Brazilian Beef Picadillo
Brazilian beef picadillo is a typical one-pot Brazilian dinner recipe made up of ground beef, garlic, onions, peppers and capers. Spiced with paprika and cinnamon, it makes for an interesting midweek meal to add to your rotation.
Timings
Prep Time
5 mins
Cooktime
15 mins
Total time
20 mins
Servings
4
Brazilian Beef Picadillo
Also known as Ensopado de Carninha Moida, Brazilian beef picadillo makes for a quick, easy midweek meal. Throw it all in a pot on the stove and bobs your uncle!
In case you’ve never heard of this Brazilian dinner recipe, it’s made up of ground beef, onions, garlic, green peppers. capers, red wine vinegar. It’s spiced with paprika, cinnamon and bay leaves, all mixed in with a tin of tomatoes and garnished with a sprig of parsley. It really is easy and the flavours are amazing: smokiness from the paprika and a tang from the vinegar and capers. All subtle. All delicious.
SERVE: Be sure to try out my Brazilian White Rice recipe for the ultimate pairing to this Brazilian Beef Picadillo. If you’re entertaining and want to feast, why not make my Brazilian Spicy Coconut Chicken Curry too?
Why should I make this Brazilian recipe?
- It’s a one-pot dinner and takes less than 30 minutes to make!
- It’s family-friendly (no hot spices here!)
- There are several ways to serve this dish (tacos, pasta, rice…)
- Beef and capers are delicious together! Who knew!?
How To Make This Brazilian Dinner Recipe
Step 1 – In a large, deep frying pan, fry the chopped onions and peppers in some olive oil. Once softened, add the beef and keep stirring until brown.
Step 2 – One the beef has cooked, add the chopped garlic (I like to use a garlic press) and the spices (cinnamon and paprika). Give it all a good stir.
Step 3 – Throw in the capers, a long with the red wine vinegar, tin of tomatoes and bay leaf. Leave it all to simmer for 15 minutes on low.
Step 4 – Serve and garnish with some chopped parsley. Serve with my Brazilian white rice (or one of the other serving suggestions below).
Equipment Needed
Large, deep frying-pan
Chopping board
Sharp knife
Measuring spoons
Wooden spoon
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this a vegan picadillo?
You could definitely do that by using quorn mince. It would work really well! You can add it from frozen. Just ensure you keep stirring it so it can defrost in the pan easily without burning.
I don’t have any red wine vinegar. What else can I use?
Any other red vinegar would be ok. Balsamic vinegar would be really nice actually. You could also use white wine vinegar or any other white vinegar if you don’t have any red vinegar alternatives.
Are there other Picadillo variations?
Yes, there are lots of different types of picadillo recipes. You can get Mexican Picadillo which uses potato; Cuban-style which also uses potato but also olives and raisins and Filipino Picadillo which includes peas and carrots too!
Serving Suggestions
Brazilian Beef Picadillo can be served in so many ways! We like to serve ours with some delicious, garlic-y Brazilian White Rice, but you could also (these are also great ways to use up picadillo leftovers):
- Stir into a pasta to make it like a ragu.
- With crunchy tacos, sour cream, salsa… make it Mexican!
- Encase in pastry and use it as a filling like in my Easy Beef Empanadas from Argentina.
- Serve a top salad for a healthier dinner.
Brazilian Beef Picadillo
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 1 red onion chopped
- 1 green pepper diced
- 800 g minced beef
- 50 g capers
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves
- 400 ml tin of tomatoes
- Handful of parsley chopped
Instructions
- In a large, deep frying pan, fry the chopped onions and peppers in some olive oil. Once softened, add the beef and keep stirring until brown.
- One the beef has cooked, add the chopped garlic and the spices. Give it all a good stir.
- Throw in the capers, a long with the red wine vinegar, tin of tomatoes and bay leaf. Leave it all to simmer for 15 minutes on low.
- Serve and garnish with some chopped parsley. Serve with my Brazilian white rice.
Notes
Nutrition
