24 Quick and Easy Ground Beef Recipes
Easy ground beef recipes for when you need to feed your hungry family fast. Great make ahead dinner ideas and quick fixes for busy weeknights: all the ideas for what to make with ground beef you need.
My husband suggested we kick off grilling season with fresh hamburgers to use up a couple packages of ground beef I bought on sale at the grocery store.
I started to think about all the ground beef recipes we rotate through in our family.
Some are easy weeknight dinners while others are make ahead meals for the freezer.
Most of these dishes are huge hits with my kids, so I thought it would be helpful to share some of my ground beef recipe ideas with you!
How to Cook with Ground Beef
My favorite way to cook ground beef is to brown it and season it before freezing.
I just love my ground beef meal prep packets for the freezer.
I cooked up 6 pounds of ground beef one Sunday afternoon and mixed in a bunch of hearty veggies.
I portioned the huge batch out into 1 - 2 cup servings for the freezer.
This allowed me to use those prepared beef packets to make easy and quick dinners for the kids with a lot less mess and hassle.
24 Easy Ground Beef Recipes
If you don't have time to prep the beef for the freezer, many of these easy ground beef recipes include instructions for cooking it up fresh during your dinner prep.
Here are all of our favorites:
Ground Beef Lasagna Roll-Ups
Use a ground beef meal prep packet to make this easy lasagna go even faster.
Ground Beef Enchiladas
My chicken enchiladas recipe could easily be tweaked to use a ground beef meal prep packet instead of the rotisserie chicken.
Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole
Whether you call it a casserole or a hotdish, families love this easy Minnesota tater tot hotdish recipe.
Ground Beef Stir Fry
My easy ground beef stir fry uses ramen noodles for a quick and easy weeknight meal.
Ground Beef Bolognese Sauce
Make a big batch of this beef bolognese for the freezer and you can use it for delicious pasta or gnocchi dinners in a pinch.
Easy Ground Beef Taco Skillet
A fun new way to serve tacos on Tuesday nights. Cook the ground beef in the skillet and let everyone dunk tortilla chips into this filling.
Crockpot Tortellini Soup with Ground Beef
Brown the ground beef and add to a slowcooker for this tomato-based Crockpot tortellini soup.
Italian Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Use ground beef for these easy freezer-friendly meatballs. I love to serve them in tomato sauce over spaghetti or in my favorite baked meatball subs recipe.
Easy Ground Beef Taco Bites
Make a batch of ground beef taco filling and turn it into this fun bite-sized appetizer for a party or family game night.
Crockpot Sloppy Joes
This classic sloppy joe mixture keeps warm for hours in a slowcooker. This makes a perfect busy night dinner when your family may not be eating all at the same time.
Instant Pot Ground Beef Soup
My favorite Italian style ground turkey soup could very easily be made with ground beef instead. Just substitute the same amount of beef for the turkey it calls for.
Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup
With a hearty dose of chunky bell peppers and tender white rice, ground beef is the perfect base for this savory stuffed pepper soup.
Ground Beef Taquitos
I used ground turkey in my taquitos to keep them lighter, but you could absolutely use ground beef in these crispy tortilla roll-ups instead.
Creamy Taco Pasta Skillet
This homemade hamburger helper suggests ground turkey but ground beef is the easiest substitute ever.
Baked Ground Beef Tortellini Skillet
Savory ground beef would taste amazing in this skillet tortellini recipe.
Spicy Peanut Butter Noodles with Ground Beef
My husband's favorite dish calls for ground pork but I've definitely used ground beef when I had it on hand.
Ground Beef Taco Chili Potato Toppers
My Crockpot chicken taco chili is made with ground chicken but it would taste amazing with ground beef instead.
Pair it with a baked potato, fresh corn, and a dollop of sour cream on top.
Classic Cheeseburgers
Our classic grilled cheeseburger, this is our family recipe we've cooked for years.
Bacon and Basil Cheese Burgers
Take your hamburger to the next level with candied bacon, fresh basil, and slices of cheddar cheese.
Irish Beef Hand Pies
These delicious Irish beef hand pies are a single serving version of my even easier Irish beef pot pie.
Ground Beef Chili Bowls
This thick ground beef chili tastes great with easy toppings in a bowl or you could even use it to make chili dogs.
Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
Savory ground beef, onions, and bell peppers make a unique spin on the classic sloppy joes mix.
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
You could use frozen meatballs to make this easy recipe or you could start with a homemade ground beef meatball.
Easy Ground Beef Recipes for Kids
Ground beef is usually really popular with kids because the small bits of meat are so much easier for them to chew and there is no cutting involved.
Our pediatrician once recommended it as an excellent protein source for picky eaters because the texture is more palatable for small children.
I think the most common use for ground beef is to brown it up for tacos. My kids could eat that every night of the week with no complaints.
My cookbook, The Totally Awesome Ultimate Kids' Cookbook, contains several ground beef recipes that kids will love to make and eat with their families.
I have an entire section that teaches kids the right way to brown ground beef with instructions written just for them.
You'll find our very favorite recipes for:
- Cozy Country Potato Pie
- Ooey Gooey Cheesy Beef Lasagna Soup
- Not Just for Tuesday Tacos
- Old World Beef Tomato Stew
- Mini Meatball Skillet
- Hearty Italian Ragu Meat Sauce
- Teeny-Weeny Cheeseburger Sliders
- Swedish Meatballs
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