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

Overhead of picadillo on a white plate served with cilantro lime rice and flour tortillas.

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. 

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

How to make:

  1. Cook the ground beef most of the way, doesn’t need to be fully cooked.
  2. Add in diced bell pepper, onion, and potatoes. Continue to cook over medium heat.
  3. Stir in tomatoes, beef broth and spices. Cook with lid on for 10 minutes.
  4. Cook an additional 10 minutes with the lid off. Most of the liquid will be absorbed or evaporate.
Step by step how to make Picadillo in a skillet, sautéing ground beef with potatoes, bell pepper and onion. Adding tomato sauce, broth and spices, bring to a simmer, and after cooking.

Variations:

  • Swap the tomato sauce for 4 Roma tomatoes blended or finely diced.
  • Add in peas and carrots, or other vegetable of choice.
  • Use beef bouillon instead of beef broth.
  • Use jalapeno or other chili instead of bell pepper for more heat.
  • Add more broth/tomato sauce to make this more of a stew.
Mexican picadillo on a white plate with sauce pooling underneath.

More Easy Dinner Recipes:

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Mexican Picadillo

5 from 407 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Author: Serene
Mexican Picadillo. This quick and easy dinner recipe comes together with minimal ingredients. Ground beef and potatoes are simmered in a tomato sauce. Serve this dish up with some rice and fresh flour tortillas for a complete meal. 
Overhead of picadillo on a white plate served with cilantro lime rice and flour tortillas.

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.

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Welcome to my kitchen!

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

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59 Comments

  1. This is a staple in my house, it reminds me of when I was a kid. Great flavor and instructions are easy to follow. I follow the recipe to a T but I make mine with ground turkey and honestly can’t tell the difference! 

    Reply

  2. Made tonight and followed the directions with a few twist. Thank you for sharing and will look forward to your other recipes . Very good!!

    Reply

  6. I have made this 4 times already. It is so good brings me back to my childhood when my dad made it.

    Reply

  7. Amazing! So much more simple than other picadillo recipes I’ve tried before and so much better. My wife is sick of hearing me talk about how delicious this dish is. 
    I buy raw flour tortillas from HEB to make tacos with this. Add a little refried beans and sour cream…. Perfection! 
    Whoever came up with this recipe, Thank you
    PS.. this recipe is perfect for freeze drying. 

    Reply

  9. I have made this twice and both time my kiddos beg me to make it again! It’s super tasty and has all the right flavors. I squeezed extra lime in the mix and served it with Spanish rice and a side of tortillas. Thanks for the recipe. It’s a game changer.

    Reply

  10. I love this recipe! I made mine with jalapeno instead of bell peppers my boys loved it and they are young 11 12 16

    Reply