This Mexican Picadillo is served up with a healthy dose of nostalgia. No matter where you were born, it'll remind you of some home cooking you grew up with, but of course with a little more spice 🙂
That's because most cultures have a classic meat-and-potatoes dish that makes regular appearances in the home kitchen (hash!). Mexican picadillo fits this bill quite well and is a delicious, easy-to-make dish that does an exemplary job of jarring loose a few of your kitchen table memories.
Mexican Picadillo Recipe
You'll come across wayward variations of picadillo dependent on which country you're having dinner in. I'll list a few tweaks you can make, but I think it's worth trying out a no-frills version the first time you make it to see how well it gets along with your taste buds.
Start by roasting 5-6 plum tomatoes in the oven at 400F.
You'll also need one potato and a medium-sized carrot.
Keep in mind that the potatoes will be cooking in the stew; I usually cut them smallish so they'll need less time to cook.
Saute 1/4 onion in some oil for a few minutes. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic, saute briefly, and then add 1 lb. ground beef and 1 teaspoon of salt. You'll need a wide, deep skillet to hold all the picadillo.
You only need to brown the meat lightly because there's an extended simmer time coming up. Once you lose most of the pink color add the potatoes and carrots.
Saute briefly as you gather the other ingredients.
By now the tomatoes are roasted enough. Add them to a blender or food processor, along with 3/4 onion, 1 jalapeno, and 2 garlic cloves.
This is essentially a double batch of our Tomato Jalapeno Salsa. Tomatoes and capsaicin (heat) are the base flavors in picadillo and blending them together is an easy way to flavor the meat.
Add this tomato-jalapeno mixture to the beef along with 1 teaspoon cumin, freshly cracked black pepper, and one cup of stock (or water). Combine well.
We usually make picadillo on the threshold of Whoa Spicy!
That means adding 2 teaspoons of this Chili Powder Mixture:
A dose of pure chili powder is a great way to increase the heat and add another layer of flavor, but you can consider this optional as you'll already have quite a bit of heat from the jalapeno. (Note: I'm not a fan of generic chili powders and will always recommend buying pure chili powders or making your own chili powder at home.)
Let the picadillo simmer on medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked all the way through. By then the sauce will have reduced quite a bit, but ideally you've still got some liquid leftover.
And now take another taste for seasoning. I added another generous pinch of salt at this point.
Yes, Mexican picadillo is a great option for tacos, burritos, and even empanadas, but it's surprising how satisfying it can be when humbly served over rice. (Especially over this Cilantro Lime Rice).
If you've got liquid left over in the pan definitely drizzle it over the top of the meat and rice. So good!
You'll also frequently see Mexican picadillo served with raisins. It's worth experimenting with this at some point, but keep in mind that tastes vary and you'll probably get a 50/50 approval rating on raisins in your picadillo.
You can add the raisins in for the last few minutes of the simmer. You could also make the main batch without raisins and give people the option of adding them after the fact.
Olives and capers are also frequently served up in picadillo but I don't consider them to be essential for this version. You'll also occasionally see chorizo added to the beef for additional flavor.
But sometimes the simplest recipes are the best, so I think it's worth making this no-frills version to see how much you like it.
And if you later find yourself craving some home cooked Mexican picadillo to escape from the hustle and bustle of the world, then you're on the right track.
Buen Provecho.
Update: we just put up a recipe for a Chipotle Cinnamon Picadillo that uses the same process as this Mexican Picadillo. See here. And our latest post uses this Picadillo to make a skillet pot pie.
Mexican Picadillo
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 potato
- 1 carrot
- 1/4 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons chili powder (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 cup stock (or water)
- 1/3 cup raisins (optional)
For the Tomato Jalapeno blender mixture:
- 6 plum tomatoes
- 3/4 onion
- 1 jalapeno
- 2 garlic cloves
Instructions
- After rinsing the tomatoes and cutting out the stems, roast them in a 400F oven for 20-25 minutes or until you need them.
- Saute 1/4 onion in oil over medium heat for a few minutes. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and saute briefly. Add 1 lb. ground beef and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook over medium heat until the ground beef is lightly browned. (You can drain off some fat if you want.)
- Chop the potato and carrot into smallish pieces (larger pieces will require more simmering time). Once the beef is lightly browned, add the potato and carrot. Saute briefly as you gather the additional ingredients.
- For the Tomato-Jalapeno mixture, add the roasted tomatoes to a blender or food processor along with 3/4 onion, 2 garlic cloves and 1 jalapeno. Combine well.
- Add the Tomato-Jalapeno mixture to the beef, along with 1 teaspoon cumin, some freshly cracked black pepper, and 1 cup of stock (or water). I also add 2 teaspoons of chili powder but that is optional.
- Combine well and simmer over medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked all the way through.
- Take a final taste for seasoning. I added another generous pinch of salt to this batch. Serve immediately.
- If you want to serve your Picadillo with raisins, you can add them to the beef mixture for the last few minutes of the simmer or you can simply add them as a final garnish.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
Soup crazy? Try our Chicken Tortilla Soup.
Our latest recipe is Curtido, a spicy pickled cabbage dish.
Still hungry?!
Want to receive Mexican Please recipes via email when they are posted? Sign up below to subscribe. All recipes are spam free.
Thank You For Subscribing!
Bruce Brummitt
Without raisins it just isn’t the same. Land olives.
Monica
Raisins aren’t used in Mexican picadillo. They’re used in Filipino picadillo. This, however, is a Mexican recipe.
Cody
I made this one night and within seconds
I became a Celebrity among my piers!!
Patrick
Ha thanks much for your note Cody, I'm so glad they enjoyed it! Cheers.
Rionna
So delicious and very easy to follow! Thank yo for the great recipe 🙂
Patrick
Thanks much Rionna, I'm so glad you found this recipe! Cheers.
Susana Labadie
Hello Patrick,
Would only suggest adding some of the liquid from the olive jar. It adds acidity, which is welcomed, but salt then has to be adjusted.
Thank you so much for your interest in Mexican cooking !
Happy New year.
Patrick
Hi Susana, thanks much for mentioning this tip! Cheers.
Pete
Quick to prepare, easy, economical and above all tasty with the added bonus of being low carb. if you substitute celery root for potato.
Patrick
Hey Pete thanks much for mentioning that substitution! Cheers.
Angelica Soto
Hi! Is there any way to make this in the instant pot??thank you.
Patrick
Hi Angelica! Hmmm not sure it's the best candidate for the instant pot as it seems to prefer a simmer over medium-low heat. Cheers.
Marisol
Do you know if it freezes well?
Patrick
Hey Marisol! It should freeze just fine but to be honest I never do that as it keeps in the fridge for as long as I need it. Cheers.
Blanca
I miss my mother's cooking from living at home and I needed to recreate this dish! I roasted the tomatoes on a flat skillet. Other than that, followed the recipe as is. Maybe I added just a pinch more of dry chili because wow! It has a delicious kick of spicy but it keeps you wanting more! I failed to try the cilantro lime rice but plain white rice did the trick with a quarter of a lime squeezed per plate, it was the perfect balance imo. This recipe is delicious! Thank you!!!
Patrick
Thanks Blanca, so glad you found this recipe! Yup I often do the same and serve it over plain ol' white rice and it is still yumville 🙂
Gerry
This was amazing! Delicious and got better as time went on. It did us for quite a few meals. I made the Cilantro Lime rice with it and it was perfect.
Patrick
Ha I'm the same, having leftover Picadillo in the fridge makes dinner so easy 🙂
Christina
My Guatemalan mother in-law makes a delicious version of this but I think she omits the tomatoes and bakes it in the oven. It reminds me of the filling for pasties, a popular dish in Northern Michigan. I do plan to try it this way too as well.