Best Ground Beef Recipes That Are Easy and Cheap

Published Nov. 14, 2025Updated Nov. 14, 2025

The other day, I came home from the grocery store and laughed aloud as I unloaded a three-pound package of ground beef, a three-pound package of ground turkey, a two-pound package of ground pork and a one-pound package of ground chicken. (Somewhere in the great beyond, my Midwestern mother is beaming with pride.) Even if I have no idea what I’m going to cook, I always pick up at least a pound of ground beef or turkey because with it, I know I can make something fast and delicious that my family will eat.

Ground beef is really hard to beat as far as bang for your buck goes: It’s typically economical, it’s high in protein, it freezes well and it’s wildly adaptable: meatballs, laab, chili, burgers, cottage pie — the list goes on. Below are 18 of our best weeknight ground beef recipes (all of which you can make with any ground meat that you have on hand, or maybe more important, that you found on sale.)

A close-up, overhead view of a vibrant salad with ground beef, green beans, yellow peppers and cherry tomatoes served over white rice noodles in a large wooden bowl. — Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Ready in: 30 minutes

This gorgeous noodle salad from Kay Chun is bright and cheery in color and flavor — the ideal antidote to a dreary winter day. Browned ground beef is layered over romaine, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers and rice noodles and then drizzled with a tart and spicy vinaigrette of lime juice, fish sauce, chile and garlic.

Recipe: Laab Noodle Salad

An overhead close-up of a bowl of rich, brown-and-gold colored cheeseburger soup, garnished with a dollop of sour cream, bacon crumbles, cheese shreds and green onions. — Credit…Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Ready in: 35 minutes

Taco soup, baked potato soup, cabbage roll soup and now cheeseburger soup. I’m a sucker for an “inspired by” soup, and this one from Dan Pelosi combines all the satisfying flavors of a cheeseburger into a soup that’s cozy and filling. Chunks of ground beef, carrots, celery, onions and potatoes simmer in a Cheddar-y roux.

Recipe: Cheeseburger Soup

A light tan plate holds a portion of browned ground beef mixed with reddish-orange rice, topped with a pile of bright green cilantro and a small scoop of yogurt. — Credit…Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Ready in: 30 minutes

This cheater version of beef biryani from Kay Chun doesn’t taste like a shortcut at all. The rice, which is seasoned with cardamom, cinnamon and cloves, gets a head start in a Dutch oven, while the ground beef sizzles in a skillet with garlic, ginger, garam masala, chile powder, fennel, turmeric, star anise and cumin. The beef finishes cooking on top of the rice, which is then fluffed and served.

Recipe: Beef Biryani With Cumin Raita

An overhead view of a spiced ground beef, raisin and walnut mixture over a thick white yogurt dip, garnished with mint leaves, served with pita bread. — Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Ready in: 25 minutes

This recipe from Zaynab Issa is one of those unicorn dishes that everyone in my family gets excited about. Ground beef — seasoned with turmeric, onion, salt and pepper — gets hard-seared on one side and then combined with walnuts and raisins. Pile it atop a bed of cucumber yogurt and serve with big chunks of pita for swiping through.

Recipe: Smashed Beef Kebab With Cucumber Yogurt

Three sloppy Joe sandwiches are arranged on a wooden tray with a glass of beer; a black cast-iron skillet containing the brown-red meat mixture sits on the left. — Credit…Romulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui

Ready in: 20 minutes

All hail the mighty sloppy Joes, a 1980s school cafeteria favorite. This one from Marian Burros is as classic as can be, made with tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, a touch of molasses and the surprising addition of orange zest. Serve them with Tater Tots, obviously.

Recipe: Classic Sloppy Joes

A close-up, overhead view of two bowls filled with maccheroni pasta tubes coated in a rich, reddish-orange sauce and ground beef; the bowl on the right has a silver fork resting on the side. — Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Ready in: 35 minutes

If anyone can make a weeknight Bolognese taste as if it’s been simmering for hours, when it’s really only been 35 minutes, it’s Genevieve Ko. The secret? Red curry paste, which gives it a little kick and a lot of depth.

Recipe: Spicy, Creamy Weeknight Bolognese

An overhead view of three dark brown meatballs topped with green onions, resting on a bed of white rice with a brown sauce; a pair of metal chopsticks lies across the speckled ceramic bowl. — Credit…Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Ready in: 20 minutes

Kay Chun certainly knows her way around a meatball. Every single one of her meatball recipes is a tried-and-true favorite in our house, and this savory-sweet, Korean-inspired version is one of the best. Take her advice and use Ritz crackers instead of bread crumbs, and you’ll be delighted by the pillowy tenderness.

Recipe: Korean BBQ-Style Meatballs

An overhead view of a large pot of cheesy beef and elbow macaroni, with a wooden spoon, alongside a single white bowl of the same dish with a fork inserted. — Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Ready in: 1 hour 15 minutes

When I was in college, a “fancy dinner” looked like sharing a big skillet of Hamburger Helper with my roommate while watching “The Young and the Restless.” The dish was absolutely delicious, but Priya Krishna’s version — which she adapted from Mark Rosati, the culinary director of Shake Shack — is a big, spicy upgrade we would have devoured with equal gusto.

Recipe: Homemade Hamburger Helper

An overhead close-up of baked stuffed peppers, including five yellow and three red halves, filled with a brown meat mixture and covered with bubbly melted white cheese and green parsley. — Credit…Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Carrie Purcell.

Ready in: 1 hour 15 minutes

In Lidey Heuck’s riff on the classic that never gets old, ground beef (or pork, chicken or turkey) is combined with tomatoes, onions, oregano and leftover rice and then stuffed into bell pepper halves, topped with mozzarella and baked until fork-tender.

Recipe: Stuffed Peppers

An overhead close-up of a beige plate featuring five dark, glazed meatballs and white rice on the left, and a fresh green salad with pink radishes, yellow tomatoes, and a brown dressing on the right. — Credit…Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Ready in: 25 minutes

These mash-up meatballs from Ifrah F. Ahmed are not at all traditional, but I mean that in the best possible way. Parmesan and berbere seasoning, the fenugreek-and-chile spice mix used in Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisines, give them a hit of umami and heat.

Recipe: Berbere Meatballs

An overhead shot of a white Dutch oven filled with a thick, reddish-brown soup containing chunks of ground beef, peas, corn, carrots, potatoes, and celery; a silver ladle rests inside the pot. — Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Ready in: 45 minutes

I make this soup from Melissa Knific at least once a month with the dregs of my freezer and refrigerator, and it never disappoints. It’s belly-warming and wholesome — exactly what I want to eat when I can smell snow in the air.

Recipe: Hamburger Soup

An overhead view of a dinner plate with bold red and white stripes holding a Salisbury steak covered in thick mushroom gravy, a pile of creamy mashed potatoes, and blanched green broccolini. — Credit…Chris Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop Stylist: Sophia Eleni Pappas.

Ready in: 35 minutes

Eric Kim revives another school cafeteria classic: Salisbury steak. Not really a steak at all, but patties of ground beef that have been mixed with Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, bread crumbs and egg and then flattened and browned in a skillet and topped with a mushroom-onion gravy. Serve over mashed potatoes for the ideal comfort meal.

Recipe: Salisbury Steak

An overhead view of a white baking dish containing a savory shepherd’s pie; the bright orange sweet potato topping, sprinkled with parsley, is scooped away to reveal a brown, saucy ground beef and chickpea filling. — Credit…Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.

Ready in: About 1 hour and 15 minutes

“This is one of those recipes where when we took our first bite, my husband and I just looked at each other with wide eyes. It is SO delicious!” wrote a reader about Lidey Heuck’s Morrocan-inspired shepherd’s pie, in which a savory-sweet filling of ground lamb, chickpeas, dates, cumin and smoked paprika is topped with mashed sweet potatoes.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

A creamy white and tan ceramic bowl holds a bright reddish-orange soup with shredded cabbage, ground beef, rice, and tomatoes, garnished with chopped green parsley; a spoon rests in the bowl. — Credit…Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.

Ready in: 35 minutes

This recipe from Carolina Gelen takes all the ingredients of a cabbage roll — meat, rice, cabbage — and turns them into a warming weeknight meal. As a shortcut, she calls for using store-bought sauerkraut, which adds dimension and tang, but you can also use fresh cabbage and a touch of vinegar to get similar results.

Recipe: One-Pot Cabbage Roll Soup

Two ceramic bowls of light brown broth, featuring ground beef, floating egg ribbons, white tofu cubes, brown mushrooms, and fresh green cilantro; two silver spoons rest beside the bowl on the right. — Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Brett Regot.

Ready in: 20 minutes

This quick, protein-rich traditional Chinese soup from Cybelle Tondu features ground beef, egg whites, mushrooms and tofu in a warming gingery broth. It is comfort in a bowl.

Recipe: West Lake Beef Soup

A white plate holds a generous portion of white rice next to a reddish-brown mixture of ground beef and chickpeas, with a sprinkle of green parsley; a silver fork rests on the right. — Credit…Craig Lee for The New York Times

Ready in: 30 minutes

A reader favorite from Mark Bittman with more than 4,000 reviews, this is the kind of dish you can throw together in a snap. Just brown the ground beef, season with cumin, garlic and chile, and then toss in some chickpeas and cook until they pop and split apart. Serve over rice and be very pleased with yourself.

Recipe: Crispy Chickpeas With Beef

Three flattened tortilla wraps, one whole and two cut in half and stacked, reveal a cross-section of spiced ground beef, orange queso sauce, lettuce and pico de gallo inside a golden-brown tortilla. — Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Brett Regot.

Ready in: 45 minutes

Pick up a package of those really big flour tortillas and make a Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme at home, using this recipe from Alexa Weibel as a guide. Folding them up like little presents is almost as fun as eating them.

Recipe: Crunchy Queso Wrap

An overhead view of a light gray plate holding three tacos filled with a dark green ground beef mixture, pepitas, avocado slices and sour cream; a bowl of jalapeños and lime wedges sit nearby. — Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Ready in: 45 minutes

This recipe from Paola Briseño-González takes inspiration from chorizo verde, which is a green chorizo popular in Central Mexico. Here, ground beef stands in for pork, and a combination of roasted poblano chiles, herbs and spinach gives it a vibrant green hue. Stir the beef filling into crispy potatoes for classic chorizo con papas or tuck it into quesadillas.

Recipe: Chorizo Verde Tacos

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