Ground beef is a kitchen staple that can be used to make so many quick, easy, and delicious dinner recipes From classic hamburgers and meatloaves to tacos, chili, and pasta dishes, ground beef is versatile and budget-friendly. If you have a package of ground beef in your fridge or freezer and aren’t sure what to make, keep reading for 37 amazing dinner ideas to inspire your weeknight cooking.
Why Cook with Ground Beef?
There are many reasons why ground beef is a smart choice for busy home cooks:
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Cost – Buying ground beef in bulk when it’s on sale and freezing it can save you money compared to buying pre-packaged meals or ordering takeout. Pound for pound, ground beef provides more servings per dollar than many other proteins.
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Quick Cooking – Ground beef cooks faster than large roasts or steaks, making it perfect for weeknight meals. Most ground beef recipes come together in 30 minutes to an hour.
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Versatility – Ground beef is used in cuisines all over the world. It can be seasoned simply with salt and pepper or seasoned aggressively with spices It works in saucy dishes, on buns, over pasta, and more
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Satisfying – Ground beef provides a meaty, hearty, and comforting element to dinners. The beefy flavor satisfies big appetites.
No matter your cooking skills or time constraints, there’s a delicious ground beef dinner recipe that will work for you!
37 Amazing Ground Beef Dinner Recipes
1. Cheeseburger Casserole
This family-friendly casserole layers ground beef, cheese, homemade sauce, and tots or hash browns for a nostalgic meal. Make it ahead or cook it the day-of.
2. Spaghetti and Meatballs
Homemade meatballs are mixed into a simple tomato sauce for a cozy, crowd-pleasing spaghetti dinner. Leftovers make great sandwiches too.
3. Chili
Beef chili made with tomato sauce, beans, peppers, onions, and plenty of spices is a hearty cold-weather favorite. Top with cheese, onions, chips, or queso.
4. Salisbury Steak
For a retro dinner, make Salisbury steak: patties smothered in gravy and onions. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles.
5. Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s pie is comfort food at its finest: ground beef, veggies, and gravy topped with creamy mashed potatoes.
6. Stuffed Bell Peppers
Mix ground beef with rice, onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning, then stuff into halved bell peppers for a pretty and delicious meal.
7. Meatloaf
A classic loaf pan meatloaf with ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, ketchup, and spices bakes up nicely for sandwiches all week long.
8. Beef Enchiladas
Loaded with seasoned beef, beans, and cheese, these saucy enchiladas are perfect for a Mexican food night.
9. Lasagna
Making lasagna with scratch-made meat sauce and ricotta filling is so rewarding. The layered pasta dish also freezes beautifully.
10. Sloppy Joes
These saucy, messy sandwiches take just 20 minutes to prepare. They’re a no-fuss dinner the whole family enjoys.
11. Tacos
An easy taco dinner starts with seasoned ground beef as the star of the show. Load up shells or tortillas with all your favorites.
12. Beef and Broccoli
Stir-fried beef and broccoli is a takeout favorite, but it’s easy to make at home – and healthier too! Serve over rice.
13. Cabbage Roll Skillet
Skip the fussy cabbage rolling step and simply brown ground beef with cabbage, tomato sauce, and seasonings for a fast dinner.
14. Baked Ziti
Ziti noodles mixed with ground beef, tomato sauce, and gooey cheese makes for a crowd-pleasing casserole. Add spinach for extra nutrition.
15. Pasta Bolognese
This rich, meaty tomato sauce tosses well with spaghetti. Simmering the sauce slowly builds maximum flavor.
16. Nachos
Piled high with seasoned ground beef, beans, salsa, cheese, lettuce, onion and more, nachos make an easy meatless meal.
17. Beef and Potato Skillet
Cook potatoes right in the pan with ground beef and veggies for a hearty one-skillet dinner. Season with taco or fajita spices.
18. Stuffed Peppers
Mix ground beef with rice, onion, garlic, and cheddar, then stuff into halved bell peppers and bake until hot and melty.
19. Beef and Noodles
Tender egg noodles tossed in a homemade ground beef gravy makes a comforting, old-fashioned family dinner.
20. Cheeseburger Soup
All the flavors of a diner cheeseburger in soup form! This creamy, comforting soup is perfect on chilly nights.
21. Beef Taco Bowls
Build hearty bowls with seasoned ground beef, beans, lettuce, cheese, salsa, and other taco toppings over rice.
22. Minestrone Soup
Flavorful minestrone soup loaded with vegetables, beans, pasta, and ground beef makes a chunky, satisfying meal in a bowl.
23. Cheeseburger Macaroni
Kid-friendly cheesy noodles and ground beef casserole is ready in under 30 minutes. Mix in veggies to make it a one-pot meal.
24. Beef Stroganoff
Tender beef strips, mushrooms, and onions in a creamy sauce served over buttery egg noodles is classic comfort food.
25. Swedish Meatballs
Bite-sized meatballs covered in a creamy, tangy gravy are fun to eat over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
26. Cabbage Roll Casserole
Layer cabbage, ground beef, rice, and tomato sauce and bake for an easy spin on traditional stuffed cabbage rolls.
27. Cowboy Casserole
No-fuss layered casserole with ground beef, corn, beans, and cornbread topping for a hearty Southwestern dinner.
28. Beef and Vegetable Soup
An easy weeknight soup loaded with ground beef, veggies, pasta, and seasonings for a hearty bowl everyone will love.
29. Hamburger Steaks
Pan-fried patties smothered in gravy makes a quick, delicious dinner. Like Salisbury steak without the work of dredging and frying.
30. Chili Mac
Kid-favorite chili mixed with macaroni noodles and topped with cheese is a fast one-pot dinner and perfect cold weather meal.
31. Cheeseburger Meatloaf
Add cheese and bacon to your meatloaf for amazing flavor. Glaze with ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar.
32. Beef and Potato Casserole
Easy layered casserole with ground beef, potatoes, cheese, and creamy soup mix bakes up nice as a comfort food meal.
33. Skillet Lasagna
Skip lengthy baking and make easy lasagna right on the stovetop with uncooked noodles and ground beef sauce.
34. Sloppy Joe Casserole
Mix cheesy ground beef sloppy joe filling with biscuit dough, then bake for an easy dinner with classic flavors.
35. Egg Roll Skillet
For a lighter take on beef egg rolls, skip the wrapper and make an easy skillet stir fry with ground beef and veggies.
36. Tamale Pie
Ground beef, salsa, beans, and corn get layered then topped with cornbread batter for a Mexican inspired casserole.
37. Beef and Potato Soup
Comforting chunky soup with ground beef, potatoes, carrots, celery, and seasonings. Top with shredded cheese and chives.
Tips for Cooking with Ground Beef
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Lean ground beef works well for burgers, while fattier beef is great for tacos, chili, meatloaves, etc.
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Partially freeze beef for easier shaping into meatballs and patties.
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Season beef simply with salt and pepper or spice it up with chili powder, garlic, or other flavors.
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Cook burgers and meatballs on the stovetop, under the broiler, or on the grill.
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Beef should be cooked to 160°F internally for food safety. Use a meat thermometer to check.
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Brown ground beef well before adding to pasta sauces, casseroles, soups, etc.
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Drain excess grease from beef after browning to reduce fat and calories if desired.
With so many easy, budget-friendly options, dinners don’t have to be boring or expensive when you have ground beef in the fridge. Next time you’re stuck on what to make, try one of these 37 delicious beef recipes for an easy dinner win any night of the week!
More Skillet Meal Recipes
And if you love delicious beef with rice, try taking it to the next level with my Beef Tips recipe. It uses sirloin steak and gets a fantastic gravy to tie it all together.
Video: How To Make Ground Beef And Rice Skillet Meal
Beef is my go-to for this recipe, but it doesn’t have to be yours. It will work with ground pork, chicken, and turkey – you can even use a combination. But because chicken and turkey are a little bland compared to beef and pork, if you use one of those you might want to add a little extra flavor-boosting Worcestershire or a splash of soy sauce.
If you do use beef, you can also use whatever kind you like—80% lean, 85%, whatever. Once you mix in all the other ingredients, a little more or less fat isn’t going to make a big difference in the recipe.
To cook the beef and get a nice brown crust on it, I use a slightly unusual method. It’s described in the recipe, but more thoroughly explained in this post about how to cook ground beef.
(If your meat is still frozen, read this post for how to defrost ground beef.)
Shipwreck Ground Beef Skillet – Fast, Cheap, and Good
FAQ
What can I do with ground beef for dinner?
- Salisbury Ground Beef. …
- Ground Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry. …
- Ground Beef Hummus Bowls. …
- One-Pan Beef and Chickpeas. …
- One-Pot Taco Pasta. …
- Easy Beef Krapow. …
- Baked Ground Beef Tacos. …
- Easy Taco Casserole.
What can I make with a pound of ground beef?
- Hamburger and Macaroni.
- Easy Hamburger Soup.
- Stovetop Taco Soup.
- Dad’s Stuffed Bell Peppers.
- Easy Shepherd’s Pie.
- Chili Mac and Cheese.
- Salisbury Ground Beef.
- Ground Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry.
What is a cowboy dinner?
Cowboy dinner is a hearty casserole of flavorful beef, corn and beans topped with soft, fluffy cornbread and a layer of cheese. So delicious! This easy, comfort food casserole has been a family favorite for over 20 years! After that long, you know the recipe has to be a keeper!
What is a popular beef dish?
Explore classic beef dishes like meatloaf, chili, lasagna, meatballs, burgers and steaks. Whether it’s for a quick and easy family dinner or a special occasion, our collections have a variety of choices for everyone!