Mexican Picadillo Recipe

5 from 43 votes

This easy Mexican picadillo recipe is made with ground beef, potatoes and plenty of seasonings, great over rice or served with tortillas for a full meal. Big on flavor!

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Total Time55

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: ancho, ground beef, Mexican, recipe, spicy

Servings:

Calories: 361kcal

Author: Mike Hultquist

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces yellow potatoes about 3-4 small, diced
1 medium yellow onion chopped
1 jalapeno pepper chopped
1 serrano pepper chopped (optional, for spicier)
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 pound ground beef (you can use other ground meats, like chicken, turkey or pork)
2 large tomatoes chopped
3/4 cup beef stock (or use chicken or vegetable stock)
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
FOR SERVING: Cooked rice or warmed tortillas, sliced peppers, chili flakes, fresh lime juice, hot sauce

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large pan to medium heat. Add the potatoes, onion and peppers and cook them down for 5 minutes to soften.
Stir in the garlic and ground beef. Break up the ground beef with a wooden spoon and brown it up for 5 minutes. The meat doesn't need to be cooked all the way through.
Stir in the tomatoes, stock, and seasonings and reduce the heat to simmer.
Simmer for 20 minutes to cook through and let the potatoes soften up.
Serve over cooked rice or with tortillas with extra peppers, spicy chili flakes and lime juice! Don’t forget your favorite hot sauce.

Video

Notes

Heat Factor: Medium, though it is PACKED with flavor. You can easily add more heat with hotter peppers or chili flakes, or by adding your favorite hot sauce.

Other Ingredients. This recipe is customizable and can include many other ingredients. Some traditional Mexican picadillo recipes include parsley, blanched almonds, olives, carrots and raisins. See the Recipe Notes and Tips section of the main post for further discussion.

Nutrition