This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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.
Thanks Izzy,
I made half a recipe because my husband is a very picky eater and I didn’t want to make the whole batch because if he didn’t like it I would have to throw it all out. He LIKES IT…so THANK YOU. I am a vegetarian so I didn’t taste it, but it looks really good and he likes it and that’s what matters.
I have made this Mexican Picadillo several times and it is always a whole WIN! So filling, delicious, and very easy to make. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
Will definitely be trying this recipe, want to taste it with the homemade sauce. Looking forward to receiving more recipes from this site!
Wonderful recipe! Since we love spicy, I use 2 serrano peppers instead of a jalapeño. Didn’t have enough fresh tomatoes, so I substituted a large can of diced tomatoes.
I’m a newbie but love Mexican food. One thing that concerns me is eating too much corn or white flour products like tortillas which don’t digest well. Otherwise we I can enjoy meat. Veggies & salsa which always helps me stay healthy. How can I serve this? Or what do you suggest? Cauliflower rice ?
Hello Carol! We have various types of recipes that’ll work for you! We suggest looking at our mexican cauliflower rice or roasted mexican zucchini recipe.
I have made the Picadillo before, but the salsa makes a world of difference sooo good !! Loved it !
This is absolutely delicious and simple! Love your site and all your tips and recipes!
OMG, this sounds amazing. I don’t want to run to the store to get all the sauce ingredients, do you think I could just use a jar of salsa?
Thanks, Janet
Hi Janet! Yes, you can use a jar of salsa. Just note that this might change the flavor of the recipe a bit.
I liked this dish but found that it was too soupy. I never had to add extra water either. Also, when I made the sauce it almost turned frothy. Did I blend it too long? Should it have been a chunkier consistency?
Hi Silvia! I don’t think you blended it too long, especially since the sauce has to reduce and thicken. If it was too soupy to your liking, you can half the sauce recipe and try that!
Do you have to use Mexican oregano ? Can it just be regular oregano? I want to make this tonight and they don’t have Mexican oregano at my store.
Regular oregano is fine!
This was terrific. My husband commented on how good it was after just a couple of bites. I served it over cilantro lime rice and it worked really well. I really enjoyed having a ground beef recipe that was really different from a typical “hamburger helper” type of recipe. This is going into my home made cookbook.