Simple Ground Beef Recipes

If you have a bag of ground beef in the fridge, preparing dinner is a breeze and we have you covered; whether you're craving a juicy burger, lasagna, meatloaf, taco soup, cheeseburger pizza, or a substantial bowl of chili. These mouthwatering simple ground beef recipes will have supper on the table in no time!

Things to Make With Ground Beef

Ground beef is a staple of many dinners, and there are reasons why ground beef is so persistently popular. It is affordable, simple and quick to prepare, and flexible.

The meat can be included as hamburgers, meatballs, or meatloaf. Or, it can play a supporting role, such as in casseroles and skillet dishes. And it can certainly serve as a chili's basis, a sauce's foundation, and a lasagna's layering agent.

Certainly, ground beef dishes have distinct requirements and a need for strong-flavored, savory herbs. But cooking takes creativity, and what better way to use your imagination than to try out different herbs?

Collection of Best Simple Ground Beef Recipes

So if you’re wondering what to have for dinner tonight, let us inspire you with this collection of the greatest and easiest ground beef recipes!

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Beefy Butternut Squash Pasta Recipe

This dish guarantees there’s no better way to enjoy Butternut Squash Pasta. The sweet and nutty after-roast tang is addictive. And once you add the tomato sauce broth, it glosses over the butternut cubes and delivers a bittersweet finished taste.

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Ground Beef and Broccoli Recipe

Broccoli always makes a dish look effortless. Pair it with ground beef, and you get this trouble-free yet impressive meal.

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Taco Soup Recipe

We love a recipe that uses only one pot. This Taco Soup involves dumping meat, veggies, and cheese in a stew and simmering them all in one go. You’ll reap hot Mexican flavors you can enjoy with a simple pico de gallo.

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Instant Pot Goulash Recipe

Even at times you can afford any type of dinner you like, this Instant Pot Goulash can be a godsend. At almost no cost, it exchanges your worries — buried in each spoonful — for cozy, gratifying tastes.

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Sheet Pan Nachos Recipe

Ready to get your hands dirty while you dig into a finger-lickin' good dish? These Sheet Pan Nachos present you with this much-awaited opportunity. When food makes you eat like a kid, that’s how you know it’s really good.

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Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe

When you plan a dish you want everyone to love, Spaghetti Bolognese should come to mind. It’s a time-tested meal that requires little effort yet never fails to impress. The kids will be lining up for seconds.

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Stuffed Shells Recipe

This recipe includes conchiglie, a shell-shaped pasta of medium size. We stuffed them with ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan, poured meat sauce, and baked them to a rich, caramelized finish.

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Ground Beef and Potatoes Recipe

In need of comfort food? You’ll serve this at the drop of a hat. Potatoes in a rustic form never fail to please even the pickiest of appetites, and neither will this rice bowl.

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Korean Beef Bowl Recipe

The intense sweetness of brown sugar and caramelized garlic is just the perfect complement to cooked rice. For that reason, this recipe is your best bet to introduce Korean flavors to your dining table. Everyone will be thrilled.

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Beef Burger Recipe

Got some beef? We’ve got buns. Precisely crisping up in the oven at 430 ℉. It’s the recipe for perfect grab-and-go burgers that are also ideal for a party.

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Vegetable Beef Ragu Recipe

This ragu is packed with vegetables simmered in a satisfying, hearty broth. It’s so robust that it carries a life of its own. You’ll undoubtedly want to cling to each spoonful to prolong this experience.

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Mexican Spaghetti Recipe

Maybe you’re too tired to go all out on dinner. No worries. You’ll only have to do the bare minimum with this recipe. Simply dump the ingredients into one skillet to simmer together, and you’ll have a hearty, flavorsome meal (that tastes like it’s been cooking all day!) in 25 minutes.

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Chili Spaghetti Recipe

Ever pushed the envelope of a simple spaghetti dish? This Chili Spaghetti lets you indulge in a mighty spicy main that’ll set your taste buds ablaze; you won’t settle for anything less fiery after trying it.

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Tortilla Pie Recipe

Combine two food favorites, and you get this delightful duo. A pie with a delicate, moist exterior never tasted better. With a gooey cheesy center layered with soft tortillas, everyone will be scrambling for seconds.

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Beef Kofta Recipe

Kofta is a Middle Eastern meatball or meatloaf dish commonly served on skewers. We’ve cooked it on a griddle to impart a slight char to irresistible paprika aromas.

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Crustless Pizza Bowl Recipe

No one will be able to resist this Crustless Pizza Bowl. It’s everything good about pizza except the crust. So low-carbers can also get their fill.

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Hamburger Soup Recipe

Filled with alliaceous flavors and nutritious veggies, this meat and pasta dish is a weekday lifeline. You’ll suffer no compromise of flavors with this one-pot stew that’s ready in under an hour.

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What Spices and Herbs Go Well With Ground Beef?

When preparing beef, you need herbs and spices that can hold their own. They should possess a robust taste and be able to complement the robust flavor of beef without getting overwhelmed by it.

Ground beef is available in several types, so the flavor characteristics vary significantly. It’s a great idea to consider the type of ground beef and the ingredients that will be cooked alongside it, and select herbs and spices accordingly.

1. Spices

Garlic: When it comes time to season beef, pungent spices like garlic are among the first that spring to mind. They are flavorful, potent, and readily available.

Chili powder: Chili is a prevalent condiment in Southwestern and Mexican cuisines. It is known for having a Tex-Mex taste, which comes from the various fragrant and savory spices that are added to it.

Cajun: Cajun seasoning is versatile. Typical ingredients include paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, and thyme. Its peppery and earthy flavor greatly enhances the natural flavor of ground beef.

Italian Seasoning: This is a combination of dried herbs such as basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and marjoram. Typically, it has a savory, earthy, and slightly sweet flavor.

2. Herbs

Parsley: Parsley has transcended its traditional role as a garnish to become a versatile herb. It enhances and imparts a fresh flavor to any ground beef dish. Cooks who are familiar with this flavorful herb understand that it best retains its taste when used fresh and added towards the end of the cooking process.

Thyme: Beef dishes are synonymous with thyme. Whether used fresh or dried, thyme will balance out the flavor and offer a touch of depth.

Basil: Basil's bright and powerful aroma complements the robust flavors of beef. The herb is perfect when cooked into a dish, but it is best added at the end of cooking to brighten the dish and offer a new flavor dimension.

The majority of these herbs can be grown in your garden, so you won't have to spend as much time shopping for them in stores.

How to Tell If Ground Beef Is Bad

Ground beef spoils significantly faster than other varieties of meat. During the process of grinding meat, a greater surface area is exposed to oxygen. Oxygen is one of the key sources of nourishment for the microorganisms that cause food poisoning.

Depending on the degree of spoilage, the indicators of rotten ground beef will vary. If the meat seems slimy, it is beginning to spoil. The surface slime is formed by the accumulation of bacterial cells.

If it smells stale or off, it has gone bad. The odor is created by the bacteria's gas production.

Finally, when ground beef spoils, its color might shift from the characteristic rust-red (formed by iron, the same substance that gives blood its color) to a flat gray. This color shift is caused by the breakdown of iron molecules in the meat by bacteria.

To sum up, if your ground beef is discolored, slimy, and odorous, it has gone bad and should be thrown away.

Simple Ground Beef Recipes

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In today's roundup of easy ground beef recipes, you'll find some hearty dishes to try the next time you're in the mood for comfort food.

Ingredients

• Beefy Butternut Squash Pasta
• Ground Beef and Broccoli
• Taco Soup
• Instant Pot Goulash
• Sheet Pan Nachos
• Spaghetti Bolognese
• Stuffed Shells
• Ground Beef and Potatoes
• Korean Beef Bowl
• Beef Burger
• Vegetable Beef Ragu
• Mexican Spaghetti
• Chili Spaghetti
• Tortilla Pie
• Beef Kofta

Directions

1. Choose a recipe that you like.
2. Assemble all the essential ingredients.
3. Follow the instructions to give you incredibly tasty and simple ground beef recipe in less than 40 minutes!