Picadillo is popular Latin comfort food, and it's typically served with rice. But it's equally delicious served as a quesadilla, and it's a great way to use leftover picadillo. Feel free to garnish with some pico de gallo, pickled hot peppers, cilantro, more cheese, or with your favorite toppings.
Ingredients
- medium potato: 1 piece (diced)
- vegetable oil: 1 tsp
- lean ground beef: 1 pound
- red bell pepper: 0.5 cup (diced)
- onion: 0.5 cup (diced)
- garlic: 2 clove (minced)
- tomato sauce: 1 can (8 ounce can)
- water: 0.25 cup
- olive brine: 2 Tbsp
- ground cumin: 1 tsp
- oregano: 1 tsp (dried)
- salt and ground black pepper: (to taste)
- pimento-stuffed green olives: 0.5 cup (sliced)
- raisins: 3 Tbsp
- cooking spray:
- flour tortillas: 12 piece (8 inch)
- Mexican cheese blend: 1 cup (shredded)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Place diced potato in a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.
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Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cooked potato and brown on all sides for about 3 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
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Add ground beef to the skillet; cook and stir until browned, crumbly, and no longer pink in the center, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper, onion, and garlic; cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain as much fat from the pan as possible.
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Stir in tomato sauce, water, olive brine, oregano, salt, and pepper until well combined. Add olives, raisins, and reserved potatoes; stir well. Reduce heat to low and simmer picadillo for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Place a tortilla in the hot skillet and cook until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
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Spread about 1/4 cup hot picadillo on one half of the hot tortilla. Top with Mexican cheese, then fold tortilla in half, pressing down with a spatula. Cook until cheese is melted, about 1 more minute. Repeat to cook remaining quesadillas.
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Cut each quesadilla into 3 triangles to serve.
