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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. 

Plate with rice and ground beef picadillo with a flour tortilla.


 

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

Ingredients needed to make Mexican picadillo.
  • 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.
Ground beef and potatoes cooking in a skillet.
  1. Next, pour in tomato sauce and beef broth. Add in seasonings: salt, pepper, cumin, and coriander. Stir to combine. Add the bay leaf. 
  2. Bring this mixture to a simmer, cover and let cook for 10 minutes. 
  3. 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.
Mexican picadillo with ground beef and potatoes in a skillet topped with bay leaves.

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. 

Skillet filled with Mexican picadillo.

Storage

Store leftover picadillo in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

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Mexican Picadillo

4.86 from 74 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
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. 
Plate with rice and ground beef picadillo with a flour tortilla.

Ingredients  

  • 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

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

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Welcome to the House of Yumm!! My name is Serene. I’m the food photographer, recipe developer, and official taste tester around these parts.

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100 Comments

  1. Wow!  Made this yesterday, used the leftovers as breakfast with eggs and tortillas, and also made your cilantro lime rice.

    Now making the cilantro lime rice for dinner with a rack of lamb.

    Your…recipes…ROCK!!!!

    I am a Naturalized Texan (baptized in the Brazos River by a 5th Generation Texan back in 1996). 

    I will be following your recipes and using them to make me and my family happy!  

    Thank you so much for your recipes!

    Respect!

    Jeff in Houston

    Reply

  3. This recipe was delicious! My husband could not stop talking about tasty it was throughout dinner. Thank you!

    Reply

  4. I loved this, I did add some olives and sazon seasoning mix as well to add A bit more flavor, definitely an amazing dish 

    Reply

  5. Easy. Versatile. Delicious. It came together fairly quickly, too. I needed to use my yams, so I diced, soaked, and pre-cooked them a little (microwave) and it worked very well. The dish is full of flavor and colorful.  Definitely a keeper!

    Reply

    1. You’re right! I updated the instructions. Add the garlic after the bell pepper and onions are cooked, right before adding the tomato sauce.

      Reply