Ground Beef Recipes – 30+ Favorites For Your Dinner Table
What’s for dinner? Beef. Whether you like casserole, Mexican, burgers, or pasta, we’ve got you covered with over 30 easy Ground Beef Recipes.
My ideal freezer would feature a stack of frozen vegetables, a stack of ice cream pints, and a stack of ground beef. What can I say? I know what’s important in life.
At least one of those things is usually a reality, thanks to our annual purchase of a side of beef. You can learn all about buying a side of beef here, but suffice it to say, our freezer is usually happily stuffed with beef. We love having steaks, roasts, and short ribs on hand, but the biggest portion of our beef side is reserved for ground beef.
Easy Ground Beef Recipes for Busy Families
Ground beef recipes are a staple in our family. Ground beef is budget friendly, quick cooking, and easy to freeze and thaw for busy weeknights. It’s also incredibly versatile. Whether we’re craving Mexican, Korean, Italian, or a classic American dinner, there are thousands of different ways we can turn a pound of ground beef into a quick dinner all of us will enjoy.
Today, I’m going to be sharing some of my absolute favorite easy ground beef recipes including ground beef casseroles, burgers, and skillet meals. I’ve intentionally picked recipes that use simple ingredients and require little prep time. These are the recipes we depend on during the busiest seasons, and I hope they’ll become regulars in your homes too.
Before we start, we’ll do a quick run down on how to store and freeze ground beef, so you can also have a stash ready to go whenever you need it!
How do you freeze ground beef?
If you bought a side of beef, your ground beef is likely already packaged in freezer safe paper or plastic bags. All you have to do is date it (if it’s not already dated), and pop it in the freezer.
If you’re buying ground beef from the grocery store, I recommend removing the beef from its original packaging and portioning it into 1 or 1.5 pound sections. Most of my go-to recipes call for 1 pound of meat, but 1.5 pounds is the perfect amount for four hamburgers.
To save space and thawing time, place the meat in a freezer safe ziplock bag, then use your hands to pat it flat, squeezing out the air and pushing the beef almost all the way up to the zipper. Label the bags, then lay them flat in the freezer.
After the beef is frozen it can easily be stored upright or stacked flat. The thinner meat will also thaw quicker than a big roll or chunk.
How to defrost ground beef
Ground beef can be placed on a bowl or plate and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator.
For a quick thaw, I recommend placing ground beef in a bowl and running cold water over it. Let it sit in the bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes, then drain and repeat if needed. As mentioned above, a flattened, thin piece of ground beef will thaw much faster, usually only taking 10-15 minutes.
How long does ground beef last?
Fresh ground beef should be refrigerated and used within 2 days. Frozen ground beef will last indefinitely, but the quality will suffer over time. I recommend using frozen ground beef within 4-5 months.
I hope this helps! Now, onto the recipes!
Ground Beef Recipes
This collection of ground beef recipes highlights some of the best ways to use ground beef for family friendly dinners! I've divided this round up into four categories so you can easily find what you're looking for.
Whether it's a ground beef casserole, a quick and simple ground beef recipe with few ingredients, a sandwich or burger, or a healthy ground beef recipe, there's something here for every mood and every night of the week!
--- Ground Beef Casseroles ---
Ground Beef Casseroles are one of my favorite busy mom dinner hacks. They usually only require a few minutes of prep time and are perfect for making ahead of time.
I love that I can throw together the casserole in the morning, pop it in the fridge, and be ready to go when the dinner time panic sets in at 4:30 PM.
Many of these ground beef casseroles are a meal in themselves, with veggies and a starch all in one pan. We usually pair casseroles with a simple salad or applesauce for a really easy dinner.
Ground beef casseroles also freeze well, so it never hurts to double the recipe and save one in the freezer for later!
Taco Tater Tot Casserole with ground beef, green chilies, cheese, and all your favorite taco toppings is a weeknight dinner the whole family will love.
This classic casserole made with pasta, ground beef, and vegetables in a cheesy tomato sauce is perfect comfort food that can feed a crowd!
This cheesy, saucy lasagna gets its wonderful flavor from a blend of beef, Italian sausage, three cheeses, and the secret ingredient, cottage cheese!
This cheesy tomato and ground beef pasta dish is hearty and comforting... perfect for sharing with a crowd!
Classic Tater Tot Casserole combines creamy ground beef with green beans, cheese, and tater tots for an easy and family friendly weeknight dinner.
This Ground Beef Shepherd's Pie is a satisfying dinner all in one casserole dish!
Make Ahead Ravioli Casserole combines ravioli, hamburger, and plenty of melty, gooey cheese for a filling family favorite dinner.
Stuffed Pepper Pasta Casserole is a hearty ground beef casserole recipe that's packed with flavor.
5 Ingredients and 5 minutes of prep is all it takes to make this easy Baked Beefaroni.
This Cheesy Ground Beef Crescent Roll Casserole requires only 4 simple ingredients and is ready in 35 minutes.
This creamy, cheesy ground beef casserole is topped with a layer of crispy hash browns.
--- Simple Ground Beef Recipes ---
The quick and easy ground beef recipes in this section earned their spot by being either:
1) Ground Beef Recipes with Few Ingredients or
2) Ground Beef Recipes made in less than 30 minutes or
3) My personal favorite: BOTH!
These are the recipes you'll want to make for dinner on busy school nights. Most of them only require a few minutes of prep and a skillet to get a delicious ground beef dinner on the table.
Walking Tacos is an easy ground beef recipe that's fun for the whole family! Have everyone make their own walking taco for dinner tonight!
Mini Meatloaf is an easy dinner recipe the whole family will love! This Cheesy Meatloaf is moist and absolutely loaded with flavor!
This satisfying Beef Tortilla Pie is perfect for busy weeknights. It’s ready in 30 minutes and uses just five ingredients.
Tortellini makes this cheesy One Pot Skillet Lasagna come together in just 20 minutes!
Classic Ground Beef Hardshell Tacos deliver loads of fresh, meaty, crispy crunchy flavor in an easy 25 minute package.
Salisbury Steak Meatballs made with ground beef and a rich French onion gravy are a comforting 30 minute meal.
One Skillet Cheeseburger Helper With A Gluten Free Option
This quick and easy Skillet Cheeseburger Helper can be made in 25 minutes or less and will be a hit with the whole family.
Easy Korean Beef is a sweet, spicy, and budget-friendly ground beef recipe that's perfect for busy weeknights.
Philly Cheesesteak Pasta is a ground beef pasta recipe that's made in a single skillet in less than 30 minutes!
Everyone loves this quick and easy Ground Beef Egg Roll in a Bowl!
30 Minute Black and Blue Quesadillas are packed with steak sauce ground beef, blue cheese crumbles and stringy mozzarella.
--- Ground Beef Sandwiches and Burger Recipes ---
Sandwich night is always a hit at our house, whether it's the sloppiest of sloppy joes, a cheesy burger, or a Greek gyro.
Some of these sandwich recipes are made in the slow cooker, while others can be fried up in a skillet in minutes. Either way, these recipes make for a quick, family pleasing dinner.
Get all the flavor of classic gyros in only 30 minutes with these quick and easy ground beef dinner gyros!
Cheesy ground beef empanadas are the perfect hand held dinner or lunch. Serve with a side of sour cream and salsa for a family friendly weeknight meal.
This loaded version of sloppy joes takes this classic ground beef recipe to the next level! Sweet and savory ground beef sandwiches topped with cheese, pickles, and French fried onions is pure comfort food. Perfect for dinner or game day!
Traditional Banh Mi toppings like pickled carrots, daikon, and jalapeno slices liven up a classic burger.
These Pimento Cheese Burgers combine the creamy, melty, mildly sweet heat of pimento cheese with a juicy burger!
These Easy Hobo Dinners are the perfect way to make hamburgers in a foil packet. This no-clean up recipe is great for camping and grilling, but can also be made in the oven!
No one can resist these easy Cowboy Burgers made with ground beef, cheddar cheese, bacon, and spicy jalapeno!
This juicy, cheesy Gluten Free Southwestern Mexican Meatloaf Burger is packed with flavor.
--- Healthy Ground Beef Recipes ---
Looking for healthier ground beef dinner ideas? These recipes pair ground beef with plenty of fresh vegetables for hearty, filling, and nourishing main dishes.
Loaded with veggies and a crispy cheesy topping, this Ground Beef and Potatoes Skillet is a satisfying one pot meal the whole family will love.
Ground Beef and Beer Chili is packed with veggies and loaded with flavor. This easy-to-make recipe is classic comfort food.
This Low Carb Cheesy Taco Pie is a simple ground beef recipe that makes a perfect weeknight dinner.
This Easy Hamburger Soup is made with ground beef, potatoes, and veggies in a flavorful tomato broth.
This Spiced Ground Beef and Hummus is an excellent fresh Mediterranean dinner that's quick, easy, and healthy.
Packed with flavor and filled with fresh summer vegetables, this 30 Minute Ground Beef and Vegetable Skillet is a quick dinner idea.
Now that’s a great round-up for ground beef, I see so many recipes my family will like, pinned! Thanks for including my Korean Beef recipe – it’s a favorite around here!
Ground beef is a dinner staple!! Thanks for a month of meals =)