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These 25 great ground beef recipes are one of our favorite answers to what’s for dinner, because chances are you have a pound of ground beef socked away in the freezer for making tacos, soups, spaghetti, burrito bowls, and more.
25 Easy Ground Beef Recipes
You know how it goes. Weekends are over in the blink of an eye and suddenly you find yourself on a Monday evening with no idea what’s for dinner. Simple, easy recipes are what’s needed on days like these. And that’s when a fast dinner made with ground beef is the answer.
Like recipes made with chicken or pasta, ground beef is one of those ingredients most everyone is willing to eat no matter what veggies are mixed in with it, or how it’s served. Plus, ground beef is simple to keep stocked in the fridge or freezer to make dinners that are fast and easy to cook.
I’ve done the poking around the internet in search of the best easy easy ground beef recipes to curate this list, making it easier for you to get into the kitchen instead of hitting the drive thru. Make any one of these recipes tonight, or chop and prep for them on a Sunday to make it less of a manic Monday.
1. Stuffed Bell Peppers with Ground Beef
FoodieCrush
It’s going to be a good night when easy ground beef recipes like these stuffed peppers are on the menu for dinner! These colorful beauties are loaded with lean ground beef, veggies, rice, and herbs, and topped with gooey fontina cheese, for a simple recipe you and your family will want in regular rotation.
2. Beef and Quinoa Enchilada Skillet
The Beach House Kitchen
This easy beef and quinoa enchilada bake comes together in just one skillet, in 40 minutes, with 5 easy steps. #weeknightwin.
3. Taco Soup
FoodieCrush
This easy taco soup recipe made with ground beef can be made in 30 minutes on the stove top, Instant Pot, or slow cooked in the Crock Pot for a healthy Mexican-inspired, make-ahead, one-bowl meal.
4. Paleo Shepherd’s Pie with Cauliflower Mash
Heather Christo
Shepherd’s pie is one of our favorite cool weather comfort meals, but it can tend to be a bit heavy. This Paleo version is full of flavor, and is made lighter with a creamy pureed cauliflower topping that’s to die for.
5. Cottage Cheese Lasagna
NeighborFood
Taking a bite of lasagna is like getting a big hug, and no lasagna is like Mom’s.
6. Korean Beef Bowls
Carlsbad Cravings
30-Minute meals are the stuff crazy weeknights are made of. These Korean beef bowls with veggies are pack a punch! Plus, they’re easy, healthy, and totally satisfying.
7. Homemade Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper
FoodieCrush
Cheeseburger macaroni, homemade Hamburger Helper, or hamburger mac and cheese. Whatever you call this homemade cheeseburger macaroni recipe, forget the box and make it from scratch, because it’s delicious.
8. Cornbread Topped Skillet Chili
Sally’s Baking Addiction
A piping bowl of chili always hits the spot on a chilly evening. Add a side of freshly-baked cornbread into the mix, and you’ve got it made, but this skillet chili istoppedwith cornbread (genius), and we’re pretty obsessed.
9. Puffy Beef Tacos
How Sweet Eats
We’re pretty sure we’ve never met a taco we didn’t like, but we’re in lovewith these beef tacos, cradled in puffy, pillowy tortillas with a quick pico topper.
10. Mighty Moussaka
Jo Cooks
Moussaka is the Greek answer to lasagna, and this one, layered with potatoes, eggplant, zucchini, beef, and creamy béchamel will have you saying opa for seconds from Jo Cooks.
11. Sloppy Joes
FoodieCrush
Forget the cans of Manwich sloppy joe sauce, because my mom’s homemade sloppy joes recipe is just as easy to make and sixty-four (or more) times as good, especially knowing there’s a generous helping of vegetables inside this homemade, ground hamburger-ed, comfort food, beef-ey sandwich.
12. Beef Enchiladas
RecipeTin Eats
Akiller homemade sauce makes these enchiladas super authentic, and the 10-minute prep time makes them totally weeknight-friendly.
13. Healthy Asian Lettuce Wraps
Apple of My Eye
Crisp lettuce is the perfect carb-free vehicle for a flavorful Asian beef mixture, and these healthy wraps come together in just 25 minutes.
14. Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili
Slow Cooker Gourmet
There are so many different chili recipes we love, but one of our all-time faves is Cincinnati chili, with its special ingredient. If you haven’t tried it before, you’re in for a real treat, and this slow cooker recipe makes dinners during the week a whole lot easier (plus, it makes good leftovers).
15. Ikea’s Swedish Meatballs
FoodieCrush
You don’t have to go to IKEA to get amazing Swedish meatballs. These babies are cooked in a rich and creamy gravy that just might ruin you for all future shopping trips.
16. Mexican Fiesta Bowls
Bev Cooks
The food bowl trend is nothing new, but we’re still suckers for recipes like this one, where all of your burrito or taco fixings are conveniently loaded up in one big, delicious bowl. These Mexican fiesta bowls are easy and healthy, plus, they’re toped with Fritos and toasted coconut, so what’s not to love?
17. 30-Minute One Pan Beef Penne
Girl Gone Gourmet
When dinner gets whipped up in just 30 minutes and it’s all in one pot, you do a happy dance, because you hardly have any dishes to watch, and you also have time to sip on some wine while you watch your favorite show! Beef, seasonings, and marinara all get tossed with penne pasta and topped with mozzarella cheese in this weeknight star.
18. Hamburger Soup
FoodieCrush
This simple hamburger soup is loaded with vegetables and is an incredibly easy weeknight comfort food dinner because more than likely you’ll have all of the ingredients on hand and ready for soup thanks to your pantry, fridge, and/or freezer. From FoodieCrush.
19. Korean Beef Bowls
Destination Dish
Meal prep’s a cinch when all you need is 20 minutes and some good tupperware! These flavor-packed Korean beef bowls feature ground beef cooked in a sweet sesame soy sauce, with brown rice and refreshing cucumbers.
20. Beef Ancini di Pepe Soup
Skinnytaste
This comforting soup tastes like something a sweet Italian grandma whipped up.Made with beef, tomatoes, and adorable teeny tiny pasta, it’s one your whole family will love, and it’s wonderfully versatile too, since it can be made in the slow cooker, Instant Pot, or stove top.
21. Burrito Bowls with Cauliflower Rice
Spices In My DNA
Chipotle ain’t got nothin’ on these burrito bowls with cilantro lime cauliflower rice (and you can have as much guac as you want). #nojudgement
22. Cheese Stuffed Meatballs
Little Spice Jar
Theonly thing better than meatballs is meatballs stuffed with CHEESE. Yes, cheese, because anything stuffed with cheese is amazing, especially these meatballs cooked in a homemade tomato sauce.
23. Just Like Taco Bell Tacos
FoodieCrush
Forget the drive-thru, this is how to make a beef tacos that tastes just like Taco Bell tacos for an easy Taco Tuesday dinner at home any night of the week.
24. Veggie Loaded Hamburger Helper
The Girl on Bloor
Raise your hand if you grew up on Hamburger Helper! This healthier, homemade take on the stuff you grew up eating channels those flavors you loved as a kid, without all of the artificial crap. That means guilt-free bites, and plenty of extra veggies thrown in.
25. Mom’s Spaghetti With Meat Sauce
FoodieCrush
You can never go wrong with a classic like spaghetti with meat sauce, especially when it’s my mom’s spaghetti with meat sauce. Heading back for seconds!
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a
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4.65 from 402 votes
My Mom's Spaghetti and Meat Sauce Recipe
This is the best spaghetti recipe with a homemade meat sauce and takes just a few minutes of prep and then a low simmer on the stove for a deep, meaty-flavored, easy spaghetti recipe everyone will love.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword spaghetti
Prep Time 25 minutes minutes
Cook Time 3 hours hours
Total Time 3 hours hours 25 minutes minutes
Servings 10 servings
Calories 365kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound 85% lean ground beef
- 1 yellow onion , chopped
- 4 stalks celery , chopped
- 4 garlic cloves , minced or pressed
- 1 29- ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 29- ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 6- ounce can tomato paste
- 2 7- ounce cans sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 15- ounce can beef broth
- 4-6 whole cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or 4 teaspoons dried
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound dried spaghetti noodles
- grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
In a large heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef until browned, about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the rendered fat and add the meat back to the pot.
Add the chopped onion, celery, and garlic and cook until the vegetables soften, about 5-7 more minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients (except the spaghetti noodles and Parmesan), stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, stir and cover with a lid, and cook for at least three hours on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions in generously salted water. Drain and mix into the spaghetti sauce.
Serve with grated or ground Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
The meat sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or saved in a gallon ziplock bag and frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 365kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 1271mg | Potassium: 999mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 904IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 4mg
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