Healthy Ground Beef Recipes and Shopping Tips

Featured Recipes

Creamy Hamburger Noodle Casserole

The EatingWell Test Kitchen takes lean ground beef and combines it with whole-grain bulgur, egg noodles and a creamy tomato sauce in a baked casserole topped with Cheddar. With less fat and calories than the original skillet meal, this dish is sure to become a new family favorite.

» Creamy Hamburger Noodle Casserole

Old-Fashioned Spaghetti & Meatballs

To stretch the ground beef, we use high-fiber bulgur and whole-wheat breadcrumbs in the meatballs, which are baked rather than fried.

» Old-Fashioned Spaghetti & Meatballs

Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes

Potatoes are one of the great comfort foods, especially when stuffed with a satisfying mixture of lean ground beef and broccoli florets plus reduced-fat sour cream and Cheddar cheese. Add a tossed salad and you have a healthy and hearty meal that will leave you feeling good.

» Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes

Tex-Mex Taco Salad

This version of the chain-restaurant favorite has fresh flavors and a healthy nutritional profile. Vary the heat by varying the type of salsa you use. Baked corn tortilla chips and lime wedges are natural accompaniments.

» Tex-Mex Taco Salad

Hamburger Buddy

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.

» Hamburger Buddy

Beef & Bean Chile Verde

Chile Verde, usually a slow-cooked stew of pork, jalapeños and tomatillos, becomes an easy weeknight meal with quick-cooking ground beef and store-bought green salsa. Make it a Meal: Serve with fresh cilantro, red onion and Monterey Jack. Add your favorite hot sauce.

» Beef & Bean Chile Verde

Portobello & Beef Patty Melt

This diner classic gets a makeover by replacing some of the ground beef with finely chopped portobello mushrooms, which add moisture and flavor. We like a smear of pickle relish on top, but you could try chutney, mustard or hot pepper relish in its place. Make it a Meal: Round out the plate with Oven Sweet Potato Fries and Balsamic & Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower.

» Portobello & Beef Patty Melt

Our healthy, lean ground beef recipes are a healthy choice for dinner.

Ground beef is inexpensive and versatile—two great reasons to serve it for dinner. But there are even more great reasons to consider making one of these lean ground beef recipes tonight. For starters, the 93%-lean ground beef used in these healthy ground beef recipes, considered “lean” by the USDA, fits into a healthy eating plan. Few foods provide as much zinc, a mineral vital to growth and a healthy immune system. Plus beef is a great source of protein, iron and vitamin B12. And studies have shown that women with higher intakes of a naturally occurring trans fat found in beef had denser bones than women with lower intakes. Take advantage of the relatively little fat and all those health benefits with these easy ground beef recipes.