Quick & Easy Ground Beef Recipes

Easy and quick dinner ideas are just a click away! Find casseroles, chilies, hamburgers, tacos, pasta and more dishes featuring ground beef.

Staff Picks

30-Minute Chili

Rating: 3.5 stars 647
This easy chili recipe makes eight one-cup servings; if you reserve half, you'll also have enough for four servings of our Cheesy Hash-Brown Bake, a stick-to-your-ribs meal for later in the week.

Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs

Rating: 3.5 stars 537
No pasta is more iconic than spaghetti and meatballs, and now, it's a breeze to make. After browning, the meatballs simmer right in the sauce.

Classic Burger-Joint Cheeseburger

Forget waiting in the drive-thru lane! You can make a better burger at home with quality ingredients in no time.

Mini Meatballs

Rating: 3 stars 185
Shape these tiny meatballs, then freeze for up to 3 months. There's no need to thaw before using; they will cook quickly right out of the freezer.

Beef Tacos

Rating: 3.5 stars 110
Beef tacos are fun to put together and delicious to eat. Fill the tortillas with lettuce and beef, then each person can add his or her favorite toppings.

Beef-and-Potato Burritos

Rating: 4 stars 33
For less spicy burritos, remove the jalapeno ribs and seeds before chopping.

Best Beef Burger

Rating: 3.5 stars 82
Customize this American classic with toppings such as cheese, tomatoes, raw or grilled onion, pickles, jalapenos, and more.

Old-Fashioned Cheeseburgers

Rating: 3.5 stars 54
Serve this all-American classic with all the toppings you love -- cheese, lettuce, pickles, and onion.

Pull-Apart Sliders

An easy recipe to double for a larger crowd, these ground beef sliders require no flipping over a hot grill, no utensils, and very little time prepare. Just broil them in the oven for an all-American cookout even on a rainy summer's day.

Macaroni with Beef

Rating: 3.5 stars 141
This quick meal will give the whole family a satisfying meal.

Pasta and Easy Italian Meat Sauce

Rating: 3.5 stars 253
Here is an easy dinner recipe. This Pasta and Italian Meat Sauce doesn't need to cook for a long time to be delicious. The spaghetti sauce is based on the famed Ragu alla Bolognese (sauce in the style of Bologna). The addition of milk might seem unusual, but it's traditional in northern Italy—where butter and cream, as well as milk, are essential to the cuisine.

Gnocchi with Quick Meat Sauce

Rating: 3 stars 53
This hearty meal is ready in just 30 minutes. Store-bought gnocchi (Italian for "dumplings") cook in just a few minutes, so they're faster than pasta. You'll have extra meat sauce left over to make Summer Beef-and-Rice Casserole later in the week.
Advertisement

Inspiration and Ideas

Beef-and-Mixed-Grain Meatballs
Our healthy spin on "porcupine meatballs"—which started as a way to stretch meat during the Great Depression—mixes pre-cooked grains with ground beef to give them a boost of nutritious fiber for a quick weeknight dinner. 
Emeril's Sloppy Joes
Rating: Unrated 55
This kid's classic and favorite leaves time for the family to enjoy summer evenings together. The recipe for the flavorful meat sauce can easily be doubled. Feel free to make a bigbatch of it over the weekend, then freeze it in smaller portions for busy weeknights.
Ground-Meat Mix
Rating: 4 stars 11

This yields enough for two of these recipes (or you can double it to make all four): Glazed Meatloaf, Skewered Greek Meatballs, Moroccan Hand Pies, and Vietnamese Kebabs. This versatile mixture can also be frozen on its own, so you can complete the recipes another time.