Cuban-Style Turkey Picadillo

Cuban-Style Turkey Picadillo

The Cuban-Style Picadillo is normally made with ground beef. Ground turkey is used in place of the ground beef makes this dish a lot healthier. This is an easy and delicious dish to be eaten served over brown rice.

Two 1.25-pound packages of lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, finely chopped (9.6 ounces)
1 large red bell pepper, seeded, deveined and finely chopped (7.6 ounces)
1 large green bell pepper, seeded, deveined and finely chopped (7.3 ounces)
3 large cloves garlic, finely minced (0.4 ounce)
1-3/4 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 dried bay leaves
1-3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, hand-crushed
2 tablespoons tomato paste (1.0 ounce)
1/2 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, rinsed and thinly sliced (2.8 ounces)
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and coarsely chopped (1.0 ounce)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (0.7 ounce)

Heat a 12-inch deep skillet over high heat until very hot, but not smoking. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the ground turkey. Continue to cook on high heat, breaking up turkey meat, until no longer pink. Transfer to a colander and set aside.

Using the same skillet, heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet. Add the onions, red and green bell peppers, garlic and 2 tablespoons of cilantro. Continue to cook until soft and dry, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. If too much liquid is being released, increase heat to high until liquid has evaporated; then reduce heat back to medium-high heat. When the vegetables are soft and dry, add the ground turkey back to the pan. Continue to cook for another minute. Add the cumin, oregano, coriander, cinnamon, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Continue to cook for another minute or until fragrant. Stir in the hand-crushed diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the Spanish olives and capers. Continue to cook, covered, for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the remainder of the cilantro and remove from heat. Serve over hot cooked brown rice.

Yields 6 to 8 servings

NOTE: IF you have leftover picadillo for another meal, I like to use leftover picadillo for quesadillas using 100% whole-wheat flour tortillas. Spread some refried beans on one tortilla, top with about 1/2 cup picadillo, top with 2 tablespoons 2% milk reduced-fat Mexican blend or Monterey Jack cheese, top with another tortilla and pan-fry in very lightly oiled nonstick skillet for about 2-3 minutes per side over medium heat until browned. Cut into fourths and serve with salsa and guacamole.