Quinoa Beef Picadillo

The whole family loved this. I added some water and rinsed, uncooked quinoa rather than cooking the quinoa separately. Worked great!

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I was originally intrigued with this recipe, but didn't know how all of the spices plus olives/capers plus raisins would be. I needn't have worried, because this is an amazing dish. It has become a favorite with my family. I generally serve it mixed with brown rice instead of quinoa, and have made it with both lean ground beef and ground turkey. Both versions are delicious!

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Glad I found this here so I don't have to type it in myself! We liked it a lot. I'm always looking for quinoa recipes. I used 3 10-oz. cans Rotel tomatoes and left out the raisins. Next time I'm going to add some cubed sweet potatoes or butternut squash. I'll also make it spicier and use ground turkey as others suggested.

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We ultimately decided we liked it (much better on the second day after the flavors have melded -- yes you would want to mix this with the quinoa to go for the max blending of flavors), but the combination of flavors does take a bit of getting used to. I would skip the raisins next time -- this recipe is non-committal...either go all out with the sweet (1/2 cup+ raisins) or skip them altogether, because it was weird getting that super-sweet taste in every 3rd or 4th bite...sort of a shock to the palate. Just a helpful hint, 3 cups of cooked quinoa is about 1 cup uncooked (or a bit less). If you can't find diced tomatoes with green chiles, get a 28oz can of diced tomatoes and a small 6oz can of diced green chilies.

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This was lovely. I added four slices of minced jalapeno to a 28 oz tin of diced toms, I also used 1/2 and 1/8 tsp of ground cumin to compensate for a lack of seeds... Anyway, this was awesome - so comforting. The raisins were a delight and the olives satisfying, and there was beef in every bite AND it's amde with quinoa - we love quinoa! Thanks so much for sharing. Going into the five star, make again file!

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Wonderful! The quinoa makes this a hearty, filling, and healthy stew using relatively little meat, and the spices and the sweet/salty/tart combination of the raisins/olives/capers give it a nice complexity and slightly exotic taste. Definitely a keeper. Thanks, Engrossed!

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This was so delicious! I used tomatoes with hot chilies, so there was a little kick. The raisins - I used golden - added a perfect counterpoint to the spiciness. I used a chili powder mix that had cinnamon and a hint of cocoa in it. This is a keeper!

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As most, I was not sure what to think, but this is such a delicious and unique dish. I used basmati rice and half the amount the dish calls for, which really lets you enjoy the variety of flavors. And super quick and simple to make! Plus, just as good the next day for leftovers.

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Wow, this was a great dish! The flavors just really all sing together. I used 2 red bell peppers, half the meat (actually veggie crumbles), half the salt, and left out the raisins. I followed a reviewer's calculation of 1/2 cup dry quinoa and thought cooked it was the perfect amount for this. Next time I will double the capers. It sounded good, but tasted even better!

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Made this with ground turkey and barley. Yummy! I made this for the family so I had to leave out the heat for my kids. My husband and I added some peppers to ours and that really made a difference. Will make this again!

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wowza's! this is one of the best picadilo. I used pearl barley and jalapeno peppers. I put a little dollop of sour cream on the side for the heat, and totally enjoyed this.

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It's good. I used beef and other colour peppers out of dislike for green. I used marjoram instead of oregano as that's what I had on hand. I added a little Baharat Aka Middle East Mixed Spices - the Real Mix instead of chili powder. I used canned tomatoes crushed like a sauce: no chunks and no chili peppers in it. I can't remember if I added raisins but I wouldn't if I would make this again. And like many I served this on a bed of quinoa not mixed in. The topping was good the quinoa, which I cooked in chicken stock, was still plain.

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My husband and I love Quinoa and would eat it I think for every dish if we could. This was such an amazing recipe. I of course changed it to fit our healthy choices and tastes (eliminating the cinnamon and raisins and using free range ground turkey). This is definitely a keeper! I was a little hesitant to make so much Quinoa and cut it back to two cups and it was STILL alot of food. Always remember to check your serving sizes! Two cups of Quinoa could have easily served 6! (My husband had seconds, my mother did too, and there is enough left overs for another entire meal for 4.)

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I liked this one better than other picadillos I had at restaurants, however, I would make it a bit less spicy next time but sub 1 small diced tomatoes and 1 small diced tomatoes with chillies. I also thought that the quinoa was too much and would probably use only half next time. Also, note that I sub ground lean turkey for the beef to make it more healthy.

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I've just had the last of the leftovers for lunch and realized I neglected to post my review. As someone who really enjoys bold combinations of sweet and spicy (often with tangy and/or salty) in my main courses, picadillo has been a longtime favorite. Add quinoa, one of my favorite grains, and I'm a pretty happy diner. To make this suit my diet I used an combination of 90% lean beef and replaced about 1/4 of the meat with finely diced mushrooms, something well suited for highly seasoned dishes such as this. The flavors were sharp, bright and bold. and I thought the balance between the raisins and olives were just right. My half batch made 3 generous servings.

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I changed this a little bit, using ground turkey breast, a little less olive oil and no olives, as I just don't care for them much. My spice hating mom even had 2 servings of it. Good thing it made a huge pan full! I also only had 1 14 ounce can of tomatoes and so I diced up 2 vine ripened tomatoes that I had on hand to make up the difference. This was very good and isn't all that spicey, which is a plus here. I would say that it easily serves 6 people. Thanks! Will make this again!

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Our first experience with quinoa but not last. Love the texture of it. This is very mild and next time I will add more chile powder. Thanks for sharing Engrossed. Made for ZWT4 the Flying Dutchess'.

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Made this delicious recipe with ground pork. Loved the different flavour textures and the fact that it was served with quinoa which the kids, for once, ate! Thanks!

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Easy, healthy and tasty! I used golden raisins because that's what I had on hand. The combination of salty and sweet was very nice. First time having quinoa and I'm fascinated. Can't wait to find other ways to use it. Thanks for sharing!

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Perfect dish! We loved this!! Used lean ground beef and 1 large red pepper. Served it on quinoa. This was real good - can't wait to make it again!! Thanks Engrossed! :)

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