Healthy Beef Main Dish Recipes

Find healthy, delicious beef main dish recipes including ground beef, roast beef, stews and beef brisket. Healthier recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Most Popular

Cheesy Meatball Casserole

Rating: 4 stars 4
This cheesy meatball casserole is a family favorite, with basil adding flavor to the meatballs and grated onion adding moisture. Melted mozzarella cheese tames the spice, but feel free to cut back or eliminate the crushed red pepper if you prefer a milder dish.
Olivia Dansky headshot
By Liv Dansky

American Goulash

Rating: 4.5 stars 30
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.
By Carolyn Casner

Cheesy Ground Beef & Cauliflower Casserole

Rating: 4.5 stars 24
Ground beef and cauliflower combine to create a hearty weeknight casserole that both kids and adults will love. Serve with tortilla chips and sour cream.
By Carolyn Casner

Stuffed Cabbage Soup

Rating: 4.5 stars 22
Like stuffed cabbage? You'll love this easy cabbage soup. It's got all of the classic flavors of stuffed cabbage without all the fuss of stuffing.
By Karen Rankin

Ground Beef & Pasta Skillet

Rating: 4.5 stars 16
Add extra vegetables to your day 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 a healthy twist on a dinnertime favorite.
By Carolyn Casner

Beef & Potato Stew

Rating: 5 stars 2
This beef and potato stew is slow-cooked to perfection, with a richly flavored sauce and tender bites of beef and vegetables. You can make this comforting stew ahead of time to serve to guests or to have on hand to reheat as an easy weeknight dinner.
Julia Levy
By Julia Levy

Slow-Cooker Balsamic Short Ribs

Rating: 5 stars 14
Now here's a beef short ribs recipe you can serve to company—even on a holiday.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Cheesy Ground Beef & Broccoli Casserole

Rating: 5 stars 1
This cheesy ground beef and broccoli casserole is comfort food the whole family can get behind. It's assembled and baked all in one skillet and finished in 30 minutes, making it the perfect weeknight meal.
Carolyn Malcoun
By Carolyn Malcoun

Skillet Lasagna

Rating: 4 stars 2
This skillet lasagna takes the hard work of layering the noodles, filling and cheese out of the picture and turns lasagna into a super-easy weeknight meal.
headshot of Laura Kanya in a blue shirt against a pink background
By Laura Kanya

Slow-Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Rating: 3.5 stars 3
This comforting dish combines tender beef and mushrooms in a creamy sauce, and is served over hot noodles.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Cheesy Beef Enchilada Casserole

Rating: 3 stars 4
This veggie-packed beef enchilada casserole is mild, so put out hot sauce and chopped jalapeños if you're feeding heat-seekers. The quick and easy dinner recipe makes extra cheese sauce—save it to make One-Pot Mac & Cheese with Cauliflower & Brussels Sprouts later in the week (see Associated Recipes) or serve it with steamed vegetables, such as broccoli, for an easy side dish.
Katie Webster
By Katie Webster

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

Rating: 5 stars 7
Mounding a classic Philly cheesesteak mixture in a colorful bell pepper and melting cheese on top is an easy way to skip the bread and cut the carbs.
By Carolyn Casner
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Inspiration and Ideas

Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Rating: Unrated 9
Strands of tender squash replace pasta for a more flavorful version of spaghetti pie casserole. Not to mention, spaghetti squash is a low-carb alternative to pasta and saves more than 150 calories per serving compared to a traditional recipe. A sprinkling of nutty fontina cheese melts into a gooey topping.
Baked Beans with Ground Beef
Rating: Unrated 4
Upgrade baked beans from classic side dish to a meaty main meal by adding lean ground beef. The final result, a hearty casserole, is an easy and fast dinner option.
Beef & Bean Sloppy Joes
Rating: 5 stars 9

This healthy copycat recipe of the comfort food classic trades beans for some of the meat to bump up fiber by 7 grams. We also cut back on the sugar and ketchup in this Sloppy Joe recipe makeover to save you 12 grams of added sugar.