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42 Tried & Tested Easy Ground Beef Recipes!

How to Cook Beef for Ground Beef Recipes with onions and garlic.

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Are you looking for some fast, easy and TESTED ground beef recipes that you can trust to turn out great? Then this is the ultimate list of ground beef recipes for you! There’s a bonus to having a website that’s 9 years old, I have a TON of ground beef recipes of my own that I can personally guarantee are delicious and will be a hit with the family! These are ALL recipes that I have made, eaten and fed to my own family so that you can trust me when I say these are all GREAT ground beef recipes!

42 Tried & Tested Easy Ground Beef recipes
Ground Beef Recipes

Meatloaf Recipes with Ground Beef

Admit it, meatloaf is the very first thing that comes to mind when you think of ground beef recipes! Meatloaf doesn’t have to be overcooked or dry, here are three meatloaf recipes that I have personally made and LOVED!

  1. Retro Sweet and Sour Meatloaf
  2. Our Favourite Meatloaf 
  3. Bacon Topped Mozza Meatloaf

Let’s start our with the most retro of all, Retro Sweet & Sour Meatloaf! This is definitely what our moms made for dinner in the 1970’s and you know what? It’s still a great dinner for today’s family’s as well!

Retro Sweet & Sour Meatloaf in a plate on white background
Retro Sweet & Sour Meatloaf

The classic Our Favourite Meatloaf Recipe from Campbell’s Soup. This is such an easy recipe that my son made it for dinner! There is nothing like a classic meatloaf that has canned soup on top for that extra flavour boost!

Our Favourite Meatloaf in white plates with Canned Soup Topping
Our Favourite Meatloaf with Canned Soup Topping

I made my Bacon Topped Mozza Meatloaf as a low carb meatloaf for everyone to enjoy. If you haven’t tried meatloaf topped with bacon, then you haven’t had meatloaf! This is one of my very favourite meatloafs to make for company.

Bacon Topped Mozzarella Meatloaf on a green ivy pattern plate
Bacon Topped Mozzarella Meatloaf on a green ivy pattern plate

Meatball Recipes Using Ground Beef

Holy do I have meatball recipes, so you can tell that I feed my family a LOT of homemade meatballs! I have put my favourite basic meatball recipe as the very first recipe on the list and you can use it accordingly with any of the recipes that have sauce in it.

  1. The Best Easy Homemade Meatballs Recipe
  2. Sweet and Sour Meatballs
  3. Grape Jelly Meatballs
  4. Classic Retro Porcupine Meatballs
  5. Meatballs with Homemade Mushroom Sauce
  6. Healthy Crockpot Spaghetti and Meatballs
  7. Crockpot Meatball Shepherd’s Pie

First up, The Best Easy Homemade Meatballs Recipe. I got this recipe from my sister years ago and if you are looking for a ground beef recipe for great simple, fast and freezable meatballs, this is the one you want to keep. Make a big batch, have some for dinner and then freeze the rest for later!

easy homemade meatballs on a baking sheet
easy homemade meatballs on a baking sheet

The MOST popular meatball recipe on my website, my Sweet and Sour Meatballs. It’s all about the sauce with these meatballs and it is the best sweet and sour sauce you will ever make!

sweet and sour meatballs on white rice in a blue pattern plate
sweet and sour meatballs on white rice

There is nothing like Grape Jelly Meatballs and they don’t have to just be an appetizer! You can serve this retro meatball for dinner with some rice as well. If you haven’t tried them before, trust me, they are something you have to make!

grape jelly meatballs with toothpicks on a white plate
grape jelly meatballs on a white plate

Raise your hand if you Mom also made these Classic Retro Porcupine Meatballs when you were a kid. These were (actually they still are!) my Mom’s go-to recipe. Stuffed with rice and topped with a delicious sauce, there is a reason that this classic is still popular today!

classic retro porcupine meatballs on a white plate with white rice
classic retro porcupine meatballs on a white plate with white rice

These Meatballs with Homemade Mushroom Sauce are a nice twist on your normal meatballs for dinner. The rich (but easy to make!) mushroom sauce is perfect for rice or pasta, making this ground beef recipe a full-meal deal!

meatballs with homemade mushroom sauce on a white plate
meatballs with homemade mushroom sauce on a white plate

Healthy Crockpot Spaghetti and Meatballs – While this recipe uses pre-made meatballs, I suggest using the first recipe to make meatballs to use up your ground beef. Cook them and then follow the recipe directions to make spaghetti and meatballs in your crockpot!

crockpot spaghetti and meatballs in a white plate
crockpot spaghetti and meatballs

My Crockpot Meatballs Shepherd’s Pie is another example where you can pre-make my best homemade meatballs and then use them in this recipe. This is one of my favourite new recipes!

close up crockpot meatballs shepherd's pie
crockpot meatballs shepherd’s pie on a pink ruffled plate

 Skillet/Stove Top Recipes Using Ground Beef

These are the really fast ground beef recipes, the ones that you whip up on the stovetop in a skillet or a large pot! These are all great for when you need to get a meal on the table in a hurry.

  1. Low Carb Crack Slaw Recipe
  2. Cheesy Beef Skillet Dinner
  3. Sloppy Joes- The Best Ever!
  4. Classic American Goulash
  5. Homemade Cheesy Chili Mac
  6. White Bean Pumpkin Chili
  7. Sloppy Joe Mac and Cheese Skillet

Low carb or not, my Low Carb Crack Slaw Recipe is one of my favourite ground beef recipes ever! There is something about ground beef and cabbage, with sesame oil and soy sauce…even if you aren’t looking for a low carb recipe, you have to try this one!

low carb crack slaw in red striped bowl
low carb crack slaw in red striped bowl

My Cheesy Beef Skillet Dinner  is an oldie, but a goodie! Mushrooms, green peppers and cheese, you can’t go wrong with those!

cheesy beef skillet dinner in a white bowl
cheesy beef skillet dinner in a white bowl

Sloppy Joes- The Best Ever! I don’t call things the “best’ unless I am pretty darn sure that they are deserving of that title! These are absolutely scrumptious sloppy joes, and sloppy joes are one of my favourite ways to use up ground beef!

Sloppy Joes with melted cheddar cheese on top
Sloppy Joes with melted cheddar cheese on top

This is called a classic for a reason! My Classic American Goulash  has been a mealtime lifesaver for decades upon decades now. This one is always a hit with the kids!

Classic American Goulash in a large white bowl
Classic American Goulash in a large white bowl

Who loves a fabulous chili mac? Well, look no further than my Homemade Cheesy Chili Mac for a fast and easy chili mac recipe! This is one of my favourite skillet dinners ever!

Homemade cheesy chili mac in a large black skillet on a white marble slab
Homemade cheesy chili mac in a large black skillet on a white marble slab 

Yes, pumpkin does go with ground beef and it’s delicious in my White Bean Pumpkin Chili This is a great recipe for any time of year, don’t just save pumpkin for the fall!

Pumpkin white bean chili in a Pyrex Autumn Harvest casserole dish
Pumpkin white bean chili in a Pyrex Autumn Harvest casserole dish

Last but not least, my Sloppy Joe Mac and Cheese Skillet Yes, I combined two of my favourite things into one skillet dinner!

sloppy joe mac and cheese in a large white enamel skillet
sloppy joe mac and cheese in a large white enamel skillet

Casserole Recipes Using Ground Beef

Fix it and pop these into the oven! These ground beef recipes are all casseroles and lasagna’s that have all been tested time and time again by us!

  1. Hamburger Hotdish with Tater Tots Casserole
  2. Mom’s Cottage Cheese Lasagna
  3. Johnny Marzetti Casserole
  4. Sour Cream Ground Beef Casserole
  5. Cheesy Beef Lasagna
  6. Lazy Cabbage Roll Casserole
  7. Dinner in a Hurry Macaroni Chop Suey
  8. Tater Tots Shepherd’s Pie
  9. Stuffed Taco Pasta Shells

I am not from the Midwest, but I love a good hotdish! This Hamburger Hotdish with Tater Tots Casserole is a crazy delicious way to use ground beef in a recipe! I mean, Tater Tots!!Yum!

Hamburger hotdish with Tater Tots on top
Hamburger hotdish with Tater Tots on top

I flipping love a cottage cheese lasagna, and my Mom’s Cottage Cheese Lasagna is the best! You basically use cottage cheese instead of ricotta, a very 1970’s Mom type of thing to do!

cottage cheese lasagna on a white plate
cottage cheese lasagna on a white plate

My Johnny Marzetti Casserole was a Pinterest sensation and for good reason, this classic casserole is comfort food to the max and SO easy to make!

close up of Johnny Marzetti casserole on a white plate
close up of Johnny Marzetti casserole on a white plate

This Sour Cream Ground Beef Casserole is exactly like what your Grandma used to make. Tangy, beefy, cheesy and full of pasta win!

plates with Sour Cream Ground Beef Casserole
Sour Cream Ground Beef Casserole on a white plate

If you are looking for an easy lasagna recipe, this is one to try! Cheesy Beef Lasagna

cheesy beef lasagna on a white plate with asparagus
cheesy beef lasagna on a white plate with asparagus

I’m Ukrainian and I wholeheartedly approve of making Lazy Cabbage Roll Casserole to save you time, without sacrificing the flavour!

close up of Lazy Cabbage Roll Casserole in a clear bowl
close up of Lazy Cabbage Roll Casserole in a clear bowl

It’s called Dinner in a Hurry Macaroni Chop Suey for a reason! It’s fast, filling and a family favourite!

macaroni chop suey in a Pyrex casserole
macaroni chop suey in a Pyrex casserole

Oh, this Tater Tots Shepherd’s Pie is evilly divine. You probably won’t want to eat regular shepherd’s pie after you taste it with tater tots on top!

a slice of Tater Tots Shepherd's Pie on a white plate
a slice of Tater Tots Shepherd’s Pie on a white plate

Stuffed Taco Pasta Shells are a crazy idea I had years upon years ago, but they were great! They are a little more time-consuming, but worth it!

Cheesy stuffed taco shells on white plate
Cheesy stuffed taco shells on a plate

Soup Recipes Using Ground Beef

Ground beef is fabulous in soup! As long as you drain the ground beef before adding it, you won’t have a greasy soup in the slightest. I can honestly say that the seven soup recipes with ground beef below are some of my very favourite soups. Ground beef is cheap and easy to add to almost any type of soup.

  1. Classic Beef & Tomato Macaroni Soup
  2. Simple Classic Hamburger Soup
  3. Hamburger Soup with Macaroni
  4. Creamy Split Pea Hamburger Soup
  5. Simple Tomato and Rice Hamburger Soup
  6. Creamy Potato Hamburger Soup
  7. Ukrainian Cabbage Roll Soup
  8. Crockpot Macaroni Cheeseburger Soup

First and foremost, the most popular soup on my website, my  Classic Beef & Tomato Macaroni Soup. This has been on my website for years and has rave reviews, make sure to try it! People also call it goulash, but actual goulash is thicker and not a soup.

close up of tomato beef macaroni soup in a white bowl
close up of tomato beef macaroni soup in a white bowl

I LOVE Simple Classic Hamburger Soup! This is exactly the type of soup my Grandma made, with the tomato soup in it as well! That’s how you get that retro taste to it!

hamburger soup in a turquoise striped Hazel Atlas soup bowl
hamburger soup in a turquoise striped Hazel Atlas soup bowl

Want to make a meal out of a soup? Then all you have to do is add pasta and make my Hamburger Soup with Macaroni . It turns the normal hamburger soup into a meal in a bowl!

macaroni hamburger soup in a Pyrex Woodland pattern bowl
macaroni hamburger soup in a Pyrex Woodland pattern bowl

This Creamy Split Pea Hamburger Soup was a shocker recipe as I didn’t really know if the combination of split peas and ground beef would work. It worked so well that this is Mr Magpie’s favourite ground beef soup!

creamy hamburger split pea soup in a vintage pink bowl
creamy hamburger split pea soup in a vintage pink bowl

This Simple Tomato and Rice Hamburger Soup is a good recipe for when you just don’t want to think too hard about making dinner. It’s fast, easy and good. Sometimes you don’t need fancy!

tomato and rice hamburger soup in a large white bowl
tomato and rice hamburger soup in a large white bowl

This Creamy Potato Hamburger Soup was a hit on Pinterest and with you readers over the winter! This creamy, hearty soup is the perfect way to use ground beef in a recipe!

creamy potato hamburger soup in a white bowl
creamy potato hamburger soup

This is another cheater Ukrainian recipe that I love! This Ukrainian Cabbage Roll Soup is so much better than making cabbage rolls!

Ukrainian Cabbage Roll Soup in a Woodland pattern Pyrex bowl
Ukrainian Cabbage Roll Soup in a Woodland pattern Pyrex bowl

This is my favourite soup EVER and is making it into my cookbook so that everyone has it for sure! My Crockpot Macaroni Cheeseburger Soup is a hit with everyone that tries it!

crockpot macaroni cheeseburger soup in a delphite Pyrex bowl
crockpot macaroni cheeseburger soup in a delphite Pyrex bowl

Slow Cooker/ Crockpot /Instant Pot Recipes Using Ground Beef

Ground beef also lends itself well to crockpot or slow cooker recipes, as the longer it cooks the more ground beef breaks down into velvety textured meat. This is really apparent in the Bolognese recipe below! Ground beef is a meat that won’t get tough with slow cooking, instead it actually helps break down what is a rather tough meat.

  1. How to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti
  2. Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce
  3. Kitchen Sink Crockpot Chili
  4. Slow Cooker Calico Beans
  5. The Best Slow Cooker Baked Ziti

How to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti is a fun meal hack! I will warn you though, it works the best in the normal base model Instant Pot!

getting some instant pot spaghetti using kitchen tongs
instant pot spaghetti

This dreamy, velvety Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce is pretty much the best thing that you can do with ground beef, period. Make a double batch and freeze the extra for easy meal later!

slow cooker Bolognese sauce
slow cooker Bolognese sauce

I love a chili that is loaded with everything,so I came up with my Kitchen Sink Crockpot Chili The key is the slow cooking all day long for a really smooth, rich chili.

Kitchen Sink Crockpot Chili in a white bowl with grated cheese on top
Kitchen Sink Crockpot Chili in a white bowl with cheese on top

These Slow Cooker Calico Beans are thanks to Mr Kitchen Magpie who had been trying to explain calico beans to me for years. ( I never had them growing up). This is his favourite ground beef meal!

slow cooker calico beans in a large white bowl
slow cooker calico beans in a large white bowl

Yes, you can make ziti in a slow cooker! This The Best Slow Cooker Baked Ziti is really the best and it uses my Bolognese sauce above! Make the sauce and you have two meals in one!

slow cooker baked ziti on a spoon
slow cooker baked ziti on a spoon

Ground Beef Hamburgers

I know it’s almost too obvious to list hamburgers for ground beef recipes, but hey I would be remiss if I didn’t! I have three recipes on my website for hamburgers for you all!

  1. Peanut Butter & Jam Bacon Sriracha Hamburgers
  2. Homemade Burgers
  3. Perogy Burger with Roasted Garlic Aoili

I coped these Peanut Butter & Jam Bacon Sriracha Hamburgers from my very favourite hamburgers ever that I had in the States. Trust me this is a sweet, spicy, savoury combination that is utterly amazing! I will choose this burger over all else!

Peanut Butter & Jam Bacon Sriracha Hamburger in white plate and background
Peanut Butter & Jam Bacon Sriracha Hamburger

Plain ol’ Homemade Burgers. This is a tried and true recipe that is easy and quick! It’s one of the first recipes on here as well and it’s a good one!

top down shot of homemade hamburger in a white plate with black pattern
homemade hamburger

Oh man, this Perogy Burger with Roasted Garlic Aoili is amazing! Fine, it’s totally a Ukrainian thing to do but it’s so tasty! Give it a whirl!

perogy burger on a white plate
perogy burger on a white plate

And that is my ULTIMATE LIST! I will come back and update it as time goes by and I add more recipe to the website!

Happy cooking!

Love,

Karlynn

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Ground beef

How to Cook Beef for Ground Beef Recipes

How to Cook Beef for Ground Beef Recipes with onions and garlic.
5 from 1 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 166kcal

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup white onion
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic

Instructions

  • In a medium sized skillet over medium high heat, start the ground beef frying.
  • Add in the white onion and saute until the ground beef is no longer pink and the onions are soft.
  • Drain the grease from the ground beef mixture and add in the garlic.
  • Saute the garlic for 2-3 minutes until it’s browned and fragrant.
  • Remove the skillet from the stove and use in your favourite ground beef recipe. 

Notes

This is your basic start to any ground beef recipe that requires onions and garlic ( which is about 90 % of them!) Adjust the rations accordingly as per the instructions of each different recipe you are using. This is just a basic how-to recipe for cooking ground beef. 

Nutrition

Calories: 166kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 421mg | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 2.7mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @TheKitchenMagpie or tag #thekitchenmagpie!

Karlynn Johnston

I’m a busy mom of two, wife & cookbook author who loves creating fast, fresh meals for my little family on the Canadian prairies. Karlynn Facts: I'm allergic to broccoli. I've never met a cocktail that I didn't like. I would rather burn down my house than clean it. Most of all, I love helping YOU get dinner ready because there's nothing more important than connecting with our loved ones around the dinner table!

Learn more about me

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  1. charlene eccles says

    Was looking for a recipe for stuffed peppers and couldn’t find one.. is this something you are interested in doing?

  2. April says

    I can tell you that at least 10 of these are some of my FAVORITE recipes! THe sweet and sour meatballs, the cheeseburger soup – we also loved the calico beans. Can’t wait to try the rest!5 stars

5 from 1 vote

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