19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (2024)

We know that on weeknights, time can be tight and it can be a challenge to come up with dinner ideas that are both delicious and easy to make. That's why we lean on our best ground beef recipes that have complex, deep flavors and can be on the table quickly. Turn ground beef into the best chili you’ll ever have, our rendition of Cuban picadillo, smoky-sweet enchiladas, comforting pot pie, and much more. Here are plenty of recipes to transform that package of ground beef into a deeply satisfying dinner.

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Picadillo

19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (1)

Our version of this Cuban classic mixes ground beef with a highly seasoned tomato sauce, fried potatoes, raisins, and green olives — and an untraditional dash of hot sauce. The deeply satisfying dish can be served over rice, with corn tortillas, or stuffed into roasted peppers.

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Beef and Cheese Red Chile Enchiladas

19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (2)

Dipping warm corn tortillas in freshly made red chile sauce infuses each rolled enchilada with the smoky-sweet flavor of New Mexico chiles. The hearty cumin-tinged ground beef and cheese filling stands up well to the bold sauce.

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Classic Beef Chili

19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (3)

This is a great classic chili to keep in your back pocket for game day meals or anytime you want a hearty bowl to warm you up.Toasting the ground cumin and ancho chile powder in oil as they cook with the ground beef brings out their earthy flavors, adding savory undertones to the mix when combined with the fresh poblano, thyme, and oregano.

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Mini Potato, Steak, and Chorizo Pies

19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (4)

These smallish "pies" are filled with a smart combination of fresh chorizo and lean grass-fed ground beef. Seasoned with onion and Worcestershire, they come together in a snap and can easily be made ahead.

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Patty Melts with Charred Scallion-Chipotle Mayo

Classic versions of the patty melt often include caramelized onions, but those take time, so here cookbook author Molly Stevens leans on quick-charred scallions instead. Chipotle-spiked mayonnaise adds an extra dose of lushness and a punch of smoky heat.

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Crispy Comté Frico Cheeseburgers

19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (6)

Salty, buttery, and slightly sharp, Comté cheese crisps similarly to Parmesan, adding an irresistibly crunchy frico layer to these ground chuck cheeseburgers.

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Ground Beef Lasagna

19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (7)

This lasagna includes ground beef in the sauce and layers of ricotta and mozzarella to make each bite extra hearty.

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Lamb and Beef Burek

19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (8)

Coils of flaky phyllo pastry are wrapped around a lightly seasoned filling of ground beef and lamb in these Bosnian pastries.

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Beef-and-Fonio Meatballs with Sweet Potato Stew

19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (9)

Cooked until fluffy and dry like couscous, fonio, a West African staple grain, keeps the ground beef meatballs tender while imparting a mildly nutty, earthy flavor.

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Soboro Donburi (Gingery Ground Beef with Peas over Rice)

19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (10)

This hearty Japanese dish features soboro (finely ground meat simmered in soy sauce, dashi, and sake) served over rice for a satisfying meal. To simplify the recipe, Japanese cooking teacher Elizabeth Andoh suggests using water instead of dashi.

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Beef and Vegetable Pot Pie with Cheddar Biscuits

19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (11)

This luscious pot pie — with its buttery cheddar crust and ground beef filling mixed with parsnips, carrots, and peas — is a perfect addition to your weeknight recipe repertoire. It comes together in just 45 minutes of active time before hitting the oven.

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Beef Keema

19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (12)

Although this ground meat curry is often made with lamb, we've found that the distinctive combination of spices tastes just as good with ground beef. Serve the thick keema with warm naan or pita.

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Grilled Meatballs with Mint and Za'atar

19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (13)

Pass crisp lettuce leaves and tangy yogurt with these cumin-spiced meat patties and assemble them at the table.Made in under half an hour, this is the perfect weeknight dish.

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Meat-Stuffed Poblanos with Cilantro-Lime Sauce

19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (14)

Stuffing poblano peppers with ground beef turns them into a satiating meal. These peppers make for a perfectly spicy, bright dinner that comes together in only 30 minutes.

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Barbecue Sloppy Joes

19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (15)

Barbecue sauce, ketchup, and cider vinegar spice up the ground beef in these retro Sloppy Joes. Chef Christopher Tunnell uses a mixture of ground sirloin and chuck for this sandwich and melts cheddar cheese on the bun to make it extra gooey.

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Thai-Style Beef Salad Over Angel Hair Pasta

19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (16)

Laab — ground beef seasoned with chiles, lime juice, fish sauce, and mint — is a traditional Thai meat salad eaten warm or at room temperature. We've added thin noodles to turn it into a pasta salad, and you can always eat the meat mixture by itself.

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Macaroni and Beef Casserole

19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (17)

This casserole from F&W culinary director at large Justin Chapple is a homemade version of the boxed pasta meals he enjoyed (and still enjoys) when he was a kid. Fresh vegetables, ground beef, crushed tomatoes, pasta, melted cheese, and more come together for a satisfying, hearty dish that's ready in under an hour.

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Classic Meatloaf

19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (18)

"This is a culmination of all the meatloaf I've ever eaten," says chef Andrew Curren. "My mom always made a good meatloaf — it never had the tomato goo on top of it. Then I tasted a meatloaf that had cheese in it; that was a good idea. In Italy, I was introduced to sofrito and realized the importance of cooking with carrots, onion, and celery."

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Hungarian Beef and Potato Soup

19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (19)

Traditionally, this soup would be made with cubes of beef, but when you want a quick weeknight dinner, who can wait for meat to braise? We use ground beef instead.

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19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to moist ground beef? ›

However, by gently tossing a baking soda solution with the meat (about ¾ teaspoon baking soda to 2 tablespoons water for 2lbs of grind) and letting sit for 15 to 20 minutes before cooking, beef loses less liquid, browns faster and tastes better.

What can I add to ground beef to make it taste better? ›

Use a marinade: Marinate the ground beef in a flavorful liquid such as Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, or red wine before cooking. Add a flavorful liquid: Add a small amount of beef broth, tomato sauce, or red wine to the ground beef while it cooks to add extra flavor.

What is the most flavorful ground beef? ›

80% lean ground chuck (shoulder) will be the juiciest and most flavorful. It's also the grind I recommend for making burgers for the grill. It has the perfect fat-to-meat ratio. These burgers will still be juicy when grilled to the recommended internal temperature of 160 degrees.

How do you get 80 20 ground beef? ›

However, you can achieve that 80/20 target ratio by blending different cuts of meat as well. You can take a fattier cut of meat, such as brisket trimmings, and mix it with a leaner cut, such as ground sirloin. In the proper blend, you can achieve a very flavorful 80/20 mix.

What does adding milk to ground beef do? ›

The calcium-rich properties of milk react with enzymes in the meat to gently soften the proteins. Whole milk (not reduced fat), buttermilk, and yogurt all get the job done – with a special nod to buttermilk and yogurt for their optimal tenderizing acidity levels.

What does adding vinegar to ground beef do? ›

Culinary professionals know that a small amount of vinegar makes food taste bright and fresh. Too much, however, may make the food unpleasantly sour. First and foremost, vinegar is used as a tenderizer for meat and poultry. It may be added as an injected marinade in very tough proteins or applied via a soak or rub.

What should I season my ground beef with? ›

Salt and Pepper: These are essential seasonings for enhancing the overall flavor of the beef. Garlic: Garlic powder or minced garlic adds a rich and savory flavor to ground beef dishes. Onion: Onion powder, diced onions, or onion flakes can provide a sweet and aromatic quality to the meat.

What brings out the Flavour of beef? ›

Because of beef's hearty, robust nature, flavor-forward spices like garlic and onion or herbs like rosemary and oregano are the best choices for an unforgettable beef dinner. An important thing to consider when selecting seasonings for your meal is that you should be seasoning beef based on the cut.

What is Gordon Ramsay's best burger meat blend? ›

Gordon Ramsay hamburger recipe blend of brisket, chuck sirloin, and short rib ground beef with our exclusive chef's secret recipe, featuring a perfect meat blend and expert grill techniques.

What is the best meat to make hamburgers out of? ›

Beef chuck happens to fall right in the sweet spot of 15 to 20 percent fat (sometimes you'll see it marketed the other way round, as in 80 to 85 percent lean, or simply 80/20, 85/15, and so on). Its deep beefy flavor with ample, but not excessive, fat makes ground chuck the best meat for burgers.

What is the best ground beef for smash burgers? ›

The magic of the smash burger (that crisp, caramelized crust) comes from the combination of high heat and the high fat content of the burger. Because of this, smash burgers don't work as well with a leaner ground beef, so aim for an 80-85% meat to fat ratio. Ground chuck would also work wonderfully here.

Does Mcdonald's use 80 20 ground beef? ›

Here are the facts: All of our burger patties in the U.S. are always made with 100% USDA-inspected beef. That's the only ingredient: 100% real beef. Our patties contain no preservatives or fillers, and the only thing we ever add is a touch of salt and pepper when the patties are sizzling hot on the grill.

Should I drain 80 20 ground beef? ›

Cooking and draining ground beef significantly reduces fat and calorie content,” Dr. Garden-Robinson said. The fat content in an 80% lean patty reduces from 22.6 grams of fat to 15 grams after cooking, according to research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

What can I add to ground beef to keep it moist? ›

Baking soda acts as a tenderizer for ground beef, keeps it moist during cooking, and encourages deep browning by raising the acidity level of the surface of the meat.

How do I make sure ground beef doesn't dry out? ›

Keep Some of the Grease in the Pan

Draining the grease from cooked ground beef makes your finished dish less greasy. However, for moist and flavorful meat, keep a tablespoon or two of that fat in. Stir it through your browned beef. You'll still be removing most of the fat while stillprotecting the meat from drying out.

How do you keep ground beef from drying out? ›

Here's a little trick. For 1 pound of ground beef, add 1.5 cups of water and a 1/2 cup of quick oatmeal. Keeps it moist and "fluid".

What can I add to hamburger meat to keep it moist? ›

Add the fat you seek directly to the meat. Butter is readily available, affordable, and adds moisture and fat to beef — making for a tender, juicy burger.

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