Description
Savory, hearty, and deeply comforting, this Mexican Picadillo is a quick dinner recipe that brings big flavor with minimal effort. Made with ground beef, potatoes, tomatoes, and warm spices, it’s the perfect meal for busy weeknights or weekend batch cooking. Serve it with rice, tortillas, or use it as a filling for tacos and empanadas. Whether you’re looking for easy dinner ideas, a healthy snack, or comforting food ideas, this easy recipe delivers every time.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon oil
½ medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef (80/20 preferred)
2 medium potatoes, diced small
1 ½ cups diced tomatoes (canned or fresh)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup water or beef broth
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional)
Instructions
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook until soft, about 3–4 minutes. Stir in garlic and sauté another 30 seconds.
2. Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it up with a spoon. Drain excess grease if needed.
3. Stir in diced tomatoes, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Mix well.
4. Add diced potatoes and stir to coat in the mixture.
5. Pour in water or beef broth to barely cover the potatoes.
6. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 15–20 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Stir occasionally.
7. Remove the bay leaf. Adjust salt and pepper if needed.
8. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot.
Notes
Dice the potatoes small so they cook faster and evenly absorb flavor.
If the mixture becomes too dry, add a splash of broth or water during simmering.
Make it spicy by adding chopped jalapeños or a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 420mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 18g
- Cholesterol: 55mg
Keywords: Mexican Picadillo, easy dinner, quick dinner recipe, healthy snack, food ideas, ground beef recipe