Ground Beef Recipes That Are Simple To Make
Can you use some new ground beef recipes? I’m all about teaching the world to cook from scratch. I dream about raising a cow, but that won’t happen. So, I buy grass-fed ground beef when I can. It may seem odd, but the meat tastes better when it’s organic and grass-fed, to me anyway. You know it tastes like quality beef when you bite into a hamburger? That’s what I’m talking about. Mark can’t tell the flavor difference on burgers, but I sure can! Casserole Pan, Cast Iron Frying Pan
There seems to be a trend towards beef alternatives, even cheeseburgers with that delicious melty cheese. Not around our house, we love our beef.
Please remember that these are printable recipes that I hope you decide to print for your recipe stash. We may want to cook these ground beef recipes now or after a major disaster or unforeseen emergency. The ingredient items in each recipe should all be in your freezer or pantry.
Ground beef tends to have a bad rap. It’s often viewed as the poor man’s steak, but I love these easy ground beef recipes that can be made on a busy weeknight when time is limited. These also can be easily put together on one of those quiet weeknights when the family is gathered for good food and fun conversation.
Ground Beef Recipes
So that you know, some of these recipes are classics that are at least 40-50 years old. I’ve been making these since Mark and I were married. I grew up with a single mom who taught me to cook from scratch and on a shoestring. I continue to cook that way now that I’m semi-retired. It’s all about saving money on my grocery bill.
Mexican Casserole
Ingredients: ground beef, onions, Chili con carne, chili with beans, Frito’s, black olives, and grated cheese. You can make this recipe at the last minute for dinner or take it to someone who is sick. It’s an easy ground beef casserole; most ingredients are probably in your home “grocery store.” The grated cheese could be cheddar cheese or another of your favorites. You can use a handy skillet to brown the ground beef before you put it in the casserole dish.
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 can chili con carne
- 1 can chili with beans
- 1-2 cups shredded cheese
- 1 can sliced black olives
- 1 small bag of Frito’s (original size)
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Preheat the oven to (350°F) = (176°C) degrees.
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Brown the ground beef with the chopped onion, and drain the grease, if any. Set this aside.
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Grease a casserole dish, and place a layer of Frito's at the bottom.
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Next, add a layer of ground beef and onion on top of the Frito's.
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Spread a layer of chili con carne as the third layer.
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The fourth layer is the chili with beans, olives, and grated cheese.
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Finish the casserole with a thin layer of Frito's and grated cheese.
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Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through.
Hamburger Layered Dinner
Ingredients: ground beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, and mushroom soup.
This recipe could quickly be baked in a Dutch oven if you lose power for an extended time. It’s all about being prepared for the unexpected.
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2-3 potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 3 carrots, sliced or cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 medium onion, chopped or sliced
- 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
- salt and pepper
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Preheat the oven to (350°F) = (176°C) degrees.
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Grease a 9 by 13-inch casserole pan.
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Spread the raw hamburger in the bottom of the greased pan.
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Spread the onion, carrots, and potatoes in layers.
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Salt and pepper the top of the casserole.
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Spread the soup over the casserole. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
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Bake at (350°F) = (176°C) degrees for one hour.
Sloppy Joe’s
Ingredients: ground beef, tomato sauce, onion, butter, brown sugar, salt, vinegar, mustard, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and bell pepper. For a unique flavor addition try some garlic salt.
Who loves good Sloppy Joes on a pleasant summer night? I sure do! This comfort food is made from scratch and my family loves it.
- 8 -ounce can of tomato sauce
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1-1/3 tablespoons mustard
- 2 tablespoons barbecue
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4 cup bell pepper, chopped
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Brown the ground beef, bell pepper, and onion in the butter.
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Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
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Serve over hamburger buns.
Taco Salad
Ingredients: ground beef, cheese, lettuce, kidney beans, olives, lettuce, tomatoes, tortilla chips, and salad dressing. I love to make this salad in the summer. It’s easy to make at the last minute to serve unexpected guests or take to a family reunion.
Like beef enchiladas, beef burritos, beef tostadas, and other Mexican dinners with beef, our family relishes the Latino approach to meal prep, and ground beef is the base ingredient we all look forward to.
- 1 pound Ground beef browned, drained, add one package of taco seasoning
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 1-2 cups Grated cheese
- 1-2 heads of chopped Romaine lettuce
- 1 can Kidney beans or black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can Olives, sliced
- 2 Tomatoes, chopped
- 1 Bottle Catalina/French Type Salad Dressing
- 1 bag Tortilla Chips, slightly crushed into bite-size pieces
- Garnish with sour cream, cilantro, sliced avocado, and lime wedges
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Grab a frying pan and brown the ground beef with chopped onion.
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Cook until completely done.
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You will need a large mixing bowl to make this salad.
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Start layering the chopped lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and beans in the large bowl.
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Scoop the cooked meat mixture over the salad layers.
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Sprinkle this mixture with shredded cheese.
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Pour the Catalina/French Type Dressing over the salad JUST before serving, or serve it on the side.
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Add bite-size broken tortilla chips. Garnish with sour cream, cilantro, sliced avocado, and lime wedges. Enjoy.
This post lists just a small sample of ground beef based recipes. Check out my archive for a number of other recipes traditionally made from ground beef. They would include things like:
Final Word
I hope you try some of my ground beef recipes soon! Let me know if you make some of them. I would love to hear your thoughts. Please be prepared for the unexpected and keep on prepping. Linda
Copyright Images: Ground Beef with Hands Depositphotos_4468601_S By Elenathewise, Mexican Casserole with Fritos AdobeStock_306004970 By Brent Hofacker, Hamburger Stew Casserole Ingredients AdobeStock_187701922 By MSPhotographic
My mother used to make us American Chop Suey using ground beef, canned Campbell’s condensed tomato soup, onions and elbow macaroni.
Cook ground beef in a large pan, normally I use a pound of beef but that can be adjusted up or down. When beef is almost fully cooked, drain and then sautée the onion (diced) in the pan. Once everything is fully cooked, add in the tomato soup, 3 cans of Campbells works well for a pound of beef and a pound of pasta. In a separate pot, cook the elbow macaroni and drain. Pour beef and sauce mixture over the pasta and mix throughly.
This was a perfect Halloween meal at our house since it could sit on the stove all night as long as it’s kept hot, and we could eat during lulls in the hordes of trick or treaters. My wife thought it was too bland, so we now add chopped garlic in just before the tomato soup to give it a bit more kick. Yummy and filling.
And best of all, other than the beef it’s shelf stable – although there is no reason you couldn’t use some canned beef instead of fresh. Although I’d probably sautée the onions first then add the canned beef then the garlic and tomato soup since the canned beef is already cooked and just needs warming up.
Hi DmWalsh, I’m so glad you shared this recipe. I love love love meals we can put together quickly like yours!! When I have time I will try and add this recipe. Thank you so much! Linda
Love these recipes Linda! I have many jars of hamburger in my pantry. I can taco meat, sloppy Joe’s, hamburger with onions, mushrooms, etcetera- makes for quick meals.
I had to laugh at your “poor man’s steak” reference as I have many jars of Amish Poor Man’s Steaks in my pantry! Heat them in gravy, serve with noodles, rice or mashed potatoes- yum!
HI Beth, You have canned hamburger jars in the pantry! SQUEAL! You are ready to make meals at the last minute! Love this! Linda
I’ve made most of those and they are delicious. But my all time favorite is Roni Mac.
2 POUNDS GROUND CHUCK
1 ONION (CHOPPED)
1 BAG ELBOW RONI (ONE POUND MAKES TWO POUNDS BEEF)
2-3 CLOVES GARLIC (Or one tsp minced garlic)
1 POUND SHREDDED CHEDDAR (SHARP OR MILD)
1 JAR SPAGHETTI SAUCE (Used to use Ragu Thick and Zesty but now we use our homemade sauce)
PINCH of SUGAR
½ STICK BUTTER
1 TABLESPOON COOKING OIL
BROWN GROUND CHUCK WITH SPICES, GARLIC AND ONION.
DRAIN GREASE AND OIL
COOK RONI, RINSE AND BUTTER
STIR PINCH of SUGAR INTO SAUCE THEN MIX WITH MEAT AND RONI
SPREAD LAYER OF MIXTURE IN BOTTOM OF BAKING DISH OR 9X13 PAN IF USING 2 POUNDS OF MEAT.
ADD LAYER OF CHEESE
ALTERNATE LAYERS UNTIL PAN IS FULL THEN BAKE AT 350 FOR 30-40 MINUTES.
ABOUT 5-10 MINUTES BEFORE IT’S DONE PULL IT OUT AND ADD A FINAL LAYER OF CHEESE ON TOP.
(I USUALLY JUST MIX IT ALL TOGETHER INSTEAD OF LAYERING IT AND PUT THE CHEESE TOPPING IN BEFORE BAKING IT–THOUGH I DO ADD AN EXTRA CHEESE LAYER ON TOP AS MENTIONED ABOVE).
I ALSO SOMETIMES ADDED SOME ITALIAN SAUSAGE FOR EXTRA FLAVOR.
Another Favorite is:
HUNGRY JACK BEEF CASSEROLE
1 lb Ground beef (80 or 85% tastes best)
1 16oz can Pork & Beans
¼ Onion (chopped fine) OR
1 Tbsp Instant Onion
3 Tbsps Brown Sugar
¾ cup BBQ Sauce (Sweet Vidalia Onion by Sweet Baby Ray’s is best)
1 cup Shredded Cheddar or Cheddar/Jack cheese
1 tube Pop-up Rolls
In a two quart baking dish or large frying pan
Brown the ground beef and sautee onion. Drain.
Stir in Pork & Beans, Brown Sugar, BBQ sauce and Instant Onion if you’re using that instead of Onion.
Heat until bubbly.
While heating, open pop-up rolls and separate them, then cut each roll in half to form two half-circles.
Place cut rolls cut side down around the edges, then in the middle of casserole (allowing room to expand as they bake).
Sprinkle cheese on top.
Bake uncovered in 375 oven for 22-27 minutes or until rolls are golden brown. I pull it out 5-10 minutes early and add an extra layer of mild cheddar on top before returning it to the oven for the final 5-10 minutes.
Serves 4-6
Hi Ray, well, now I need to make these recipes, my mouth is watering! I love casseroles! I have these ingredients as well! Thank you!! Life is good with homemade dinners! Linda
HI Ray, thanks for the 5 stars, my sweet friend! I have got to make these recipes and put your name on them, thank you for sharing! Linda
A note on the Hungry Jack Casserole: When sprinkling the cheese on top before baking, do so sparingly. Too much cheese on top will prevent your pop up rolls from baking completely. That’s why I add the bulk of the cheese about 5 minutes before the casserole will be done. If done correctly the rolls will be nicely browned on top before you add the final layer of cheese.
Okay, one more recipe: Cherry Valley Burritos–though God alone knows why we call them that.
Cherry Valley Burritos
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
½ small yellow or white onion
1 package 10” flour tortillas
La Victoria Green Sauce to taste (for us usually ½ jar)
A dash or two of Tabasco Sauce
Monterey Jack Cheese
Butter
Directions:
Brown the beef and onions in a frying pan
Drain well
Stir in La Victoria Green sauce and the tabasco and heat until bubbling.
While doing that cut the Monterey Jack into 1/4”x1/4” sticks
Warm the flour tortillas in your microwave for 15-20 seconds. I do this by layering the tortillas with slightly moistened paper towels.
Butter one side of the tortillas and lay them butter side down on a baking sheet.
Spoon in 2 tbsps of the beef mixture in the middle of each tortilla
Lay 4-6 pieces of Monterey Jack onto the beef
Fold the tortilla like a burrito and turn it so the final fold is facing down on the baking sheet.
Repeat, adding beef and cheese to the rest of the tortillas
Bake at 350 F for 23 minutes
Makes 8-10 tortillas, Serves 2 with leftovers for another meal
Hi Ray, now I want to make this recipe for a post! This is easy and sounds delicious! Linda
A note on the Roni-Mac: We us Large Elbow Roni, though I suppose the small elbows would do as well.
HI Ray, that sounds good, too! Linda
I love hamburger because it is so versatile.
The one thing I did years ago and my daughter does now is Taco style casserole.
I am going to just give you the “recipe” as I have always made it!! No real measurements so you can easily adjust to your family size.
Brown as much hamburger as you need to feed your family. Add chopped onion and chopped bell pepper as your family likes. Add 1 packet of taco seasoning per pound of ground beef. While the hamburger is browning, boil several quarts of salted water and cook as much macaroni or shell pasta as needed for your family size. Drain and set aside until the hamburger is cooked and seasoned. Combine the meat mixture and pasta, add a large can of diced tomatoes to give it some sauce. Adjust seasoning to your taste. Serve with salad or other veggies as desired.
So, as a single person, I make this using 1/2 pound of hamburger, 1/2 of a chopped onion and 1/2 of a chopped bell pepper. I use almost a full package worth of taco seasoning but I make my own. Then I cook 1 serving per the package directions on the pasta and I only use 1 small can of diced tomatoes. Sometimes I even throw in a can of diced green chilies and a bit of jalapeño.
I came up with this “recipe” when I was married because I could stretch a pound of hamburger to feed my husband (big eater), my daughter and myself. If we had company drop in, I just added more pasta and tomatoes.
Hi Leanne, thank you for the 5 stars, my sweet friend! You know I love new recipes from the past! We know how to stretch a meal for sure! I love anything with the word TACO in it, I love the flavor! Thanks for sharing! Love it! Linda
Another hamburger technique I recently came across was put out by Simply Mama Cooks on Youtube. She showed in one video to make taquitos using corn tortillas, seasoned ground beef with onions, and cheese, etc. I found it very versatile in what you put in the taquitos. Basically, she warmed the corn tortillas in the microwave so they were pliable. Filled them with seasoned ground beef and cheese, rolled the tortillas then fried them. A bit labor intensive but sounded so good. She also showed making or using left over mashed potato taquitos but I couldn’t find that video right off!
Can you tell I love all things that are Mexican flavored???
HI Leanne, thank again for the 5 stars, I love anything Mexican flavored as well! LOVE this! I’m going to try the corn tortillas trick putting them in th microwave to soften them so they roll easier. Oh my gosh, you’ve given me so many ideas, thank you! Linda
I don’t entertain but I found this dip and tried it…it was awesome.
I used it on ground up taco shells (how I make my tacos) with lettuce, tomato, and cheese topping. Delicious.
1 lb. ground beef, 1 can taco sauce, 1 can refried beans.
Hi JayJay, this taco dip sounds awesome. I love all of those ingredients, I’m going to make this for sure! Linda