Here’s a Mexican version of a hearty potato and meat dish that is sure to keep you satisfied! Full of flavor and a great dish on it’s own or perfect as a stuffing for Chiles Rellenos. Mexican Picadillo is a must try for a quick and delicious meal.
Picadillo is one of those super simple dishes that is great for a weeknight meal, especially when you want to have a meal ready at the table quickly. I make it slightly quicker by boiling the carrots and potatoes separately so these are ready by the time the ground beef is cooked.
This is a great meal to prep ahead by chopping all the vegetables and having these ready to cook. Tip: if you chop the potatoes ahead of time place them in a bowl and cover with water to avoid browning of the potatoes.
When you’re ready to cook the meal just boil the potatoes and carrots together for a few minutes until just starting to get tender. While that’s going, cook the ground beef with the rest of the veggies, add the carrots and potatoes along with lime juice and cilantro. That. Is. It. It’s seriously so easy, incredibly flavorful, and makes for the best lunch meal prep. Make it all ahead of time, portion it out for the week, and reheat as needed.
As mentioned above, Mexican picadillo makes the best Chiles Rellenos filling and you definitely should check that recipe out here. Something else I love about this recipe: it is Whole30 compliant and made with clean and simple ingredients. Oh, and it is absolutely perfect for breakfast with a fried egg on top. I mean, could it get any better?!
Mexican Picadillo
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef or meat of choice
- 1 large potato (or 2 small ones) diced
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 3 roma tomatoes chopped
- 1 jalapeno chopped. Remove seeds for less heat
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 limes
- 1/2 cup cilantro
Instructions
- Place the potatoes and carrots in a pot with enough water to cover them. Bring to boil just until they start to soften.
- Meanwhile, place large skillet over medium heat and add some oil. Once hot, add onion and ground beef. Break apart ground beef, season with s&p and cumin, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, tomatoes, and jalapenos to beef mixture and cook for 5 minutes. Add carrots, potatoes, juice of both limes, and cilantro. Allow to simmer for additional 10 minutes.
Made this last night and it was delicious! And super easy. I had to make some modifications based on ingredients available. I subbed a can of Rotel for fresh tomatoes and pickled jalapenos for fresh. For our taste buds, I tripled the garlic and would probably add double the cumin next time. I’d probably use half the lime juice (hubs isn’t a fan) and use the cilantro as garnish (hubs is also not a fan). That said, this got the best husband review of anything I’ve made in our short Whole30 life and I’ll make it over and over again!
Hi Cami! I am so happy to hear you and your husband liked the picadillo. It definitely is a frequent dish in our house!
This recipe -I cannot say enough great things about it. I have recommended it to so many friends!!! so easy, but the depth of flavor is sooooo delish. i stumbled across this in January during a whole30, but is now one of my go to weeknight dinners. Love, love love it!!
Thanks so much Ann! I love that you also love it, it’s a favorite around here!
I love this recipe!! It’s super easy and I generally have most of these items on hand so I don’t really have to go out of my way to make it. I even enjoyed the leftovers for breakfast!!
Andrea, I am so glad you love this recipe. IT’s seriously a favorite around here. Leftovers for breakfast are always a good idea with this!
It was AMAZING! So easy!
Thank you, Natalie!
I made this for my lunch meal prep with a side of brown rice and it did not disappoint. It was delicious and so easy to make. It is definitely in my recipe rotation. Thanks, Jess! I love your recipes and will try another one next week.
I am so glad you liked it, Claudia! Thanks for trying it out and can’t wait to see what you try next!
I just found this recipe so, I’m late replying. It was delish. The only thing I didn’t have was the cilantro. Also, I added fresh corn. Yum. Thank you.
Hi Sheila, So glad you enjoyed this recipe. One of our faves! Love the addition of corn. Thanks for giving it a try!