Gorditas de picadillo is a traditional Mexican dish that consists of small, thick corn cakes filled with picadillo which is seasoned ground meat cooked in a flavorful sauce with vegetables.
The word gordita means “little fatty” in Spanish, and refers to the shape and texture of the corn cakes, which are thicker and softer than traditional tortillas.
To make the gorditas, the dough is formed into small disks and then cooked on a griddle or comal until they are slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
The flavorful filling is typically made with ground beef, onions, tomatoes, garlic, and spices such as cumin and chiles guajillo or pasilla. The mixture is spooned onto the corn cakes and enjoyed as a meal or snack.
Ingredients
- Masa harina: To make the dough for the corn cakes, this type of flour can be bought at any Mexican grocery store or on Amazon.
- Ground meat: I used ground beef to make the picadillo mixture, but feel free to swap it with pork, chicken, or turkey.
- Produce: Use any type of vegetables you prefer such as carrots, potatoes, onion, tomatoes, zucchini, peas, and mushrooms. Remember to cut them into small bites so they will be easier to stuff into the corn cakes.
- Chiles & spices: I used chile guajillo, garlic cloves, cumin seeds, black pepper, and salt. You can substitute the guajillo chiles with chipotle peppers, dried hatch, or also with powdered paprika.
- Oil: Olive oil or any vegetable oil such as canola oil or avocado oil.
How To Make Gorditas De Picadillo
Add tomatoes and chilies to a small saucepan. Cover with water and boil until tomatoes are nicely soft.
Remove from the hot water and place tomatoes and chilies into a blender. Add garlic, pepper, cumin, oregano, and 1 1/2 cups of water. Blend until smooth.
Heat oil in a cooking pan or a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground meat and onion, then sauté until the meat is no longer pink. Mix in potatoes, carrots, and peas.
Cook for 1 minute, then pour in the tomato and chili sauce. Season with salt and bring the mixture to a boil.
Cook for 15 minutes or until vegetables are nicely soft and the sauce has thickened and reduced by more than half.
Place masa harina and salt in a mixing bowl.
Add water and work the ingredients with your hands until you form a soft dough that doesn’t stick to your hands.
Heat a comal or griddle over medium heat.
Divide the Maseca dough into 12 portions and then slightly moisten your hands with water and take a portion of the dough to roll it into a ball.
Flatten the ball with the palm of your hands until you form a small thick patty. Watch the video below.
Place on the hot skillet and cook for 1 minute, then flip it and cook for another minute or until you’ll see some dark spots appears.
Take the gordita with a kitchen towel and using a small knife, cut a slit in the side to create the pocket that will contain the picadillo stuffing.
Repeat the steps making batches of 3 gorditas at a time and keep them wrapped in a kitchen towel to keep them soft and warm.
Once done, carefully open them and stuff them with the picadillo mixture, then place them on the hot skillet for 1-2 minutes to warm them up again.
Serve immediately your gorditas de picadillo adding a spoonful of cream and some crumbled queso fresco.
Notes & Tips
- Knead the dough well: When making the dough, make sure to knead it well to achieve a texture similar to play dough. This will help prevent the gorditas from cracking or falling apart when you cook them.
- Use a tortilla press: To shape the gorditas, you can also use a tortilla press to flatten the dough into small disks. If you don’t have a tortilla press, you can use a heavy pan or dish to press the dough.
- Cook them right: Make sure the griddle is not too hot which will burn the gorditas after a few seconds, or they will remain raw on the inside.
- Cut them when still hot: Cut the corn cakes when they’re still hot as they will harden as they cool down, becoming more difficult to make the pocket.
- Serving suggestions: I like to serve gorditas de picadillo with a spoonful of cream, cheese, and salsa roja or salsa guacamole.
Storing & Reheating
Stuffed gorditas de picadillo can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Allow them to cool to room temperature then wrap them individually in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Place the wrapped gorditas in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag and store them.
I don’t recommend freezing the assembled gorditas de picadillo, but you can freeze the mixture and the cooked corn cakes separately for up to 2 months.
To reheat:
- Preheat a dry skillet or comal over medium heat and add a bit of cooking oil.
- Unwrap the gorditas de picadillo and place them in the skillet.
- Heat the gorditas for 1-2 minutes on each side until they are heated through and slightly crispy.
- Alternatively, you can microwave the gorditas for 20-30 seconds on high, or until heated through.
More Picadillo Recipes
Have you tried this Gorditas de Picadillo recipe? Leave a comment below to let us know how it turned out! Also, don’t miss out on our latest blog posts! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.
Video
Gorditas de Picadillo
Ingredients
- 2 cups masa harina
- 1 ¼ cup water (and more if needed)
- 12 oz ground beef
- 1 medium potato (peeled and cut into small cubes)
- 1 small carrot (peeled and cut into small cubes)
- ¼ cup frozen peas
- 1 medium tomato
- 1 small onion (diced)
- 1-2 guajillo chilies (stems and seeds removed)
- 1 clove garlic (peeled)
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or you preferred oil)
- salt (to taste)
Serving options
- Queso fresco
- Mexican crema or sour cream
- pico de gallo or guacamole
Instructions
- Boil the tomato and chilies in a small saucepan with plenty of water until soft (about 10 minutes).
- Remove from the hot water and place everything into a blender. Add garlic, pepper, cumin, oregano, and 1 cup of water. Blend until smooth.
- Heat oil in a cooking pan or a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground meat and onion, then sauté until the meat is no longer pink.
- Mix in potatoes, carrots, and peas, and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the tomato and chili sauce. Season with salt and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Cook for 15 minutes or until vegetables are nicely soft and the sauce has thickened and reduced by more than half.
Make the gorditas
- Place masa harina and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Add water and work the ingredients with your hands until you form a soft dough that doesn’t stick to your hands.
- Heat a comal or griddle over medium heat.
- Divide the Maseca dough into 10 portions and then slightly moisten your hands with water and take a portion of the dough to roll it into a ball.
- Flatten the ball with the palm of your hands until you form a small thick patty.
- Place on the hot skillet and cook for 1 minute, then flip it and cook for another minute or until you’ll see some dark spots appears.
- Take the gordita with a kitchen towel and using a small knife, cut a slit in the side to create the pocket that will contain the picadillo stuffing.
- Repeat the steps making batches of 2-3 gorditas at a time and keep them wrapped in a kitchen towel to keep them soft and warm.
- Once done, carefully open them and stuff them with the picadillo mixture, then place them on the hot skillet for 1-2 minutes to warm them up again.
- Serve immediately with a spoonful of cream and some crumbled queso fresco.
Notes
- When making the dough, make sure to knead it well to achieve a texture similar to play dough. This will help prevent the gorditas from cracking or falling apart when you cook them.
- To shape the gorditas, you can also use a tortilla press to flatten the dough into small disks. If you don’t have a tortilla press, you can use a heavy pan or dish to press the dough.
- Make sure the griddle is not too hot that will burn the gorditas after a few seconds, or they will remain raw on the inside.
- Cut the corn cakes when they’re still hot as they will harden as they cool down, becoming more difficult to make the pocket.
Loved the recipe, the gorditas were soft on the inside and lightly crispy on the outside, I maybe used too much oil when I cook them but they were so good! Thanks!