Ground beef and diced tomatoes are pantry staples that make an easy, flavorful pairing for quick weeknight meals The combination of browned ground beef and canned diced tomatoes creates a simple meat sauce that can be tossed with pasta, piled high on burger buns, or served over rice With the addition of a few simple ingredients, this dynamic duo can be transformed into hearty casseroles, soups, skillet dinners, chili and more.
Here are 10 excellent recipes for making the most of ground beef and diced tomatoes
1. Easy Weeknight Pasta Bolognese
For a fast weeknight pasta dish, browned ground beef, tomatoes, herbs and seasonings combine to make a simple meat sauce reminiscent of classic Bolognese. Sauté 1 pound ground beef and 1 diced onion. Add 3 minced garlic cloves, 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, 1⁄4 cup tomato paste, 1 teaspoon oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 15 minutes then toss with cooked pasta and grated Parmesan cheese.
2. Cheesy Ground Beef and Tomato Casserole
Mingling ground beef with diced tomatoes, pasta and cheese creates a comforting crowd-pleasing casserole. Brown 1 pound ground beef with onions and garlic. Stir in 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes 8 oz pasta and 2 cups shredded cheese. Transfer to a baking dish, top with more cheese and bake until bubbly.
3. Quick Taco Skillet
For taco night made easy, ground beef mixes with diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, beans and corn for this fast one-skillet meal. Cook ground beef with onion and garlic. Add taco seasoning, black beans, corn and diced tomatoes. Serve taco meat mixture in warmed tortillas with desired toppings.
4. Italian Meatball Skillet
Skip shaping them into balls. Cook ground beef into a quick meat sauce with tomatoes, herbs and pasta. Brown ground beef with garlic and Italian seasoning. Add diced tomatoes and cook pasta until al dente. Toss pasta with meat sauce and top with mozzarella cheese.
5. Beef and Tomato Stew
Simmer ground beef and diced tomatoes with carrots, potatoes and green beans in broth for a comforting beef stew. Cook ground beef with onions and garlic. Add veggies, diced tomatoes and beef broth. Simmer until vegetables are tender.
6. Sloppy Joe Skillet
A flavorful skillet supper, brown ground beef and stir in diced tomatoes, sloppy joe seasoning, ketchup and tomato sauce. Pile saucy meat mixture high on burger buns.
7. Cheesy Ground Beef Tomato Soup
Browned ground beef and diced tomatoes simmered into broth makes a quick, hearty tomato soup. Cook ground beef and stir in diced tomatoes, beef broth, seasonings and small pasta. Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheese.
8. Easy Beef and Tomato Flatbread Pizzas
For pizza night made easy, top flatbreads with diced tomatoes, ground beef, cheese and Italian seasoning. Bake until cheese melts for personal pizzas in minutes.
9. Ground Beef Tomato Chili
A skillet of chili flavor, brown ground beef and onions. Add chili powder, beans, diced tomatoes and broth. Simmer until thickened for an easy beef chili.
10. Beef Goulash
A warm and comforting classic, ground beef and macaroni noodles simmer in a rich tomato-based sauce for an easy American goulash.
Next time you have ground beef and canned diced tomatoes, look beyond basic pasta sauce. Give one of these delicious recipes a try to turn simple ingredients into satisfying dinners. With minimal effort, you can whip up tacos, chili, soups, skillet dinners, casseroles and more using this flavorful pair.
How To Make Goulash
- Start by browning the ground beef along with the onion and bell pepper. Drain any fat and then toss in garlic until fragrant.
- Pour in tomato sauce and diced tomatoes along with beef broth and Worcestershire sauce for some added depth of flavor.
- Add in the seasonings as well as dried macaroni noodles and let simmer until the noodles are cooked through.
- Finally stir in the cheddar cheese and dig in!
- Make sure you use a big pot, as this recipe does make a lot!
- You can swap out the macaroni noodles for any other small pasta you have on hand.
- To make this an even leaner meal, you can use ground turkey in place of ground beef.
- Try adding in extra veggies like: corn, peas, diced carrots, green beans or even stirring in baby spinach at the end!
- Stir in a cup of sour cream at the end to give this recipe an even creamier base!
- The goulash is not quite soup consistency, but if you would like to add extra beef broth to make it more soupy you can definitely do that!
More Comfort Food Dinners
Here are some of my favorite tools to make this American Goulash Recipe:
