What to do with Ground Beef?

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

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 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!)

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

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

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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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.