Ingredients Beef Ground Beef 16 Easy Ground Beef Recipes That Are Sure to Become Weeknight Favorites By Food & Wine Editors Updated on January 13, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photo by David Malosh / Prop Styling by Amy Wilson / Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero We know that on weeknights, time can be tight and it can be a challenge to come up with dinner ideas that are both delicious and easy to make. That's why we lean on these ground beef recipes that have complex, deep flavors and can be on the table in no time. Turn ground beef into the best chili you’ll ever have, make Beef and Cheese Red Chile Enchiladas or a warming Beef Keema. Here are plenty of recipes for that package of ground beef just waiting to become your dinner. 01 of 16 Soboro Donburi (Gingery Ground Beef with Peas over Rice) Greg DuPree This hearty Japanese dish features soboro (finely ground meat simmered in soy sauce, dashi, and sake) served over rice for a satisfying meal. To simplify the recipe, Japanese cooking teacher Elizabeth Andoh suggests using water instead of dashi. Get the Recipe 02 of 16 Beef and Vegetable Potpie with Cheddar Biscuits © David Malosh This luscious potpie — with its buttery cheddar crust and ground beef filling mixed with parsnips, carrots, and peas — is a perfect addition to your weeknight recipe repertoire. It comes together in just 45 minutes of active time before hitting the oven. Get the Recipe 03 of 16 Beef and Cheese Red Chile Enchiladas Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Dipping warm corn tortillas in freshly made red chile sauce infuses each rolled enchilada with the smoky-sweet flavor of New Mexico chiles. The hearty cumin-tinged beef and cheese filling stands up well to the bold sauce. Get the Recipe 04 of 16 Beef Keema © Andrew Purcell Although this ground meat curry is often made with lamb, we've found that the distinctive combination of spices tastes just as good with beef. Serve the thick keema with warm naan or pita. Get the Recipe 05 of 16 Classic Beef Chili Caitlin Bensel This is a great classic chili to keep in your back pocket for game day meals or anytime you want a hearty bowl to warm you up. When it comes to making chili, it's important to build flavor even before you add spicy heat. Toasting the ground cumin and ancho chile powder in oil as they cook with the beef brings out their earthy flavors, adding savory undertones to the mix when combined with the fresh poblano, thyme, and oregano. Get the Recipe 06 of 16 Crispy Comté Frico Cheeseburgers Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell Salty, buttery, and slightly sharp, Comté cheese crisps similarly to Parmesan, adding an irresistibly crunchy frico layer to these cheeseburgers. For the best results, don't flip the buns straight out of the oven; letting them cool keeps the cheese crispy at the edges and soft in the center. Get the Recipe 07 of 16 Grilled Meatballs with Mint and Za'atar © Iain Bagwell. Food styling by Simon Andrews. Pass crisp lettuce leaves and tangy yogurt with these cumin-spiced meat patties and assemble them at the table. Made in under half an hour, this is the perfect weeknight dish. Get the Recipe 08 of 16 Picadillo William F. Dickey II Our version of this Cuban classic mixes ground beef with a highly seasoned tomato sauce, fried potatoes, raisins, and green olives — and an untraditional dash of hot sauce. Whether you serve it over rice, with corn tortillas, or stuffed into roasted peppers, picadillo is a deeply satisfying dish. Get the Recipe 09 of 16 Meat-Stuffed Poblanos with Cilantro-Lime Sauce © Todd Porter & Diane Cu Stuffing poblano peppers with ground beef turns them into a satiating meal. These peppers make for a perfectly spicy, bright dinner that comes together in only 30 minutes. Get the Recipe 10 of 16 Barbecue Sloppy Joes © Lucy Schaeffer Barbecue sauce, ketchup, and cider vinegar spice up the ground beef in these retro Sloppy Joes. Chef Christopher Tunnell uses a mixture of ground sirloin and chuck for this sandwich and melts cheddar cheese on the bun to make it extra gooey. Get the Recipe 11 of 16 Thai-Style Beef Salad Over Angel Hair Pasta © Iain Bagwell. Food styling by Simon Andrews. Laab — ground beef seasoned with chiles, lime juice, fish sauce, and mint — is a traditional Thai meat salad eaten warm or at room temperature. We've added thin noodles to turn it into a pasta salad, but you can always eat the meat mixture by itself; just cut down on the fish sauce, or the beef may be too salty. Get the Recipe 12 of 16 Macaroni and Beef Casserole © Alexandra Rowley There's nothing quite like the nostalgia you get from eating a meal you loved growing up. This casserole from F&W culinary director at large Justin Chapple is a homemade version of the boxed pasta meals he enjoyed (and still enjoys) when he was a kid. Fresh vegetables, ground beef, crushed tomatoes, pasta, melted cheese, and more come together to form a satisfying, hearty dish that's ready in under an hour. Get the Recipe 13 of 16 Classic Meatloaf © Con Poulos "This is a culmination of all the meatloaf I've ever eaten," chef Andrew Curren says about this recipe. "My mom always made a good meatloaf — it never had the tomato goo on top of it. Then I tasted a meatloaf that had cheese in it; that was a good idea. In Italy, I was introduced to sofrito and realized the importance of cooking with carrots, onion, and celery." Get the Recipe 14 of 16 Hungarian Beef and Potato Soup © Elizabeth Drago, Food Stylist Vivian Lui Traditionally, this soup would be made with cubes of beef, but when you want a quick weeknight dinner, who can wait for meat to braise? We use ground beef instead. If you like your soup spicy, substitute hot paprika for some of the sweet paprika here. Get the Recipe 15 of 16 Mini Potato, Steak, and Chorizo Pies Photo by Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen These smallish "pies" are filled with a smart combination of fresh chorizo and lean grass-fed ground beef. Seasoned with onion and Worcestershire, they come together in a snap and can easily be made ahead. Thinly sliced starchy russet potatoes form a crispy, potato chip–like topping on each meaty pie. The move is genius and delivers the comfort of shepherd's pie without the steps involved in making mashed potatoes. Get the Recipe 16 of 16 Patty Melts with Charred Scallion-Chipotle Mayo Photo by David Malosh / Prop Styling by Amy Wilson / Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero Classic versions of the patty melt often include caramelized onions, but those take time, so here cookbook author Molly Stevens leans on quick-charred scallions instead. Chipotle-spiked mayonnaise adds an extra dose of lushness and a punch of smoky heat. Feel free to use any good melting cheese you like. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit