Picadillo with Potatoes

This Picadillo with Potatoes is made with ground beef, onion, jalapeños, chili powder, cumin, and garnished with cilantro and limes.

When I think of comfort food, I think of Mexican Picadillo. There is nothing more delicious and easy to make that this! This is one of my mom’s most popular dishes. Using minimal ingredients, this dish can be simmered into perfection in less than 30 minutes.

I love wrapping picadillo in flour tortillas. I have always vouched to love corn tortillas the most, but I will say that Picadillo pairs better with flour tortillas. Warm up the store-bought tortillas or try making my Vegan Flour Tortillas. If you have a gas stovetop, I like to place the tortillas directly on the burner and warm them there so give them a nice char.

If you love this recipe, feel free to try my Chipotle Cilantro Lime White Rice and my Elote (Mexican Street Corn)

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Top tip
• Picadillo with Potatoes
• Food safety

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

• Olive oil
• Red onion
• Garlic
• Jalapeno
• Red potatoes
• Ground beef
• Diced tomatoes with green chilies
• Chili powder
• Cumin
• Bay leaves
• Limes
• Cilantro

See recipe card for quantities for Picadillo with Potatoes.

Instructions

Heat a large lidded saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil until the oil shimmers. Add the red onion and cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Stir In the garlic, jalapeño, potatoes and salt and cook for 10 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.  Add the ground beef, tomatoes with juice, chili powder, cumin, & bay leaves, breaking meat apart with a wooden spoon, for 4-5 minutes until brown and broken apart. Place the lid on the saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes. Take the lid off, stir, and simmer for another 10 minutes. Allow the liquid to evaporate. If there is too much liquid, feel free to strain before serving. Squeeze lime juice into the pot, combine, and garnish with cilantro.

Substitutions

• Olive oil: You can use olive oil although vegetable oil works just as well.
• Onion: I used a red onion as most Mexican dishes use red onions. You could use a white or yellow onion as well.
• Jalapeños: I used jalapeños but serrano peppers work just as well.
• Tomatoes: You can use fresh diced tomatoes, but to cut down prep time I like using from a can. You can also opt for the diced tomatoes with peppers in them!
• Ground beef: You want to use ground beef that Is 85% or 90% lean meat. Do not worry about using lean meat as the rest of the ingredients will keep your picadillo moist and juicy. Avoid super lean meats.
• Garlic: You can use fresh garlic for best flavor or garlic from a jar.

Variations

Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.

• Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish, or extra jalapeños.
• Deluxe - add guacamole, sour cream or pickled jalapeños on top.
• Kid friendly - add crushed tortilla chips.

Check out this Pork Birria Tacos.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!

Storage

This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, or this Picadillo with Potatoes can be frozen for 3 months.

Top tip

If you cut the potatoes smaller, they require less time to cook.

Print

Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.