Mexican picadillo soup, or Sopa de picadillo, is a comfort dish featuring classic picadillo flavor in a warm and cozy soup. This recipe is a perfect way to transform leftovers, or you can make it from scratch in under an hour for a quick weeknight meal. Pair it with Mexican rice, corn tortillas, or crusty bread.
What is Picadillo Soup?
Picadillo is a popular ground beef dish with regional variations across the Philippines, the Caribbean, and Latin America. While the spices and ingredients may differ, the foundation is mostly the same—starring ground or minced meat. Picadillo, pronounced [pi-kuh-di-yo], comes from the Spanish word ‘picar,’ which means ‘to mince or chop’ in English.
Instead of serving the seasoned ground beef on its own, this version simmers it in a rich, tomato-based broth to create comforting picadillo soup.
What is Picadillo Made Of?
This Mexican picadillo soup recipe is a easy to make, using simple pantry staples. Here’s what you’ll need to get started.
- Oil: Sauté the onions, garlic, and serrano peppers in oil.
- Onion: You can use white, yellow, or red onions– whatever you have on hand.
- Garlic: Include four fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.
- Peppers: Bring on the heat with diced serrano peppers or replace them with jalapeño peppers or green bell peppers for a mild version.
- Ground Beef: Use 80/20 ground beef to make this recipe, or substitute it with ground chicken, pork, turkey, or a combination of ground beef and chorizo.
- Spices: Season the soup with kosher salt, cayenne pepper, ground cumin, paprika, Mexican dried oregano, coarse black pepper, and a few bay leaves for aromatics.
- Tomatoes: Dice fresh Roma tomatoes or stir in a can of petite diced tomatoes when you’re in a pinch.
- Potato: Cook the bite-size pieces of russet potatoes with the ground beef. The diced potatoes absorb the liquid from the ground beef for even more flavor.
- Chicken Broth: Use store-bought or homemade chicken broth as the base for the soup.
Additions and Substitutions
- Load up on veggies. Add your favorite veggies, like diced carrots and peas, to bulk up the soup.
How to Make Picadillo Soup
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Warm oil in a preheated Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, peppers, and garlic. Sauté for 5-8 minutes until the onions soften.
Step 2: Add the ground beef and break it up with a meat chopper. Cook until brown and heated through for 10 minutes. Nestle the diced potatoes into the ground beef mixture.
Step 3: Stir in the cumin, salt, cayenne, paprika, Mexican oregano, and black pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
Step 4: Deglaze the pot with the tomatoes and chicken broth, and add the bay leaves. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Reduce and simmer for 20 minutes.
Expert Tips
- Uniformly cut the ingredients. Cut the potatoes and any vegetable additions the same size to ensure they cook at the same rate.
If you enjoy picadillo soup, try more Mexican recipes!
Serving Suggestions
This is a tasty soup version of Mexican picadillo con papas, and it comes together quickly for a quick dinner idea. Garnish the hearty picadillo soup with chopped cilantro, jalapeños, avocado slices, and lime wedges to squeeze over the top.
Here are a few side dishes to complete the meal.
- Rice: Vegan Mexican Rice, White Rice
- Beans: Pinto Beans, Black Beans, Refried Beans
- Tortillas: Corn Tortillas, Tostadas, Flour Tortilla
- Bread: Dutch Oven Sourdough
- Sides: Air Fried Plantains
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store leftover soup in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Let the soup cool, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag. Picadillo soup freezes for 2-3 months.
- Thaw: Defrost the homemade soup in the fridge overnight.
- Reheat: Warm the leftovers on the stovetop for the best results.
More Soup Recipes:
Picadillo Soup
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ medium onion, finely diced
- 1-2 serrano peppers, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-2 pounds ground beef, 80/20
- 2 large russet potatoes, washed and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
- ¼ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 3 medium roma tomatoes, finely diced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup cilantro leaves, chopped
- Warm oil in a preheated Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, peppers, and garlic. Sauté for 5-8 minutes until the onions soften.
- Add the ground beef and break it up with a meat chopper. Cook until brown and heated through for 10 minutes. Nestle the diced potatoes into the ground beef mixture.
- Stir in the cumin, salt, cayenne, paprika, Mexican oregano, and black pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Deglaze the pot with the tomatoes and chicken broth, and add the bay leaves. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Reduce and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Uniformly cut the ingredients. Cut the potatoes and any vegetable additions the same size to ensure they cook at the same rate.