22 Healthy Recipes to Make with a Pound of Ground Beef

Updated October 28, 2020

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Lean ground beef is a great ingredient to have on hand for healthy dinners. It’s quick-cooking, inexpensive and packed with protein for a satisfying meal that the whole family will love. But if you’re getting bored with the same old ground beef go-tos, recipes like Skillet Beef Potpie with Buttermilk Biscuits and Cauliflower Rice-Stuffed Peppers are creative, delicious and use the entire pound of ground beef.

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Enchilada Tostadas

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It's easy to make your own lower-sodium enchilada sauce to add rich flavor to these fresh and light tostadas.

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Cauliflower Rice-Stuffed Peppers

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Slash the calories and carbs of traditional stuffed peppers by swapping white rice for cauliflower "rice." The riced cauliflower is hearty and won't turn to mush during baking. Use an assortment of red, yellow, orange and green peppers to make an appealing presentation.

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Ground Beef & Pasta Skillet

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Sneak extra vegetables into your child's day (and yours too!) with this easy one-skillet pasta recipe. Finely chop mushrooms to resemble the texture of ground beef and stir them into a classic meat sauce for an extra-healthy twist on a dinnertime favorite.

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Taco Lettuce Wraps

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Don't limit yourself to lettuce for this low-carb, gluten-free taco lettuce wrap recipe--any fresh green sturdy enough to wrap around 1/2 cup of filling works.

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Skillet Beef Potpie with Buttermilk Biscuits

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Using an oven-safe skillet (like cast iron) allows you to take this healthy homemade potpie from stovetop to oven without dirtying extra pans. A quick drop-biscuit topping made with white whole-wheat flour adds 2g fiber per serving and cuts the sodium in half compared to using refrigerated biscuit dough.

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Sweet & Sour Beef-Cabbage Soup

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This wholesome sweet-and-sour soup combines beef, caraway seeds, sweet paprika and cabbage--ingredients that star in a number of German dishes. It is particularly nice served with crusty rye bread. For an even heartier soup, add diced cooked potatoes along with the cabbage. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

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Pressure-Cooker Meatloaf & Potatoes

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Meatloaf and potatoes cook together in your multicooker, such as the Instant Pot, in this weeknight-ready recipe. Cooking meatloaf in your pressure cooker keeps it nice and moist and, once assembled, the whole meal is cooked in just 20 minutes!

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Turkish Beef Patties with Eggplant, Pepper & Tomato

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In this healthy ground beef recipe, ground beef patties seasoned with Turkish spices are cooked with eggplant, pepper, tomatoes and herbs to create a delectable stew. Serve the beef patties and vegetables over bulgur or brown rice to soak up all of the sauce.

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American Goulash

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American goulash, also known as old-fashioned goulash, is the perfect economical family meal. The pasta cooks right in the sauce, so this satisfying dish can cook in just one pot.

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Spicy Meatloaf with Collards

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Plenty of dark leafy greens deliver the moisture needed to balance lean ground pork and beef in this spicy meatloaf recipe. Serve any leftovers with extra ketchup as meatloaf sandwiches.

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Ground Beef Stroganoff

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How do you get classic beef stroganoff on the dinner table in under an hour? Use ground beef instead of cubed steak. Ground beef cooks in a fraction of the time but is just as delicious in a creamy sauce with mushrooms and served over whole-wheat noodles.

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Beef Kofta with Bulgur & Kale Salad

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Whole grains take too long to cook, you say? Well, say hello to bulgur, which can be ready in less than 15 minutes. Try this Middle Eastern-inspired healthy dinner recipe topped with plain yogurt or store-bought tzatziki for an extra hit of creamy flavor.

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Baked Beans with Ground Beef

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Upgrade baked beans from classic side dish to a meaty main meal by adding lean ground beef. The final result, a superfast hearty casserole, is an easy and fast dinner option. Ground turkey or even sausage would work nicely in this dish. Just watch the sodium.

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Cowboy Beef & Bean Chili

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Anything but dainty, this healthy cowboy beef and bean chili recipe is hearty with the addition of mushrooms and beer. To keep the saturated fat low, we use one pound of ground beef and add whole-grain bulgur to boost the volume and fiber in this chili recipe. After all the ingredients are added to the pot, we like to slowly simmer our chili for close to an hour to develop the best flavor, but if you're in a hurry, reduce the liquid by half and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.

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Cincinnati Chili

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Cincinnati has a unique spin on chili--they serve it over spaghetti. Typically the chili is just made with meat, no beans, but we couldn't resist adding beans to add fiber and nutrients. Serve with sliced cucumber and red onion with lemon juice and olive oil.

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Bacon & Mango Tango Sliders

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With a touch of sweet from the mango, savory from the bacon, plus a creamy avocado spread, this healthy slider recipe with takes burgers to a whole new level. Double the avocado mayo and use it for your next BLT.

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Beef Chimichangas

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To slash 150 calories in this healthy chimichanga recipe, we bake rather than fry and use less beef by stretching the filling with mushrooms and beans. Top the baked chimichangas with fresh salsa (found near other refrigerated dips and sauces) instead of jarred salsa to save on sodium.

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Southern Beefy Skillet

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Make this entire meal in one skillet! The beef soaks up the flavor from the vegetables and herbs, making it juicy and full of flavor.

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Mini Meatloaves with Green Beans & Potatoes

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This healthy meatloaf recipe and side dishes are all made in the oven on two sheet pans so that everything's ready for the dinner table at the same time. The potatoes go into the oven first to start roasting while the mini meatloaves and green beans are prepped and added to the oven partway through.

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Hamburger Buddy

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Very finely chopping onion, mushrooms and carrots in the food processor is not only fast--it makes the vegetables hard to detect for picky eaters. They also form the base for the sauce of this ground beef skillet supper. Make it a meal: Serve with a green salad.

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Moroccan-Style Stuffed Peppers for Two

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Aromatic savory-and-sweet stuffed peppers are a satisfying supper, thanks to lean beef, brown rice and bell pepper in each bite. And this recipe makes just enough for two. Serve with rainbow chard sautéed with olive oil, garlic and parsley.

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Asian Beef Meatballs

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Sautéed mushrooms, celery and garlic add flavor and help keep calories in check and portions hearty in this easy Asian beef meatball recipe. Serve as the base for lettuce wraps or on top of steamed brown rice with baby bok choy for a quick dinner.

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