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This easy to make Mexican Picadillo is a classic meat and potatoes dish bursting with flavor and spice. It can be eaten straight out of the pan but it also works good in tacos, burritos, and empanadas. So good! mexicanplease.com
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4.20 from 36 votes

Mexican Picadillo

This easy to make Mexican Picadillo is a classic meat and potatoes dish bursting with flavor and spice. It can be eaten straight out of the pan but it also works great in tacos, burritos, and empanadas. So good! 
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 189kcal
Author: Mexican Please

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

Olives and capers are frequent additions to picadillo if you want to experiment with them.   
 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 189kcal