Mexican Picadillo
A quick and easy dinner idea that’s whipped up in one pan, this Mexican Picadillo is full of flavor. Ground beef and potatoes simmered in a tomato sauce, it’s a warm and comforting Mexican dish that your whole family will enjoy.
Servings: 5 servings
Calories: 339kcal
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 4 roma tomatoes quartered
- 1 medium yellow onion ½ quartered and ½ diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeds removed and halved
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups russet potatoes peeled and diced
- 1 large carrot diced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- ⅓ cup peas frozen
- 1 bay leaf
- fresh chopped cilantro garnish
Instructions
- Add the tomatoes, ½ quartered onion, jalapeño, garlic, and water into a blender. Blend until smooth and set aside.
- In a large pan over medium heat, add the olive oil, onion, potatoes, and carrot. Cook until the onions have turned slightly translucent. Set aside onto a plate or bowl.
- In the same pan, add the beef to the pan breaking it up with a spatula. Cook until the beef has almost cooked all the way through, about 5 minutes.
- Add the veggies back into the pan with the beef along with the peas, salt, pepper, and cumin. Toss to combine. Then add the tomato mixture and the bay leaf.
- Turn heat to medium-low and cover the pan with a lid for 10 to 15 minutes. Simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender. If you notice that there is a lot of liquid in the pan, take off the lid and cook for an additional 5 minutes to reduce.
- Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and serve with white rice.
Video
Notes
- Make sure you dice the potatoes into small bite-sized pieces so they cook quickly in the skillet. You’ll have to increase the cooking time if you cut your potatoes larger.
- I recommend using your largest skillet. This way, all your vegetables and beef brown instead of steam when you saute them.
- You can add an additional jalapeño or swap for a serrano pepper for extra heat.
- You can use other ground meats, like chicken, turkey, or pork, instead of beef.
- To save prepping time, you can buy frozen diced potatoes and carrots.
- If you want the Mexican picadillo to be saucier, you can add a couple splashes of beef broth to the skillet along with the blended sauce.
- You can easily customize your picadillo with any of your favorite add-ins, such as parsley, blanched almonds, olives, celery, raisins, and more.
Nutrition
Calories: 339kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 545mg | Potassium: 745mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3039IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 3mg