Beef Picadillo Ragu

You are going to love this Beef Picadillo Ragu!
What is Picadillo you may be asking yourself? It’s a very common dish in Latin America and Spanish speaking islands like Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. We all cook our picadillo a bit differently, but at the end of the day, the most important ingredient is ground beef. We add adobo, olives and much more. Cuban picadillo sometimes even has potatoes in it which makes it super filling.

I love to make picadillo and I tend to make it to fill tacos, top tostadas, fill empanadas. Each recipe has a bit of a twist on the picadillo ingredients. The possibilities are endless and those possibilities led me to create this Beef Picadillo Ragu.

I am always making Italian meat sauce. And In my quest to twist things up I decided to use picadillo as the base for my ragu sauce. I was so very excited when I tasted it the first time and even more so when everyone at home raved about it.

I debated between using plain tomato sauce or one of my favorite Italian brands that includes basil. Of course, I ended up choosing my favorite brand, Bertolli‘s Tomato Basil sauce and that was the perfect fit because it was delicious!

I hope that I have convinced you to give my Beef Picadillo Ragu a try!

Beef Picadillo Ragu

This Beef Ragu with a Latin Twist will have you coming back for more. It's also quick and super easy to make!

4 from 13 votes

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Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Caribbean, Cuban, Dominican, Italian, Latin, Latin Fusion

Keyword: beef ragu, beef ragu pasta recipe, carne molida con pasta, dominican ground beef recipe, easy beef ragu recipe, easy cooking, easy italian ragu recipe, how to make beef ragu, how to make picadillo, italian ragu recipe, latin fusion recipe, latin pasta recipe, mezze rigatoni recipe, pasta dinner ideas, pasta recipe, picadillo, picadillo recipe, ragu, ragu de carne molida, ragu pasta, receta de carne molida, rigatoni, rigatoni recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef 85% is my preference
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 tsp adobo
• 1/2 cup manzanilla olives with some of it juice too
• 1 lime, juice of
• 1/4 tsp ground oregano
• 1 24 oz bottle of Bertolli Tomato Basil Sauce or plain tomato sauce
• 1 box mezze Rigatoni I used Barilla
• parmesan cheese for garnish if desired

Instructions

• In a large and deep non-stick skillet (I used a wok), over medium high heat, add the ground beef and cook it breaking it up as you go.
• Once halfway cooked, add the onions and continue to break up the beef and stirring it as well.
• Once beef turns all brown, add adobo, olives, lime juice and oregano. Stir well and cook until the beef is cooked through and there is little liquid left.
• Once beef is ready, add the sauce, stir and lower heat to simmer. Cover.
• Cook the pasta as directed while beef ragu simmers.
• Once pasta is done, drain and add to the beef ragu. Stir carefully.
• Top with parmesan cheese if desired and enjoy!

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