This Slow Cooker Picadillo Pot Roast is a flavorful Latin American-inspired recipe made with tender chuck roast, olives, tomatoes, and vegetables in a seasoned beef broth. Serve it with rice, beans, and warm tortillas for a full and flavorful meal!

A close up image of fully cooked slow cooker pot roast with picadillo.

Picadillo Pot Roast Recipe

Traditionally, picadillo is made on the stovetop with ground meat and vegetables in a tomato-based sauce. I’m a big fan of the classics, but my love for slow-cooked, melt-in-your-mouth shredded beef inspired me to try something new. The result? Picadillo pot roast via the slow cooker – a fantastic alternative to traditional slow cooker pot roast. It’s perfect for busy weeknights and colder temperatures and is absolutely delicious over creamy mashed potatoes or Mexican rice.

What is Picadillo?

Picadillo is a popular dish served throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Common ingredients include ground meat, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, raisins, and olives. It is highly versatile, with recipes varying by region and personal preference. It can be served independently or as a filling for empanadas, tacos, or other dishes.

Cuban Picadillo: Popular for its sweet and savory flavor profile as it features raisins and olives.
Mexican Picadillo: A spicier version of picadillo, often featuring chilies (jalapeño or serrano peppers), potatoes, and carrots.
Puerto Rican Picadillo: Features sofrito, olives, capers, and sometimes raisins. It’s most similar to Cuban picadillo.

Mexican Picadillo Recipe

Mexican Picadillo is a warm and hearty dish of ground beef, potatoes, and vegetables simmered in a warm and flavorful tomato-based sauce. Serve in tacos or with rice and beans for a full and flavorful meal!

Large pan filled with Mexican style picadillo with ground beef, potato, carrots, and peas, in a seasoned tomato sauce.

Pouring additional broth over a white bowl filled with shredded beef cooked with olives, carrots, onions, peppers, and tomatoes.

Ingredients

This picadillo pot roast is made with simple and delicious ingredients. It most resembles a Puerto Rican picadillo (with a Cuban sofrito), emphasizing briney olives and flavorful sofrito.

Chuck Roast: Chuck roasts are generally considered a tougher cut of meat due to their high amount of connective tissue. This makes them best suited for slow cooking. In this recipe, we’re searing our roast before adding it to the slow cooker for maximum flavor.
Olive oil: To sear the meat.
Olives: Specifically Manzanilla olives (pimento), but feel free to use your favorite type of olives or swap for capers.
Vegetables: This recipe includes tomato sauce, Roma tomatoes, carrots, onion, bell peppers, and garlic.
Seasoning: This recipe uses store-bought pre-made sofrito (see section below), Mexican oregano (not the same as Italian oregano), Adobo seasoning, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper.
Beef broth

All of the ingredients needed to make Slow Cooker Picadillo Pot Roast.

What is Sofrito?

Sofrito is an aromatic flavor base essential in many Latin American, Spanish, Portuguese, and Caribbean cuisines. It is typically made with various aromatic ingredients that are finely chopped and then cooked slowly in oil, allowing the flavors to meld and intensify before adding other components to the dish (similar to mirepoix).

Spanish Sofrito: Typically includes tomatoes, onion, garlic, and bell peppers (and sometimes paprika).
Puerto Rican Sofrito (also known as “recaito”): Includes cilantro, culantro (a type of tropical perennial herb), garlic, onions, green bell peppers, and ají dulce (a sweet variety of pepper). It rarely includes tomatoes.
Cuban Sofrito: It usually contains tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, garlic, and cumin.

Note: This recipe uses store-bought pre-made sofrito for extra flavor. It’s similar to chicken or beef bouillon. If you can’t find it, omit it from the recipe.

How to Cook Slow Cooker Picadillo

1. Season and sear the meat: Pat the roast dry with paper towels, then season both sides generously with salt and black pepper. Add the olive oil to a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, brown the roast for about 5 minutes per side. Once browned, remove from the skillet and set aside.

Browned chuck roast in a large stainless steel skillet.

2. Add everything to the slow cooker: Transfer the olives, tomato sauce, tomatoes, carrots, onion, green and red bell peppers, garlic, sofrito, Mexican oregano, adobo seasoning, cumin, and beef broth to a large slow cooker. Mix well to combine, then place the browned chuck roast on top of the vegetables and cover it with the lid.

Large slow cooker filled with carrots, tomatoes, onion, olives, garlic, bell pepper, and seasoning.

Seared chuck roast placed on top of a combination of vegetables, olives, broth, and seasoning in a large slow cooker.

3. Cook: Cook on low for 8 hours or until the meat is tender and shreds easily with a fork.

4. Serve: Serve over cooked white rice, Mexican rice, or Spanish-style rice, and garnish with freshly chopped cilantro if desired.

Storage and Reheating

Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Thaw frozen leftovers in the refrigerator overnight before reheating them on the stovetop or microwave.

Large slow cooker filled with cooked picadillo pot roast with shedded beef chuck.

Serving Ideas

There are countless ways to serve this incredible picadillo stew. My family loves to serve it over cooked white rice, Mexican rice, or Spanish-style rice and black beans. It’s also delicious with warm corn or flour tortillas.

Leftovers are fantastic topped with drippy fried eggs or added to huevos rancheros, nachos, and chilaquiles. It can also be used as a filling for empanadas, tamales, or burritos.

Mexican Rice Recipe

This easy Mexican Red Rice Recipe is quick and easy to make using simple ingredients including white rice, tomato sauce, and onion.

White serving bowl filled with Mexican red rice with diced carrot and peas.

Instant Pot Black Beans

Save time and money with these perfectly tender Instant Pot Black Beans. Guaranteed perfect each and every time, these no-soak Instant Pot black beans are easy to make and taste delicious as a healthy snack or mixed in your favorite salads, soups, burritos, or tacos.