What to do with Ground Beef?

wannabthatgirl

I always find myself cooking with ground beef...but its always the same boring things such as spaghetti, meat balls, hamburgers, hamburger helper etc.

I am just wondering if anyone has some good ideas of other things I could try?

aproc

Casseroles and tacos are some of my favorite things to do with it.

imagymrat

I always find myself cooking with ground beef...but its always the same boring things such as spaghetti, meat balls, hamburgers, hamburger helper etc.

I am just wondering if anyone has some good ideas of other things I could try?

Throw it out and buy chicken breast instead, way better for you

xquiz8

I make chili with it, with lots of beans, veggies and brown rice to make it heartier.

arewethereyet

I always find myself cooking with ground beef...but its always the same boring things such as spaghetti, meat balls, hamburgers, hamburger helper etc.

I am just wondering if anyone has some good ideas of other things I could try?

Throw it out and buy chicken breast instead, way better for you

now, now....dont be dissin my beef:laugh:

I use 7% fat and make all of the above EXCEPT hamburger helper!

lisawest

I love "hamburger pie" (aka "shephard's pie"). You brown the ground beef, add in onions (I always use minced onion, but fresh is good), a can of tomato soup (I've been known to use a can of tomato paste and a can of tomato sauce), and a can of green beans (drained, or about 2 cups fresh; you can also used mixed veggies, whatever you've got on hand!). Cook all of that together until bubbly. While that is cooking, you have two choices. 1) [my favorite!] prepare about 6 servings of mashed potatoes. 2) prepare dough for rolls. Once the meat mixture is bubbly, transfer to a caserole dish and place either the potatoes or roll dough on top. If you chose potatoes, you are ready to serve! If you chose the rolls, you will need to bake in the oven until the rolls are done.


Another one I like is enchilada lasagna. Fix enchilada sauce, and add a pound of browned beef. Cut tortillas into strips about 1 inch wide. Layer the sauce, toritilla and shredded cheese into a lasagna or cake pan until the pan is filled. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F until cheese is melted and center is heated (about 30-60 minutes depending on thickness).

There's always tater tot casserole, tacos, regular enchiladas, lasagna, etc. Let me know if you need more ideas!

arewethereyet

I always find myself cooking with ground beef...but its always the same boring things such as spaghetti, meat balls, hamburgers, hamburger helper etc.

I am just wondering if anyone has some good ideas of other things I could try?

I brown 7% fat beef with onion, make gravy with the juice, put it in a casserole with peas and carrots, put homemade mashed potatoes across the top, and bake. It is a nice low fat casserole with all the good stuff (my potato layer is thinner these days tho!)

wannabthatgirl

I always find myself cooking with ground beef...but its always the same boring things such as spaghetti, meat balls, hamburgers, hamburger helper etc.

I am just wondering if anyone has some good ideas of other things I could try?

Throw it out and buy chicken breast instead, way better for you

now, now....dont be dissin my beef:laugh:

I use 7% fat and make all of the above EXCEPT hamburger helper!

I am pretty sure my boyfriend would be heart broken if I threw out my beef for chicken though he does like chicken he loves his ground beef......so thats why I am looking for healthier options for it....

trisha329

This has been one of my favorites lately!



Stuffed Zucchini with Brown Rice, Ground Beef, Red Pepper, and Basil

(Makes 4 whole meal servings or 8 side dish servings, recipe created by Kalyn.)

Ingredients:

2-4 large zucchini
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. very lean ground beef (less than 10% fat)
1 tsp. Spike Seasoning ( I use a cajun seasoning)
1 tsp. chopped garlic or garlic puree (from a jar)
1/2 tsp. ground fennel seed (I didn’t have fennel, and it was still great!)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
3/4 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chicken stock

Preheat oven to 375 F. Cut stem and ends off zucchini. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, then using a pointed teaspoon or melon baller, scoop out and discard most of the zucchini flesh and seeds, leaving an even 1/2 inch of flesh attached to the skin. Microwave zucchini 3 to 4 minutes on high.

Put oil in heavy frying pan and saute chopped onions and peppers until they are just starting to soften, about 5 minutes. (They will cook more in the oven, so they don't need to be fully cooked at this point.) Remove onions and peppers to large mixing bowl, then add ground beef to hot pan and cook until starting to brown. When meat is about half cooked, season with Spike seasoning (or whatever you choose to use) and ground fennel and add garlic, and continue to cook until meat is well browned, breaking it into small, pieces with the side of your turner. Remove cooked beef to bowl. Add cooked brown rice, chopped basil, parmesan cheese, and chicken stock to meat and vegetable mixture, and gently combine.

Choose a roasting pan with slight sides, just big enough to hold the zucchini. Spray pan with nonstick spray or a light misting of olive oil. Stuff zucchini with stuffing mixture, packing in as much as you can into each zucchini, and mounding it up as high as you can, until all stuffing is used.

Put zucchini into roasting pan, putting them close together so they hold each other stuffing-side up. Roast uncovered 20-30 minutes, until zucchini is tender-crisp, and filling is hot and slightly browned. Serve hot.

Nutritional Value:
Calories: 314
Carbs: 18 grams
Fat: 17 grams
Fiber: 2 grams
Sodium: 440 grams

arewethereyet

I love "hamburger pie" (aka "shephard's pie"). You brown the ground beef, add in onions (I always use minced onion, but fresh is good), a can of tomato soup (I've been known to use a can of tomato paste and a can of tomato sauce), and a can of green beans (drained, or about 2 cups fresh; you can also used mixed veggies, whatever you've got on hand!). Cook all of that together until bubbly. While that is cooking, you have two choices. 1) [my favorite!] prepare about 6 servings of mashed potatoes. 2) prepare dough for rolls. Once the meat mixture is bubbly, transfer to a caserole dish and place either the potatoes or roll dough on top. If you chose potatoes, you are ready to serve! If you chose the rolls, you will need to bake in the oven until the rolls are done.


Another one I like is enchilada lasagna. Fix enchilada sauce, and add a pound of browned beef. Cut tortillas into strips about 1 inch wide. Layer the sauce, toritilla and shredded cheese into a lasagna or cake pan until the pan is filled. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F until cheese is melted and center is heated (about 30-60 minutes depending on thickness).

There's always tater tot casserole, tacos, regular enchiladas, lasagna, etc. Let me know if you need more ideas!

LOL I was typing at the same time! I like your idea

---

gonna try it tonight!

yvonnej1

I love "hamburger pie" (aka "shephard's pie"). You brown the ground beef, add in onions (I always use minced onion, but fresh is good), a can of tomato soup (I've been known to use a can of tomato paste and a can of tomato sauce), and a can of green beans (drained, or about 2 cups fresh; you can also used mixed veggies, whatever you've got on hand!). Cook all of that together until bubbly. While that is cooking, you have two choices. 1) [my favorite!] prepare about 6 servings of mashed potatoes. 2) prepare dough for rolls. Once the meat mixture is bubbly, transfer to a caserole dish and place either the potatoes or roll dough on top. If you chose potatoes, you are ready to serve! If you chose the rolls, you will need to bake in the oven until the rolls are done.


Another one I like is enchilada lasagna. Fix enchilada sauce, and add a pound of browned beef. Cut tortillas into strips about 1 inch wide. Layer the sauce, toritilla and shredded cheese into a lasagna or cake pan until the pan is filled. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F until cheese is melted and center is heated (about 30-60 minutes depending on thickness).

There's always tater tot casserole, tacos, regular enchiladas, lasagna, etc. Let me know if you need more ideas!

LOL I was typing at the same time! I like your idea

---

gonna try it tonight!

Ok so I'm gonna be picky here...and blame it on me being English A shepherds pie has to be made with minced (ground) lamb, if it's made with beef it is called a cottage pie.

I make a wicked lasagne which comes in for a treat just over 500 calories (I use extra lean, less than 5% fat ground beef). It's your basic bolognaise sauce i.e. mince, garlic, onions, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, splash of red wine, herbs, with my magic ingredients of a couple of rashers of chopped up back bacon and a splash of Worcester sauce. Layer this with lasagne sheets and top with basic white sauce with a bit of added cheese for extra flavour, smoked cheese is best. It's my families favourite meal.

Kath15

Although I like ground beef, I am more of a ground turkey fan. That being said, using either of the two, we like to make Mexican Picadillo -there are a lot of recipes you can find on the internet. You can eat it in a taco shell, tortilla, with rice..or we like to stuff the mixture in green and red bell peppers, put a little cheese on top, and bake them in the oven.

melbhall

I love ground beef too, but have switched to ground turkey breast. It is more expensive, but is also healthier than ground beef. Here are some ideas for either beef or turkey: chili, lasagna, stuffed green peppers, meatloaf, taco, hashbrown casserole, spanish rice...I'm sure there are tons of others! Maybe check out a new cookbook, they usually have recipes by category such as beef.

happily

I like "spanish rice" made by mixing ground beef, Rotel, and rice. Simple as can be.

My mom uses regular stewed tomatoes because Rotel is too spicy for her. Sometimes she uses sausage instead of ground beef, but I dislike sausage.

I flavor my serving with Tabasco (I have no problem with spicy!).

LilynEdensmom

Stuffed peppers are one of my favorites to cook with ground beef..and meatloaf yummy....

I know ground beef isn't really healthy but on my budget I take what I can get, I just add lots of veggies to it

wannabthatgirl

Stuffed peppers are one of my favorites to cook with ground beef..and meatloaf yummy....

I know ground beef isn't really healthy but on my budget I take what I can get, I just add lots of veggies to it

I agree! Works for my budget too!

lauralynette

I like to do a meatloaf with it, I sautee mushrooms, red bell pepper, garlic, and onion, the put on top of the meat, add speghetti sauce, and parmesan cheese. Not the lowest calorie dish but everything in moderation right.

this recepie looks good to me http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/easy_healthy_ground_beef_recipes?slide=12#leaderboardad

I went to costco last weekend and picked up 4 lbs of ground turkey for $2.98 a lb.

beesareyellow

Stuffed red peppers, shepherds (or cottage) pie,loaded nachos (with low fat cheese and jalapeno peppers) , Tortierre ( very Quebecois), Lebanese rice with meat etc..

These are some of our family favorites that involve ground beef.
I always buy the extra lean and then brown and drain off the fat before using in any recipe.

You could try googling ground beef recipes as well.

Good luck!

somethingvague

These are kind of cute...especially if you have kids...my Dad and I used to make these a lot when I was younger.

Mix a can of vegetable soup with lean ground beef, spoon into muffin pan and bake. Mini meat muffins! Haha.

RedAmo

You should swap out for Ground Turkey instead, it's leaner and more healthy for you. It's virtually the same taste as well. Especially if you plan on putting a sauce on there, there's almost no difference. It's a great way to save calories and fat!

For a recipe I make Baked Ziti, just look up a Baked Ziti recipe and replace the Ground Beef, with Ground Turkey. And for the cheese you could try and look for a low fat cheese that suits your taste. You can save a lot of calories, and it tastes friggin' fantastic.

chrisd0201

Has anyone looked into using ground bison? It is very low in fat, high in protein and very good tasting.

Cytherea

Throw it out and buy chicken breast instead, way better for you

Of course it is, but sometimes you need variety!! I used to HATE chicken because that's all my mom made, every single night. No matter how many different ways you cook it or flavor it, chicken is chicken. And trying to cook healthy cuts out a LOT of ways to prepare it.

Plus, many of us do have men in our lives that like their meat!! I know I sure do!!

As to the original question, I find a similar problem. I don't make hamburger helper anymore, and you can only make sauce so much (which is what I generally do). I don't like Mexican/anything spicy, so I'm hoping that some people have good ideas!

imagymrat

I'm not dissing, here's ,the problem I find with ground beef recipes, this is just my opinion. For some strange reason people find the need to make it as unhealthy as possible, just seems to be the nature of the beast. I'm seeing posts for a tater tot casserole? For real??? people actually still eat those things, balls of saturated fat, with zero nutrional value. Try to nix the white potatoes as well, that shepherds pie can be made so many different ways, and always halve the meat in it, if you're using ground beef,. and ground turkey and chicken can actually be higher in fat for you then some lean ground beefs. I make my guys suffed cabbage leaves with ground chicken breast, youcould use beef if you HAVE to :laugh: Mix it in with mushrooms, red peppers, brown rice tomatoes and a litte sauce, precook the cabbage, and roll up cabbage roll style, drizzle the tomatoe sauce over top and bake, my daughter puts cheese in hers, but I don't eat cheese so i leave it out,..very tasty.

FloridaGranny

My favorite is "Pizza Burgers"...........

Make your hamburger like sloppy joes, then add tomato sauce (pizza sauce). Pile on top of a split english muffin. Top with low-fat cheese....

The kids love these!

jessican88

Hobo dinners!! cook up the ground beef in frying pan and fry up some potatos onions and green bell peppers in another mix them together when done and add you favorite seasoning to it! DELICIOUS!! XD

egbkid

I usually make a quick and easy lasagna, i got it from the Kraft website. All that is needed is 1 Lb beef, 3 cups pasta sauce, 1 cup water, cheese and ready to cook noodles.
Brown the beef, add it, the water and a handful of cheese (about 3/4 cup) to the sauce. Layer with the noodles in a pan and cover with cheese. Bake for 35 minutes or until the noodles are tender. The recipe calls for 1 cup of cheese in it. and 1/2 cup on it, but i put less in and more on. I usually use all of a store brand package of pre-shredded . They are smaller than the Kraft packages.
I could not find any calorie notations on the website, so I put the recipe on here, and it says each slice is about 230 calories (i usually cut it in about 8, i use a large pan), the link is below.

Oh, i see most saying to use ground turkey...is it the same price or cheaper / more expensive than ground beef? I have never looked at it as i presumed it was more expensive, and in order to afford beef, i buy it in bulk when it is on sale and freeze it in small portions.

http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/recipes/deliciously-easy-lasagnes-85151.aspx

davidcookfan

there is alot to do with ground beef. i am in the same boat as you. but farmer's pie and tacos are good. I used to do weight watchers and they used to say that salsa is a fat burner. I get the Kraft book. if you get it there is reciepe for farmer's pie but instead of white or yellow potatoes the reciepe calls for sweet potatoes.

sandara

Cabbage soup

1 large can of stewed tomatoes
1 large can or I use the plastic bags of sauerkraut
2 lbs of browned ground beef
1 onion, chopped

About 30 minutes before serving add the following:
1 large can of tomato sauce
1 Medium head of chopped cabbage

This is a great cold weather recipe. To make it healthier and lower in sodium you can use fresh tomatoes in place of the canned and ground turkey instead of ground beef. I haven't actually figured the calories but it's got to be pretty low.

wannabthatgirl

Thanks too all!

I realize that ground beef isn't the healthiest choice. Chicken, ground turkey etc. is much much healthier. However because this is what my family enjoys I was just looking to see if anyone did have any healthy ideas when I did make it. But as I seen and as message ground beef just really doesnt accompany very healthy meals-typically!

cheers

sandara

Here's another easy recipe. It makes a fairly large casserole so I usually split it into 2 pans and freeze one for later. You can also add a package of Taco mix to the meat while cooking but it will raise the sodium if you add it.

Mexican Casserole

1 lb ground hamburger (or turkey or chicken)
1/2 package shredded Jack Cheese (or low fat cheese)
6 tortillas (use low carb tortillas to reduce calories)
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1/2 chopped onion (optional)
1 can cream of chicken soup (or low fat version)
1 can Rotel

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 12 pan.

Cook the hamburger and onions. Mix the two cans
of black beans and corn together. Mix the can of Rotel with
the cream of chicken soup.

Layer the pan in the following order:

bean and corn mixture
hamburger
1/2 of the cheese
tortillas

Repeat layering until all ingredients are used. Pour the
Rotel/chicken soup mixture on top of the last layer of
tortillas.

Bake for 30 minutes.

sandara

Thanks too all!

I realize that ground beef isn't the healthiest choice. Chicken, ground turkey etc. is much much healthier. However because this is what my family enjoys I was just looking to see if anyone did have any healthy ideas when I did make it. But as I seen and as message ground beef just really doesnt accompany very healthy meals-typically!

cheers

Wal-mart sells extra-lean ground beef that is only 4% fat and 150 calories for 4 ounces. Not bad at all.