Mexican Ground Beef and Potato Skillet

4.75 from 4 votes

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This cheesy ground beef and potato skillet dinner is a mixture of ground beef, potatoes, red bell pepper, onions, and green chiles. A flavorful Mexican spice blend and cheese bring this easy one pan meal to life! It’s perfect for meal prepping and a great family-friendly weeknight dinner.

If you love easy Mexican inspired meals, be sure to make this beef enchilada skillet and Mexican meatball soup!

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Mexican ground beef and potatoes in a skillet with a wooden spoon.

Why You’ll Love This Ground Beef Potato Skillet

Simple ingredients – This ground beef dinner uses simple and affordable ingredients, many that you may already have or that are easy to grab at the grocery store.

Meat and potatoes – If you’re a meat and potatoes person, I know you’ll love this recipe. Think of it as upgraded meat and potatoes thanks to the Mexican spices blend, cheese, and a few flavorful veggies thrown into the mix.

Versatile – Not only can the veggies used in the recipe be swapped with others you may have on hand or prefer, but you can also serve this skillet dinner in multiple ways. See serving suggestions below.

Ingredients used for ground beef and potatoes.

Ingredients

Ground beef – Use lean ground beef. 90/10% or slightly leaner is best so that it doesn’t get too greasy.

Potatoes – Yukon gold potatoes are great because they have a creamy texture and you don’t have to peel them.

Onion, red bell pepper– The aromatics that give the skillet dinner lots of flavor. Green bell pepper or any color can be used. Yellow or white onion both work well.

Diced green chiles – If you like spicy food use hot green chiles, otherwise stick to using a can of mild diced green chiles.

Chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika – This flavorful Mexican spice blend is smoky, earthy, garlicy, and has that distinct chile flavor.

Cilantro – The fresh, slightly citrusy flavor of cilantro brings this recipe to life. If you don’t like cilantro, omit it.

Cheese – You can use any cheese you want, but I recommend cheddar, colby jack, monterey jack, or pepper jack cheese.

Wooden spoon scooping up ground beef and potatoes out of a skillet.

How to Make Ground Beef and Potatoes

Saute the potatoes in oil for 5-6 minutes. Push them to one half of the skillet and add in the ground beef.

Crumble the ground beef then add in the onion and pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook a few more minutes.

Add in the green chiles, dried spices, and cilantro. Stir everything together and continue to cook until the potatoes are tender and the beef is cooked through.

Top with shredded cheese and cook until it melts. Garnish with additional cilantro if desired.

Ways to Serve Southwest Ground Beef and Potato Skillet

This is a hearty skillet recipe and can absolutely stand on its own. I however enjoy eating it with this avocado corn salad, southwestern bean salad, or black bean corn salsa salad.

A side of rice is always a good option or chips and guacamole for something simple.

You can also use this Mexican ground beef as a filling for tacos or burritos. Combine it with scrambled eggs and make breakfast burritos!

Recipe Tips

  • Cut the potatoes into a small dice so they cook faster. I recommend 1/2 inch cubes. Keep them equal in size so they cook evenly.
  • Use a large enough skillet. I use a 12 inch enameled cast iron skillet. If you don’t use a large enough skillet you’ll have to cook the ground beef separately from the potatoes.
  • Don’t be shy with the salt. Potatoes and meat benefit from a decent amount of salt. I recommend 1 – 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt for this recipe depending on your taste.
  • Use a block of cheese and grate it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese uses anti-caking agents and won’t melt as well or have as good of flavor.
Ground beef and potatoes on a plate with a fork and slices of avocado.

Substitutions and Variations

  • Use different veggies – Try swapping red bell pepper with a green bell pepper, zucchini, carrots, or corn.
  • Use ground turkey – Ground beef can be replaced with ground turkey or ground chicken.
  • Add enchilada sauce or salsa – For extra flavor and a saucy consistency, add a 1/2 cup of red or green enchilada sauce, or your favorite jarred salsa.
  • Sweet potatoes – Yukon gold potatoes can be substituted with sweet potatoes. Cut them as instructed in the recipe. Peeling the potatoes is optional. The cooking time should be about the same.

Storage, Reheating, and Freezing

Storage – Once the ground beef and potatoes have cooled, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Freezing – I don’t recommend freezing this recipe. The potatoes can have a mealy, soggy texture once they’ve been defrosted.

Reheating – Rewarm the beef and potatoes in a skillet over medium-low heat or you can reheat it in the microwave.

Ground beef and potatoes in a skillet topped with melted cheese.

More Ground Beef Dinner Recipes

If you’ve got ground beef then I’ve got some great recipes for you!

If you’re in the mood for an Asian inspired dinner, make this sweet chili ground beef and brussels sprouts, pineapple beef stir fry, or teriyaki ground beef and broccoli.

Craving more southwest inspired meals? This southwest ground beef sweet potato skillet is a reader favorite and one of my favorites too! Ground beef taco casserole and tamale pie are also great options for easy weeknight meals.

When you want a cozy meal on a cold night you can’t go wrong with this cheeseburger soup or shepherd’s pie.

Did you make this Mexican ground beef and potatoes? I’d love if you’d leave a recipe rating and review below.

Ground beef and potatoes on a plate with a fork and slices of avocado.
4.75 from 4 votes

Mexican Ground Beef and Potato Skillet

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
This cheesy ground beef and potato skillet dinner is a mixture of ground beef, potatoes, red bell pepper, onions, flavorful Mexican spices, and green chiles.
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Ingredients 

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 pound potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, I use approximately 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 4 ounces diced green chiles
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheese

Instructions 

  • Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot swirl it to coat the bottom of the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Add the potatoes and cook them stirring often. Cook for about 6 minutes or until the potatoes are turning golden and start to become tender (they will still be too firm to eat).
  • Push the potatoes to one side of the skillet and add in the ground beef. Crumble the beef then add in the onion and red bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper and cook. Continue to break the beef apart as it cooks.
  • Add in the green chiles, spices, and cilantro. Stir everything together and cook until the potatoes are tender and the beef is cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.
  • Taste for seasoning and add additional salt if needed. Top with the cheese and cook for another minute until it melts. Garnish with cilantro if desired and serve hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 375kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 31gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 306mgFiber: 5gSugar: 3g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this? Leave a comment below!

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4.75 from 4 votes

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Recipe Rating




14 Comments

  1. Trish says:

    5 stars
    Hi Danae,
    This look delish! Making this for supper tomorrow….can’t wait to try it!! I have different different chili peppers do you have a preference? Serrano or jalapeño?? I rather use fresh then in a canne.
    Thanks for sharing your recipe!

    1. Danae says:

      Hi! Both serranos and jalapenos are spicier than canned green chiles, but either one would work fine in this recipe. It just depends on how spicy you want it. I recommend tasting the pepper to see how hot it is before adding it all in.

  2. Trish says:

    5 stars
    This look delish! Making this for supper tomorrow….can’t wait to try it!! I have different different chili peppers do you have a preference? Serrano or jalapeño?? I radder use fresh then in a canne. Thanks for sharing your recipe!

  3. Dee meredith says:

    Sounds absolutely wonderful

    1. Danae says:

      Thank you! I’ve been making it frequently and never get tired of it.

  4. Jamie says:

    Could this be made in the crock pot?
    Looks delicious :)

    1. Danae says:

      I haven’t made this in the crock pot so I can’t say for sure. It’s intended to be a fast, one pan dinner. For something along the same lines as this recipe that is made in the crock pot, try my slow cooker bison sweet potato chili. You can substitute with ground beef if you prefer.

  5. Debbie says:

    This skillet dish was very delicious! I found out at the last minute that I had no chili powder, so I used Traders Joe’s Ajika Georgian Seasoning Blend, which contains crushed chili peppers and coriander(cilantro) ECT. I’ll replenish my chili powder and make it again. it is definitely a keeper. Thank you!!!

    1. Danae says:

      Thank you for making it Debbie!

  6. Donna w says:

    5 stars
    This was a delicious recipe, however not fancy, but flavorful and healthy. Good amount of spice and freshness and melding of flavors.

    The only thing that I would recommend is to possibly boil the potatoes for maybe 4 minutes (precut) then add to the pan as directed. The potatoes were a bit undercooked even tho they were sliced in small pieces.

    A fair amount of prep but not a difficult recipe to handle.

    1. Danae says:

      Thanks for trying the recipe!

  7. Kathy J Price says:

    4 stars
    This was very tasty and a great way to stretch a lb of hamburger. I didn’t have green chilies so I added a drained can of Rotel tomatoes with green chilies.

    1. Danae says:

      Thanks for making it and leaving a review! I appreciate it.

  8. miDnIghtEr20C says:

    I will cook the beef separately half way and drain the fat. then add to potato skillet.