Carne Molida (Puerto Rican Picadillo) is a staple in my dinner rotation, which is very similar to my Cuban picadillo, but it’s made with potatoes and sofrito.
Carne Molida (Puerto Rican Picadillo)
I love a dish I can cook once but use several times throughout the week! Carne Molida, a flavorful Latin classic, is one of those meals. My Puerto Rican husband loves when I make it for dinner! This versatile recipe, which is made many different ways from country to country and even from house to house, is easy to whip up any night of the week. And depending on the size of your family, you can easily double it. It’s delicious over rice with my quick cabbage salad on the side. For more Puerto Rican recipes, don’t miss my quick Puerto Rican-style Beans and Arroz con Gandules (Rice and Pigeon Peas).
Why You’ll Love This Carne Molida Recipe
Carne molida is the Puerto Rican version of picadillo, which my mom always made for me growing up. Although I’m not Puerto Rican, I have cousins who are and so is my husband. Making this dish brings me back to my childhood and the summers I spent in PR visiting my family.
If you make this simple carne molida recipe, I would love to see it. Tag me in your photos or videos on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook!
Carne Molida Ingredients
Carne molida packs a huge flavor punch with ingredients like sazon, sofrito, and alcaparrado. The recipe card contains the exact measurements.
- Meat: Use whatever lean ground meat you prefer–turkey, beef, or bison!
- Aromatics: Onion and garlic
- Sofrito is a Puerto Rican sauce that is the base for numerous dishes, such as stews and beans. It is a flavor booster containing onion, garlic, cubanelle peppers, bell peppers, and culantro. You can follow my homemade sofrito recipe or buy it at the supermarket–Goya sells it.
- Liquid: The meat simmers in canned tomato sauce and water.
- Potatoes: I use a Russet potato, but Yukon Gold will also work.
- Seasoning: Kosher salt, cumin, sazon (a Latin spice blend whose key ingredient is achiote) or ground achiote. You can also use Adobo seasoning, just use less salt.
- Olives: You can use chopped, pitted green olives, or, for more authentic carne molida, make it with alcaparrado, a Latin condiment with olives, pimientos, and capers. It’s sold in the Latin section of the grocery store. If you hate olives, just 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 easy carne molida, cook the meat, onions, and garlic, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer. See the recipe card for printable instructions.
- Brown the Meat: Heat a large skillet on high heat and add the meat and salt. Brown it until it’s broken up. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low, add the onions, garlic, and sofrito, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Cook the Remaining Ingredients: Add the tomato sauce, potatoes, olives/ alcaparrado with some brine, water, cumin, sazon, cilantro, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low until the meat and potatoes are tender and the sauce thickens.
Ways to Serve Carne Molida
You can make carne molida with any ground meat you like. I typically use ground turkey (it’s leaner and more tender than lean ground beef). It’s delicious over rice with my quick cabbage salad on the side, and the leftovers can be used as the base for many different meals. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Shepherd’s Pie (with a Latin twist!): Layer the carne molida in the bottom of a casserole dish, top it with mashed potatoes (or mashed cauliflower for a low-carb option), and bake in a 400-degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Empanadas are delicious baked or (even better!) air-fried. My daughter Madison loves these for lunch! Place 2 tablespoons of carne molida in the center of each empanada disc (Empanada dough is in the freezer section of most supermarkets; I use the Goya brand). Then, fold, seal the edges, and brush the top of the empanadas with egg whites. Bake at 350°F until golden, or air-fry at 325°F for 8 minutes.
- Tacos and Tostadas: Wrap in a tortilla or place on a tostada shell and top with cheese, diced onions, and cilantro.
- Quesadillas: Put meat and shredded cheddar on half of a tortilla, fold over, and cook in a skillet until the cheese melts.
- Breakfast Scramble: Add it to scrambled eggs the next morning and top with hot sauce.
- Stuffed Peppers: Follow my Slow Cooker Picadillo Stuffed Peppers, swapping out picadillo with carne molida.
- Use it in this Sweet Plantain Lasagna.
Storage
Carne molida is perfect for meal prep since it reheats well, and you can serve it various ways.
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze for 6 months.
- Reheat in the microwave or a skillet on the stove until warm.
More Latin Recipes You Will Love
Yield: 4 servings
Serving Size: 1 ¼ cups
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In a large skillet over high heat brown the meat, season with salt and cook breaking it up as it cooks with a wooden spoon into small pieces. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the onions, garlic and sofrito and cook, stirring 4 to 5 minutes.
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Add the tomato sauce, diced potatoes, pitted green olives or alcaparrado with 2 tablespoons of the brine, water, cumin, achiote and cook, stirring. Add the cilantro and bay leaf, cover and cook on low until the meat and potatoes are tender and the sauce thickens, about 30 minutes.
Last Step:
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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
