Recipes
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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 Massillon
Recipes Tater 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 Allen
Recipes Grilled 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 Ringness
Recipes Mushroom and Shallot Salisbury Steak
Did you know that this iconic American dish—thin oval patties of probably-too-lean ground beef swimming in mushroom gravy—was originally invented for Civil War soldiers?
Photographs by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou
Recipes Picadillo
Picadillo is a kind of Latin American stir-fry, a great one-pot dish that usually contains a mixture of potatoes, ground beef, tomatoes, and spices (at least). All you need are some fresh flour tortillas, and you’ve got dinner.
Photo by Yasara Gunawardena
Recipes Kofteh 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 Ringness
Recipes Puffy Tacos With Picadillo
Filled with seasoned ground beef and all the fixings (salsa, shredded iceberg, chopped tomatoes, grated cheddar, cilantro, and lime), these fried taco shells are the pride of San Antonio.
Photograph by Emma Fishman. Food styling by Pearl Jones.
Recipes Mamá 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 Lance
Recipes Halftime 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 Dooley
Recipes Creamy Coconut Curry Meatballs
If you were to draw a Venn diagram with three circles—ground beef dinners, South Asian recipes, and comfort foods—this curry would sit where all of their curves intersect and form a cozy little pocket.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Christina Allen
Recipes Tamale 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 Takahashi
Recipes Spaghetti 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.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Micah Morton, prop styling by Tim Ferro
Recipes No-Skewer-Needed Kebabs With Onion Salad
There’s some science involved in getting these free-form kefta so juicy. Really mixing the meat vigorously with your hands alters myosin, a muscle protein, helping it hold on to liquid.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie
Recipes Gochujang 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.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova, Prop Styling by Gerri K. Williams
Recipes Meatball 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 Luca
Recipes Afghan Pasta
This weeknight dish features many of the same flavors as mantu, a beloved but labor-intensive dumpling often served at parties. This version features a deeply savory meat sauce spiced with cumin and coriander and is topped with a garlicky, minty yogurt sauce.
Photograph by Damien Maloney
Recipes Dad’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.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by JoJo Li
Recipes Creamed-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 Murray
Recipes Juicy 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.”)
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Pearl Jones
Recipes Piri-Piri Meatballs
Both seasoned and garnished with a homemade hot chile sauce, these meatballs can be the star of a game-day spread or holiday grazing party, but they can also be turned into dinner: Bake them onto a pizza, stuff them into heroes, or pile them alongside rice and a big green salad.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca
Recipes Spiced 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 Jones
Recipes Bulgogi 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 Hicks
Recipes Pastitsio
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 Laura Murray, Food Styling by Pearl Jones
Recipes Cabbage 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 Lau
Recipes Tex-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.