🍝🥔 Fideo con Papas y Carne Molida (Mexican-style noodle & potato skillet)
This is a classic Mexican home-style comfort dish: thin noodles (“fideo”), potatoes, and ground beef simmered in a lightly spiced tomato sauce. It’s cheap, filling, and very flavorful.
🧾 Ingredients (4–6 servings)
Main
- 250g fideo noodles (or broken vermicelli/spaghetti)
- 400–500g ground beef
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced small
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp oil
Tomato sauce
- 2 large tomatoes (or 1 can crushed tomatoes)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (optional for richer flavor)
- 2–2½ cups beef or chicken broth (or water + bouillon)
Seasoning
- 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika or chili powder
- Optional: pinch of oregano or crushed chili flakes
👨🍳 Instructions
1. Blend the sauce
- Blend tomatoes with garlic and a little broth until smooth.
- Set aside.
2. Brown the beef
- Heat oil in a large pan or pot.
- Cook ground beef until browned.
- Add onion and cook until soft.
3. Toast the fideo
- Push beef aside or remove briefly.
- Add fideo noodles to the pan.
- Toast until lightly golden (this adds deep flavor).
4. Add sauce
- Pour in blended tomato mixture.
- Stir and let it simmer for 2–3 minutes.
5. Add potatoes & simmer
- Add diced potatoes and broth.
- Season with salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika.
- Cover and simmer 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes and noodles are tender.
6. Finish
- Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Let sit 5 minutes to thicken slightly before serving.
🍽️ Serve with
- Warm tortillas 🌮
- Lime wedges 🍋
- Pickled jalapeños 🌶️
- Avocado slices 🥑
💡 Tips for best flavor
- Toasting the noodles is key—it gives a nutty, authentic taste.
- Cut potatoes small so they cook evenly with the pasta.
- Add a splash more broth if it gets too thick.
- Let it rest before serving so flavors settle.
🔥 Variations
- Spicy version: add serrano or jalapeño while cooking
- Cheesy version: top with melted cheddar or queso fresco
- Vegetable boost: add peas, carrots, or corn
- Soupier version: add extra broth for a noodle soup style
If you want, I can also make you a one-pot 20-minute version, a street-style Mexican food version, or a high-protein fitness version with extra beef and less carbs.
