20 Healthy Ground Beef Recipes That Make This Meat Great Again

Written by Michael Matthews

Ground beef is like the Swiss Army Knife of protein.

It goes well in all kinds of foods, it can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and it’s cheap, easy to cook and store, and, of course, delicious.

So, whether you’re prepping simple meals for the week, or wanting to do something special to impress your friends or significant other, it pays to know how to prepare ground beef.

If you’re like most people, though, you don’t know where to even start.

Should you just turn it into burgers? Meatballs? Sloppy Joe’s? Something else altogether?

Well, this article is going to show you just how great this humble meat can be.

As you’ll see, these 20 delicious ground beef recipes are easy to prepare, healthy, and packed with protein, and no matter what kind of cuisine you’re in the mood for, there’s something here for you.

Enjoy!

 

Ground Beef Grilled Cheese

Most healthy grilled cheese recipes add vegetables to infuse nutrition, but why not amp up the protein instead? With ground beef in the middle, grilled cheese becomes the ultimate comfort food.

Add in pickle slices, diced red onion, or chopped tomatoes, and it’s basically a cheeseburger grilled cheese.

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One-Pot Spaghetti & Meat Sauce

Spaghetti is one of the easiest dinners to make on autopilot. Yet there’s a way to prepare this simple ground beef recipe with even less work and get your healthy meal on the table in under a half hour.

Make pasta sauce from scratch, and you can cook the noodles in the same pan instead of boiling a pot of water.

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Beef-Stuffed Eggplant (Imam Bayildi)

New recipes that focus on nutrition pop up all the time, so you never have to get bored with your healthy meal plan. But sometimes the best way to get inspiration is to look through culinary tradition.

These stuffed eggplants are a popular dish in Turkey, and it’s no wonder because they’re simple and adaptable. If you can’t find pomegranate molasses, reduce pom juice to make some, or substitute honey with a splash of balsamic vinegar.

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Hash & Eggs

This healthy ground beef skillet recipe is great for breakfast. And it’s such a simple meal that you’ll find yourself cooking it up all the time. In fact, it’s awesome to eat as a quick post-workout dinner.

Once you brown the beef and cook the potatoes until tender, make space to crack the eggs. Transfer the cast-iron skillet to the oven, and you’ll have perfect baked eggs in the middle of a potato and beef hash.

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Korean Ground Beef

This quick Korean recipe is an easy way to prepare ground beef. And you won’t need any specialty ingredients ordered online or sought out at the Asian grocery store.

There’s plenty of flavor just from soy sauce, sesame oil, and fresh ginger. Serve it as an easy Korean rice bowl, topped with chopped chives and spicy kimchi.

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Beef, Mushroom & Spinach Calzones

Making a calzone from scratch takes too much effort after a long day at work, so prepare a big batch when you have free time, and stash them in the freezer.

Then you’ll be able to reheat these beef and mushroom calzones whenever you’re starving. Pick up premade pizza dough to speed up the process, or use your favorite homemade recipe.

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Healthy Meatloaf Squares

Even if you don’t like traditional meatloaf, this stuffed variation may sway you. It doesn’t resemble a loaf of bread, and meatloaf becomes harder to resist when there’s a layer of creamy mashed potatoes in the middle.

You can use this trick with other veggies too, like sweet potatoes or mashed broccoli and cauliflower.

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Simple Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s pie is the ultimate beef and potatoes meal because you can enjoy them both in one bite. So if you only master one healthy casserole recipe, this should be it.

There’s more protein in the macros than anything else, plus there’s a mix of veggies for vitamins, fiber, and healthy carbs.

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Quick Beef Lasagna

Instead of making a traditional lasagna, which requires browning the meat and softening the onions before layering it all together, make this one-pan meal.

This healthy ground beef recipe has everything you’d want in a lasagna, including the flat noodles, except it’s made in a skillet on the stove in just 15 minutes.

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Mexican Meatballs in Tomato-Chipotle Sauce

Ground beef meatballs don’t have to be served with marinara. They’re delicious in other kinds of cuisine, like Mediterranean, Chinese, and even Mexican food.

Albondigas often refers to meatball soup, but they can also be eaten with rice or tortillas. And these ground beef meatballs are hiding another kind of protein: hard-boiled egg is tucked into the middle.

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Shepherd’s Pie Potato Skins

Beef and potatoes in less than a half hour? These might look like they require a ton of work, but ground beef-stuffed potato skins are faster to cook than a full shepherd’s pie. They’ll also freeze well, so you’ll have individual meals to reheat at your convenience.

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Easy Picadillo Recipe

Picadillo means everything is minced or chopped, then cooked altogether, like in a potato hash. And this quick Mexican meal can be served in a number of ways.

Turn it into ground beef tacos with small corn tortillas, eat it with rice, or roll picadillo burritos for a big meal.

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Upside-Down Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

Craving homemade pizza, but don’t want to worry about rolling out or tossing the dough? This ground beef casserole flips pizza upside-down, with refrigerator rolls baked on top to replace the crust.

You can use this method with your favorite pizza toppings, so go ahead and swap out pepperoni for ham, bell peppers for olives, or whatever you like.

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Crock Pot Sloppy Joes

There’s no need to rely on canned sloppy Joes if you have a Crock Pot. The sauce will develop a lot more flavor, and you can even sneak in some veggies like carrots and squash.

If you grate them, either by hand or with a food processor, the small vegetables pieces will cook down enough to be hidden in the sloppy joe mix. Serve with large lettuce leaves for a low-carb ground beef dinner.

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Mini Meatloaf Pepper Rings

Meatloaf is a classic American dinner because it’s cheap, easy, and satisfying. But it’s about time we bring meatloaf into this millennium.

You’ll still need ground beef, egg, and bread crumbs. The difference is this meatloaf mix is cooked in a sliced bell pepper instead of a loaf pan, and it’s topped with tomato sauce, not bottled ketchup.

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Ground Beef & Wild Rice Alfredo

Alfredo sauce is great with pasta, of course, but that’s not all. Since it’s like pourable Parmesan, alfredo quickly upgrades any savory dish like this beef and rice skillet.

It’s adaptable, so use any veggies or leftover rice that you have in the kitchen. Once the ground beef is cooked, simmer everything in alfredo sauce, and dig in.

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Beef Cabbage Roll Casserole

Beef and cabbage is a winning combo for a healthy dinner, but when they’re in a cabbage roll, it’s not that appealing to anyone who doesn’t enjoy eating their greens.

Luckily you can get all the same nutrition in this healthy casserole, which mixed the cabbage with tomato sauce and ground beef.

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Hearty Quinoa Mac & Chili

Hamburger helper is a fast and easy meal, but it’s lacking a lot in terms of nutrition.

Make this dinner from scratch instead, so you’re getting the tasty ingredients you’re craving without added preservatives. And if you sprinkle a handful of shredded cheese on top, it’s a healthy chili mac and cheese.

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Beef Zucchini Burgers

When you don’t know what to do with ground beef, the go-to recipe is burgers. But it’s not always as simple as dividing the meat and throwing it on the grill, especially if you want a healthy burger patty.

This recipe includes zucchini, not just for the nutrition, but also to ensure you’ll have juicy beef hamburgers even if you use a leaner meat.

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Skinny Beef, Vegetable & Barley Soup

A soup or stew can be delicious with any cut of meat, but something like a lean roast will require lots of time to cook. Make ground beef soup instead, and you won’t have to wait.

This recipe is ready on the stove in an hour, or you can prepare it in the morning and let your Crock Pot do the rest.

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