Mexican Picadillo is an incredibly versatile dish that is super easy to make with items that you probably already have in your pantry!
Well, it’s week 3 of social distancing for me and I have been really good by staying in. I have only left the house a few times to go to the grocery and the veterinarian. My poor sweet love Tommy is very sick and not doing well. It’s just another level of stress that isn’t needed during this time. Anyhoo, we will survive this and get back to our “new” normal hopefully sooner than later.
The good news! Most of us are staying home and cooking our meals on a much more regular basis! This recipe for Mexican Picadillo is one of those dishes that is great to make now. It’s healthy and you probably have all the ingredients on hand to make it!
What is Picadillo?
Picadillo is a traditional meal that is popular in Latin American countries and the Philippines. It is similar to hash as it’s made with ground meat, potatoes and veggies. It’s actually really healthy and is a great base for tacos, burritos, Rellenos, and tostadas. It’s also great served over rice or put in savory pastries.
Cuban Picadillo is traditionally made with green olives and raisins. If this is your thing, you could easily add them to this version and it would be delicious too! In the Philippines, they use fish sauce and soy sauce for flavor. In Mexico, adding olives and raisins is not traditional as Mexicans don’t generally use olives in their cooking. Any way you make it, the base is the same and is delicious!
Is there anything better than being able to cook your dinner in one pan? It’s a-okay in my book!
Mexican Picadillo
The word picadillo stems from the Spanish word “picar” which means to “mince”. Picadillo is made with any ground meat that you enjoy to eat. For this recipe, I used ground turkey as ground beef has been crazy expensive over the past few weeks! Picadillo is also made with diced potatoes but I used sweet potatoes as that’s what I had in my pantry. I actually love the sweet potatoes as they give a subtle sweetness to the meal which is incredibly good especially with the corn tortillas that I used for serving!
This one-pot dish is fantastic and I hope that you give it a try! If you do let me know! 🙂
Give this Mexican Picadillo a try for your next dinner. The flavors are amazing and it’s healthy to boot.
Other great Mexican Dishes To Try!
Mexican Picadillo
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground meat (beef, pork, turkey, chicken) I used ground turkey
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/4 cup diced green chili or 2 jalapeno peppers diced
- 8 ounces diced sweet potato or sweet potato
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1- 8 ounce can tomato sauce + 1/2 can water
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- In a large saute pan with a lid, add the olive oil and warm over medium heat. Add the ground meat and the onions and saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, green chilies, carrots, potato, chili, cumin, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine well. Cook for another minute or so and then add the diced tomatoes with the liquid, tomato sauce, and water. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes have cooked through.
- Remove the lid and stir well. Add the peas and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so to reduce the liquid. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.