This is my go-to recipe when I am really hungry for chile verde beef, but don’t have a lot of time to cook. Give me a warm homemade flour tortilla and there you have my favorite taco! I could literally eat these everyday, so it’s a good thing I only make this once in a while. This picadillo is great for any of your favorite Mexican dishes, enchiladas, burritos, tostadas and taco salads. It’s one of those dishes that the flavor improves after the second day. I just can’t say enough about this simple, but tasty picadillo dish. Loved it as a kid, love it even more now!
My favorite Mexican comfort food — enchiladas filled with picadillo and topped with Red Chile /Tomato Salsa . It can double as an Enchilada Sauce.
Dry roasting green chiles in the comal takes a little longer than the broiler method. It is just sometimes easier to let them roast slowly instead of turning on the broiler. Dry roast for 20-25 minutes at medium heat, turning as needed.
To make enchiladas, I flash fry my corn tortillas in a pan of preheated shallow oil for 10-15 seconds per side.. Fill them with picadillo, top with Red Salsa, cotija cheese and fresh guacamole… and always with a side of lettuce, tomatoes and onions. Very traditional in our house.
I lovingly call this a Tacos Salsa instead of taco sauce! Combining fresh tomatoes, chiles and garlic with dried chile guajillo yields a delicious, zesty sauce. Good for any of your favorite Mexican dishes!

Chile Verde Beef Picadillo
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion sliced into strips
- 2 jalapeño peppers diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 pounds ground-chuck beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 6 tomatillos roughly chopped
- 2 cups diced, cooked potatoes
- 2 cups roasted green chiles previously roasted, sliced into strips or diced (Anaheim, Hatch or Poblano Peppers)
- ¾ cup water
Instructions
- In a large pot, preheat the oil to medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the onions and jalapeño peppers and cook for 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Move the vegetables to the outer edge of pot and add the beef to the center. Season with salt, pepper, cumin and oregano. Cook for another 8 to 10 minutes until the beef gets a little bit of a crust on it. Drain out as much of the oil as you can.
- While the beef is cooking, cook the tomatillos in some boiling water for about 10 minutes. Transfer tomatillos to the blender and blend until smooth.
- Add tomatillo sauce, cooked potatoes, roasted green chiles and water to the beef. Stir well to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and continue cooking for 20 minutes or until the liquid reduces and it becomes thicker. Taste for salt. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes
Yummy
Yes, indeed!
can you show step by step on how to stack tamales in pot and I like all your food so far
Hi Helen. I simply stand the tamales, open side up at the bottom of the steamer pot. If you go to this link you will see a few pictures. Thanks. https://pinaenlacocina.com/costillas-de-puerco-en-chile-colorado-chile-ancho-braised-pork-ribs/
Delicious as always but I do have a couple of questions.
Does this salsa freeze well and would you ever consider doing a series of recipes that are freezeable ? I see so many recipes on the internet that you can make ahead of time and are freezer friendly for busy families.But, I know there are many things to consider because some ingredients do not freeze well . Oh! Loved your adventure with Mily.
I freeze almost everything Mary! Lol! Anything that I prepare in a sauce typically will freeze well. Pasta and potatoes don’t freeze well, in my opinion. But if it’s just a sauce or meat with a sauce and peppers, it fairs well. The blended salsa’s freeze well. They just have to be cooked a for a few minutes to thicken them back up. I really should do a series with freezer friendly dishes and how to pack them. Thanks for the idea!