Growing up my absolute favorite dish was picadillo, so I knew when I went vegan that I had to come up with a delicious plant-based version. I tried many meat substitutes but ultimately settled for making a lentil picadillo stewed in a spicy chipotle tomato-based sauce with cumin, oregano, carrots, and potatoes. It has become my family's go-to dinner, and will be yours too!
What Makes This Recipe Great
This is a super flavorful recipe full of protein, iron, and fiber. It is made with simple ingredients and makes a delicious main dish that kids love. Plus it is gluten-free and dairy free as well.
Regional Variations
In Mexico, picadillo is a stew of chopped or ground meat, usually simmered with onion, garlic, tomato, raisins, almonds, and sometimes olives. It is eaten alone or paired with rice and beans. It is often used to fill empanadas, quesadillas, enchiladas, tamales, chiles rellenos, and calabacitas. There are of course many other versions from various Latin American Countries, but probably the most famous is the Cuban picadillo. I will be focusing on regional Mexican variations.
According to the Larousse Diccionario Enciclopedico de la Cocina Mexicana by Ricardo Muñoz Zurita there are many regional versions of picadillo. My recipe is a northern Mexico version, where I'm from, but it's fun to explore the other versions:
Chiapas: Picadillo is made with ground beef, chayote, carrots, corn, potato, hearts of palm, cabbage, and calabacitas.
Oaxaca: Picadillo is made with ground pork stewed in tomato, onion, garlic, thyme, cinnamon, marjoram, bay leaf, plantain, olives, capers, raisins, and almonds.
Central Mexico: Picadillo is made with ground beef, garlic, onion, tomato, raisins, olives, almonds, and capers.
Zacatecas: Picadillo is made with ground beef or pork, guajillo chile, tomato, onion, garlic, cumin, saffron, carrots, green beans, potatoes, and peas.
All these variations can be easily made vegan by substituting the meat with lentils or plant-based ground beef.
Ingredients
Brown Lentils: I use brown lentils, because they are the ones most commonly found in the grocery store, but any other lentil would also work with this recipe.
Chile Chipotles in Adobo: Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are dried and smoked red jalapeño peppers mixed in a spiced tomato sauce made with paprika, bay leaves, garlic, onions, oregano, salt, and black pepper. You can usually find them canned in the Mexican section of your grocery store.
Russet Potato: I used Russet or Idaho potatoes cut into cubes, but red-skinned, white potato, or Yukon gold will also work.
Dried Mexican oregano: When cooking Mexican food I always recommend you use Mexican oregano, Italian oregano has a different flavor profile. You can usually find it in the Mexican section of the grocery store.
Meat Substitute: This recipe works with plant-based ground beef like Impossible Meat or Beyond Beef meat, use 1 pound of meat instead of lentils.
How to Make Vegan Picadillo
- Cook lentils in a pot with onion and bay leaf for 10 minutes.
- Place tomatoes and chipotle pepper in the blender, and puree until smooth.
- Drain lentils and mash them with a fork.
- Cook onion until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute, and add lentils.
5. Pour the tomato puree into the pot and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Add the carrots, potatoes, cumin, oregano, and broth and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Tips and Tricks
- I like my picadillo soupy so the rice absorbs some of the picadillo broth, but if you like your picadillo on the dry side, reduce the amount of broth in this recipe to 2 1/2 cups.
- If you want to make the southern Mexico version of this dish add the following additional ingredients: 2 1/2 tablespoons raisins, 1/4 cup chopped manzanilla olives, 1 tablespoon chopped capers, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon ground clove.
- If you would like to make this whole food plant based (no oil) omit the oil when cooking the onion and use 1/2 cup of vegetable broth instead.
- For a flavor reminiscent of knorr suiza, one of the most used condiments in Mexican you can use Better Than Bouillon, No Chicken Base
Serving
Serve with warm corn tortillas and Mexican brown rice for a quick weeknight dinner. You can also use it to fill enchiladas, chiles rellenos, or make vegan picadillo tostadas.
Storing
Store the picadillo in an airtight container for up to three days in the fridge or up to 6 months in the freezer.
FAQ
One chipotle pepper will give this medium heat. When I serve this to my kids I omit the chipotle pepper.
My mom did too!! You can use 1 teaspoon of Better than Bouillon No-Chicken Base diluted in the vegetable broth.
Vegan Picadillo
Ingredients
Lentils:
- ½ pound Brown lentils , cleaned and picked (1 1/2 cups)
- ½ Onion, yellow
- 1 Bay leaf
Picadillo
- 2 teaspoons avocado oil
- 3 large Roma tomatoes (2 1/4 cups)
- 1 chile chipotle, in adobo
- ½ large white onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 large carrot, peeled, diced (3/4 cup)
- 1 large Russet potato, diced (2 1/2 cups)
- ½ tsp. ground cumin
- ¼ tsp. dry Mexican oregano
- 3 cups vegetable broth
Instructions
- Place lentils in a medium pot and cover with water. Add bay leaf and onion. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low and simmer unitl the lentils are slightlt tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
- Place tomatoes and chipotle pepper in the blender, and puree until smooth.
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add chopped onion and sweat for 2-3 minutes. Add minced garlic and sweat for 3 minute more.
- Mash the lentils with a fork to break them up a bit. Add lentils to the pot and stir to combine with onion and garlic.
- Pour the tomato-chipotle mixture into the pot and let cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until you notice that the tomato puree is changing into a deep red color.
- Add the borth, diced carrot and potato, cumin, oregano, and season to taste.
- Bring to a simmer and cook until vegetables are tender, about 20 min. Serve with Mexican red rice and warm corn tortillas.
Video
Notes
- If you want to make the southern Mexico version of this dish add 2 1/2 tablespoons raisins, 1/4 cup chopped manzanilla olives, 1 tablespoon chopped capers, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon ground clove.
- If you would like to make this oil-free omit the oil when cooking the onion and use 1/2 cup of vegetable broth instead.
- For a flavor reminiscent of knorr suiza, one of the most used condiments in Mexican you can use 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon, No Chicken Base
Nutrition
Although dorastable.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates.
Mari
This recipe is so delicious and comforting! I make this all the time now. I love that the ingredients are so simple and are things that I always have on hand. I can not thank you enough for this recipe!
Staci
I love your recipes and appreciate that you share them! Thank you 💛
Rue H.
Thank you, Dora! I have been living off this the past couple weeks. I’ve made at least 4 batches and have found what I like. One chipotle chili adds a nice flavor, but I’ve adjusted the recipe a little according to your notes & my taste. I use 1.5 chipotle chili’s with a little spoonful of the adobo sauce. I add a whole cinnamon stick with the other spices and let it simmer in the mix til the end of cooking. I add 1-2 bricks of Chopped Tofu cutlet (the browned super firm 6.5 oz kind by House Foods) and chopped manzanilla olives. I omit the salt because of the olives. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. It has quickly become a favorite and an easy go to for various meals throughout the week!
Camie
Hi, I left a comment earlier but it seems to have disappeared. Anyway, I asked at what point do you use the Knorr Suiza or Better Than Bouillon--with the 3 cups of vegetable broth?
Thanks!
Camie
Can't wait to try this--for some reason I have a surfeit of lentils at the moment. Does the Better Than Bouillon get added to the lentil cooking liquid or the 3 cups of vegetable broth?
Dora S.
Hi Camie. It gets added to the 3 cups of vegetable broth.
Karla
Will the chipotle make it spicy? My young daughters are vegan along with me and my hubby, but they don’t like spicy food. What can I do here?
Dora S.
Yes, it will make it a little bit spicy. You can omit it without a problem.
Krys
I’m going to make this tonight, but if I take out the chiles to make it less spicy for my 2 year old, will it ruin the recipe?
Dora S.
No, it won't. I make a non-spicy version for my kids all the time.
Erica
Looks amazing!
Lisa Morgan
Hi Dora, I made the picadillo last night--really good! My spouse doesn't like lentils that much, but he liked this. We had it with rice and a crispy cabbage salad. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. I was looking for something that wasn't a lentil soup but was more like . . . a picadillo, I guess. :) We appreciate your vegan recipes!
Candace Lawrence
Have you shown him (your husband) the PETA tapes? You can order them from PETA. I guarantee he will be so horrified at where and how his meat originates, it won't be difficult to persuade him to try full-stop vegetarianism (with the help of your delicious recipes), and then veganism. When my husband and I first started dating, his favorite dish was carnitas. Needless to say (with the help of my delicious recipes), although I didn't push him, that habit vanished. Now he is an animal rights attorney and if you google him, you'll see pages and pages of his scholarship in international animal law.
True story.
dorastable
Wow Candace, that's quite a story! Hopefully my husband will come around one day.
Candace Lawrence
PETA TAPES PETA TAPES PETA TAPES
Or you could just cut him off. JK JK JK