Mexican Style Ground Beef Dish
Looking for a new twist on typical ground beef dinners? Try making Picadillo, a flavorful but not hot Mexican ground beef dish prepared with potatoes, carrots, raisins, and tomato sauce.
Every Mexican family makes a variation of this dish.
It’s versatile. Use it as taco meat, serve over rice, or on a tostada. Kids love it. Make a double batch.
It keeps well in the freezer. It will become one of your favorite ground beef recipes. It’s one of ours.
How to Make Picadillo
It is easy to make and preparation is similar to dishes you probably already know.
Start by gathering all of your ingredients for the recipe.
- 2 lbs low-fat ground beef
- 2 medium white potatoes
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 cup green peas (preferably frozen peas not canned)
- ½ cup raisins
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Both Seasoned or unseasoned tomato sauce work well in this dish. It is more typical in Mexico to use seasoned tomato sauce. Frozen peas are preferable to canned.
First Steps
- Peel the carrots and potatoes first.
- Chop the potatoes and carrots. We like the potatoes and carrots on the chunky side especially when we serve the picadillo over rice. If you plan on making tacos de picadillo chop the potatoes and carrots into smaller pieces.
Time to Cook
- Add the ground beef to a large preheated frying pan with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil.
- Gently break up the meat so that it browns evenly.
- Lightly brown the ground beef. Try not to over-brown the meat because it will be on the dry side. Use this picture as a guide.
- Don’t drain the liquid that the meat gives off. It incorporates into the dish and enriches the flavor.
- Add the potatoes and carrots to the ground beef and cook for about 6 minutes.
- Add the raisins and green peas to the mixture.
- Mix until all of the ingredients are evenly dispersed.
- Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
- Add the tomato sauce.
- Mix in the tomato sauce until it is fully incorporated.
- Cook the picadillo over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes until the liquid has reduced and the potatoes and carrots are fully cooked and have softened.
- Taste and add salt if necessary.
How to Serve Picadillo
- Serve over white rice, on a tostada, or as a taco filling or even by itself.
Looks good, doesn’t it?
How do you prefer your picadillo? Over rice? In a taco? Or on a tostada? If you make tacos, corn and flour tortillas are both good choices.
Optional Ingredients
Picadillo is easily adaptable to your tastes. Here are a couple of variations that we like.
- You can add ½ cup chopped white onion if you like. Add the onion at the same time you add the potatoes and carrots.
- If you want your picadillo to be spicy, add 1 or 2 very finely chopped serrano chiles when you add the potato and carrots.
Mexican Picadillo Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. low-fat ground beef
- 2 medium white potatoes
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 cup green peas preferably use frozen peas not canned
- ½ cup raisins
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. black pepper
Instructions
- Peel the carrots and potatoes first.
- Chop the potatoes and carrots.
- Preheat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground beef to the frying pan and lightly brown the ground beef. (about 5 minutes)
- Add the potatoes and carrots, stir and cook for 6 minutes.
- Add the raisins and peas and stir.
- Add the tomato sauce, salt and black pepper and stir.
- Reduce to medium-low heat and cook for 20 minutes until the liquid has reduced and the potatoes and carrots have softened.
- Taste and add salt if necessary.
Notes
- Picadillo should be moist but not wet when served.
- If it is starting to get dry before the potatoes and carrots are cooked add 2 tablespoons of water as needed so that it remains moist.
- Chop the potatoes coarsely if you are going to serve it over rice or on a tostada. Chop them finer if you are going to serve it in tacos.
- If you are making tacos, it goes well with both corn and flour tortillas.
- If you use canned peas, rinse them well to remove excess salt.
- If you don’t have any tomato sauce, use 3 Roma tomatoes that have been smoothly blended as a substitute.
- You can add ½ cup chopped white onion if you like. Add the onion at the same time you add the potatoes and carrots.
- If you want your picadillo to be spicy, add 1 or 2 very finely chopped serrano chiles when you add the potato and carrots.
Crock Pot Picadillo is very flavorful and easy to make. It is packed with ground beef, black beans,peas and Mexican seasonings. The whole family will love.