Picadillo is typically made with ground beef, but plant-based meat is makes a fantastic substitute here without sacrificing one ounce of flavor! The onions, bell pepper and garlic come together with the tomato sauce to form a rich and comforting sauce that gets studded with tangy, briny olives.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 35 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 24 ounces plant-based ground meat
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 cup vegan-friendly vino seco or sherry cooking wine (see Cook’s Note)
- One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup pimiento-stuffed olives, halved crosswise
- Juice of 1 lime
- Cooked white rice, for serving
Instructions
- Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil, onion and bell pepper. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin and oregano and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the plant-based meat and cook until no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste. Add the vino seco and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon. Stir in 1 cup water, the tomato sauce and bay leaf. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomato sauce thickens and turns a deep red color, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Stir in the olives and lime juice. Discard the bay leaf. Serve the picadillo with the rice.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 413 |
| Total Fat | 28 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 17 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 22 g |
| Cholesterol | 81 mg |
| Sodium | 642 mg |