Picadillo in the Crock Pot

I'm a BIG fan of Cuban food as those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know. When I came across this recipe for Picadillo on Gina's blog, I knew I just HAD to try it. I love using my crock pot any chance I get so the combination of the crock pot + Cuban food made me very happy. This dish was just as delicious as I hoped it would be. It is so flavorful you're sure to love it, even if you may not share the same obsession with Cuban cuisine that I have. Promise. Who doesn't love meals that you just set and forget? The crock pot is a genius invention. 

Crock Pot Picadillo

(adapted from here, serves 4)

Ingredients:
- 1 to 1.5 lbs of lean ground beef (I use 96% lean)
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, minced
- 1 roma tomato, diced
- 8 oz of tomato sauce
- 1 1/4 cups of water
- 1/4 cup of green olives 
- 1 tsp of brine from the jar of green olives
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt & pepper, to taste

Method: 
1. Before adding your meat to your crock pot, you will first have to brown it in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Be sure to season your meat with salt, pepper, and an optional sprinkle of garlic powder (separate from the 1/4 tsp in your ingredient list).
2. Once the meat is cooked, drain the liquid from the skillet, and add your onions, garlic, and bell peppers. Cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. 
3. Transfer your meat mixture from the skillet to your crock pot. 
4. Add the tomato, cilantro, tomato sauce, water, olives, brine, and seasonings (cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, bay leaves, salt & pepper)
5. Once all ingredients are in, set your crock pot on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or LOW for 6 to 8 hours. 
6. Discard the bay leaves before serving. 

I served my dish over a bed of rice. It was the perfect pairing! 

Things to note: If you're not a beef eater, I would definitely recommend swapping out the ground beef for ground turkey. Either meat would work here. Enjoy!