Vegan Cuban Picadillo

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.

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Vegan Cuban Picadillo

• Author: Simple Vegan Blog
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4-6

Vegan Cuban picadillo, a plant-based version of this traditional dish, made with lentils, potatoes, olives, capers, raisins and other delicious ingredients.

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Ingredients

• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup tomato paste (4 tbsp)
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/8 tsp cayenne powder
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup raisins (4 tbsp)
• 2 cup water or vegetable stock (500 ml)
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 15 oz canned or cooked lentils (400 g)
• 1/2 cup pitted green olives (80 g)
• 2 tbsp capers

Instructions

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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).
5. 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.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/6 of the recipe (without the rice and parsley)
• Calories: 358
• Sugar: 8.6 g
• Sodium: 355 mg
• Fat: 2.4 g
• Saturated Fat: 0.2 g
• Carbohydrates: 64.4 g
• Fiber: 25 g
• Protein: 20.8 g