Beef Picadillo

Beef Picadillo has to be one of the easiest meals to prepare, a secret weapon that many Mexican cooks use to feed their families during a busy week. It mainly consists of beef mince fried with onions and garlic, then cooked with diced vegetables, can be spicy or mild (as you prefer), normally served with Gran Luchito Refried Beans and Mexican rice on the side.

What makes Picadillo such a life saver is that there isn’t just one recipe for it, you can adapt to what you have at home and make use of any vegetables or herbs that perhaps are looking a bit sad over your kitchen counter, it’s a great way to clean up your fridge before getting a fresh shop. You can even substitute the beef mince for cooked brown lentils to make a vegan version of this dish.

At Luchito we like to use a bit of Gran Luchito Garlic and Guajillo Fajita and Taco Mix to add more depth of flavour to our Picadillo. Gran Luchito Fajita and Taco Mixes are a great way to add seasoning in a speedy way to any of your meals, and what we love about our garlic and guajillo mix is that it provides a lot of flavour without being spicy which makes it perfect to season your family meals.

Don’t forget to serve your Picadillo with Gran Luchito Chipotle Refried Beans on the side and warm Gran Luchito Soft Taco Wraps. If you are unsure about refried beans, check out our blog What Are Refried Beans.

Our Mexican Beef Recipes has lots of great ideas and recipes to bring even more flavour to your beef.

Prep time

10 mins
Cook time

20 mins
Total time

30 mins
Ideal for

Dinner
Make it

Quick and Easy
Serves

4

Nutrition: Per serving

kcal 140 fat 8.1g saturates 3.5g carbs 11.3g sugars 2g fibre 0.9g protein 5.6g salt 0.37g

This recipe uses

Found in the
Mexican Section

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 red pepper, cut into small squares
500g / 1.1 lb of steak beef mince
1 or 2 tablespoons of Gran Luchito Garlic and Guajillo Fajita and Taco Mix (add the spice according to your taste)
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
½ cup of orange juice
250 ml of chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to season)
1 packet of Gran Luchito Chipotle Refried Beans
1 cup of freshly chopped coriander
1 avocado, ripe
1 cup of creme fraiche
1 packet of Gran Luchito Soft Taco Wraps

How to make it

Heat up half 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large frying pan. Once hot enough add the shallots and garlic and fry gently until it softens. Now add the butternut squash, potato, carrot and red pepper, stir and cook everything for a further 6 minutes (the potatoes, squash and carrots don’t need to be cooked through). Once ready, place the fried vegetables in a bowl and reserve on the side.
Add the remaining oil into the same pan and fry the minced beef, season with Garlic and Guajillo Fajita and Taco Mix and cook your meat over medium-high heat until it gets a bit of colour.
Once it gets a bit of colour add in the vinegar, orange juice, stock, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper and the pre-cooked vegetables. Integrate everything with a wooden spoon and cover your pan with a lid, simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes or until your potatoes are cooked through.
In the meantime open the Chipotle Refried Beans sachet and place them into a pan, heat them up on low heat, until nice and warm.
Serve a few spoonfuls of your Picadillo in a bowl with a nice portion of refried beans on the side. Garnish with fresh coriander, avocado slices and a spoonful of creme fraiche. Don’t forget to serve with warm Soft Taco Wraps on the side, enjoy!