Muy Bueno: Fiestas 
Mexican Picadillo Tacos (Tacos de Picadillo)
Made with crunchy corn taco shells, a simple ground beef and potato filling, and all the taco fixin’s your heart desires, these Mexican Picadillo Tacos (also known as Tacos de Picadillo) are a weeknight wonder. With just 5 minutes of prep and a quick 30-minute cook time, these budget-friendly and crowd-pleasing tacos are a family favorite, and I have a feeling they’ll be one at your house, too.
About This Recipe
When I’m in need of a comforting meal in record time, I can’t help but turn to Mexican picadillo. Made in just one skillet (which means easy clean-up!), this ground beef, tomato, and potato mixture is super versatile, perfect for adding to empanadas, tacos, poblanos, gorditas, zucchini boats, and homemade crunchwraps, among many other dishes.
When I think back to my childhood, these picadillo tacos are quick to stand out. My Grandma Jesusita would make them at least 2-3 times per month. My job was to shred the cheese — we used Colby, which some Mexican purists might scoff at for being yellow, but I love the mild and creamy flavor to this day.
Oh, and these crispy taco shells? They’re not from a box. They are made with soft corn tortillas formed into half-moon shapes, then lightly fried until crunchy but somewhat pliable. YUM! As far as I’m concerned, these tacos de picadillo are down-home Mexican cooking at its finest.
Budget Friendly and Kid-Friendly Mexican Dish
With our current state of skyrocketing grocery prices (can you believe they’re estimated to rise another 5% by year’s end?!?), picadillo is more than just nostalgic; it’s also an excellent recipe for stretching your food budget. It’s no wonder they were a favorite of Abuelita’s!
Meat prices are among the hardest hit by inflation, so bulking it up with inexpensive potatoes is a simple way to keep dinnertime more affordable, especially when you have hungry teenagers in the house. (Trust me, I KNOW.)
Finally, Mexican picadillo is also super approachable for most palates — there’s nothing too spicy or outlandish for picky eaters to turn their noses up at. Load it into crispy, homemade taco shells with melty cheese, shredded lettuce, and your favorite salsa, and you have yourself a hearty, delicious, and kid-friendly meal!
How To Make Tacos de Picadillo
Step 1: Make Picadillo. In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook for about 2 minutes, until translucent. Add ground beef and brown. Using a potato masher, mash meat so you have small pieces of meat with no big chunks. Drain off excess grease. Add garlic salt, pepper, tomatoes, and potatoes and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, until potatoes are done. Salt to taste.
Step 2: Make Crispy Tortilla Shells. Heat 1-inch oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Fry tortillas, one at a time, by folding in half and laying one-half flat in oil while holding the other half with a fork or tongs, and repeating with the other half to form a half-moon shell, until golden and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Place taco shells on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Step 3: Assemble. Spoon picadillo into each taco shell, and garnish with lettuce, tomato, salsa, cheese, and avocado if using. Or, do what I do and let everyone make their own!
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Watch this video to see how easy it is to make these picadillo tacos.
Serving Suggestions
These Mexican picadillo tacos are an utter delight, no matter how you serve them. Here are some of my favorite things to set out on the taco bar:
- Cheese – Colby or Longhorn are favorites in our house, but feel free to swap in mild or sharp cheddar, spicy pepperjack, melty queso Oaxaca, or mild jack cheese.
- Salsa – Easy Pico de Gallo (Salsa Bandera), Roasted Tomatillo-Chipotle Salsa, or Salsa Casera are my go-tos, but feel free to use your own favorites!
- Shredded Lettuce – Iceberg might get a bad wrap from some, but I love its crispy coolness. Feel free to swap in shredded romaine or cabbage instead.
- Avocado – Simple slices or chunks of avocado are good enough for me, but guacamole is never a bad idea!
- Sour Cream/Mexican Crema – You can also use full-fat Greek yogurt for a similar flavor experience.
- Hot Sauce – Red Devil hot sauce is my go-to El Paso staple, but I also love Valentina hot sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Picadillo is a dish that is quite popular throughout Latin America and the Philippines, with each region having their own particular flair. In Costa Rica, picadillo is often vegetarian; in Cuba, they add olives and raisins; in the Dominican Republic, hard-boiled eggs are often added to the mix.
While I grew up eating picadillo de res (res means “beef”), you can certainly swap in ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground bison if you prefer!
Sure! Just be sure to drain them first. Or feel free to omit them!
I’ll often make a big ol’ batch of picadillo on my meal prep day and enjoy it throughout the week. It is delicious served with Mexican rice or sopa de fideos, and also makes for an excellent filling for everything from stuffed peppers and mushrooms to homemade crunch wraps and burritos. Just be sure to use it within a week, or toss any leftovers in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Budget-Friendly Dinner Ideas
- Stacked Red Enchiladas (Enchiladas Rojas)
- Crispy Potato Tacos
- Papas con Chorizo (Potatoes with Mexican Chorizo)
- Brazilian Feijoada (Black Bean Stew) with Garlic Butter Rice
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Crispy Ground Beef and Potato Tacos (Tacos de Picadillo)
Ingredients
Picadillo:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped white onion
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 tablespoon Lawry’s garlic salt
- 1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 4 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 large russet potato, peeled and finely chopped
Tacos:
- vegetable oil, for frying
- 20 corn tortillas
Optional toppings
- shredded iceberg lettuce
- chopped tomatoes
- Pico de gallo or salsa of choice
- shredded Colby or Longhorn cheese
- chopped avocado, optional
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Instructions
Picadillo:
- In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook for about 2 minutes, until translucent.
- Add ground beef and brown. Using a potato masher, mash meat so you have small pieces of meat with no big chunks. Drain off excess grease.
- Add garlic salt, pepper, tomatoes, and potatoes and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, until potatoes are done. Salt to taste.
Tacos:
- Heat 1-inch oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet.
- Fry tortillas, one at a time, by folding in half and laying one half flat in oil while holding other half with a fork or tongs, and repeating with the other half to form a half moon shell, until golden and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Place taco shells on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Spoon picadillo into each taco shell, and garnish with lettuce, tomato, salsa, cheese, and avocado if using.
Video
Notes
- Nutrition facts do not include optional toppings.
- Can I use a different protein? While I grew up eating picadillo de res (res means “beef”), you can certainly swap in ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground bison if you prefer!
- Can I use canned diced tomatoes? Sure, just be sure to drain them first!
- How long does picadillo last? Use within a week, or toss any leftovers in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Photography by Jenna Sparks.
Originally published: June 2016.
15 Comments on “Mexican Picadillo Tacos (Tacos de Picadillo)”
Excellent! Our family of 5 devoured every bit of it in one sitting! It took a while to fry to tortillas for a weeknight dinner, but totally worth the extra effort.
I love your recipes any I have tried I have had great luck with and never thought some of the would be so easy no more store bought red or green. My husband loves just about all Mexican foods, (he goes into withdraw) if he doesn’t have for a couple of days. I haven’t got brave enough to try making tamals yet, but have a good local source. What is a good way to have luck rolling enchiladas? I line corn tortillas, have a problem them cracking apart.
Thank you for all the great recipes.
Had this today, love this recipe,my daughter enjoys it too
Absolutely loved this recipe. I am white and grew up on taco seasoning packets mixed with ground beef and refried beans as tacos. Ick. My husband is half Hispanic and his dad has show me a whole new world of cuisine. This recipe was so simple yet so good. I did puree the tomato and onions though to trick my picky 8yo and husband, it worked. I also used boxed shell tortillas to save myself some time lol. Either way, this is a recipe that will be in my rotation. Thank you!
8 year old, toddler, and picky husband approved.
Perfect. Thank you.
My wife is Mexican i am not,
Goofy white boy I am
But when I was dating her ,
her mom mad this all the time and I loved it.
Came up with my own variation of it..nothing crazy I just add fresh garlic and little jalapeños to the mix..
My wife didn’t get cooking gene from her mom lol.
Though she makes some mean tamales at Christmas..
I do have your cookbook also it’s fantastic!
Have a great day!
Dion B.
In my family, we call them Mom’s tacos because my mom only made tacos with ground beef and potatoes. She made them a little differently, boiling the potatoes first before adding to the meat. I no longer eat meat but I make potato tacos by boiling the potatoes for the filling and frying the tortillas, using my tongs to hold them open just so as they fry. Yum!
(My abuelita’s name was Jesusita, too.)
My great grandma made these a s have been passed down & they are absolutely delicious! Our only difference is we grade the potatoes as if we were making hashbrown combine them with the browned carne, add them to our corn tortillas, & then fry them like that. You won’t be disappointed!
I have been wanting to make potato tacos, but my favorite tacos are ground beef, so I will probably make them 1/3 beef and 2/3 potato so they will be more potato. I am in LA and I am very lucky to be able to be hand made corn tortillas(I do have to drive 20 minutes) which really enhance any tacos.
I wanted to comment for two reasons: Thanks for the recipe, and 2, as a kid my mom always used to use Longhorn yellow cheese on our ground beef tacos. For whatever reason, that is my go-to cheese for tacos.
Hi, where are the directions to make the picadillo? Am I missing it?
Hi Vani,
Sorry about that. No, I was missing it. Thank you for catching that. The directions have now been added. Buen provecho.
a restaurant called the Cave in Nogales Mx. use to use papas in their tacos, havent had one in years. I always thought papas were used as a filler if not enough meat was available
Sound really good to me. Thank you Yvette and have a nice weekend.
I can’t wait to try these. They remind me of the tacos I used to eat at La Paloma’s on Dyer Street.
Oh my gosh!!!! La Paloma! We ate there every Saturday night when I was growing up! I loved that place, and miss the homemade flour tortillas! You bring back great memories.