Abuela's Picadillo

 

Ingredients

 

2 pounds lean ground beef

¼ cup olive oil

½ onion, chopped

½ green bell pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce

2 cups water

½ cup red cooking wine

3 tablespoons hot sauce (such as Louisiana)

1 (1.41 ounce) package sazon seasoning such as Badia Tropical

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon ground bay leaf

3 ounces Spanish-style olives

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes

 

Directions

 

• Cook and stir ground beef in a large stockpot until browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain grease.

 

• Heat olive oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add onion, green bell pepper, and garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir into beef in the stockpot.

 

• Pour tomato sauce, water, cooking wine, and hot sauce into the stockpot. Stir in sazon seasoning, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer picadillo, uncovered, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

 

• Split olives in half with your fingers and stir into the picadillo. Add squash. Simmer until liquid reduces but picadillo is not dry, 45 to 60 minutes. Season with salt