Vegetarian Cuban Picadillo with Mushrooms and Walnuts

This vegetarian Cuban picadillo proves you don't need meat for a hearty, savory bowl. Mushrooms and walnuts stand in for the beef, simmered with raisins, olives, and capers for one flavorful dish.

Recipe

Print Recipe

Vegetarian Cuban Picadillo

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Cuban

Keyword: vegetarian

Servings: 4

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Turmeric Rice

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 cup medium-grain rice
• 1 ½ cups vegetable stock

Braised black beans

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 shallots minced
• 4 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 chile de arbol
• 28 ounces canned black beans drained and rinsed
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• salt and pepper

Picadillo

• ¾ cup roughly chopped walnuts
• 1 pound sliced button mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons oil divided
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper chopped
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• ½ cup sliced Spanish olives
• ½ cup golden raisins
• 2 tablespoons capers
• ½ cup vegetable stock
• salt and pepper

Remaining ingredients

• ¼ cup cilantro chopped
• 2 tomatoes chopped
• lime wedges for serving

Instructions

• Make the turmeric rice. Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add cumin and turmeric and saute for 30 seconds. Add the rice and toast for one minute, tossing to coat in the spices. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and continue to simmer for 15 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated and the rice is cooked.
• Meanwhile, braise the black beans. Heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and saute for 1 minute or until the shallots are softened. Add chili de arbol, black beans, vegetable stock, and coriander. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and continue to simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Prepare the vegetarian picadillo. Use a food processor to pulse the walnuts and mushrooms until coarsely chopped. You can also chop the ingredients by hand. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and walnuts and cook until the mushrooms are browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a plate.
• In the same pan, heat another tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the onion and green bell pepper and saute until the vegetables have softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add back the mushrooms along with garlic, tomato paste, cumin, and oregano, stirring to coat.
• Add the olives, raisins, capers, and vegetable stock, stirring to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated. Season the picadillo with salt and pepper.
• Assemble the Cuban picadillo bowls. Portion the rice into 4 bowls and top with the beans and picadillo. Top with fresh chopped tomatoes and chopped cilantro. Serve with lime wedges if desired.

Notes

You can use long-grain rice instead of medium-grain rice. Be sure to increase the amount of liquid accordingly.

I used button mushrooms, but you can also use cremini mushrooms.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Cook rice

If you're unfamiliar with picadillo, it's a Latin American dish usually made from ground beef simmered in a tomato-based sauce. There are many different variations, some spicy, some not, some with potatoes or olives, and so on. Each region has its own twist.

Today I'm going to go the Cuban route, adding raisins, olives, and capers to the mix. And, of course, we're making it vegetarian.

Picadillo is normally served with rice, so I decided to prepare turmeric rice. Start by melting the butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the turmeric and cumin and let them bloom for about 30 seconds. This step wakes up the spices and gives the rice its golden color.

Stir in the rice and toast it for a minute. You want every grain coated in that spiced butter. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring it to a boil.

Cover the pot, drop the heat to low, and let it simmer for 15 minutes. When the liquid is gone and the rice is tender, fluff it with a fork and set it aside.

Step 2: Braise beans

Now, on to the beans. I used canned black beans to go the quicker route, but you can substitute them with dried beans.

Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Then, add the shallots and garlic and cook for a minute, just until the shallots turn translucent.

Toss in the chile de arbol, black beans, vegetable stock, and coriander, and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

The beans should soak up the stock and turn rich and creamy, transforming plain canned beans into a lively side dish. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm while you prepare the picadillo.

Step 3: Cook picadillo

So, what can we use to replace the heartiness of beef in this vegetarian Cuban picadillo? Mushrooms and walnuts, of course!

I actually used the combination for vegetarian carne asada tacos and absolutely loved it, so why not use it for vegetarian picadillo?

The trick to getting the right texture is to finely chop the mushrooms and walnuts either through a food processor or by hand. Remember to pulse the mixture, don't puree. We still want some texture, not pureed mushrooms and walnuts.

Then, saute the mixture until it's nice and browned, letting the moisture from the mushrooms evaporate. Remove the mushrooms and walnuts and set them aside.

Now we have to build on the flavor for the picadillo. Saute the onion and pepper until softened, then add back the mushrooms and walnuts along with the garlic, cumin, tomato paste, and oregano.

Finish the vegetarian Cuban picadillo with the olives, raisins, capers, and vegetable stock, and let everything simmer. The flavors will meld, and the sweet with savory will produce one lovely picadillo.

Assemble the vegetarian Cuban picadillo bowls with the turmeric rice, picadillo, and braised beans. Top them off with fresh cilantro and chopped tomatoes, and you're ready to dig in!

I gotta say, I fell in love with this vegetarian Cuban picadillo. With ingredients like raisins, capers, olives, and walnuts, what's not to love? Full of flavor and healthy!

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: You can cook the rice, beans, and picadillo ahead of time and reheat them before serving.
• Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

More hearty vegetarian dinners

Looking for more satisfying vegetarian dinner ideas? Try these: