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This picadillo recipe is an easy, warm, and comforting Mexican dish made from ground beef, potatoes, and vegetables cooked in a flavorful tomato-based sauce. Great in tacos, gorditas, or served with rice and beans!
On nights when I’m unsure what to make for dinner, this picadillo recipe comes to the rescue!
What Is Picadillo?
Picadillo is a Latin American dish made from ground beef, potatoes, and a tomato sauce mixture. Every country and region has its 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!
For context, my family is from the central/northern part of Mexico in the state of Zacatecas.
Ingredients in Picadillo
- Meat: Ground beef is what is traditionally used, but you could also use ground chicken or turkey if you prefer.
- Vegetables: You’ll need carrots, frozen peas, potatoes, onions, and tomatoes.
- Pepper: I used a jalapeño for a milder spice level, but you could also use a serrano pepper for more heat.
- Seasonings: I used a mix of dried Mexican oregano, kosher salt, ground cumin, and garlic.
How to Make Picadillo
Make the sauce. Add tomatoes, onions, garlic, jalapeño pepper, oregano, cumin, salt, and some water to a large blender, then puree until smooth and set aside.
Cook the meat and veggies. Cook the ground beef in a large skillet with some diced onions until the meat is lightly browned. Add the diced potatoes, diced carrots, and cook for 5 minutes, then add the blended tomato sauce mixture, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
Thicken and serve. Uncover, cook for another 5 minutes, then stir in the frozen peas. It’s ready when the potatoes and carrots are tender and soft!
Recipe Tips
- Don’t be afraid of salt. The salt helps bring out the flavors of the tomato sauce mixture and makes the meat and potatoes one big happy family.
- Taste as you go. Add another jalapeño or more salt in the sauce if needed. The spice level of jalapeños can vary from not spicy to extremely fiery, so take a small bite and test it out.
- If the meat starts to dry out during the cooking process, add ¼ cup of water to keep it moist and continue cooking.
Serving Suggestions
I recently served this beef picadillo with some leftover cilantro lime rice I had in the fridge, but there are plenty of other ways to eat it. Here are a few suggestions:
Variations
- Give it a healthy twist by substituting ground turkey or chicken for ground beef.
- Use sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes to add a subtle sweetness.
- Try green beans in place of peas to switch things up!
Storage
Leftover picadillo can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
You can also store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat from either method, simply toss it in a pan and heat it!
More Easy Dinners
Mexican Picadillo
Ingredients
- 4 small-medium Roma tomatoes, halved
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeño pepper stemmed*
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- ½ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ cup water
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium russet potato, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- ½ cup frozen peas
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the tomatoes, ½ of the diced onion, water, garlic, jalapeño pepper, ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt, Mexican oregano, cumin, and water. Blend until completely smooth.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining ½ of the diced onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Add the ground beef and sprinkle with the remaining ½ teaspoon of kosher salt. Cook for 6 minutes, breaking up the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Drain and discard any excess grease if necessary.
- Stir in the potatoes and carrots and cook for 5 more minutes. Pour in the pureed tomato mixture and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
- Uncover and cook for 5 more minutes. Stir in the frozen peas and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are tender. If the meat starts to get dry, add in ¼ cup of water and continue cooking.
- Taste and season with more salt as needed.
Video
Notes
- Jalapeño: You can remove the seeds if you don’t want it spicy, or you can completely omit the jalapeño for no spice at all.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photos by Erin Jensen of The Wooden Skillet.
This was a very good recipe! I made it just like the directions said, and will definitely be a keeper in our household. I looking forward to making more of your recipes.
I would like see more vegan recipes I am an extreme lover of tacos and pico and cilantro I need recipes for ground chicken umm what cheese to use and so forth I live your recipes I’m trying the picadillo
I I cooked the Picadillo for my wife last night and we certainly enjoyed it! She loves Mexican food, has traveled to Mexico a couple of dozen times, yet this dish was new to her. I used powdered chili because neither of us likes very spicy food. We have fresh cherry tomatoes and those worked well. Thank you!
This was amazing! I used ground Turkey instead but it was still very flavorful! Making this part of my meal rotation now, thank you!
I made this for dinner last night and it was great! I used one jalapeno pepper and the spice level was perfect for us. This recipe will be going in my regular dinner lineup.
Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
I’ve made this recipe several times because it’s wonderful but I have a question. Have you substituted jicama in this recipe for the potato? I love potatoes but we’re watching our carbs much more and was curious about the switch and to hear your thoughts . Love your blog !
Hi Greg! We haven’t tried that but that sounds super interesting, if you do try it let us know how you like it!
I love this recipe and so easy to make alway make my Mexican rice to go with it thank you.
My mom has made picadillo for our family as we grew up and still prepares it now in her nineties! It’s always been a favorite. Same recipe except she adds one bay leaf. Delicious with homemade flour tortillas 👍
Thank you so much for sharing!
Tried this recipe and kinda felt lost after adding the carrots and potatoes I felt that the cook time for the potatoes and carrots left them undercooked. Had I had known that I would have followed them in a separate pan before adding them to the meat. :/
You can try using the canned veggies 🙂 I haven’t made this in a while but I used canned and that’s how my mom made it for me when I was younger. Less to prep and ready to eat!
Thank you for the tip Rocio!
I kick this recipe up a notch. Instead of hamburger I used chorizo. I also substituted frozen peas for corn and I took out the carrots. Any leftovers I made burritos. It really turn out great my husband loves this recipe.