Ground Beef Recipes

Ground beef recipes can help stretch your food budget. The price of ground beef has increased over the past few months. However, it is still a good low cost meat. Best of all, it can be used to create a wide variety of dishes. Variety is important when you're on a tight budget. Dinner boredom can set in fast if you don't add something new now and again.

My kids swear they could eat tacos seven nights a week. I often wonder if I really gave them tacos 7 nights a week how long they would tolerate it. I doubt that anyone could stick with a taco diet day in and day out for very long. Still, it's a great ground beef recipe that most kids and adults enjoy on occasion. We try to eat tacos once a week at least to keep the children happy!

Ground turkey can be substituted for one-third to one-half of the amount of ground beef called for. I do this on a regular basis with the recent increases in ground beef prices. And, these ground beef recipes won't suffer on taste. The end results are just as good!

Tacos | Meatloaf Recipes | Skillet Dinners | Casseroles | Reader's Recipes

Ground Beef Recipes: Tacos

Taco Seasoning:The most economical taco seasoning is in making your own. If you don't want to make your own, then at least purchase the large bottle of seasoning available at wholesale price clubs or local largest bottle available at your grocery store. These are much more economical than the little packages.

Taco Seasoning Mix

6 teaspoons chili powder
4 1/2 teaspoons cumin
5 teaspoons paprika
3 teaspoons onion powder
2 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients. Store in an airtight container. Home�made mix is twice as strong as the store-bought one, so add only half as much.

Depending on how much your family loves tacos, the following recipe should be enough for a family of six. I always make a little more because my kids love to make snacks with the leftover meat.

To make tacos you will need:

2 lbs ground beef (or 1 lb ground beef plus 1 lb ground turkey)
1 green pepper chopped (optional)
1 onion minced (optional)
1 to 2 packages of soft tortillas and/or
1 to 2 boxes (12 each)of hard tacos
My family enjoys both hard tacos and tortillas so I offer both.

Toppings:
shredded Cheddar cheese
chopped lettuce
diced tomatoes
Taco sauce or salsa
sour cream (optional)

Brown ground meat, crumbling the meat while cooking, until well done. (Add green pepper and onion while browning meat if you're using them.) Drain fat from meat. Add seasoning as per package directions if using store bought seasoning. For homemade seasoning, add 2-3 Tablespoons (depending on how spicy you like them. Homemade recipe is stronger than packaged. I recommend you start with 2 and add more if you like.) Add 2/3 - 1 cup of water. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Serve with toppings for each person to make their own.

Ground Beef Recipes: Meatloaf

Easy Meatloaf

2lbs. ground meat, (1 lb. turkey, 1 lb. lean hamburger or beef, pork & veal)
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. bread crumbs
3/4 c. catsup or chili sauce
1/2 c. warm water
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce, for topping
Bacon strips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix first six ingredients well. Put in loaf pan. Add bacon strips or tomato sauce. Cook for 1 hour.

Find more meatloaf recipes here. Several ground beef recipes and ham loaf or turkey loaf. Try them all and pick a family favorite.

Skillet Dinner Ground Beef Recipes

Homestyle Hamburger Helper

Serves 4

Brown in a skillet:
3/4 lb. ground beef
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

Add:
1 T. finely chopped onion
1 stalk chopped celery
1/4 c. frozen or canned peas
2/3 c. fresh or canned tomatoes, chopped

While beef is browning, cook in salted water:
1 c. crinkly noodles (like curly egg noodles)
Drain noodles and spread over meat mixture

Sprinkle over all:
1/2-3/4 c. shredded cheese
OR 1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Simmer uncovered 15 minutes to blend flavors. Serve from skillet.

Spanish Noodle Skillet

Serves 3-4

Cut into 1" pieces and fry until crisp:
2 slices bacon (optional)
Set aside.

Saute in bacon drippings:
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 lb. ground beef
Pour off any excess fat.

Add: 1 t. salt
dash pepper
1/4 t. oregano
2 c. pureed or stewed tomatoes
3/4 c. water
Cover and simmer 10 minutes.
Bring to a boil and add, a few at a time:
1 1/2 c. egg noodles

Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 10 more minutes. Stir occasionally. Top with reserved bacon and serve.

Option: Omit bacon, Saute vegetables with ground beef, adding a little oil if beef is dry
Stir in 3/4 c. shredded cheese with noodles. Top with 1/4 c. additional cheese just before serving. - More With Less

Ground Beef Recipes: Casseroles

Pizza Casserole

1 pound ground beef
2 14-ounce jars pizza sauce
3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups Master Baking Mix (or any Bisquick-type mix)*(see note below if you don't have any on hand)
2 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs

Cook and drain beef; Spoon into a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with pizza sauce and cheese. Combine Baking Mix*, milk, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Pour batter over casserole, covering evenly. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 30 to 35 minutes. Serves 8

*If you don't want to mix up a big batch of master baking mix, you can make the required amount combining 1 1/4 cups flour, 2 tea�spoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup shortening or oil. - Tightwad Gazette Stretch you ground beef recipes by adding TVP (texturized vegetable protein) along with the ground beef. It can be found a most health or natural food stores.

Country Cooking Recipes

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Reader's Recipes

Some more great ground beef recipes courtesy of our readers

Cate from Budget-and-Prosper.com says this recipe was, "Handed down from my Gram to my mom and then to me. A family favorite!"

1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 can tomato soup
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz. elbow macaroni
Italian seasoning
salt and pepper

Directions: Brown beef and onion together. Drain off fat. Add 1 can of tomato soup, seasonings to taste, cheese and a little water to make soup "saucy". Let simmer 15 minutes as you boil macaroni. Add cooked macaroni and either serve from skillet, or put in greased casserole dish with buttered bread crumbs and bake at 350 degrees F. for 20-30 minutes. Makes 4-5 servings.

Cate's tips:
--I use bags of shredded sharp cheddar, for more flavor and to save time.
--A great dish to make ahead and re-heat.
--Perfect for potlucks or families in need. Just add bagged salad, a box of croutons and fresh Italian bread.
--Sprinkled Parmesan cheese on top. Yum!