20+ Healthy Ground Beef Recipes for Easy Dinners

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The Best Ground Beef Recipes

Need to get a healthy dinner on the table quickly? We’ve done all of the work for you with this round up of healthy ground beef recipes. Pick the one that catches your eye, get to cooking, and have dinner for the family ready in no time!

01 The Best Ground Beef Recipes

02 What is the healthiest ground beef?

03 Cooking with Ground Beef

04 How to Cook Ground Beef

05 Ground Beef Frequently Asked Questions

06 Healthy Ground Beef Recipes

07 Burger, Meatball, and Meatloaf Recipes

08 Ground Beef Casserole Recipes

Ground beef is one of the most common proteins used to create quick, easy dinners. It browns in a matter of minutes, is batch cook friendly, and takes on the flavor profile of whatever recipe you’re using it in.

What is the healthiest ground beef?

Oftentimes, ground beef gets a bad rap in the health department when in reality, it is chock full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, not to mention protein and some good healthy fat. When we think about whether or not ground beef is actually healthy, we have to consider the quality of the beef itself. When you’re choosing to eat grass-fed beef, you’re avoiding trace hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides, and you’re gaining a ton of nutrients: a good profile of saturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids, and a much higher amount of vitamins and minerals than available in conventional meat. So, what’s the healthiest beef? We say looking for grass-fed beef makes a bigger impact on health than focusing on the fat content. Pick the fat content that works best for your taste preference, and buy grass-fed as often as you can!

Want to learn more? Check out our article on why we prefer grass-fed ground beef to conventional.

Where to Find Grass-fed Beef

You’ve got options!

The grocery store – super convenient and accessible, but will cost you the most if you’re truly purchasing grass-fed. Ask the butcher lots of questions so you aren’t tricked into buying meat that isn’t actually grass-fed.
Your local rancher – such a great option that can save you dollars in the long run, but often isn’t a practical solution if you aren’t buying in bulk, or if you’re living in the middle of a metropolis.
ButcherBox – consistent delivery of grass-fed, pastured, humanely-raised meat that ensures you’re getting the highest quality for a great price (less than $6 per meal).

How to Get Free Grass-Fed Ground Beef Every Month

For a limited time, ButcherBox, is offering 2 pounds of FREE grass-fed ground beef to all new customers in each of their monthly boxes for life! ButcherBox is our favorite way to get high-quality proteins because it is convenient, cost-effective, and we know we can trust their sourcing. We’ve used them for the majority of our monthly proteins for nearly 4 years here, and remain huge fans.

Get your free grass-fed ground beef HERE.

Cooking with Ground Beef

ground beef in a red cast iron pan on a dark grey surface

How to Cook Ground Beef

It’s so simple! All you need is a stovetop, pan, and a spatula! Put the ground beef in a pan over medium heat, and use a spatula to break the meat apart as it browns. Continue cooking for 8-10 minutes or until no pink remains.

Ground Beef Frequently Asked Questions

Q How important is a meat thermometer when cooking ground beef?

While we think meat thermometers are GREAT for a lot of things, ground beef just isn’t one of them. You’ll want to cook your ground beef until no pink remains, and if you do this, no meat thermometer is necessary!

Q How can I tell if the ground beef I want to cook with has gone bad?

Generally, raw ground beef is bright red on the outside and may have some brown on the inside. If the outside of your ground beef is totally brown (or even grey), or if your ground beef has a funky smell (trust me, you’ll know it when you smell it!), it’s probably best to toss it.

Q Can I batch-cook, and then freeze ground beef for later?

Absolutely! This is a fantastic idea that makes getting a healthy meal on the table in record time. Brown the meat, drain any excess fat, wait for it to cool completely, and then portion it into Ziplock bags to stack in the freezer. We recommend a pound per bag, so that you can pull out exactly what you need when you need it! Your ground beef will keep for 4 months in the freezer.

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Healthy Ground Beef Recipes

Now let’s get to the good stuff: our FAVORITE ground beef recipes! From casseroles to burgers, and flavors from around the globe, we’ve got your dinner covered!