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35 Healthy Ground Beef Recipes

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We've rounded up 35 of our favorite healthy ground beef recipes that are perfect for weeknight meals.

If you've got a pound or two of ground beef and are wondering what to do with it - we've got some easy ground beef recipes for you the entire family will love!

These recipes include some of our favorite ways to cook with beef - like our best chili recipes, comfort food dinners, easy one-pot meals, pasta recipes, and salads with beef.

Let us know which of these easy dinner ideas you make!

Comforting Ground Beef Recipes

  • Instant Pot Hamburger Helper - Delicious Instant Pot hamburger helper that is quick and easy to make! It takes less than 30 minutes to be ready!
  • Healthy Sloppy Joes - These Healthy Sloppy Joes are made with lean ground beef, low-sugar ketchup, BBQ sauce and low-fat cheese. They’re a guiltless version of the classic American Sloppy Joe recipe.
  • Gluten Free Meatballs & Polenta - This gluten free meatballs and polenta recipe Is a comfort food kind of dish. You will feel full, but the best part is – this delicious recipe is actually low-cal and good for you!
  • Eggplant Parmesan Stacks - These eggplant parmesan stacks are a delicious and healthier dinner recipe you're going to love. The eggplants get a wonderful crispy char from the grill and the meaty sauce is hearty and full of flavor.
  • Best Stuffed Zucchini Boats - Fresh Zucchini stuffed with a hearty meat sauce, topped with cheese and baked to perfection making this a delicious low-carb and gluten-free dinner! 
An overhead shot of stuffed zucchinis topped with yogurt.

Mediterranean Ground Beef Recipes

  • Kousa Mahshi (Stuffed Zucchini) - This recipe for kousa mahshi (stuffed zucchini or squash) is a delicious dish popular in the Levant (Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon). It's a great way to enjoy a delicious and filling dinner.
  • Low Carb Moussaka (Greek Beef Eggplant Casserole) - This gluten free Low Carb Moussaka (Greek Beef Eggplant Casserole) recipe has traditional flavor paired with a couple non-traditional elements that make it truly special.
  • Persian Meatball Soup - This hearty soup has plenty of meatballs in a delicious broth with herbs, brown rice, apricots, and a topping of creamy yogurt and more fresh herbs. Delicious healthy Comfort food that makes a perfect fall dinner!
  • Kofta Bowl with Garlic Tzatziki - All the delicious flavors of a Kofta kabob without all the hard work - this Kofta Ground Beef Bowl with Garlic Tzatziki is full of flavor and ready in thirty minutes.
  • Greek Style Stuffed Peppers - You'll love these stuffed peppers, prepared Greek-style and stuffed with a perfectly seasoned meat mixture with rice and chickpeas and fresh herbs.

Tex-Mex Ground Beef Recipes

  • Easy Beef Enchilada Recipe - The Ultimate Easy Beef Enchilada Recipe with a smoky enchilada sauce and covered in cheese! These Beef Enchiladas scream comfort food – a homemade recipe that’s perfect for a crowd and guaranteed to please! 
  • Ground Beef Tacos with Sweet Potatoes - Spiced ground beef tacos with seasoned roasted sweet potatoes and cashew-based vegan queso are a delightfully simple yet flavor-blasted taco for any night of the week.
  • Mexican Zucchini - This easy Mexican Zucchini is made in one skillet and is sure to be a family favorite. You will love your favorite taco ingredients mixed with light zucchini noodles creating a low-carb, filling meal.
  • Picadillo Con Papas - This Picadillo Con Papas isn’t Cuban Picadillo or Mexican Picadillo because it bursts with flavor with a spicy Tex-Mex kick that makes it perfect for tacos, empanadas, or your favorite Mexican dish.
  • Mexican Crispy Potato Bowl - This Mexican Crispy Potato Bowls recipe shows you how to make crispy potatoes! The potatoes are scented with cumin and oregano, served with broccoli and fried garlic, ground pasture-raised meat and more for an incredibly delicious dinner!
  • One Pot Burrito Bowls - Easy and delicious Mexican burrito bowls made in just one pot in 30 minutes - making clean up a breeze. Perfect for busy week nights!
Healthy ground beef meatballs with Thai green curry in a bowl.

Asian Inspired Ground Beef Recipes

  • Thai Green Curry Meatballs - These Thai green curry meatballs with carrots are a healthier dinner recipe you're going to love. The meatballs get browned and then finished in a creamy coconut sauce.
  • Healthy Ground Beef Stir Fry - This delicious ground beef stir-fry recipe combines savoury ground beef with lots of yummy veggies. Made in under 30 minutes, it's a great weeknight supper!
  • Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry - This simple beef and cabbage stir fry has everyday ingredients, and it's a cinch to make for a quick weeknight meal! It'll turn you into a cabbage lover.
  • Ground Beef Bulgogi - This delicious ground beef bulgogi recipe is ready in only 20 minutes! It's an easy, healthy weeknight meal that's a family favorite.
  • Thai Basil Beef Stir Fry - This Thai Basil Beef Noodle Stir-Fry recipe is easy to make and tossed with the best savory Thai basil sauce.

Slow Cooker Ground Beef Recipes

  • Slow Cooker Meatballs - These slow cooker meatballs are Italian style and made with ground beef, parmesan cheese, herbs and spices. They’re slow simmered to tender perfection in the crock pot and are perfect served over spaghetti or as a hearty appetizer.
  • Crock Pot Piccadillo - Crock Pot Picadillo is a flavorful Cuban dish made with ground beef and a sauce made from simmering tomatoes, green olives, bell peppers, cumin, and spices.
  • Easy Slow Cooker Hamburger Stew - This super easy Slow Cooker Hamburger Stew is simple, comforting food at its best. And the leftovers are even better the next day!
  • Crockpot Taco Meat - Just three-ingredients and the use of our trusty slow-cooker make this Crock-Pot taco meat recipe an easy win. Pefect for taco night!
  • Crockpot Mexican Casserole - Super easy and delicious Crock Pot Mexican Casserole with quinoa, black beans, and ground chicken or turkey. Healthy, gluten-free comfort food!

Ground Beef Chili Recipes

  • Roasted Ground Beef Chili - This is not just any beef chili, this is the best chili on earth! The meat is oven roasted with honey and then slow cooked on the stovetop for a deep and rich flavor. My homemade ground beef chili recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients and is easy to make.
  • Ground Beef and Quinoa Chili - This Beef & Quinoa chili makes a delicious and healthy one pot meal that can be made in less than 30 minutes. A perfect dinner recipe for busy weeknights!
  • The Best Easy Chili Recipe - Made in 30 minutes on the stovetop, this beef chili is a delicious family-friendly dinner to enjoy in the fall! It's made from scratch (no packaged seasoning)!
  • Instant Pot Sweet Potato and Ground Beef Chili - This recipe for Instant Pot Sweet Potato & Ground Beef Chili is a tasty and nourishing dinner that you can throw together in a short amount of time. You can serve it right out of the pot, and then use the leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day. This homemade chili is ready in just 35 minutes!
  • Southwestern Slow Cooker Ground Beef Chili - This Homemade Slow Cooker Ground Beef Chili recipe is easy and full of healthy Southwest flavors! It's made with beans, corn, and peppers.

Salads with Ground Beef

  • Thai Salad with Ginger Ground Beef - This crisp, crunchy Thai chopped salad with ginger ground beef and Thai peanut dressing is a delicious, healthy ground beef dinner that's heavy on vegetables and flavor!
  • Taco Salad - This Taco Salad is quick, flavorful, hearty, a total breeze to make and it's a dinner everyone can agree on both young and old alike! It doesn't take much to make a satisfying meal and this simple salad is proof of that. 
  • Quick Greek Gyros Salad - This quick and easy green gyros salad is topped with homemade tzatziki and feta for a healthy version of a gyros sandwich.
  • Burger in a Bowl - This burger in a bowl recipe includes a homemade special burger sauce. It’s got all the toppings and flavors of your favorite fast food burger with a healthier spin!
Yield: 4 servings

Healthy Ground Beef Recipes

A bowl of healthy ground beef meatballs and veggies.

These delicious and healthy ground beef recipes are great for weeknight meals.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 16 minutes
Additional Time 4 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1-inch ginger, finely minced
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon corn oil
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 1 can (14 ounces) low fat coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons green curry paste
  • 2 carrots, ribboned
  • 2 limes
  • optional toppings - chopped red chiles and cilantro

Instructions

  1. Combine the ground beef, Panko breadcrumbs, eggs, shallot, garlic, ginger, cilantro, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes in a large mixing bowl. Using your hands or a spoon, mix all the ingredients. Roll the beef into 12 meatballs, about 1 ½ inches across. 
  2. Heat the corn oil in a dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Once it is hot, add the meatballs and cook for 4 minutes (or until browned) on each side. Remove the meatballs and set them aside. 
  3. Into the same pot, add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Allow the coconut milk to reduce for 3 minutes, stirring often. Then add the green curry paste and stir till fully combined. 
  4. Add the meatballs back into the pot and flip a few times to cover in the coconut milk sauce. Allow the meatballs to cook for 2 more minutes, before adding the ribboned carrots into the pot. Cover and reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes.
  5. Remove the pot from the heat once carrots are tender.
  6. Serve the meatballs and carrots with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a few lime slices. Top with optional sliced chilis and cilantro. If desired, serve with rice. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 588Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 194mgSodium: 924mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 41g

Thanks for checking out the best ground beef recipes. Let us know which one you are excited to make.

Cynthia | What A Girl Eats

Wednesday 21st of July 2021

Thanks for including me! Pinned, yummed and tweeted!

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