Healthy Ground Beef Recipes

Find healthy, delicious ground beef 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

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

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

Old-Fashioned Meatloaf

Rating: 3 stars
1
Mushrooms, garlic and oats sneak some extra nutrients into this hearty and easy meatloaf. Serve with sweet potatoes and your favorite green vegetables for a super-satisfying comfort food dinner.
By Andrea Kirkland M.S., RD

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

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

Spaghetti with Quick Meat Sauce

Rating: 4.2 stars
9
Instead of opening a jar of sauce, try this easy spaghetti with meat sauce on a weeknight. Serve with steamed broccoli and garlic bread. The recipe makes enough for 8 servings. If you're serving only four for dinner, cook 8 ounces of spaghetti and freeze the leftover sauce.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Southern Beefy Skillet

Rating: 4 stars
1
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.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Quesadillas al Greco

Rating: 3.67 stars
1
Surprise your taste buds with this Greek twist on the Mexican staple.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Mediterranean Meatballs

Save on meal prep time by making a double batch of these delicious meatballs. Freeze them to have on hand for lunches and dinners.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Sweet & Sour Beef-Cabbage Soup

Rating: 4.65 stars
10
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.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

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
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Inspiration and Ideas

22 Budget-Friendly Ground Beef Recipes

22 Budget-Friendly Ground Beef Recipes
Ground beef is great for making meals that are easy, nutritious and affordable. These recipes use ground beef along with other affordable foods like pasta and potatoes to make a delicious, filling meal. Recipes like Ground Beef & Pasta Skillet and Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes are healthy, tasty and utilize an affordable protein in the best way.
22 Ground Beef Dinners That Aren’t Spaghetti & Meat Sauce

22 Ground Beef Dinners That Aren’t Spaghetti & Meat Sauce
Ground beef is a super versatile and budget-friendly protein that can be used in numerous dishes.
20 Ground Beef Recipes in 30 Minutes

20 Ground Beef Recipes in 30 Minutes
26 High-Protein Dinners with Ground Beef

26 High-Protein Dinners with Ground Beef
22 Healthy Recipes to Make with a Pound of Ground Beef

22 Healthy Recipes to Make with a Pound of Ground Beef
25 Comfort Food Dinners with Ground Beef

25 Comfort Food Dinners with Ground Beef

Chili-Cheese Nachos

Rating: 5 stars
1

Make nachos a healthy dinner when you top them with an easy 30-minute chili. Serve this healthy recipe with sliced scallions, avocado, fresh tomatoes and sour cream, if desired.

All Healthy Ground Beef Recipes

Classic Hamburger

Rating: 4.67 stars
5
Slow-cooked onions add moisture and flavor to these lean beef burgers. A quick blend of mayonnaise, ketchup, relish and vinegar makes a perfect tangy, sweet and creamy “special sauce” for this burger. We love the dill relish here, but use sweet relish if you prefer it. Serve with sweet potato fries.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Mom's Chili

Rating: 5 stars
2
This healthy basic beef chili recipe is well worth doubling so you can throw a batch in the freezer. Serve topped with diced red onion, sliced scallions, shredded cheese and your favorite hot sauce.
By Robb Walsh

Hamburger Buddy

Rating: 3.61 stars
51
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.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Classic Diner Meat Loaf

Rating: 3.5 stars
4
Here's a traditional recipe for a family favorite. Buy the leanest ground beef you can find for this home-style meat loaf.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Salisbury Steak with Sweet Paprika Sauce

Rating: 3 stars
1
In this easy steak recipe made with ground beef, Salisbury steaks are matched with a creamy paprika and roasted red pepper sauce. We like to serve the Salisbury steaks with whole-wheat egg noodles and a mixed green salad.
By Bruce Aidells

Picadillo-Stuffed Empanadas

Though definitely not traditional, pizza dough is a great shortcut here, as is the bag of prechopped onions, celery and carrots. The filling is also delicious with a hunk of cornbread or spooned over steamed rice with a side of cooked greens.
By Adam Dolge

Pressure-Cooker Meatloaf & Potatoes

Rating: 5 stars
1
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!
By Hilary Meyer

Beef & Bean Chile Verde

Rating: 4.67 stars
32
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 cornbread on the side and your favorite hot sauce.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Oven-Fried Beef Taquitos for Two

Rating: 4.33 stars
1
This healthy beef taquitos recipe for two calls for baking instead of deep-frying, making the taquitos substantially healthier than what you'd get at a restaurant. One order of these little deep-fried, rolled-up tacos at a restaurant can set you back almost 1,000 calories and 60 grams of fat! Don't worry if some of the taquitos crack open while baking--they're still crispy and delicious. Serve with your favorite salsa, guacamole and reduced-fat sour cream.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Meat Loaf with Sour Cream-Mushroom Sauce

Rating: 5 stars
2
This made-over classic boasts whole-grains and plenty of veggies for a really satisfying comfort-food dinner.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

EatingWell Meat Pie

Rating: 4.6 stars
2
Traditionally meat pie recipes are made with mostly ground pork. This recipe for French-Canadian meat pie, or tourtiere, is lightened up by using lean ground beef with a little ground pork for flavor and bulked up with plenty of shredded vegetables. You can make it even easier by using a store-bought crust.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Cuban Beef Picadillo over Plantain Mash

Ground beef cooked with tomatoes and briny olives can be found all over Latin America. This is a favorite Cuban variation served over plantains, starchy vegetables that look like giant bananas. You can also serve the picadillo over rice or potatoes, so this easy dinner recipe is versatile too.
By Sandra Gutierrez

Kefta

Rating: 3 stars
1
Kefta, seasoned ground meat, is one of Morocco's most popular street foods. Traditionally, kefta is washed down with a glass of sweet mint tea. It's delicious served with ratatouille.
By Kitty Morse

Nonna's Spaghetti & Meatballs

Rating: 4.4 stars
5
The meatballs and sauce are cooked in the slow cooker for this traditional Italian spaghetti and meatballs recipe. You could also serve the meatballs over creamy polenta or on a sandwich with melted provolone.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Basic Meatloaf

Rating: 4 stars
4
While meatloaf purists focus on the meat, we like to look at meatloaf as a way to pack extra veggies and whole grains into a meal, as we do in this healthy, classic meatloaf recipe.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

No-Chop Skillet Chili

Rating: 5 stars
1
This dump-and-simmer recipe is terrific for camping--or for dinner on a busy weeknight.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Lean & Spicy Taco Meat

Rating: 4.75 stars
4
A combination of lean ground beef and ultra-lean ground turkey breast makes a less-greasy filling. Bypass taco-seasoning packets in favor of making your own full-flavored filling.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

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

27 Sunday Dinners with Ground Beef

Make a hearty and filling dinner this Sunday with one of these ground beef recipes. Not only is ground beef a budget-friendly ingredient, but it pairs well with a wide range of vegetables and grains to make a balanced dinner. Feel free to swap in ground turkey or chicken if you prefer. Recipes like Skillet Chili Mac and Taco-Stuffed Zucchini are healthy, delicious and a perfect way to end your weekend.

Classic Hamburger for Two

Rating: 4.5 stars
2
Slow-cooked onions add moisture and flavor to these lean beef burgers for two. A quick blend of mayonnaise, ketchup, relish and vinegar makes a perfect tangy, sweet and creamy “special sauce” for this burger. We love the dill relish here, but use sweet relish if you prefer it. Serve with sweet potato fries.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

20 Italian-Inspired Ground Beef Recipes

Beef Kofta with Bulgur & Kale Salad

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.
By Sara Haas, R.D.N., L.D.N.

Kickin' Hot Chili

Rating: 4.5 stars
1
If you like your chili seriously hot, this recipe is for you. For an even bigger kick, use the whole teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Chili Cornbread Casserole

Rating: 3.76 stars
9
Here's a fun way to serve chili and cornbread together. Don't let the ingredient list intimidate you--this casserole is easy to make and a real crowd pleaser.
By Jessie Price
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