Ground beef is my weeknight superhero. It thaws in a flash, stays tender without any weird freezer flavor, and stretches my grocery budget like a champ. I've rounded up 18 quick and cozy ground beef dinners my family absolutely loves, and I bet yours will too!
1. Sloppy Joe Frito Pie
It's pure comfort in a bowl. The ground beef gets smothered in a homemade sloppy joe sauce that’s sweet, tangy, and a little savory thanks to ketchup, Worcestershire, brown sugar, and onion powder. Once you taste it, you’ll never reach for a can of sauce again.
2. Korean Beef and Rice
If you only have 20 minutes to make dinner and get it on the table, try this Korean beef and rice. Budget-friendly and tender, even the pickiest of eaters will ask for seconds. Ingredients like brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, and red peppers flavor this dish perfectly.
3. Un-stuffed Cabbage Bowls
A classic stuffed cabbage takes time and effort. Luckily, these un-stuffed cabbage bowls have all of the same flavor without spending the extra effort.
This recipe was made in the Instant Pot, but there are also stovetop directions. Either way, it’s all completed in one dish! Traditional stuffed cabbage ingredients are included, like cabbage, rice, and tomato sauce.
4. Leftover Chili Cornbread Casserole
I hate wasting food, but I also don’t want to eat the exact same dinner three nights running. That’s where this leftover chili cornbread casserole comes in.
Take your leftover chili, spoon it into a dish, top it with cornbread batter, and bake until golden. Serve it up with extra warm cornbread and watch it become a brand new family favorite.
5. Ground Beef Fried Rice
Not only is this ground beef fried rice a quick meal, it’s also super inexpensive. Fried rice cooks up extremely fast, so make sure you have all your ingredients prepared ahead of time.
Traditional Asian ingredients flavor this dish like soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. The ground beef is the perfect addition.
6. Tater Tot Casserole
Tater tot casserole is comfort food at its finest and also a great meal for those picky eaters. If you’re like me and always have tater tots and ground beef in the freezer, you won’t even have to take a trip to the grocery store. My favorite part about this meal is that the veggies are in the casserole!
7. Flatbread Mexican Pizza
Move over taco Tuesday, this flatbread Mexican pizza is about to become everyone’s new favorite meal! Using pre-made flatbread pizza crusts will make this meal even easier, but you can definitely make your own.
Top them with all the traditional taco toppings like seasoned ground beef, refried beans, cheese, tomatoes, and onion. Then it goes in the oven to get so gooey.
8. Cheeseburger Pasta
I’m merging two all time favorites into one skillet of pure joy. In just 30 minutes, tender pasta and seasoned ground beef come together with sautéed onion, fire roasted tomatoes, a squirt of ketchup, mustard, and mayo. It’s like a cheeseburger in pasta form, and it saves any busy night.
9. Bolognese Sauce
This bolognese sauce might be a labor of love, but you won’t regret it for one second. This is the kind of recipe you pass on from generation to generation.
This sauce has a great meaty taste since it uses ground beef, ground pork, and pancetta. The cremini and porcini mushrooms are a staple in this recipe. If you make a huge batch and freeze leftovers, it’ll be much easier when it’s dinner time.
10. Leftover Meatloaf Quiche
How do you use up leftover meatloaf? By making leftover meatloaf quiche, of course!
There are many uses for leftover meatloaf, but this one actually takes the meatloaf and makes a whole different meal. Chop up your meatloaf and cheese.
Then pour over your Bisquick mix. All that’s left to do is bake and eat!
11. Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells
Pasta and tacos might sound like an unlikely pair, but once you try these taco stuffed shells, you’ll be hooked. I take jumbo pasta shells and fill them with a mix of seasoned ground beef, tomatoes, taco seasoning, and veggies instead of the usual ricotta. It’s like a cozy Italian classic married to taco night.
12. Beef Empanadas
Flaky and cheesy, these baked beef empanadas are the perfect handheld size for appetizers or filling enough for a meal. This homemade dough is delicious, but you could absolutely use store bought bit crust for an even easier dish.
The insides are filled with seasoned ground beef and cheese. That’s it!
13. Mexi-Mac Skillet
This mexi mac skillet is everything I want on a weeknight: quick and easy, with just one pot to wash. It gives me major Hamburger Helper nostalgia, but with so much more oomph in every bite. Trust me, it blows that boxed stuff out of the water.
14. Cheeseburger Salad
Did you ever think you would hear the words cheeseburger and salad together? Well, you’re about to be surprised because this cheeseburger salad is low carb, gluten-free, and tasty! With ingredients like ground beef, tomatoes, cheese and pickles (yes, pickles in a salad), you won’t even miss the buns.
15. Cheeseburger Pizza
We’re on a roll with all the cheeseburger recipes. And why not?
Cheeseburgers are delicious! This cheeseburger pizza is another way to get all those delicious flavors in a creative meal. If you love pizza and cheeseburgers, this is the meal for you.
16. Beef Tamale Casserole
If you want tamales without spending all the time and effort making them, this beef tamale casserole will satisfy your craving! The traditional cornmeal dough in tamales is replaced by cornbread in this casserole. The fun part is poking holes in your cooked cornbread, which allows it to soak up the delicious enchilada sauce!
17. Meat
Everyone needs to have a foolproof, classic meatball recipe. Making them in big batches and freezing will allow you to have meatballs any day of the week, even when you don’t have time! There are so many recipes you can make with meatballs.
18. Ground Beef Tacos
Ground beef tacos are a staple at my house. We have them at least once a week because they’re delicious, quick, and everyone loves tacos!
Don’t even think about using that packet of taco seasoning. You can make your own with seasoning you probably already own. The toppings can be whatever you want — lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, olives, jalapeños.