This easy Turkey Picadillo is a flavorful, family-friendly meal perfect for busy weeknights. Made with lean ground turkey, bell peppers, olives, and a rich tomato sauce, it’s a lighter, healthier take on the beloved classic Latin dish. Serve it over rice, in tacos, or with plantains for a delicious, budget-friendly and versatile dinner.
My Family’s Most Beloved Latin American Dish
Picadillo is a beloved dish across Latin America, and in the Dominican Republic, it’s a staple in just about every household. Traditionally made with ground beef, my version uses lean ground turkey for a lighter, yet still flavorful, take on this classic.
Picadillo is a dish that’s deeply comforting—packed with savory spices, onions, peppers, olives, and just a hint of sweetness from raisins. The result is a perfect balance of bold flavors, ideal for serving over rice, stuffing into empanadas, or even using as a taco filling.
Growing up in the Dominican Republic, picadillo was a regular part of my family’s meal rotation. The smell of garlic and onions sizzling in a pan, followed by the rich aroma of sazón blending into the meat, always brought me comfort. This dish isn’t just food—it’s a taste of home, of Sunday lunches with my family, and of the vibrant flavors that define Dominican cooking.
As a food blogger with a deep connection to my roots, I love sharing these traditional dishes with a modern twist, making them more accessible for busy families. My turkey picadillo keeps all the authentic flavors I grew up with while offering a healthier alternative for everyday meals.
We love picadillo served over fluffy white rice with sweet plantains (maduros) on the side but there are endless ways you can enjoy it and I list many of them below. I hope you give this turkey picadillo a try and love it as much as we do!
Looking for more easy Latin-inspired meals? Try my Dominican Pollo Guisado, Cuban-style Black Beans, or this Ropa Vieja.
What Is Picadillo?
The name of this dish “picadillo” is the diminutive form of the Spanish word picado which means finely chopped, or minced. The main ingredient in picadillo is ground, or minced meat, hence the name. So essentially, you could say picadillo is a ground beef hash that is uniquely seasoned with a mix of Spanish seasonings.
Though Cubans claim it as their own, Picadillo is a beloved dish in many Latin America countries. Every country has its own ingredient list for Picadillo, though I find these only vary slightly. The dish is also popular in the Philippines where it is called Giniling, which means ground meat.
Ground beef is the traditional meat in Picadillo with ingredients like olives, capers, and raisins contributing a marvelous blend of complex textures and flavours. Tomato sauce and sometimes white wine, help give the dish a stew-like characteristic, though Picadillo shouldn’t be overly saucy.
Best of all, picadillo is super easy to make and tastes even better the next day which is why barely a week went by without it popping up at our table when my kids were little. I have been making slight variations of the classic Picadillo for decades and this lightened up version is a huge favorite.
Ingredients And Notes
The ingredients in turkey Picadillo are very simple and straightforward. I highly recommend you follow the recipe as written the first time you make it, then tweak to your taste or to ingredients you have on hand.
- Ground turkey: Here we are using ground turkey to make our Picadillo. But ground chicken, ground pork, ground beef, or a mix of any ground meat, can also be used.
- Sofrito: Though it sounds fancy, generally speaking, sofrito is a simple sauté mixture of onions and garlic with other ingredients used to enhance flavor in many Latin American dishes. For this Picadillo, red (or yellow) onions, green pepper, and garlic make up the base of the sofrito. I know some people don’t love green peppers but in my opinion, the green pepper gives picadillo one of its most distinct flavors. If you truly can’t tolerate green peppers, try and use a mix of green pepper and red bell pepper.
- Tomato paste: For adding color and depth of flavour.
- Tomato sauce: Here you must use restraint. Picadillo is not supposed to be a tomato-heavy ragu. Just one cup of tomato sauce is plenty. This is the type of tomato sauce Latin American’s use, and if you live close to a Latin American market, grab this tomato sauce. You can also use crushed tomatoes or 2 small chopped fresh tomatoes.
- Dry white wine: Cuban versions of Picadillo often include white wine and I really like it. If you are avoiding alcohol feel free to leave it out.
- Spices: Cumin, oregano, and paprika are always added to my Picadillo. Cinnamon or all spice is sometimes added which gives it a bit of moorish touch.
- Bay leaves: For some lovely aroma.
- Pimento stuffed olives, capers, and raisins: Many Spanish-inspired stews are finished with these three ingredients. Here, the combination adds a sweet-sour jolt that lends a unique flavor to the picadillo. The raisins provide a little sweetness to balance the briny flavours of the capers and olives. But feel free to leave them out if you are a raisin-hater. (My son doesn’t like them so I left them out in these photos but I always add them if he’s not around.) I like capers in my Picadillo but others in my household not so much. Feel free to omit them, if you wish. The green olives, however, are not optional. Their tangy-briny sharpness is one of the most critical flavors in a Picadillo.
- Cilantro sprigs: Cilantro is not an ingredient used very often in Picadillo but I like the flavor so I add a bit. You can omit it altogether or use parsley if you prefer.
Variations And Substitutions
Here are a few other ingredients or variations you might enjoy with your Picadillo:
Add black beans: Not traditional, but if you’d like to use this picadillo recipe to make tacos, go ahead and add a can of rinsed and drained black beans.
Jalapeños: Picadillo is not meant to be a spicy dish. That said, if you like a little heat, add 1 chopped jalapeño.
Diced potatoes: Particularly in Cuba, Picadillo often includes diced potatoes. Yes, even when served with rice. If you haven’t tried it, it’s quite a delicious combo and it helps stretch the dish to serve a crowd. I love it with potatoes but omit them when I’m in a hurry or I don’t want so many carbs in one sitting.
Peas and carrots: In the Philippines, Picadillo often includes carrots and peas as well as potatoes. Sounds delish!
How To Make Turkey Picadillo
Loaded with flavour, this homey turkey picadillo recipe is surprisingly easy to throw together. Perfect for a quick weeknight meal, but special enough to serve to company. Here is the step-by-step to make it:
- Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and cook the onions and green pepper until soft. Stir in half of the garlic along with all the spices and bay leaves. Cook until fragrant about 1 minute. Full disclosure: I forgot to divide the garlic in the photos – it’s not an essential step but reserving a bit of garlic to add at the end will give the Picadillo more flavour.
- Add the tomato paste and continue to cook until it darkens in colour, about 1 minute more.
- Add the turkey and cook, breaking it up into small chunks, until no longer pink.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, wine, and water: Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low then simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
- Remove the lid and stir in the olives, capers, raisins, cilantro sprigs, and remaining garlic. Cook for 10 more minutes, covered. Serve with accompaniment(s) of your choice and enjoy!
Great For Meal Prep
Turkey picadillo is even better the day after you make it which makes it a great dish to make for meal prep! I like to make a big batch than vary the sides each time I serve it. See below for a list of sides and/or uses for your delicious batch of picadillo.
What To Serve With Turkey Picadillo
My favourite way to serve Picadillo is with white rice, black beans, and a side of plantains. An avocado salad alongside is always a good idea. Here are a few more suggestions:
- Serve the Picadillo on top of white rice then top with a fried egg (so good!).
- The Picadillo would be wonderful served with this Spanish Rice and Beans.
- As a baked potato, or squash stuffing.
- My kids also love picadillo with mashed potatoes, or roasted sweet potatoes, instead of rice.
- On toasted bread or buns – sloppy Joe style – ooff, so good.
- As a filling for empandas.
- With brown rice or cauliflower rice.
- As a filling for wraps or tacos.
Storage And Freezing Tips
Like any stewed meat, Picadillo is even better the next day so making a double batch for a few meals is always a good idea.
- To store: Leftover turkey picadillo can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat until warmed through.
- To freeze: Picadillo is great for freezing. Once completely cooled, transfer to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then reheat on the stovetop until warmed through. You may need to a few splashes of water if it seems dry.
More Ground Turkey Recipes To Try
- Turkey Taco Salad
- Harissa Turkey Chili
- Turkey Stuffed Peppers
- Indian-Spiced Shepherd’s Pie
- Turkey Stuffed Eggplant
Did you try this recipe?
Let us know your thoughts on this Turkey Picadillo by leaving a star rating below!
Thank you!~Sandra
Turkey Picadillo
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 small green pepper, cored,seeded, and finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika (not smoked!)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/4 pounds *ground turkey (see notes)
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- ½ cup dry white wine (optional)
- 1/4 cup water (or 1/2 cup if you omit the wine)
- ½ cup pimento-stuffed Spanish olives plus 2 tablespoons brine
- 2 Tablespoons capers (optional)
- 4 cilantro sprigs plus more for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan that has a lid over medium-high heat. Add onion and green pepper and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, oregano, cumin, paprika, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until tomato paste darkens, about 1 minute.
- Add the ground turkey, stirring and crumbling up the chunks, until browned and no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, wine (if using), and water and bring the mixture to a low boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer the picadillo for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Uncover the pan, remove the bay leaves and add the olives with brine, capers (if using) and cilantro sprigs. Cook 5 minutes more or until the meat has absorbed most of the juices but is still saucy. Serve with white rice.
Notes
Recipe originally posted March 2023 and now updated to include new information for your benefit.
Elizabeth Bates
This was very good. Very similar to my recipe but I usually use 2 tomatoes rather than tomato sauce and don’t add raisins. I always serve mine with sweet plantains for the contrast. My husband and I liked this version quite a bit though. I did add a little red wine vinegar and black beans.
Sandra Valvassori
Happy to hear you enjoyed the turkey picadillo, Elizabeth! Thank you for your review!