This picadillo recipe is an easy, warm and comforting Mexican dish made from ground beef and potatoes cooked in a flavorful sauce. Great in tacos, gorditas and tostadas!
On nights when I’m not quite sure what to make for dinner, this picadillo recipe comes to the rescue!
Easy, warm and comforting, picadillo is a Latin American dish made from ground beef, potatoes and some type of tomato sauce mixture. Every country and region has it’s own unique variation on the meal (for example, the very popular Cuban picadillo is made with olives and raisins), but today I’m going to share the way my family has always made it!
(Just for context, my family is from the central/northern part of Mexico in the state of Zacatecas.)
How to make Mexican picadillo
The first thing I do is make the flavorful tomato sauce mixture.
- Add tomatoes, onions, garlic, a jalapeno pepper, oregano, cumin, salt and some water to a large blender.
- Puree until smooth and set aside.
Be sure to taste the sauce and add another jalapeno or more salt if needed. The spice level of jalapenos can vary so much, from not spicy at all to insanely fiery, so I always recommend taking a little teeny bite and testing it out.
Next comes the meat and potatoes. And peas and carrots :).
- Cook the ground beef in a large skillet with some diced onions until the meat is lightly browned. Add the potatoes, carrots, and peas and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the pureed tomato sauce mixture, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Uncover and cook for another 10 minutes to help the sauce reduce a bit and get the flavors super concentrated. When the potatoes and carrots and tender and soft, it’s time to eat!
I served this beef picadillo with some white rice that I had in the fridge, but here are a few of my favorite ways to serve it.
- alongside my Mom’s authentic Mexican rice
- in tacos
- stuffed inside gorditas (one of my favorite memories is going to visit my grandparents in Mexico and buying gorditas stuffed with spicy picadillo on the street corner!)
- served on top of sopes (delicious thick corn cakes)
- keep it low carb with some cilantro cauliflower rice
And of course, you can always eat it by itself with some corn tortilla chips, my personal favorite!
My biggest tip for getting picadillo just right (and really any other ground beef dish) is to liberally season the dish with salt. Don’t be afraid of salt! It helps to bring out the flavors of the tomato sauce mixture and really makes the meat and potatoes one big happy family.
Of course you should taste as you go so you don’t accidentally oversalt, but if you feel like you’ve added a lot and it still tastes like it needs more, then go for it. Your tastebuds will thank you.
INGREDIENTS
For the sauce
- 4 plum tomatoes, quartered
- 1/2 medium white or yellow onion
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
- 1 jalapeno pepper, stem removed (Remove the seeds if you don't want it spicy. I like to keep them in.)
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
For the meat
- 1 teaspoon cooking oil
- 1/2 medium white or yellow onion, diced
- 1 pound ground beef
- salt, to taste
- 1 medium white potato, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1/4 cup frozen peas
INSTRUCTIONS
For the sauce
- Add all sauce ingredients in a large blender and puree until smooth. Taste and season with more salt if necessary. Set aside.At this point, I also like to make sure the spice level is to my liking. If it's not spicy enough for me, I'll half a jalapeno, blend and adjust until it's perfect.
For the meat
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the cooking oil, onion, ground beef and a generous pinch of salt. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat into smaller chunks. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, until beef is lightly browned.
- Add the potatoes, carrots and peas. Mix together with the meat and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the pureed sauce to the skillet, mix together and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid and continue cooking for 10 more minutes, until the potatoes and carrots are soft and tender. If the meat starts to get dry, add in 1/4 cup of water and continue cooking.
- Remove from heat, taste and season with more salt if necessary. (I always tend to add another generous pinch or two of salt at this step.)
D Rivas says
September 18, 2018 at 11:19 amI loved this recipe! It turned out as delicious as my mother’s picadillo! I highly recommend it!
BTW, I’m very picky when it comes to Mexican recipes since I grew up in Mexico and my mom is an excellent cook.
Isabel says
September 19, 2018 at 1:14 pmI’m so happy you liked it. Thank you so much!
Mary Ellen Whitsel says
September 14, 2018 at 2:28 pmI made this recipe last night! It was YUM!!
I made a few substitutions because I did not want to go to the grocery store after work…
Instead of the fresh tomatoes and jalapeno (picky eaters at my house, so not a lot of fresh veggies live in my frig), I used a can of rotel and then added spice with ground red cayenne pepper, and I did not add the carrots or peas. I am not one to measure, but I know I added way more cumin than the recipe called for as I love cumin!!
I did over salt a little, but I am known to do that 🙁
My husband liked it, but I LOVED it!! We are empty-nesters, so no kid-tested approval yet!!
Great recipe!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Isabel says
September 15, 2018 at 2:33 pmAw I’m so happy you two loved it! And it’s good to know that it’s still good with rotel – it also works in a pinch!
Rebecca says
August 7, 2018 at 11:48 pmI made this for dinner tonight and my 2 picky eaters loved it. They are generally suspicious of vegetables, so I blended the carrot in with the sauce and left out the peas. It was delicious! Thank you!
Isabel says
August 8, 2018 at 4:07 pmBlending the carrots in is such a great idea. Genius! So happy you liked it 🙂
Cheryl B. says
July 9, 2018 at 2:56 amWhat can be used to flavor this besides cumin. I don’t like the taste of just cumin. Would a pkg of taco seasoning mix work? This looks very delicious!
Isabel says
August 8, 2018 at 4:33 pmI would just leave the cumin out, but taco seasoning could worth. It’s worth a shot!
Carol Guajardo says
June 25, 2018 at 3:28 pmHi, I made this recipe and everyone loved it! My son ate it 3 nights in a row. It’s a keeper!
Isabel says
June 27, 2018 at 4:40 pmYes! That’s so great to hear!
Valerie H says
May 2, 2018 at 9:51 pmI learned to make this in Northern Mexico when we lived in Monterrey. This is nearly the same as my friend taught me, but we used leftover salsa or pico de gallo for the tomato sauce. And no peas, so I’ll have to try that timeouts when I make it! Picadillo is my favorite comfort food from Mexico, and I use it now back in Michigan for tacos, grilled burritos, and even as the base layer for shepherds pie!
Valerie H says
May 2, 2018 at 9:53 pmTimeouts =tomorrow, sorry.
Isabel says
August 8, 2018 at 4:53 pmNice! Yep, I love it as the base of so many foods like tacos and gorditas too 🙂