, making the picadillo more flavorful.
Continue to cook the ground turkey, but don’t forget to keep breaking it up as you let it brown. After 8 minutes of cooking, the meat will be a tan color, and the juices in the pot will run clear. There will also be a small amount of grease at the bottom of the pot.
How Do I Finish Cooking The Picadillo?
Create a well in the center of the ground turkey and add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and sofrito to it.
Stir these into the ground turkey and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring every minute and a half.
I Hate Olives And Capers! Do I Have To Add Them?
Once the veggies look translucent and glossy, add the tomato sauce, olives, capers, and bay leaves to the pot.
You don’t have to add olives and capers to your picadillo, but leaving them out removes a delightful tangy brininess.
Stir the tomato sauce and the other ingredients into the turkey and turn the stove to low heat. Cover the pot and allow the turkey picadillo to simmer in the liquid for 10 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes.
What Variations Can I Make?
If you want to add some variety to this turkey picadillo, add:
- one 15-ounce can of rinsed and drained black beans (you can also use pinto beans)
- one cup of small diced potatoes that have been simmered in water for 10 minutes to soften them
- 1/2 cup of black raisins to add a sweet flavor to the picadillo
Stir these add-ins into the ground turkey with tomatoes and olives.
Once the cooking time has elapsed, you’re ready to enjoy the picadillo.
You can remove the bay leaves before serving or leave them in. Traditionally, the person who ends up with the bay leaf has to do the dishes. That person is never me, mainly because I’m serving it, and my family knows better.
What Do You Eat With Turkey Picadillo?
Serve turkey picadillo over steamed white rice, quinoa, or a similar cooked grain. I also serve this picadillo with a garden salad and sliced avocado to complete our meal.
Pro Tip: turkey picadillo served with white rice and topped with a fried egg makes an amazing breakfast or lunch meal. I’m just putting that out there.
What Other Recipes Can I Use Turkey Picadillo In?
I love using this turkey picadillo recipe in dishes like pastelón, rellenos de papa, or empanadillas (pastelillos or empanadas). I’ve even seen it used as a filling for tacos, topping for nachos, or served with fries (or chips) or tortillas.
How Do I Store The Leftover Turkey Picadillo?
Store leftover turkey picadillo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To reheat picadillo, transfer the amount you want to eat to a microwave-safe bowl and heat it for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until steaming hot. You can also reheat the picadillo in a skillet with a little water over medium heat until hot.
Because this recipe makes 10 servings of turkey picadillo, I suggest serving half of it tonight for dinner and freezing the rest for later:
- Transfer the cooled turkey picadillo to a freezer food storage bag.
- Flatten the bag and seal it, then put it in the freezer.
- Stand the bag up after freezing solid. This method takes up less space in the freezer.
- When you’re ready to eat it, thaw the turkey picadillo in the fridge overnight, then reheat it using the instructions above.
If you don’t want to freeze the leftovers, use this turkey picadillo for easy meal prep. Pack the picadillo with lentils, beans, or rice… boom! Your meal prep time for the work week is done.
My turkey picadillo has become a go-to recipe in our house for those days when none of us feel like cooking. It’s low in calories and fat, which also makes my doctor very happy.
You can save this recipe for busy weekdays or for recipes that call for picadillo. Please let me know what you think in the comments below.
Turkey Picadillo (Picadillo de Pavo)
at Sense & EdibilityEquipment
- 5-quart caldero or dutch oven (or larger)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground turkey (99% lean/ 1% fat)
- 1 tablespoon adobo
- 3 teaspoons sazรณn con culantro y achiote (or 2 packets)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups yellow onion diced (about 1 medium yellow onion)
- 1 cup green bell pepper diced (about 1 medium bell pepper)
- 1/4 cup garlic minced (4 large cloves)
- 1/2 cup sofrito
- 2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
- 10 manzanilla olives sliced (1/3 cup), optional
- 1 tablespoon capers optional
- 2 small bay leaves optional
Instructions
Brown and Season the Ground Turkey
- Add the ground turkey to a cold, large skillet, dutch oven, or caldero. Turn the stove on medium-high heat to coax the little bit of fat from the meat.ย
- Use a wooden spoon or a potato masher to begin spreading out the ground turkey into a layer as it begins to cook.
- Once the raw ground turkey is spread about the pot, sprinkle on the adobo, sazรณn, dried oregano leaves, and black pepper. Continue to cook the ground turkey, as you continue breaking it up into crumbles while it browns. After 8 minutes of cooking, the meat will be a tan color, and the juices in the pot will run clear. There will also be a small amount of grease at the bottom of the pot.
Add the Aromatics
- Create a well in the center of the ground turkey and add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and sofrito to it.ย Stir these into the ground turkey and sautรฉ for 5 minutes, stirring every minute and a half.ย
- Once the veggies look translucent and glossy, add the tomato sauce, olives, capers, and bay leaves to the pot.Stir the tomato sauce and the other ingredients into the turkey and turn the stove to low heat.
Simmer to Finish the Turkey Picadillo
- Cover the pot and allow the turkey picadillo to simmer in the liquid for 10 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes.ย Once the cooking time has elapsed, you can remove the bay leaves or leave them in.
- Serve turkey picadillo over steamed white rice, quinoa, or a similar cooked grain. Serving this picadillo with a garden salad and sliced avocado will make a complete meal.
Notes
- Use a white onion if you don't have yellow.
- Replace the green bell pepper with a red one for a slightly sweeter turkey picadillo.
- You can omit the olives and capers but the picadillo will lack that tangy flavor it's known for.
- This picadillo can be made with ground beef, pork, or chicken, but you will need to drain the rendered fat after sautรฉing the veggies.
- I recommend using 99%/1% ground turkey, but you can use less lean turkey. You may have to drain the rendered fat after sautรฉing the veggies if you're using a fattier ground turkey.
- Add a pinch of powdered scotch bonnet or cayenne pepper for a spicier picadillo.
- For Cuban-style picadillo, add 1 teaspoon of ground cumin and 1 cup of parboiled diced potatoes.
- Adding the spices to the ground turkey while still raw allows them to penetrate the meat better. Once it caramelizes in the pot, the seasoning is sealed in, making the picadillo more flavorful.
- Use this turkey picadillo recipe in dishes like pastelรณn, rellenos de papa, or empanadillas (pastelillos or empanadas), or as a filling for tacos, topping for nachos, or served with fries (or chips) or tortillas.
- If you don't want to freeze the leftovers, use this turkey picadillo for easy meal prep.ย
- Stir in one 15-ounce can of rinsed and drained black beans (you can also use pinto beans)
- Add one cup of small diced potatoes that have been simmered in water for 10 minutes to soften them
- Stir in 1/2 cup of black raisins to add a sweet flavor to the picadillo
- Store leftover turkey picadillo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To reheat picadillo, transfer the amount you want to eat to a microwave-safe bowl and heat it for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until steaming hot. You can also reheat the picadillo in a skillet with a little water over medium heat until hot.ย
- Transfer the cooled turkey picadillo to a freezer food storage bag.
- Flatten the bag and seal it, then put it in the freezer.
- Stand the bag up after freezing solid. This method takes up less space in the freezer.
- When you're ready to eat it, thaw the turkey picadillo in the fridge overnight, then reheat it using the instructions above.
I made this for dinner with white rice and beans. My husband and I loved it and even my Mom loved it. I froze the leftovers and a week later used it for the filling in my empanadas. It will definitely be a part of our dinner rotation ๐
I love that you froze the turkey picadillo, Clara. I think people overlook the awesomeness of having something for dinner just a quick thaw away!