43 Ground Beef Recipes for Hearty Family Meals
You want ground beef recipes? We’ve got ground beef recipes. In fact, we’ve got ground beef recipes for classics like meatloaf and Sloppy Joes as well as for more contemporary takes on easy dinners, like these Beefy Cheesy Sweet Potatoes With Kimchi (hello, sheet-pan supper) and these Spiced Beef Taco Bowls. Whichever direction you want to go in, we’ll help you get there.
Before you start, though, can we all just take a moment to thank this ingredient for being so nourishing, versatile, and ubiquitous? Seriously, you can find it at any grocery store, big or small, and turn it into so many different dishes.
Okay, we’ll stop so you can scroll on. Now presenting: Our all-time best ground beef recipes, just for you:
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Leslie Garetto, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon1/43Tater Tot Hotdish
Don’t let the brown-on-brown-on-brown of this Midwest staple fool you: This comforting casserole is one of our most flavorful ground beef recipes. Why do you think we put it first?
Photograph by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Christina Allen2/43Grilled Arayes With Creamy Cucumber Salad
These Middle Eastern meat-stuffed pitas get their flavor from baharat, a finely ground spice mixture, often made with paprika, black pepper, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, and cardamom. (Baharat literally means “spice” in Arabic.)
Photograph by Matthew Keough, food styling by Drew Aichele, prop styling by Emma Ringness3/43Mushroom and Shallot Salisbury Steak
Photo by Yasara Gunawardena5/43Kofteh Tabrizi
These meatballs made of beef, rice, and split peas are stuffed with dried fruit and braised in a flavorful tomato sauce—and the recipe comes from one of our Best New Restaurants of 2024.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness6/43Puffy Tacos With Picadillo
Photograph by Emma Fishman. Food styling by Pearl Jones.7/43Mamá Rosa’s Lasagna de Carne
This Dominican-style lasagna has an herby sofrito to thank for marrying its components so deliciously. If your taste leans more Italian, try BA’s Best Lasagna. And if you’re willing to try something new, go for our Cottage Cheese Lasagna. (She’s a wild card.)
Photograph by Victoria Jane, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon, Food Styling by Mallory Lance9/43Halftime Chili
You don’t need a slow cooker or an Instant Pot for this; a heavy, large Dutch oven is your best friend when it comes to making chili. And oh, do we have opinions about Dutch ovens.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones and Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley10/43Creamy Coconut Curry Meatballs
Photograph by Heami Lee, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Nicole Louie11/43Spiced Beef Taco Bowls
We’ve been known to make our own spice blends—there's a major difference when you make them from scratch—but for this weeknight dinner, nothing compares to store-bought taco seasoning mix.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Kendra Vaculin, prop styling by Emma Ringness12/43Mini Meatball and Pastina Soup
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Christina Allen13/43Tamale Pie
Neither a tamale nor a pie, this Tex-Mex casserole is a mash-up of beefy chili and homemade cornbread. The addition of a $2 can of beans allows you to use 50% less ground beef, keeping the dish economical without compromising flavor.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, Prop styling by Emma Ringness, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi14/43Spaghetti and Verrry Tender Meatballs
When we say tender, we mean spoon-tender. For a pasta-free version of fork-and-knife-required meatballs, make these Tuesday Night Meatballs and serve them with some bread and a mixed greens salad on the side.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski15/43Smash Burger Alfresco
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman16/43Sheet-Pan Meatballs With Burst Tomatoes and Parmesan Toast
Herb-studded meatballs compete with oven-roasted cherry tomatoes for the starring role in a quick and easy sheet-pan dinner.
Photography by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Christina Allen17/43Beefy Cheesy Sweet Potatoes With Kimchi
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Micah Morton, prop styling by Tim Ferro18/43No-Skewer-Needed Kebabs With Onion Salad
Photograph by Cody Guilfoyle, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie, Food Styling by Thu Buser19/43Spicy Kimchi Sujebi
Don’t be intimidated by making your own noodles. (In fact, there are all kinds of noodles you can easily DIY at home.) These three-ingredient Korean sujebi are endlessly forgiving—and a perfect balance for savory ground meat and funky kimchi.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie20/43Gochujang Sloppy Joes
This Korean-inspired take on classic Sloppy Joes requires no accompaniment, but you will want to serve the filling on toasted buns with potato chips (or french fries) and pickles.
Marcus Nilsson21/43Shepherd’s Pie
Not that we really need to sell this one, but did you see this cozy, meaty dish is topped with mashed potatoes? Our Caribbean Shepherd’s Pie is too.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Heather Greene23/43Creamy Tahini and Harissa Beef
This speedy beef skillet dinner is flavored with, like the title says, harissa and tahini. We strongly recommend thick, velvety New York Shuk brand harissa.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova, Prop Styling by Gerri K. Williams24/43Meatball Soup With Beef Stew Vibes
Speaking of meatballs, this is our favorite recipe for when we want all the flavors of classic beef stew in just one hour. How is that even possible? Quick-cooking meatballs stand in for braised, shredded beef.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca25/43Afghan Pasta
Photograph by Damien Maloney26/43Dad’s Hamburger Sandwich
Allow us to clear up any confusion: A hamburger is a sandwich when it’s stacked with a fried egg, pickled red onions, and special sauce and wedged between two buttered pieces of sandwich bread. If you’re looking for a shortcut here, check out our guide to the best frozen hamburgers in the freezer aisle.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by JoJo Li27/43Creamed-Spinach-Stuffed Meatloaf
Traditional meatloaf gets recast as an impressive centerpiece in this ground beef recipe. Speaking of throwbacks, we wonder if our Beef Stroganoff would work with ground beef in place of skirt steak? If you test it, please report back.
Laura Murray28/43Juicy Lucy Sliders
If you didn’t already know, Juicy Lucys are cheese-filled burgers that originated in Minnesota. (American, Swiss, Muenster, pepper Jack, or cheddar cheese would work; they all qualify as “melting cheeses.”)
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca31/43Spiced Beef and Refried Bean Tostadas
Weeknight dinner can’t get much simpler than this easy ground beef recipe for Mexican tostadas. Buy the shells at the store or buy soft tortillas and fry them up yourself.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Pearl Jones33/43Bulgogi Meatloaf Sandwich
We took the ingredients you might find in a Korean bulgogi marinade to get this spicy, sweet, savory, and sour flavor bomb. The Asian-ish meatloaf is the ground beef recipe you didn’t know you needed.
Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Cyd McDowell. Prop Styling by Paige Hicks34/43Pastitsio
This hearty Greek casserole starts with extra-large hollow noodles (a.k.a. Greek macaroni), which get topped with spiced, tomato sauce-y meat, which in turn gets topped with a creamy, kasseri cheesy béchamel.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Kat Boytsova35/43All-American Cheeseburger Pasta
Here’s a dinner idea: DIY Hamburger Helper. Whether you call it that or Bougie Chili Mac, Pasta alla Americaine, or All-American Cheeseburger Pasta, it will be delicious.
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Pearl Jones36/43Cabbage Roll Casserole
This ground beef casserole is one of those dinner recipes that gets you your veggies and your protein in one fell swoop. Oh, and there’s rice in it too. Complete meal alert!
Alex Lau37/43Tex-Mex-Style Beef Enchiladas
Not all enchiladas are created equal. Case in point: While you might be familiar with quickly sizzling tortillas in oil so they become pliable for most enchilada recipes, the tortillas here get dipped in a homemade chili gravy.
Photograph by Maggie Shannon39/43Black Bean “Jajang” Bolo Rice
This rich main dish nods to both Korean-Chinese jajangmyeon and ragù Bolognese, relying on fermented black bean paste (jajang) for earthy backbone to the meaty sauce.
Photo by Alex Lau41/43Dirty Rice With Black-Eyed Peas and Scallions
You can now make the famous dirty rice from Commander’s Palace in New Orleans at home. Why is this place so legendary? Even the staff family meal is legendary.
Photo by Alex Lau42/43Spicy Beef and Cucumbers With Black Vinegar
If you’ve never cooked diced cucumbers before, then this recipe should convince you to try it. You want them softened and translucent so they’re ready to soak up the black vinegar and soy sauce.
