Easy Meals to Make With Ground Beef

Ground beef is one of the most versatile meats to use. It goes with just about everything and because it is ground, it cooks quickly. If it is a lean cut, it is quite healthy as well. It is also inexpensive and fits into most cook’s budget. Easy meals to make with ground beef can be something as simple as a hamburger or as comforting as shepherd’s pie. So many dishes that are quick and easy can be prepared with hamburger,  it is hard to decide which ones in include and which to leave out.

Chili

Chili is a great opportunity to make a very easy and quick dinner with hamburger. You can buy the canned tomatoes with the spices for chili already in them and mixed with the cooked hamburger and kidney beans and the spice to add the amount of heat you prefer and you have a quick and easy meal. Having some corn bread as a side is a good option.

Meatloaf  

Meatloaf is one of the most popular meals to make with ground beef. One favorite recipe includes lean ground beef, ketchup, breadcrumb, chopped onions and peppers and salt and pepper. This is then formed into a loaf and baked for less than an hour. It can be served with mashed potatoes and the vegetable of choice and is a quick and easy meal that even the kids will love.

Tacos

Tacos are one of the most family-friendly meals to make with hamburger. All you need is one of the taco kits that are sold in the store and you can add the additional lettuce, tomato, salsa, cheese and sour cream. The kids can make their own with the ingredients that they prefer. It is simple, quick to make and best of all, inexpensive.

Pizza

If you love pizza, you can make a simple pizza with pizza dough and sauce from the grocery store. Sauté a pound of ground beef and add to the pizza sauce and place on the top of the pizza dough. Add a light drizzle of olive oil and your favorite combination of cheeses and bake in the oven. You can add mushrooms, onions, and peppers or just about anything else you like and you have a quick and satisfying meal.

Meatballs

Ground beef makes great little meatballs and these can be combined with a wide variety of sauces. If you want an Italian dish then pasta sauce is the perfect addition. For something a little different, combine sour cream and brown gravy and together with a pound of egg noodles you can make a simple and easy Swedish type meatball dish.

Goulash

If you have a family that loves pasta, a pound of hamburger can go a long way toward making a goulash or American chop suey, whatever name it is known by in your area. This is basically a pound of elbow macaroni mixed with a pound of cooked hamburger, stewed tomatoes with peppers and onions and a sprinkling of your favorite cheese. It is mixed together and cooked in the oven and is a meal in one dish.

Casserole

For a more Stroganoff-type casserole, sauté the hamburger with mushrooms then add sour cream and beef broth and pour it over noodles or mashed potatoes. Simple, easy and delicious and a big favorite with my grandsons. 

When you have a pound or more of ground beef you have basic ingredient for a lot of easy and delicious meals. Use these suggestions or use your imagination and come up with combinations of your own. The Internet offers exact recipes for these meals and many others.