Carne Molida (Puerto Rican Picadillo) is a staple in my dinner rotation, which is similar to my Cuban picadillo, but it surely’s made with potatoes and sofrito.

Carne Molida (Puerto Rican Picadillo)
I like a dish I can prepare dinner as soon as however use a number of instances all through the week! Carne Molida, a flavorful Latin basic, is a type of meals. My Puerto Rican husband loves after I make it for dinner! This versatile recipe, which is made many various methods from nation to nation and even from home to accommodate, is simple to whip up any night time of the week. And relying on the scale of your loved ones, you may simply double it. It’s scrumptious over rice with my fast cabbage salad on the aspect. For extra Puerto Rican recipes, don’t miss my fast Puerto Rican-style Beans and Arroz con Gandules (Rice and Pigeon Peas).
Carne Molida Ingredients
Carne molida packs an enormous taste punch with substances like sazon, sofrito, and alcaparrado. The recipe card accommodates the precise measurements.

- Meat: Use no matter lean floor meat you like–turkey, beef, or bison!
- Aromatics: Onion and garlic
- Sofrito is a Puerto Rican sauce that’s the base for quite a few dishes, similar to stews and beans. It is a taste booster containing onion, garlic, cubanelle peppers, bell peppers, and culantro. You can comply with my home made sofrito recipe or purchase it on the grocery store–Goya sells it.
- Liquid: The meat simmers in canned tomato sauce and water.
- Potatoes: I exploit a Russet potato, however Yukon Gold may also work.
- Seasoning: Kosher salt, cumin, sazon (a Latin spice mix whose key ingredient is achiote) or floor achiote. You can even use Adobo seasoning, simply use much less salt.
- Olives: You can use chopped, pitted inexperienced olives, or, for extra genuine carne molida, make it with alcaparrado, a Latin condiment with olives, pimientos, and capers. It’s bought within the Latin part of the grocery retailer. If you hate olives, simply omit them.
- Herbs: Fresh cilantro and bay leaf. If you hate cilantro, it’s OK to skip it.
Variations:
Add some veggies like carrots or poblano peppers.
How to Make Carne Molida
To make this simple carne molida, prepare dinner the meat, onions, and garlic, add the remaining substances, and simmer. See the recipe card for printable directions.


- Brown the Meat: Heat a big skillet on high warmth and add the meat and salt. Brown it till it’s damaged up. Then, cut back the warmth to medium-low, add the onions, garlic, and sofrito, and prepare dinner for five minutes.
- Cook the Remaining Ingredients: Add the tomato sauce, potatoes, olives/ alcaparrado with some brine, water, cumin, sazon, cilantro, and bay leaf. Cover and prepare dinner on low till the meat and potatoes are tender and the sauce thickens.

Ways to Serve Carne Molida
You could make carne molida with any floor meat you want. I usually use floor turkey (it’s leaner and extra tender than lean floor beef). It’s scrumptious over rice with my fast cabbage salad on the aspect, and the leftovers can be utilized as the bottom for a lot of completely different meals. Here are a couple of of my favorites:
- Shepherd’s Pie (with a Latin twist!): Layer the carne molida within the backside of a casserole dish, prime it with mashed potatoes (or mashed cauliflower for a low-carb possibility), and bake in a 400-diploma oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Empanadas are scrumptious baked or (even higher!) air-fried. My daughter Madison loves these for lunch! Place 2 tablespoons of carne molida within the middle of every empanada disc (Empanada dough is within the freezer part of most supermarkets; I exploit the Goya model). Then, fold, seal the sides, and brush the highest of the empanadas with egg whites. Bake at 350°F till golden, or air-fry at 325°F for 8 minutes.
- Tacos and Tostadas: Wrap in a tortilla or place on a tostada shell and prime with cheese, diced onions, and cilantro.
- Quesadillas: Put meat and shredded cheddar on half of a tortilla, fold over, and prepare dinner in a skillet till the cheese melts.
- Breakfast Scramble: Add it to scrambled eggs the subsequent morning and prime with sizzling sauce.
- Stuffed Peppers: Follow my Slow Cooker Picadillo Stuffed Peppers, swapping out picadillo with carne molida.
- Use it on this Sweet Plantain Lasagna.
Storage
Carne molida is ideal for meal prep because it reheats properly, and you may serve it varied methods.
- Refrigerate in an hermetic container for as much as 4 days.
- Freeze for six months.
- Reheat within the microwave or a skillet on the range till heat.

More Latin Recipes You Will Love
Yield: 4 servings
Serving Size: 1 ¼ cups
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In a big skillet over high warmth brown the meat, season with salt and prepare dinner breaking it up because it cooks with a picket spoon into small items. Reduce warmth to medium-low, add the onions, garlic and sofrito and prepare dinner, stirring 4 to five minutes.
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Add the tomato sauce, diced potatoes, pitted inexperienced olives or alcaparrado with 2 tablespoons of the brine, water, cumin, achiote and prepare dinner, stirring. Add the cilantro and bay leaf, cowl and prepare dinner on low till the meat and potatoes are tender and the sauce thickens, about half-hour.
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Serving: 1 ¼ cups, Calories: 362 kcal, Carbohydrates: 18 g, Protein: 40.5 g, Fat: 17 g, Saturated Fat: 4 g, Cholesterol: 129 mg, Sodium: 816 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 6.5 g
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