14 Ground Beef Recipes for Dinner, From Smash Burgers to Lasagna

These ground beef recipes for dinner are the ones I actually cook when it is half past five, everyone is hungry and there is a pound of beef in the fridge. All fourteen come from my own kitchen, so every link below takes you to a recipe I have tested, photographed and happily eaten on a Tuesday night.

In short, this roundup gathers 14 ground beef dinners sorted by time: quick burgers and one pot suppers, then skillets and chillis, then casseroles and bakes. They run from 20 minutes for Blackstone smash burgers to about 4 hours 40 minutes for the slow cooker cowboy casserole, and most serve 4 to 8.

I have sorted them by how much time you have. First come the speedy burgers and one pot suppers that are on the table in half an hour, then the skillets and chillis, and finally the casseroles and bakes that feed a crowd or go straight into the freezer. After that you will find a time chart, a week of meals, my browning method and the questions readers ask me most.

Quick Ground Beef Recipes for Dinner (30 Minutes or Less)

These four are my emergency ground beef recipes for dinner. Each one is ready in thirty minutes or under, and none of them needs anything clever from the shops.

1. Blackstone Smash Burgers

Blackstone smash burgers are thin, lacy edged patties ready in 20 minutes, and this is the burger my family begs for on a Friday. You press a cold ball of mince flat onto a screaming hot griddle, and the edges turn lacy, brown and crisp in about two minutes. Honestly, the best part is the speed; I can feed five people before the oven would even have preheated.

Get the Blackstone Smash Burgers recipe →

2. Grilled Burgers

When the weather lets me light the barbecue, these grilled burgers are the thick, juicy alternative to a smash patty. A spoonful of BBQ sauce goes into the mix for moisture, and a thumbprint dent in the middle stops them puffing into domes. As a result, they cook flat and evenly, so everyone gets a proper burger rather than a meatball in a bun.

Get the Grilled Burgers recipe →

3. Instant Pot Spaghetti

Instant Pot spaghetti is spaghetti bolognese without the big pan of boiling water, ready in about 25 minutes. You brown the meat, lay the dry spaghetti criss-cross over it, pour over a jar of sauce and water, then let the pressure cooker do the rest. The pasta drinks up all that flavour as it cooks, and there is only one pot to wash afterwards.

Get the Instant Pot Spaghetti recipe →

4. Doritos Taco Salad

Doritos taco salad is pure nostalgia, and I make no apologies. Taco seasoned mince, crisp iceberg, tomatoes and sharp cheddar get tossed in a tangy sweet dressing, then a bag of cheesy tortilla chips goes in at the very end. It is the dinner my teenagers suddenly have time for, which says everything.

Get the Doritos Taco Salad recipe →

One Pan and One Pot Beef Suppers

Next come the skillets, chillis and stews. They take a little longer, but they are almost entirely hands off, and the washing up is one pan.

5. Cheeseburger Skillet

This cheeseburger skillet gives you everything you love about a cheeseburger, minus the buns and the faff, in one pan in 35 minutes. Small cubes of potato simmer in stock with the beef and onion until tender, then the whole pan disappears under melted cheddar. Better yet, a quick drizzle of homemade burger sauce and a few pickles make it taste exactly like the drive through, only cosier.

Get the Cheeseburger Skillet recipe →

6. Instant Pot Chili

Instant Pot chili is a thick beef and kidney bean chilli ready in about 35 minutes. Proper chilli flavour usually needs an afternoon on the hob. Here, though, toasting the spices and tomato paste in the beef fat first gives you that deep, rich taste in a fraction of the time. Twelve minutes at pressure later you have a thick pot of chilli with kidney beans that tastes like it simmered for hours.

Get the Instant Pot Chili recipe →

7. Skillet Lasagna

Skillet lasagna gives you all the comfort of lasagna on a school night, and nobody has to boil a single sheet. You break the pasta straight into the simmering ragu, where it cooks in the sauce, then dollop over ricotta and blanket the lot with mozzarella. It is gooey, saucy and honestly better than some baked versions I have made.

Get the Skillet Lasagna recipe →

8. Pumpkin Chili

Pumpkin chili is my autumn favourite, and the one that converts the doubters. A cup of plain pumpkin puree does the thickening instead of beans, so the chilli turns velvety and gently sweet without tasting of pie. There are only six ingredients, which means it is cheap, quick and perfect for the first chilly evening of October.

Get the Pumpkin Chili recipe →

9. Texas Cowboy Stew

Texas cowboy stew is the big, generous pot I make when the cupboard is full of tins. Mince and smoky kielbasa go in with potatoes, sweetcorn, pinto beans, chilli tomatoes and cumin, and the whole thing bubbles away into a thick, spoonable stew. Meanwhile, you can lay the table and pour a drink.

Get the Texas Cowboy Stew recipe →

Casseroles, Bakes and Make Ahead Ground Beef Recipes for Dinner

Finally, the slow and steady ones. These ground beef recipes for dinner take longer in the oven or slow cooker, but they feed six to eight, reheat beautifully and several go straight into the freezer.

10. Easy Meatloaf

This easy meatloaf needs one bowl, one pound of beef and a sticky ketchup glaze. Grated onion and milk soaked breadcrumbs are the reason it stays tender rather than springy, so do not skip them. I bake it free form on a tray, which gives you more of those caramelised edges that everyone fights over.

Get the Easy Meatloaf recipe →

11. Beef and Macaroni Casserole

Think of this beef and macaroni casserole as grown up beefaroni. Macaroni, lean mince, green pepper and a rich tomato sauce get folded together with plenty of cheddar and parmesan, then baked until the top is bubbling. It makes a generous dish, and in fact the leftovers taste even better the next day once the flavours have settled.

Get the Beef and Macaroni Casserole recipe →

12. Cheesy Hamburger Potato Casserole

This cheesy hamburger potato casserole layers thin slices of potato, seasoned mince and a creamy cheddar sauce, baked low and slow until everything melts together. It is the sort of dish I take round to a friend with a new baby, because it reheats like a dream. Still, I always keep a corner back for myself.

Get the Cheesy Hamburger Potato Casserole recipe →

13. Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole

Slow cooker cowboy casserole is the dump and go dinner for days when you will not be home until late. Seasoned mince, sweetcorn, cheddar and a creamy sauce go in the bottom, and a layer of frozen tater tots goes on top. Then, two or three minutes under the grill at the end turns the topping crisp and golden.

Get the Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole recipe →

14. Freezer Lasagna

Freezer lasagna is my insurance policy for chaotic weeks. You assemble it raw, wrap it well and freeze it, then it goes straight from the freezer into the oven with no thawing at all. Because it only cooks once, it tastes freshly made rather than reheated, and it has rescued more Tuesdays than I can count.

Get the Freezer Lasagna recipe →

The macaroni casserole and the potato bake both fit nicely in a 9×13 glass baking dish, and any leftovers can be covered and reheated in it the next day.

Ground Beef Recipes for Dinner at a Glance

Here is the quick comparison I wish every roundup had, so you can pick by the clock rather than scrolling back up.

A Week of Ground Beef Recipes for Dinner

Buy three or four pounds of beef at the weekend and this is roughly how my week of ground beef recipes for dinner runs. In addition, I brown a double batch on Sunday, so Monday and Wednesday start with the hard part already done.

How I Brown Ground Beef for Better Flavour

Almost all of these ground beef recipes for dinner start the same way, so it pays to get this bit right. First, heat a wide pan until it is properly hot before the meat goes in. Next, add the beef in one flat layer and leave it alone for a few minutes, because constant stirring steams it grey instead of browning it. Then break it up, cook it through and drain off the excess fat if the recipe says so.

Colour, however, is not a reliable sign that mince is cooked. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension explains why ground beef should be checked with a thermometer, since it can look brown before it is safe and stay pink after it is. So I aim for 160°F (71°C) in the thickest part, especially for burgers and meatloaf.

Once the crust has formed, a mix and chop meat masher breaks the mince into small, even crumbles in a few strokes.

Freezer and Leftover Guide

• Freeze beautifully: both chillis, skillet lasagna, freezer lasagna, meatloaf slices, the cheeseburger skillet, the potato casserole and raw burger patties.
• Best eaten fresh: Instant Pot spaghetti and the taco salad, because cooked pasta goes soft and dressed lettuce wilts.
• Fridge life: most cooked leftovers here keep 3 to 4 days in an airtight container.
• Reheating: add a splash of water or stock to chillis and skillets, and cover bakes with foil in a moderate oven so they do not dry out.

Tips for Better Beef Dinners

• Pick the right fat ratio. 80/20 gives juicy burgers, while leaner 90/10 suits saucy dishes where you would otherwise drain off fat.
• Season early and boldly. Salt the meat as it browns, and toast spices in the fat for a minute before any liquid goes in.
• Keep burger mince cold. Cold fat holds the patty together, so shape and smash straight from the fridge.
• Balance the plate. Harvard Health suggests treating red meat as part of the plate rather than the whole thing; their piece on what the research says about red meat is a sensible read. That is why I pile on beans, potatoes and veg.

Frequently Asked Questions