Summer Ground Beef Recipes That Bring Sunshine to Your Table

Ground beef is a versatile ingredient that you can always count on to make a delicious, nutritious, and budget-friendly meal. When summer comes around, you can pair it with a variety of fresh and vibrant seasonal produce to create dishes that infuse a cheery sensation in every bite.

Check out our list of summer ground beef recipes to inspire you with exciting new ways that can transform this diverse protein into toothsome dishes.

Give These Summer Ground Beef Recipes a Try!

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Ground Beef and Cabbage Recipe

This simple mix is humble yet glorious. You could be raggedy or rich, yet still want — or need — this meal with a bowl of rice at the end of a long day. After all, who doesn’t love simple comfort food?

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Lasagna Recipe

Lasagna needs no introduction. It’s sometimes exactly what you need when you’re unsure what to eat. A guaranteed pleaser no matter the occasion.

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Asian Beef and Noodles Recipe

“Udon” want to miss this Asian stir fry! If you’re unfamiliar, udon is a thick Japanese noodle made from rice or wheat flour. Simply sauteed in a ground beef, mushroom, and soy-oyster sauce mix, it makes an excellent vehicle for deep umami flavors.

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Beef Burger Recipe

Got some beef? We’ve got buns. Precisely crisping up in the oven at 425 ℉. It’s the recipe for perfect grab-and-go burgers that are also ideal for a party.

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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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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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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 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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Vegetable Beef Casserole Recipe

The ease of preparing a casserole is enough to win any hungry soul over. Throw in potatoes, carrots, green beans, and cheese, and you’ve got a fetching weeknight 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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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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Instant Pot Meatloaf Recipe

Turning a traditional classic into an instant pot version can be either genius or disastrous. You be the judge. Make this 35-minute meatloaf, dig into it, and let us know!

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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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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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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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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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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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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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Spaghetti and Beef Meatballs Recipe

We love the simplicity and style of Spaghetti and Meatballs. It’s semi-rustic, yet it just cuts it as a classy meal. It’s our idea of an all-purpose dish at its finest.

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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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Cheeseburger Pizza Recipe

No matter the occasion, this Cheeseburger Pizza will steal the show—and plenty of hearts. It combines the best of comfort food to give you an exquisite feast that’s so good; you won’t mind the extra calories!

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Taco Pie Recipe

Take a moment to meet your new favorite hybrid dish. Taco flavors delivered in pie fashion are ten times better than just tacos! Now there’s a crunchy crust to go with them. This simply can’t be missed.

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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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Meatball Soup Recipe

A good soup almost always disappears by the end of the meal. Make a big batch of this meatball soup; if you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, you can enjoy it the next day.

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Beef Pot Pie Recipe

This pot pie includes a succulent mushroom and red wine relish. The light and flaky baked pastry is just the icing on the cake. It’s the perfect savory pair; you’ll want to hide a slice in an unfrequented corner of the fridge just for yourself.

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Meatloaf Recipe

If reviews are anything to go by, you can expect only good things from a Meatloaf like ours. It’s gorgeous and succulent and should be on every beef lover’s bucket list!

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Sloppy Joe Recipe

We’ll always recommend a Sloppy Joe recipe for get-togethers. It’s loaded with savory tomato and pepper aromas with an eye-catching presentation that appeals to kids and adults alike. Plus, you can prepare it ahead of time to save yourself the hassle of cooking on the day.

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Instant Pot Sloppy Joes Recipe

These Sloppy Joes will knock your socks off with pleasure-prompting aromas. It doesn’t help that the classic burger flavors are simmered soft in an instant pot until balmy. It’s a game changer, to put it mildly.

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Whether you’re looking for something comforting and simple or cooking up a lavish feast, these summer ground beef recipes will meet all your expectations. Give them a try and amaze yourself and your family with some incredibly scrumptious meals.

What to Cook With Ground Beef for Summer

Ground beef is incredibly versatile and easy to work with, so there’s very little that you can’t make with it. Here are some simple, go-to dishes for those busy summer weeknights.

Stir-fries

Gather your favorite summer produce and toss them into a skillet to stir-fry alongside ground beef. You can serve them over a bed of egg noodles or steamy rice for a quick, nutritious, and incredibly flavorful dinner.

Baked Dishes

From decadent casseroles and colorful nachos to delectable stuffed veggies, baking ground beef will provide mouthwatering meals that need very little effort to make. The possibilities are endless, so don’t be afraid to experiment with recipes to see what you can come up with.

Burgers

Cookouts are practically a summer staple, so if possible, fire up your grill and make some cheeseburgers to enjoy with family and friends. It’s a familiar dish, sure, but that’s why it’s so good. Each bite reintroduces you to the classic beauty of BBQ food – smoky, summery, and utterly irresistible.

What Can I Add to These Recipes?

When you’re cooking ground beef, consider using some of the following condiments to create a dish filled with intense flavors and cheery taste.

Spices

Ground beef is quite adaptable to most spices, thanks to its mildly nutty and savory taste. We suggest pairing it with robust spices like paprika, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, or with barbeque seasonings for a smoky and subtly spicy taste, reminiscent of summer cookouts.

Herbs

To capture summer’s vibrant notes, we recommend opting for herbs that are fragrant and bold. Basil, rosemary, parsley, thyme, sage, and oregano are some popular choices.

Other Ingredients

Besides the two essentials mentioned above, you can get as creative as you want with the flavorings while whipping up delightful summer ground beef dishes. Submerge the meat in a cream, tomato, or gravy sauce for a decadent dinner, or indulge yourself with layers of melted cheese that coat the deliciously browned meat.

Tips and Tricks to Prep and Cook

Pat the Beef Dry

Prior to browning, make sure you pat the ground beef dry with paper towels. This will remove any excess moisture, ensuring the beef browns to a delectably crispy texture.

Don’t Overcrowd the Pan

Make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan so that the meat has enough space to cook evenly. You can divide the ground meat into separate batches if there’s too much to fit onto the pan at once.

Make a Small Dent in the Meat Patties

When you’re molding meat patties for burgers, press onto their centers with your thumb. This will help them cook more evenly and prevent the patties from shrinking.

Don’t Press Down on the Patties

Even though it’s a common sight, we don’t recommend pressing down on your meat patties with a spatula while cooking. Pressure on the patties can cause the juice in the meat to run out, leaving behind dry and hard meat.

Make Sure the Surface is Hot

When browning ground beef, make sure the surface of the pan, skillet, or grill is hot before you transfer the beef onto it. High heat will immediately lock in the moisture and sear the meat more beautifully.