Vegan Cuban picadillo, a plant-based version of this traditional dish, made with lentils, potatoes, olives, capers, raisins and other delicious ingredients.
I discovered this dish looking for some inspiration on Pinterest, then after taking a look at some recipes, I made my own plant-based version. Cuban picadillo is traditionally made with ground beef, but we've used lentils instead, which are healthier and also taste amazing.
It's a super flavorful recipe and also a super complete and nutritious meal because is made with a healthy carb (potatoes) and lentils (which are so high in protein). I would eat this dish with some more veggies (a salad, a veggie soup, steamed, boiled or sauteed veggies, you choose!). Besides, you can make big batches of this amazing dish and keep it in the fridge for several days.
One of the things I love the most about being a food blogger is that I'm trying new recipes all the time and as I love eating and cooking, it's my dream job. If I also can share delicious, vegan and healthy recipes with you guys, I'm the happiest woman in the world!
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Vegan Cuban Picadillo
Ingredients
- 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
- ½ red onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup raisins
- 2 cup water or vegetable stock
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 15 oz canned or cooked lentils
- ½ cup pitted green olives
- 2 tablespoon capers
Instructions
- Heat some water or oil in a deep skillet, wok stir fry pan or a large pot, add the veggies (garlic, onion and red bell pepper) and cook over medium-high heat until golden brown.
- Add tomato paste and spices (oregano, cumin, salt, cayenne powder and black pepper), stir and cook for at least a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the raisins, water or broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil and then cook over medium-high heat for 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.
- Finally, add the rest of the ingredients (lentils, olives and capers), stir and cook for 5 minutes more over medium-high heat. Serve immediately (we served it with brown rice and chopped parsley).
- Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for about 5 days.
Notes
- Feel free to add your favorite veggies and spices.
- Tomato paste can be replaced by tomato sauce, tomato puree or even chopped tomatoes.
- If you use vegetable stock instead of water, the vegan Cuban picadillo will be even tastier.
- You don't need to peel the potatoes, it's up to you.
- If you don't like raisins, olives or raisins, omit them.
Tina M. says
The best vegan picadillo I’ve made! This is on rotation in our family! Thank you.
Iosune Robles says
Thank you so much, Tina. I’m really glad to hear it’s become a regular in your family. That means a lot!
Bonnie says
Great recipes and super easy. I live at a very high altitude. Therefore I cooked the potatoes separate then added to the recipe. Otherwise the potatoes can take hours to cook, absorbing all to the liquid leaving the dish very dry.
Iosune says
Hi Bonnie! So glad you liked it 🙂