Healthy Beef Recipes

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

Staff Picks

American Goulash

Rating: 4.73 stars
7
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

Ground Beef & Pasta Skillet

Rating: 4.67 stars
9
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.
By Carolyn Casner

Cauliflower Rice-Stuffed Peppers

Rating: 5 stars
6
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.
By Carolyn Casner

Grilled Flank Steak with Tomato Salad

Rating: 4.75 stars
4
Cutting the steak immediately after cooking breaks all the rules on meat cookery, but in this recipe we do it intentionally in order to capture the juices and incorporate them into the dressing. Serve this grilled flank steak recipe with crusty bread to soak up the deliciousness.
By Adam Hickman

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

Rating: 5 stars
4
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

Skillet Chili Mac

Rating: 4.5 stars
2
Poblanos add a kick of heat to this chili mac recipe. If that's not your thing, swap in green bell peppers to tone down the heat in this easy pasta dish, which mashes up mac and cheese and chili into a seriously satisfying skillet dinner.
By Stacy Fraser

Slow-Cooker Barbecue Brisket Sliders

Serve these slow-cooker brisket sliders when company's coming--perhaps to watch the big game--for an easy, crowd-pleasing dish. The crisp, tangy coleslaw is the perfect pairing for the tender, rich brisket. Serve with chips, crudités and cold beer to round out the meal.
By Cooking Light

Tater Tot Casserole with Beef, Corn & Zucchini

Casseroles can be for summer too! We packed this one with peak-season vegetables—corn, zucchini and tomatoes—then topped it with crispy tater tots and gooey melted cheese, making it a dinner winner.
By Hilary Meyer

Beef & Bean Sloppy Joes

Rating: 4.5 stars
2
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.
By Liz Mervosh

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Rating: 4.5 stars
4
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.
By Devon O'Brien

Creamy Hamburger Noodle Casserole

Rating: 3.86 stars
10
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.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Zucchini Lasagna

Rating: 4.2 stars
5
Roasted zucchini slices stand in beautifully for wheat pasta in this no-noodle lasagna. The simple swap reduces calories and eliminates gluten. It's also a great way to use up extra zucchini if your plants are prolific.
By Carolyn Casner
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Inspiration and Ideas

24 Diabetes-Friendly Ground Beef Dinners

24 Diabetes-Friendly Ground Beef Dinners
Get a healthy and filling dinner on the table with these ground beef recipes.
20 Ground Beef Recipes in 30 Minutes

20 Ground Beef Recipes in 30 Minutes
22 Ground Beef Dinners That Aren't Spaghetti & Meat Sauce

22 Ground Beef Dinners That Aren't Spaghetti & Meat Sauce
22 Healthy Recipes to Make with a Pound of Ground Beef

22 Healthy Recipes to Make with a Pound of Ground Beef
19 One-Pot Dinners with Ground Beef

19 One-Pot Dinners with Ground Beef
26 High-Protein Dinners with Ground Beef

26 High-Protein Dinners with Ground Beef

Slow-Cooker Carne Picada Tacos with Avocado Salsa

Rating: 5 stars
1

Loosely translated as "minced meat," the traditional texture of carne picada ranges from finely chopped to ground. Here we start with brisket, which becomes nice and tender in the slow cooker, then shred and chop the meat before serving. The seasoning is flavorful but not too spicy. Blistered jalapeños added at the end will satisfy the heat-lovers in the family. Pile the brisket into warmed corn tortillas, with lettuce, the jalapeños, cheese and avocado salsa for a healthy dinner that'll wake up your taco night routine.

All Healthy Beef Recipes

Steak Burritos

Rating: 3.75 stars
7
Here's a burrito inspired by San Francisco's super burritos that come packed with meat, beans, rice, cheese, guacamole and salsa. We've kept this home-style version a bit simpler to make and a whole lot healthier with brown rice, whole-wheat tortillas and a more reasonable serving size. We recommend wrapping it in foil--the traditional way to serve it--so you can pick the burrito up and eat it without it falling apart, peeling back the foil as you go. Serve with a cold beer and vinegar-dressed slaw.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Pan-Seared Steak with Crispy Herbs & Escarole

This easy dinner takes just 20 minutes to prepare, meaning that seared steak can be a weeknight meal. Cooking herbs in the pan with the steak releases their aroma, infusing it into the meat while creating a crispy garnish. After the steaks and herbs are pan-seared, the escarole is cooked in the same skillet, so this healthy dinner requires minimal cleanup too.
By Adam Dolge

Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Take taco night to a new level with sweet potato taco "shells." Tender sweet potatoes pair perfectly with spicy taco meat, creamy cheese and crisp lettuce. Let everyone customize their taco potato with their favorite toppings.
By Carolyn Casner

Instant Pot Brisket

Rating: 5 stars
1
Your Instant Pot is the perfect appliance to turn to if you want tender, juicy beef brisket done quickly. Here, we cut the brisket in half so it can fit inside the pot. After it's seared, it's cooked with plenty of onions that add body once blended into the flavorful, rich sauce. If you are making this brisket for Passover, look for products (like ketchup) that are labeled "Kosher for Passover."
By Adam Hickman

Mini Meatloaves with Green Beans & Potatoes

Rating: 4.55 stars
8
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.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Firehouse Enchiladas

Rating: 4 stars
1
Our take on this popular Mexican dish certainly does not disappoint. Packed with protein and easy to make, this recipe is the perfect dinner solution.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Broccoli, Beef & Tater Tot Hotdish

Rating: 4.67 stars
2
Hotdish may be a Minnesota tradition but everyone, everywhere, should add this cheesy casserole to their fall dinner rotation.
By Hilary Meyer

Skillet Ravioli Lasagna

Rating: 4.67 stars
2
This easy inside-out ravioli lasagna is the ultimate weeknight comfort food--no layering or mixing bowls required. Feel free to swap in ground turkey for the beef. Look for fresh mozzarella balls (also called "pearls") in the specialty cheese section of your grocery store.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Chili

Rating: 4 stars
1
Sweet potatoes pair wonderfully with this simple chili recipe. Add one more chipotle pepper if you want to spice up this healthy sweet potato recipe.
By Hilary Meyer

Quick Steak Carne Asada Tacos

The key to making the easiest tacos ever? Using prepared carne asada. We make this healthy dinner with just three ingredients--thanks to the help of convenience items like frozen meals--and then freshen it up with sliced avocado.
By Lauren Grant

Slow-Cooker Braised Beef with Carrots & Turnips

Rating: 4.86 stars
6
The spice blend in this healthy beef stew recipe--cinnamon, allspice and cloves--may conjure images of apple pie, but the combo is a great fit in savory applications too. Serve over creamy polenta or buttered whole-wheat egg noodles.
By Hilary Meyer

Mexican Beef Bake with Cilantro-Lime Cream

Rating: 5 stars
1
This hearty casserole features ground beef, beans, and pasta baked in a flavorful Mexican-inspired sauce and topped with cheese and sour cream. Kids will love it!
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Asian Beef Noodle Bowls

Rating: 4.75 stars
3
With a lime wedge served on the side, these Asian noodle bowls are packed with flavor.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Taco-Stuffed Zucchini

Rating: 4 stars
1
These stuffed zucchini boats are filled with all your favorite taco ingredients like seasoned meat, cheese and avocado. They're perfect for a a low-carb alternative on taco night or a great kid-friendly way to sneak in more vegetables.
By Carolyn Casner

Caesar Salad with Grilled Steak

Traditional Caesar salad dressing uses egg yolk to make it creamy. Here we use mayo instead for the same rich results without the raw egg.
By Carolyn Casner

Shepherd's Pie with Cauliflower Topping

Rating: 5 stars
3
In this easy shepherd's pie recipe, we keep the carbs in check by using creamy mashed cauliflower in place of mashed potatoes. The ground beef filling is cooked in the same skillet used for baking the pie, making assembly (and cleanup) a breeze.
By Sarah Epperson

Baked Beans with Ground Beef

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.
By Hilary Meyer

Broccoli, Beef & Potato Hotdish

Rating: 3.78 stars
18
This easy casserole, full of ground beef, roasted broccoli and topped with hash browns, was inspired by the classic Minnesota Tater Tot hotdish. Roasting the broccoli before adding it to the casserole gives the whole dish a much more complex and exciting flavor, but it's by no means necessary. If you want to keep it simple, skip roasting the broccoli (Step 2) and use 6 cups frozen broccoli, thawed, in its place (omit 1 tablespoon oil, as well).
By Jessie Price

Slow-Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Rating: 4 stars
2
This slow-cooker Beef Stroganoff recipe brings together tender beef and fresh mushrooms served over hot noodles with a creamy sauce.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Sheet-Pan Steak Fajitas

These flank steak fajitas make for a tasty, healthy dinner in a pinch. Preheated sheet pans sizzle the meat and vegetables just like in a skillet, but with a whole lot more hands-off time.
By Devon O'Brien

Taco Lettuce Wraps

Rating: 5 stars
1
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.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Lemon-Garlic Steak & Green Beans

For a steak that's deliciously tender, flavorful and not too fatty, we reach for strip (also known as New York strip or shell steak). It has less than half the saturated fat of a rib-eye but is more tender than leaner sirloin. Here, we cook green beans in the same pan used to sear the spiced steak. All those delicious drippings add richness to the beans—plus there's one less pan to wash!
By Devon O'Brien

Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes

Rating: 4.72 stars
14
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.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Cheesy Beef Enchilada Casserole

Rating: 4 stars
2
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.
By Katie Webster
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