20 Ground Beef Recipes to Mix Up Your Dinner Routine (2024)

From savory meatballs to burgers to stir-fry, ground beef is one of the most versatile—and delicious—meat products out there. Plus, it's inexpensive and family-friendly, which gives us even more reason to love it. That's why we're sharing 20 different ways to cook with ground beef.

Of course, ground beef lends itself to several Italian-American staples, such as Lasagna with Meat Sauce (ours is made with both ground beef and sweet Italian sausage), or Grandma's Bolognese, which is hearty and extra flavorful thanks to the addition of pancetta and dried porcini mushrooms. Serve the latter over thick noodles such as pappardelle or tagliatelle for a spectacular dinner.

Switch up your dinner routine any night of the week with these ground beef recipes.

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Skillet Chili Nachos

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Corn tortilla chips are layered on the bottom of a cast iron skillet and topped with beef chili, black beans, and shredded cheddar cheese. The whole dish is baked until bubbly and warm.

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"Steak and Egg" Skillet Pizza

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It's pizza night! Even if you don't have a pizza oven or ceramic pizza stone, you can easily make a savory, breakfast-inspired pizza in your kitchen. All you need is a cast iron skillet to bring this ground beef recipe to life.

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Beef-and-Barley Burgers

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These ground beef burgers gets even more texture thanks to cooked barley, which is mixed with grated carrots, minced fresh ginger, and soy sauce. Whether you cook the burgers on a grill pan or in a skillet, they're sure to be delicious.

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Grandma's Bolognese

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Have you always wanted to know the secret to Grandma's Italian-inspired Bolognese sauce? She wouldn't tell us the exact formula, but we think we got it pretty close with a combination of dried porcini mushrooms, pancetta, ground beef, and ground pork.

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Easy Beef Chili

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Chili is the quintessential ground beef recipe. The warming use of chili powder, cocoa powder, and fire-roasted tomatoes breathe new life into ground beef.

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Beef-Zucchini Meatballs

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Enjoy these lightened up meatballs any night of the week (they only take 30 minutes to prepare!). They're made with ground beef, grated zucchini, and millet. Keep the meal nourishing and healthy by serving them over roasted spaghetti squash.

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Lasagna with Meat Sauce

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Our secret to making this epic Italian-American casserole is using no-boil lasagna noodles, which save prep time. The duo of ground beef and sweet Italian sausage bring both flavor and heft to the filling.

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Pappardelle with Quick Fennel Ragu

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In under one hour, you can build plenty of flavor in this tomato-based ground beef ragu made with chopped onion and fennel. It's tossed with pappardelle for a family-friendly meal any night of the week.

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Test Kitchen's Favorite Spaghetti and Meatballs

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Master this Italian-American dish with this recipe—our meatballs are made with ground beef and finely chopped cremini mushrooms, which add texture along with dried breadcrumbs and plenty of finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

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Jennifer's Meatloaf Sandwiches

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As much as we love meatloaf for dinner, you can also repurpose the leftovers into a handheld bite for lunch. Ground beef and ground pork work in tandem to make a classic meatloaf that is moist and flavorful.

Classic Burger-Joint Cheeseburger

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Is this the ultimate ground beef recipe? Everyone loves a juicy burger that's stacked high with melted cheese, tomato slices, shredded iceberg lettuce, and a special sauce (usually made from ketchup and mayonnaise).

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Cajun Dirty Rice

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Two kinds of meat—ground beef and chicken liver—shine in this super flavorful stir-fry. Paprika, dried oregano, and green bell pepper all make an appearance to add pizzaz to this entrée.

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Sweet-Potato Shepherd's Pie

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If you love shepherd's pie, then you'll love this vibrant iteration, which is made with sweet potatoes instead of the regular russets. The filling is a satisfying, stick-to-your-ribs combination of ground beef, cremini mushrooms, and chopped onion.

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Taco Casserole

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Celebrate Taco Tuesday with this 30-minute recipe. Ground beef is sautéed in a skillet along with bell peppers and onions, plus pinto beans, diced tomatoes, and plenty of spices. Top with tortilla chips and two kinds of cheese for a casual, family-friendly meal.

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Picadillo-Style Chili

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This all-beef chili gets loads of flavor from ground cumin and a hint of heat from poblano chile peppers. Serve over rice with typical picadillo garnishes of green olives, toasted almonds, and currants.

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Beef and Cabbage Tacos

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Short on time? Try this ground beef recipe, which comes together in just 20 minutes. The meat and shredded cabbage are sautéed simply with lime juice and zest, which are tucked into flour tortillas.

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Mini Meatballs in Lettuce Cups

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Looking for a ground beef appetizer? Try these Asian-inspired meatballs, which get unique flavor from a combination of garlic, ginger, fish sauce, and toasted sesame oil.

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Beef and Cheddar Hand Pies

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Store-bought puff pastry shines in these comforting hand pies that are perfect dinner or as an appetizer. It's a fun and flavorful ground beef recipe for any occasion.

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Meatball Casserole

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Turn a basic meatball recipe (ours are made with ground beef and ground pork) into a casserole topped with melted mozzarella cheese. Instead of serving them with spaghetti, we love digging into this entrée with crusty bread.

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Deep-Dish Meatball Pizza

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Can't take a trip to Chicago? Make this Midwest recipe at home. It calls for pizza dough (store-bought or homemade), ground beef, and two kinds of cheese (shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan), and is made using a glass pie dish.

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