What to Cook with Ground Beef and Almost Nothing Else
A pound of ground beef can become a lot of different meals. Here are the simplest ones.
Ground beef is one of the most common proteins people bring home from the food pantry. It's filling, it stretches well, and it works in almost anything. But when you're staring at a pound of ground beef and a few cans from the cupboard, it helps to know what your options are.
Every recipe below uses ground beef plus a handful of things pantries commonly distribute. No fancy ingredients. Most of them are one-pot or one-skillet meals, and they all feed at least four people.
One-Pot Chili Mac
Brown the ground beef with a diced onion in a pot. Add a can of diced tomatoes, a can of kidney beans, elbow pasta, and water. Let it simmer until the pasta is done. That's it. One pot, about 25 minutes, and you have a thick, hearty meal that feeds the whole household. If you have chili powder, add some. If not, it's still good.
Pasta with Meat Sauce
The classic. Brown ground beef, add tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce from a jar, and pour it over cooked pasta. You can stretch it further by adding a can of diced tomatoes to the sauce. This is probably the simplest ground beef dinner there is, and it never gets old.
Sloppy Joes
Brown ground beef with diced onion, add tomato sauce, a little sugar and vinegar if you have them, and let it simmer into a thick, saucy mixture. Spoon it onto bread or rolls. Kids love these, and the whole thing takes about 20 minutes.
Taco Soup
This is one of those dump-and-simmer meals. Brown ground beef, then add canned beans, canned corn, canned diced tomatoes, and water. Season with chili powder if you have it. Let it all cook together for 15 to 20 minutes. It makes a big pot that's even better the next day.
One-Pot Beef and Bean Chili
Similar to taco soup but thicker and richer. Brown beef, add kidney beans, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Let it cook low and slow if you have the time, or just simmer it for 20 minutes. Serve it over rice to stretch it even further.
Quick Shepherd's Pie
Brown ground beef with frozen mixed vegetables. Spread it in a baking dish and top with instant mashed potatoes. Bake until the top is golden. It sounds like a lot of work but it comes together fast, especially with instant potatoes. This is a solid cold-weather dinner.
Turkey Taco Skillet
This works with ground beef or ground turkey, whichever you have. Brown the meat, add rice, beans, salsa or diced tomatoes, and water. Cover and cook until the rice absorbs the liquid. Everything cooks in one skillet. Top with cheese or sour cream if you have them.
Tips for stretching ground beef
Add beans. Mixing in a can of kidney or black beans stretches one pound of ground beef into enough food for six or more servings.
Serve it over something. Rice, pasta, or bread all turn a small amount of meat into a full plate.
Cook it with onion. A diced onion adds bulk and flavor to anything you're browning ground beef for. Onions are cheap and most pantries include them.
Use it the day you get it. Ground beef doesn't last long in the fridge. If you can't cook it within a day or two, put it in the freezer. Thaw it in the fridge overnight when you're ready.
Drain the grease. After browning, tilt the pan and spoon out the extra fat before adding your other ingredients. It keeps the final dish from being greasy.
See what else you can make
If you have ground beef and a few other things from the pantry, use our ingredient search to check off what's in your kitchen. We'll show you every recipe that matches what you have on hand.