This vegan picadillo recipe is the perfect combo of sweet and savory.
Well friends. Today is a special day. Not only am I sharing one of my favorite plant based Latin style recipes, Cuban sweet potato Picadillo bowls, but it is also the Kiwi and my nine year anniversary. Nine years. Wow. Actually if it feels like more like 10. I’m just joking, maybe.
I really love celebrating our anniversary at the beginning of a new year. It gives us a chance to set goals, or rather, intentions. That word is much better. Yes, intentions! Plus it just feels like it’s a fresh start with a lot of things. You know?
That being said, 2017 is definitely a year that we plan to nourish. As mentioned before, 2016 was quite eventful. And wee bit been stressful. But with the help of a meal plan and a new fresh perspective, we feel like there’ll be a lot more life balance. Hopefully more time for each other. OK so all that being said again, I bring you back to this recipe. Healthy, easy, super duper bowl full of goodness. All you need is one pan to make this dish too! Cuban sweet potato Picadillo bowls. Plant based real food nourishment! Lovely, just lovely!
If you don’t know what Picadillo is, I will fill you in. I think you’re really going like this method of cooking. It’s scrappy, haha, like me. Always.
You see, Picadillo is a traditional dish in many Latin American countries. Think of it similar to that of American hash, but made with ground beef, stewed tomatoes, and other ingredients from the region. It is often served with rice or potatoes and can be used as a filling or by itself.
Of course with this recipe, I decided that we needed to hone in on the Cuban flavors and up the veggies! I really want to focus in on the tomatoes and sweet potatoes, then boost up the plant protein with roasted chickpeas. Cuban spiced chickpeas that is.
I’d say the key to this dish is really though stewed tomatoes. They are heavenly with all the spices and Cuban flavors. There’s a big difference in using stewed tomatoes versus fresh; d quality being key. Which Which is why I am using Red Gold stewed tomatoes. Red Gold’s canned stewed tomatoes uses vine ripe tomatoes that are prepared (cooked) with onion, celery, and bell pepper. Which gives them way more DEPTH and flavor to dishes! Quick, flavorful, healthy dishes, like those snappy spaghetti Italian sweet potato spaghetti bowls?
Well we are going to make sure we continue on with that epic flavor and easy dinner combo! Because let’s face it, sweet potatoes cooked together with perfectly seasoned stewed tomatoes are just heavenly.
Vegan picadillo recipe
OK guys let’s put this all together now. This Cuban sweet potato picadillo bowl involves spices such as cumin, oregano, and garlic and onion and bay leaves. A little touch of extra sweetness comes from the dried fruit. In this case I use dried cranberries but you can use raisins.
To even out the sweetness, we use throw in those roasted chickpeas, green olives, and mix it all together with the sweet potato and stewed tomatoes for richness.
This truly is a one pot wonder. So full of flavor and you didn’t even need meat. There’s plenty of fiber, plant-based protein, and healthy fats in at all. Look at us go! New year, new recipes to try, new staple ingredients to stock up on to help us enjoy every meal.
Cuban Sweet Potato Vegan Picadillo Bowls
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This vegan picadillo recipe has the perfect combo of sweet and savory flavors and wholesome ingredients. Make this grain free meal tonight!
Ingredients
for the roasted chickpeas:
- 15-ounce canned chickpeas, drained
- ¼ tsp cumin
- Pinch sea salt
- ½ tsp minced garlic
- ¼ tsp cayenne
- ½ to 1 tablespoon olive oil
For Cuban picadillo:
- 1 small onion or 1 ⅓ cup chopped
- 1 bell pepper – chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic or 1 tsp minced
- 1 medium sweet potato peeled and finely chopped (About 2 cups)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- Optional ¼ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 oz stewed tomatoes (reserve 2 tbsp of juice, then drain if using canned)
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ tsp salt and black pepper each
- 3 tbsp raisins (optional)
- ½ cup pitted green olives sliced + ½ tablespoon brine from olive jar (the juice)
- Cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven 400F. Drain and rinse your chickpeas and place in mixing bowl.
- Toss the chickpeas in oil and spices; cumin, salt, garlic, cayenne, and olive oil. Place on baking tray and in the oven to at 400 F for 15 min. Turn chickpeas over halfway through cooking. Remove from oven and set aside. Note – while the chickpeas are roasting, prepare your sweet potato bowl ingredients. Chop onion, peel and chop sweet potatoes, and stewed tomatoes (reserve 2 tablespoon of the tomato juice for cooking).
- Next add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large pan or skillet. Saute the onion, pepper, and garlic until onion starts to caramelize. Around 2 minutes or so on medium high.
- Add in additional 1 teaspoon cumin, dried oregano, bay leaves, cinnamon. Cook until fragrant. Another 3-4 minutes on medium high.
- Mix in the stewed tomatoes (and juice), red wine vinegar, tomato paste, potatoes, addition ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Cook on medium heat, partially covered, for 15 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft and slightly tender.
- Next, mix in raisins, optional chili powder, the roasted chickpeas, and olives.
- Cook on medium low for another 5-10 minutes. Add the olive brine last few minutes of cooking. Stir to combine flavors.
- To plate – serve into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro. Salt and pepper to taste
Notes
Store in sealed container in fridge for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 35 min
- Category: dinner
- Method: stove
- Cuisine: cuban
Nutrition
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 10 g
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 39 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: picadillo, vegan, sweet potato bowl, gluten free
Quality ingredients that are still affordable. Love it! I think this year is going to be filled with more recipes just like this.
Have you ever tried Picadillo?
Favorite recipe to use stewed tomatoes? I would love more.
Cheers!
LC
MORE WHOLE HEALTHY SWEET POTATOES RECIPES
This recipe is part of our 8 Healthy Ways to Cook Sweet Potatoes collection. Check it out!
I ended up cutting the sweet potatoes and roasted them with the chickpeas, which allows them to be soft and tender. It did get dry while cooking so I added chicken broth and no raisins. Nice aroma and flavors.
★★★★★
I ended up cutting the sweet potatoes and roasted them with the chickpeas, which allows them to be soft and tender. It did get dry while cooking so I added chicken broth and no raisins. Nice aroma and flavors.
★★★★★
My family and I love this recipe – WITH a few alterations. You absolutely need more liquid to cook the potatoes, no matter how small you chop them. I usually double the ingredients and then slowly add (about 1/2 cup) of veggie broth at a time, for a total of 3 cups of broth (while potatoes are cooking). It also takes about 3x the cooking time. Also, I just add the chickpeas from the can (rinsed) – I don’t bother to bake. I also don’t add the olives or brine, but that’s just because I hate olives. Otherwise – love this!!
★★★★★
thank you for the great tips and feedback MD! We’ll be sure to retest with your suggestions. I know it needs it since it’s an older recipe!
Hi Lindsay I just love this recipe! I have made a several times. It is easy to make. And I love the combination of sweet and savory. Thank you for sharing 😍.
XXX Wilma
oh thank you Wilma! I’m so glad you enjoyed! Any feedback welcome! Always looking to improve recipes for our readers.
As part of his Spanish class, my son (he is 12 years old) cooked this recipe today for dinner. We all loved it. Thanks for the recipe. It’s a keeper.
★★★★★
Oh fun! So glad it was a success Priya!
Not certain why the recipe said to drain the stewed tomatoes. I followed as stated, but the potatoes were underdone, while the aromatics and spices were starting to burn The sweet potatoes need that liquid to cook and soften. The prep of this recipe was very time-consuming and the results were disappointing. Hope this comment will give other cooks a better outcome!!
★
I’m sorry you didn’t find this recipe to your liking Drue. Did you use finely diced Potatoes? Happy to help remedy this recipe for you! We love it !
I had the very same issues. The second time I tried this recipe, I made sure not to drain the tomatoes and that helped, but my potatoes (which were chopped into small pieces) were STILL underdone. I cooked it on a lowish flame completely covered to try and trap some moisture/steam the potatoes more effectively, but that did not help either.
It was very frustrating waiting and waiting for them to be done, while stirring every few minutes because things were starting to burn.
Summary: Great flavors but undercooked potatoes; I may try steaming them briefly before adding to the pot next time around. Don’t drain the tomatoes!
★★
I’m so sorry to hear that. Did you dice the potatoes small enough? I appreciate your feedback and will retest and update this recipe.
Do you think cooking the sweet potato a little before hand would have helped with the cooking process?
I want to make this dish for Mother’s Day and reading your comments and feed back has been helpful
Hi Elana! Yes, it might be best to slightly cook the potatoes adding to the pan. It really depends on the size/thickness of the potato. I will be updating the recipe soon! Just needs a few more tweaks so everyone is on the same page. If you try it out, please feel free to leave feedback or email me.
I made this last night! I followed the recipe that the T and it turned out absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe I think this would be a great addition to a Thanksgiving feast too
★★★★★
Oh wonderful! Thank you so much for the feedback Natalie! Yes, totally agree it would make a great Thanksgiving dish. Great idea!
I love cinnamon but have never been a fan of it in my food; more of a dessert thing to me. The amount added in this recipe along with the cayenne and other spices made this a delicious choice. I used currents instead of cranberries because it’s what I had. Don’t go cheap on the olives. Good olives really make this wonderful!
oh these are great tips Kim! And thank you for giving this recipe a shot. Cinnamon can do wonders… when used right. 🙂
nice ingo
Great Information sharing .. I am very happy to read this article .. thanks for giving us go through info Fantastic nice. I appreciate this post
It is my first time i visit here. I found so many entertaining stuff in your blog, especially its discussion. From the tons of comments on your articles, I guess I am not the only one having all the leisure here! Keep up the excellent work.
Thanks for your post! I think there are many other people who are interested in them just like me! How long does it take to complete this article? I have read through other blogs, but they are cumbersome and confusing. I hope you continue to have such quality articles to share!
Thanks for your post! I think there are many other people who are interested in them just like me! How long does it take to complete this article? I have read through other blogs, but they are cumbersome and confusing. I hope you continue to have such quality articles to share!
I think so. My family isn’t too keen on olive
My family isn’t too keen on olives. Would the flavors still work without them? Would I need to replace the brine with something else?
I think so! YOu could use artichoke or capers instead. Do they like those?
It is easy to understand, detailed and meticulous! I have had a lot of harvest after watching this article from you! I feel it interesting, your post gave me a new perspective! I have read many other articles about the same topic, but your article convinced me! I hope you continue to have high quality articles like this to share with veryone!
Meal planning & food prep today! This is the winner for ‘bring lunch to the office” this week 🙂 can’t wait to try it!
Oh yay!! Thanks heather
This is so fun! What a great idea. Also I love how authentic you seem to be. Your style and passion for blogging is contagious. Thank you for sharing your life!
thank you!
[…] Cuban khoai lang Picadillo từ Cotter Crunch […]
Looks delicious, so happy to read your post 🙂
Made this last night, and it was a big hit with my neighbor – he had two bowls and said he’d be happy to test drive any other recipes I wanted to try! I love the cranberries and olives, they play well together here. (And I doubled up on the roasted chickpeas, so I’d have some for salads this week…)
Thank you for this recipe, it’s going into my favorites list!
The simple ingredients come in a delicious and nutritious dish. Everyone will probably love children from adults to adults. Must try now.
Looks delicious, so happy to read your post 🙂
. I feel like sweet potato and zucchini (or zoodles) have gotten all the love lately
The share your really gives us excitement. Thanks for your sharing. If you feel tired at work or study try to participate in our games to bring the most exciting feeling. Thank you!
Carrot fries are also underrated. Oven baked carrot fries. I feel like sweet potato and zucchini (or zoodles) have gotten all the love lately.
great idea is this recipe for Cuban picadillo bowls from Cotter Crunch with roasted spiced chickpeas, sweet potatoes and dried cranberries, it looks
I love the combination of ingredients, Lindsay! I will definitely give it a try!
it looks amazing!!! must be so great when eating
I took a second glimpse on the presentation of the dish in the pictures. For a while I thought, that the whole dish have some meat included. But then, it’s the tomatoes that make the whole dish very lively in red.
I just love how you made these picadillo with some fresh greens and produce included. Absolutely guilt free for those who are very devoted to their vegan lifestyle like me.
Thanks again!
PS. I look forward for some quinoan based recipes in your blog. If there’s one already, I’d love to take a look at it.
I always like your recipes, which look very delicious, this food, too. My chidren like this same food. I will try… Thanks!!!
wonderful! keep me posted
Thank you for the detailed description of the Cuban deliciousness! And these pictures ……oh my ?
Thanks friend! Let me know if you try it!
Quality can NEVER be sacrificed. This is incredible, especially that you found a great brand of canned tomatoes! P.S. I am SUCH a sucker for crushed tomatoes XD this sweet potato picadillo looks fantastic! So flavorful and delicious!
I so agree friend! and good to hear from you.
Happy Anniversary! This looks amazing. I’ve never tried making picadillo of any kind. Pinned to my vegan board.
thank you friend!
Those Cuban spiced chickpeas sound amazing! I love the addition of this plant-based protein to this delicious dish!
I love picadillo! So wonderful to see such a fulfilling meatless version. I need to try this recipe very soon.
Lindsay, this looks amazing. I love the olives here too. Can’t wait to add this recipe to my menu for next week 🙂
Happy Anniversary!!! I love the idea of having intentions over goals too – it makes so much more sense!
This is such an interesting combination! Jesse is really into olives at the moment so I’m thinking it would be a huge hit in our house!
Oh yea! let me know what jesse thinks! And thanks for the anniversary wishes. xxoo
I think you seriously have a taste of every cuisine on your blog; this is no exception… Most of all, ‘HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!’ I hope and pray that God might give you many many more incredible years for Him!
Thank you friend! that means a lot!
You don’t see many recipes that have Green Olives in them! I love this recipes! I think we are going to have a Cuban night in our future!
Green olives are the best too! <3 yes! cuban night!
Oh wow, Lindsay! I had to pop over after seeing this mouthwatering bowl on Insta! I zoned in on the olives, then saw the sweet potatoes… talk about a mouth party! Hearty and packed with warming spices! There’s so much umami going on… I can’t wait to give this a go! Happy Anni my dear! xo
Yes!! Umami LOVE! SO thought of you. Vegetarian goodness with a hearty punch! hehe. Thank you Traci
HAPPPPPYYYYY Nine year Anniversary, friend!!! Here’s praying y’all are blessed with many more happy ones to come – with less stress involved! And, here’s to more “scrappy” eats in 2017 – I love the word intentions instead of goals/resolutions – and I love this flavor-jammed vegan version of picadillo!
Thank you friend! that means a lot! <3
Thank you friend! I hope to see you in Utah in May, yes?
This looks so amazing! I’m all over this because at first I was like it’s a sweet potato chili (my fav) oh wait it has olives, than you kept adding more flavors!
Happy Anniversary! I like that you set your intentions for the year.
haha i am full of surprises!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am way past that but you are also a lot younger! 🙂
I was going to ask about the move but saw it in a comment. Safe travels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you! we are sick, tired, and moving but we are together and ready to embrace new season!
Lindsay, I literally want to dive right into this bowl of amazingness! It looks like the perfect combo of sweet and savory!
dive in indeed! hehe! <3
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, Lindsay!! Here’s to many more years of happiness and love 🙂
thank you sweet friend.
I haven’t have Picadillo in ages- I love the idea of making it vegan- I feel like this would translate so well. It looks really delicious. Anything with olives is always a win for me!
yes! it’s so good! let me know if you try this version Jessy!
I love every single thing about this. You’ve outdone yourself. Thank you.
i love you more! and i need to catch up with you! I promise. After we move and settle. Ugh 10 days to go and traveling in blizzard. LOL!
This looks amazing. I love stewing meats with tomatoes. The flavor and texture is fabulous.
Side note: I really want to go to Cuba.
I think we should go! I mean, you’re the travel blog. Get us sponsored! haha
Oh my goodness this looks like such a flavorful meal!
I can concur! hehe
I Do enjoy cuban food but never branched out cooking it. I will have to try this soon.
keep me posted Maria!
Cuban food is one of my FAVS!
Happy Anniversary and what a great way to celebrate with that fantastic looking picadillo bowl. I love recipes that take healthy veggies and are creative with flavor. This recipe looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it.
thank you ali! and i hope you enjoy it too!
I’ve never had the opportunity to make this dish. Sounds really healthy and tasty. On the list!
WOOHOO! keep me posted
Happy Anniversary and good luck with all the 2017 adventures 🙂
Thank you jess!
This sounds so perfect for this time of year. I’m in need of healthy comforting meals after Christmas and this is definitely on my list! Thanks so much for the recipe.
never tried picadillo and actually never even used stewed tomatoes before!
OMG linz! you will love!
Happy Anniversary! We have our 12-year anniversary this January as well. It’s nice to have something special to celebrate in an otherwise cold and gray month! 🙂
And now I want to run off and devour a picadillo bowl. The flavor combo looks amazing!
Maybe we need a double date to celebrate.. some place warm. Like LATIN america? LOL!
Looking forward to this one!
I always love adding the saltiness of olives to a dish…even better that there is a little sweetness in there too.
I often use stewed tomatoes in curries, chilis, shashuka etc. So convenient .
Oh i love it in curries too! Le me know whatcha think!
Happy anniversary to you and Kiwi! I hope you love birds have a marvelous day celebrating! This Cuban delight looks soooo tasty! I’ve never tried Picadillo and now I’m mega inspired to do so!! Happy 2017, m’dear!
thank you friend! 2017 is the year of LATIN foods and bowls! yes? Haha! and love of course. ALways.
Yes! This looks so yummy! It’s only 4 days into January and I’m already in need of a meal plan, so I don’t have to think of what to cook. Adding this to the menu next week and checking out the GF meal plan right now!
I love picadillo, and this is going straight to the meal plan! Sounds absolutely delicious!
YEEASSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!
Definitely sounds like a one pot wonder to me! Will you send me some? This week is busy!
haha well I am moving this week so maybe i can stop by in AZ!