This chorizo spiced ground beef and potatoes skillet packs in a ton of flavour with simple ingredients in one pan making it a great dinner option to whip up during busy weeknights! Serve over rice, in tacos, burritos, bowls and more.
Chorizo Spiced Ground Beef & Potatoes at A Glance
- One pan recipe:
- Everything cooks right in one big pan. Start out by sautéing the veggies and browning the beef. Then gradually add in the remaining ingredients until it’s time to cover and simmer to soften the potatoes. The only exception is that you do need a mixing bowl to season the beef to ensure the spiced are fully and evenly mixed.
- Chorizo seasoned beef
- Mexican-style chorizo is often used to season pork, but it’s great on beef too! It might look like a lot of spices, but it does not overwhelm the final dish at all.
- Tons of serving options:
- Serve this stuffed inside tacos, burritos or added to quesadillas. Keep it cheap and easy by serving over a bed of rice. Make a burrito bowl by adding a side beans, salsa, avocado/guacamole, sour cream, hot sauce, etc.
Recipe Steps
1. Season the beef. Whisk the dry spices together in a mixing bowl then add the beef mince and vinegar. Use your hands to mix to ensure everything is fully combined. FYI – It will look like a LOT of spice, but that’s ok.
↳Why add vinegar?
Vinegar is a key ingredient in Mexican-style chorizo recipes because it helps to enhance the overall taste and texture. The tangy flavor helps to brighten up some of the mellow and earthy chorizo spices and the extra acid helps to create a more tender, crumbly meat texture by breaking down the protein.
2. Sauté beef & aromatics. Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper to a hot, oiled pan with the seasoned meat. Cook, about 8-10 minutes until the onions are soft. Make sure to break up the beef and stir as you go.
3. Add tomato paste. Stir in 2 tbsp of tomato paste and cook about 2 minutes. I like to add my tomato paste before adding other liquids so it has time to cook and caramelise first to create a deeper, richer tomato flavor.
4. Add potatoes & stock. Stir in the diced potatoes and chicken or beef broth/stock. Make sure to scrape the loosen up any bits stuck on to the bottom of the pan (with a wooden spoon if using a non-stick pan).
↳What type of Potato? 🥔
Ultimately, it’s up to you, but if you’re looking for recommendations, I would go with an all-purpose variety like Yukon gold potatoes.
All-purpose potatoes are a good middle ground between starchy potatoes that break down easily (russet) and waxy potatoes that hold their shape even after cooking (like red potatoes).
5. Simmer & cover. Smooth the surface of the potato & meat mixture over so it’s in a mostly evenly layer. The goal is to make sure the potatoes are covered in liquid/beef as much as possible. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce the heat down to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover with a fitted lid and cook on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes or until you’ve got fork tender potatoes.
6. Add cheese (optional). Turn off the heat and remove the lid. Leave the pot on the hot burner. Sprinkle grated cheese over the beef mixture then add the lid back to the pot. Leave for a few minutes to let the residual heat & steam melt the cheese.
7. Add fresh herbs & season. Taste and season with extra salt and pepper if you think it needs it. Serve with fresh chopped green onions and cilantro and enjoy.
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Veggie additions & substitutions: 🫑
- swap white potatoes for sweet potatoes
- You can easily sneak more veggies into this dish. It’s great if you have leftover bits and pieces that need using up. I had half a red bell pepper left over from another dish that I threw in here.
- Add spicy peppers – jalapeños, serrano, chipotle, etc. How much and what type is up to your and your preferred level of spice.
- Add beans (if you pan if big enough): 🫘
- Add a can of drain & rinsed black beans. Add it along with the chicken/beef stock just before simmering or stir it into the beef mixture just before you add cheese. Leave the the pot covered about 5-10 minutes (off) so the beans have time to heat up fully.
- Switch up the protein: 🥩
- Swap out all of or half of the beef mince for ground turkey, chicken or pork mince.
- Store & Freeze for Later: ❄️
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep in the fridge up to 4 days. Reheat fully before eating.
- Freeze your cooled leftovers in a freezer-safe bag or container up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat fully before serving.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
- In taco or burrito filling: add to your favorite store-bought tortillas or make your own corn tortillas or gluten free flour tortillas.
- Over rice: keep it simple with plain white rice or go the extra mile and make your own Mexican Red Rice. For a low carb option, try cauliflower rice.
- In a burrito bowl: serve with homemade guacamole or guacamole salad, salsa, sautéd black beans
- Stuffed in peppers: This would be great in the taco stuffed peppers or
Enjoy!
Let me know if you try this Ground Beef & Potatoes Skillet recipe! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!
Chorizo Spiced Ground Beef & Potatoes Skillet Recipe
Ground beef seasoned with simple spices then browned & simmer with aromatic veggies and diced potatoes in one big pan - serve over rice or enjoy as a taco/burrito filling.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp paprika
- 2 tbsp ancho chili powder*
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp salt + more to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper + more to taste
- 2 tbsp white vinegar (30ml)
- 1 lb ground beef mince, 10% fat (450g)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (15ml)
- 1 small onion, chopped - white or yellow
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped - any color
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 lb white potato - cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 cup beef or chicken stock (240ml)
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese - optional
- 4-5 spring onions, thinly sliced
- fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl or cup, whisk together the paprika, chili powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, salt and pepper until combined.
- Place the beef inside a large mixing bowl. Add the spice blend and vinegar. Use your hands to mix everything together until well combined. Set aside.
- Warm the oil in a large skillet (12-inch or larger) over a medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, garlic, bell pepper and beef. Cook, about 8-10 minutes until the onion soft. Make sure to break up the beef as you cook.
- Add the tomato paste and cook 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in the stock and potatoes. Increase the heat to bring the liquids to a boil then reduce the temp to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and cook, about 15-20 minutes until the liquid has mostly evaporated and the potatoes are tender.
- Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Turn off the heat and sprinkle the cheese (if using) and some of the spring onions over the top. Place the lid back on and leave for a few minutes. Let the residual heat melt the cheese and soften the spring onions.
- Serve with fresh cilantro and spring onions and enjoy. Serve over rice or cauliflower rice or enjoy as a filling in burritos, tacos, etc.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. Reheat fully before eating.
- Freeze in an airtight, freezer safe container up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge over night and reheat fully.
- Potato type: All-purpose potatoes are a good middle ground between starchy potatoes that break down easily (russet) and waxy potatoes that hold their shape even after cooking (like red potatoes). You can however use whatever potato you like.
- Chili powder: If you don't have ancho chili powder available, use your preferred chili powder blend instead; hot, medium or mild depending - your choice
Sarah Sorbel says
Question – the ingredients don’t include a measurement of cinnamon but the instructions have cinnamon listed as an ingredient. Does this include cinnamon and if so, how much??
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Sarah! Sorry about the confusion – thanks for pointing that out to me! I included 1/4 tsp cinnamon in my original testing. It’s not a lot, but it does add a subtle sweetness that I decided wasn’t worth including. Feel free to add it to your recipe if you end up trying this though – for me not including it was mostly just a personal preference.