Low-Calorie Beef Recipes

Find healthy, delicious low-calorie beef recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

American Goulash

11
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

Slow-Cooker Braised Beef with Carrots & Turnips

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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

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.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Skillet Chili Mac

3
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

Skillet Ravioli Lasagna

4
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.

Basic Meatloaf

5
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

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.
By Carolyn Casner

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

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

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

Taco Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

1
Revamp traditional shepherd's pie with this Tex-Mex take on the classic comfort food with taco seasoning, black beans and a little jalapeño. The flavor- and veggie-packed filling gets topped with cilantro-lime sweet potatoes for a satisfying and healthy dinner recipe.
By Lauren Grant

Meat Loaf with Sour Cream-Mushroom Sauce

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

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

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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

30 Beef Dinners with 500 Calories or Less
Make dinner tonight with one of these beef recipes. Each recipe contains 500 calories or less per serving while having plenty of protein, thanks to the beef. Whether you're using ground beef, skirt steak or beef brisket, these dinners will leave you feeling full. Recipes like Grilled Flank Steak & Corn with Green Goddess Butter and Scallion-Ginger Beef & Broccoli are delicious, satiating and a perfect addition to your weekly meal rotation.
Classic Diner Meat Loaf
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Here's a traditional recipe for a family favorite. Buy the leanest ground beef you can find for this home-style meat loaf.
Mom's Chili
2
Beef & Bean Sloppy Joes
4

Chinese Ginger Beef Stir-Fry with Baby Bok Choy

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All of the ingredients for this easy beef stir-fry recipe are cooked in one wok (or skillet), so not only is the meal-prep fast for this healthy dinner, cleanup is quick too. Look for Lee Kum Kee Premium oyster-flavored sauce in the Asian-foods aisle of your grocery store. It has the most concentrated oyster flavor.

All Low-Calorie Beef Recipes

Low-Carb Beef Stew

2
Turnips lend an earthy flavor and a texture that is similar to potatoes--but with fewer carbs--to this rich and flavorful beef stew.
By Hilary Meyer

Skillet Steak with Mushroom Sauce

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This steak, broccoli rabe and pea dinner is a one-skillet meal that will be on your table in just 25 minutes! The pan drippings combine with mushroom, broth and grainy mustard to make a thick and delicious sauce.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Grilled Flank Steak with Tomato Salad

5
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

Beef & Mushroom Stew with Mashed Potatoes

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This hearty beer-spiked beef stew is served with creamy mashed potatoes for a shepherd's pie vibe.
By Adam Dolge

Layered Brisket Dinner with Tangy Mustard Sauce

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Perfectly seasoned red potatoes and baby carrots accompany this filling brisket dish.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Cheesy Beef Enchilada Casserole

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

Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

1
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

Blue Ribbon Meatloaf

7
In revisiting this classic, we put the meat back in the “loaf” by using ultra-lean ground beef and turkey. With fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs and beer-simmered sweet onions, you'll never notice the missing fat.
By Jim Romanoff

Pressure-Cooker Meatloaf & Potatoes

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

Sweet & Spicy Soy-Braised Short Ribs

The sticky sauce on these ribs, made with tamari (or soy sauce), gochujang, grated pear and honey, is inspired by bulgogi, a staple of Korean barbecue. Don't skip the step of running them under the broiler before serving—it gives the ribs the crisp edges you'd get from grilling. Serve with stir-fried baby bok choy and brown rice to sop up the delicious sauce.
By Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD

Broccoli, Beef & Tater Tot Hotdish

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

Sheet-Pan Steak & Potatoes

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One pan = less cleanup. To make this sheet-pan dinner work, the potatoes are roasted for 15 minutes before the asparagus and skirt steak are added. Finished with rosemary and blue cheese, it's our easy--and healthy--take on steak frites.
By Breana Killeen

Slow-Cooker Beef Stroganoff

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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

Quick Beef & Barley Soup

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Quick-cooking barley and sirloin help get this beef-and-barley soup on the table in a snap--and it doubles easily. If leftovers get too thick in the fridge, add a little broth when you reheat it. Serve with crusty bread and a glass of malbec.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Beef Pad Thai

3
We've bulked up the serving size of beef pad thai by adding in lots of healthy veggies like matchstick carrots, snap peas and scallions. Look for whole-grain brown-rice pad thai noodles to add an additional 3 grams fiber to each serving.
By Katie Webster

Spaghetti Lover's Soup

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This easy slow-cooker soup has all the great flavors of your favorite dish of spaghetti with beef sauce, without a lot of fussy preparation.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Beefy Italian Vegetable Soup

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This one-pot, easy-to-make soup is so full of beef and vegetables that it could almost be called a stew. Beans, mushrooms, kale, chunks of tomatoes and beef sirloin will fight for space on each spoonful.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes

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Two of our favorite comfort-food sandwiches join forces in these family-friendly dinner sandwiches. We found that softer buns make this easier to eat, and it's all the better when wrapped takeout-style in a sheet of foil.
By Katie Webster

Meatloaf

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The addition of richly flavored dried mushrooms and the whole-grain goodness of bulgur increases the vitamins and minerals and decreases the saturated fat of this meatloaf. The loaf is free-form, rather than baked in a loaf pan, which means more delicious, browned crust. This recipe is large enough to feed a big group or, even better, have leftovers for a cold sandwich the next day.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Asian Beef Noodle Bowls

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

Jack-o'-Lantern Stuffed Peppers

Carve faces into the side of a bell pepper for a cute jack-o'-lantern you can eat too! This adorable Halloween-themed dinner is perfect for a family dinner to fuel your trick-or-treating adventure. Or serve them at a Halloween party and watch them disappear! Don't feel like freehand-carving the faces with a knife? Try using a cookie cutter instead.
By Carolyn Casner

Smoky Meatloaf

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In this lightened-up meatloaf, healthy low-calorie shredded zucchini keeps very lean beef moist but doesn't take away from the meat itself. The flavor gets a boost from a touch of smoked paprika, Worcestershire and a sweet ketchup glaze. We've also included a variation with Italian flavors.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Zucchini Lasagna

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

Moroccan-Spiced Pot Roast and Veggies

Pumpkin pie spice, cumin and cayenne pepper add Moroccan-inspired flavor to this slow-cooker pot roast dinner.
By Diabetic Living Magazine
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