Mexican · Dinner

Beef picadillo

Name: Beef picadillo
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 6 Roma tomatoes, quartered; 1/2 white onion, divided; 3 garlic cloves; 1 jalapeño, stemmed; 1/2 cup water; 2 tablespoons neutral oil; 2 pounds 85-percent-lean ground beef; 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 large Yukon Gold potato, cut into 1/2-inch dice; 2 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice; 1 cup frozen peas; 1/2 cup chopped cilantro; 12 warm corn tortillas

Ground beef simmered with potatoes, carrots, peas, and jalapeño in a fresh tomato-onion-garlic sauce until savory and spoonable, never greasy.

About 1 hr 5 minTotal

About 1 hrActive

$Cost

EasyDifficulty

Makes 6 servings

Equipment

Finely chop and simmer longer; press through a sieve when the sauce must be smooth.
Best durable full-size pick
Vitamix 5200 Blender · 64-Ounce Container
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Finely chop and simmer longer; press through a sieve when the sauce must be smooth.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched variable texture control, hot-food guidance, container capacity, stable model identity, warranty, storage burden, and exact retail destination. Kwilt has not cooked with this blender.
Vitamix 5200 Blender · 64-Ounce Container: Its variable-speed range can move from a deliberately rustic salsa to a smooth chile sauce, and the established 64-ounce system is useful well beyond these breakfast Recipes. Trade-off: It is expensive, loud, and tall enough to conflict with some upper cabinets; a less powerful blender is adequate for these softened salsa ingredients.
Another workable path: Finely chop or crush the softened ingredients, simmer longer, and press through a sieve when a smoother result is essential.
Sources
Vitamix 5200 specifications
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 6 servings

6 Roma tomatoes, quartered
1/2 white onion, divided
3 garlic cloves
1 jalapeño, stemmed
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons neutral oil
2 pounds 85-percent-lean ground beef
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large Yukon Gold potato, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
12 warm corn tortillas

Instructions

, one onion quarter, garlic, jalapeño, water, and 1 teaspoon salt until smooth but not foamy.
Heat oil in a wide skillet over medium-high. Brown beef in several large pieces before breaking it into small crumbles, 7 to 9 minutes. Spoon off only excess pooled fat.
Add diced remaining onion and cumin and cook 3 minutes. Stir in potato and carrot, then pour in tomato sauce and remaining salt; scrape up the fond.
Cover and simmer gently until vegetables are tender and beef reaches 160°F, 18 to 22 minutes, stirring twice. Uncover and reduce until moist but not soupy.
Fold in peas for 3 minutes and cilantro off heat. Rest 5 minutes and serve with tortillas.

MexicoMexican regional and household cooking

From the table

About this recipe

Picadillo is a broad minced-meat family across Latin America and the Philippines. Mexican picadillos themselves branch through local vegetables, fruits, briny ingredients, spices, and household preferences.

Picadillo is a broad minced-meat family across Latin America and the Philippines. Mexican versions themselves vary; potatoes, carrots, peas, and fresh tomato are a common household branch, while raisins and olives appear in others. This recipe names its branch instead of treating Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Mexican picadillos as interchangeable. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Select the common Mexican potato-carrot-pea branch, build the sauce from fresh tomatoes, and exclude raisins and olives while documenting that legitimate alternative.

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