I have some many great memories going along to this dish. I think I’ve told you before how we used to cook for 30 people (all immediate relatives) any given Saturday at my mom’s house. It was her, my aunts and myself (I am the oldest daughter) in the kitchen making everything from scratch. One of the things we made the most was Picadillo. Because it’s delicious, it’s easy and so versatile! we would make it for chiles
Today I made it for tostadas. I like adding potatoes and carrots to my Picadillo, just like we made it back home. Some people add peas, corn, bell peppers, there’s no right or wrong. Either version is delicious.
I like making almost a dry picadillo, that way it would hold up better when serving with tostadas or tacos. You just have to cover it and let it cook until the veggies are tender and they have sucked all the tomato sauce yummy-ness.
Final Product. Childhood memories. A piece of home right on my table.
Get the full recipe below!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 large potato
- 2 carrots
- 2 ripe roma tomatoes
- 1/2 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 8-10 tostadas (I always use baked gluten free tostadas)
- guacamole or refried beans (optional)
Instructions
- In a large skillet cook the meat on medium high heat until cook through. Peel the potatoes and carrots and diced them in about 1/4″ pieces. Make sure both potatoes are carrots are the same size. Add them to the meat and saute for a couple more minutes. In a blender, blend the tomatoes, onion, garlic, spices, and salt. If the tomatoes are not very ripe you might need to add a little water to make them easier to blend. Add the tomato sauce to the meat and veggies, stir everything until well combined and cover. Turn the heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes until the veggies have absorbed most of the sauce and they’re tender. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Smear some guacamole or refried beans on your tostadas and top with a healthy serving of picadillo. Enjoy!
