Mexican Picadillo (Beef & Potato)

This quick and easy Mexican Picadillo dinner recipe comes together with minimal ingredients and only 30 minutes. Ground beef and potatoes are simmered in a seasoned tomato sauce. Serve this dish up with some rice and fresh flour tortillas for a complete meal. 

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What is Mexican Picadillo? 

A classic, nostalgia inducing meal with ground beef and potatoes. This is one of those dishes that is so easy to customize, and everyone has their own way of making it. It’s pure comfort food. This recipe is a basic version, with some ideas of ways you can easily customize it to make it just right for you and your family. 

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Tomato Sauce: Swap the canned tomato sauce for 4 Roma tomatoes blended or finely diced.
• Beef Broth: Use a low or no sodium version, you can also use bone broth. Substitute with beef bouillon if you prefer.
• Potatoes: If you want a twist, try our Sweet Potato Picadillo.
• Bell Pepper: For more heat swap this out for a jalapeño or other chili pepper of choice.
• Extra Veggies: Add in peas and carrots or other vegetable of choice to customize for your family.

Find the complete recipe card below with measurements and full instructions.

How to Make Mexican Picadillo

1. First, heat a large skillet over medium heat, add ground beef. Cook over medium heat while breaking up the meat. Cook until mostly browned, drain grease and return to heat. The beef doesn’t need to be cooked completely through at this point.
2. Add in diced onion, green bell pepper and potatoes. Continue to cook over medium heat until onion and peppers are softened. Add garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.

3. Next, pour in tomato sauce and beef broth. Add in seasonings: salt, pepper, cumin, and coriander. Stir to combine. Add the bay leaf. 
4. Bring this mixture to a simmer, cover and let cook for 10 minutes. 
5. Finally, remove the lid, stir, and continue cooking with the lid off for an additional 10 minutes or until potatoes are softened and most of the liquid is gone.

Serving

Serve this Mexican Picadillo on tortillas. I love loading this into fresh flour tortillas. But it’s also good in fried corn tortillas. Or served over some cilantro lime rice. 

More Easy Dinner REcipes

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Best Ground Beef Taco Recipe

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Mexican Picadillo

4.85 from 78 votes

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Author: Serene

This quick and easy Mexican Picadillo dinner recipe comes together with minimal ingredients and only 30 minutes. Ground beef and potatoes are simmered in a seasoned tomato sauce. Serve this dish up with some rice and fresh flour tortillas for a complete meal. 

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Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 lb ground beef
• ▢ ½ cup onion diced
• ▢ 1 green bell pepper diced
• ▢ 2 cups potato peeled and diced
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 8 ounces tomato sauce*
• ▢ 1½ cup beef broth
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 tsp ground cumin
• ▢ 1 tsp ground coriander
• ▢ 1 bay leaf

Instructions 

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add ground beef. Cook over medium heat while breaking up the meat. Cook until mostly browned, drain grease and return to heat.
• Add in diced onion, green bell pepper and potatoes. Continue to cook over medium heat until onion and peppers are softened. Add garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.
• Pour in tomato sauce and beef broth. Add in seasonings: salt, pepper, cumin, and coriander. Stir to combine. Add bay leaf.
• Bring mixture to a simmer, cover and let cook for 10 minutes.
• Remove lid, stir, and continue cooking with the lid off for an additional 10 minutes or until potatoes are softened and most of the liquid is gone.
• Serve warm with flour tortillas and rice.

Video

Equipment

• large skillet

Notes

Additional Vegetables: if adding additional veggies (peas, carrots, etc.) add them in with the tomato sauce and beef broth. Let simmer to soften and absorb flavor. 

Tomatoes: can use fresh Roma tomatoes instead of tomato sauce. Either finely dice the tomatoes and saute with the potatoes, onion and pepper to release juices, or blend the tomatoes and add with the beef broth. 

Potatoes: can use russet or gold potatoes. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 862mg | Potassium: 430mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 237IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

Recipe first published April 10, 2020. Updated April 4, 2024.

Photography by @KJandCompany.co