This easy ground beef and potatoes recipe is honestly barely a recipe! It’s such a simple, hearty one-pan meal that fills hungry people (teenage boys, in my case) up fast and cheaply. I made it in an act of desperation trying to fill my boy's (who truly love “meat and potatoes” meals) bodies up fast. Now this simple combo of ground hamburger and potatoes is a go-to weeknight dinner. Topped with cheese, it’s simple, quick and pretty healthy.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Ground beef: I use 90/10 (meaning 90% lean) ground beef, because I find that the 80/20 blend (like I’d use for hamburgers) releases too much fat and results in a greasy dinner.
- Potatoes: Starchy russet potatoes work best in this dish, but if all you’ve got is a waxy potato (like Yukon Golds) it is OK to use those.
- Onions & garlic
- Bell pepper: I call for green peppers because I usually have them, but any color bell pepper is fine to use.
- Spices: Smoked paprika, oregano, onion powder
- Tomato paste: Beef is a great source of savory flavor, and tomato paste boosts it even more!
- Dijon mustard: Just a hint of sharpness. It’s OK to use a different mustard if that’s all you have, but Dijon is my favorite.
- Worcestershire sauce: Don’t cook beef without it!
- Cheddar cheese: Just a little cheese on top makes this one-pan dinner extra inviting!
Ground Beef and Potatoes in 5 Steps
- Sauté the beef, onion, garlic, and pepper for about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the potatoes, seasonings and stock.
- Simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Top with cheese.
- Cover until the cheese melts. Eat up!
Variations
- Spice it up: I always serve this ground beef dinner with hot sauce (we’re a hot sauce family) but you can up the spice even more by mixing in a diced jalapeno with the bell peppers and onions mixture.
- Make it dairy-free: I love what the cheese adds, but you could make it without cheese or with a dairy-free alternative.
- Use water instead of chicken stock if you don’t have it.
Tips For Success
- Keep a close eye on the potatoes, you really want them to be totally cooked through and almost pillowy.
- If the pan dries out too quickly while you simmer the meat and potatoes, add more stock or water.
- OR, if there is too much liquid, just keep simmering until the meat and potatoes dry out a bit. This recipe is extremely forgiving!
- This is my favorite skillet to make this in, but any big skillet that you love will work well. Just make sure it has a lid that fits for covering it at the end.
More Ground Beef Ideas
If you have a pound of ground beef, you’re half way to dinner! Lean ground beef (usually a 90/10 mix) is always in my freezer so that I can make all the easy ground beef dinners that fill our family up so reliably. Whether it’s homemade hamburger helper, Japanese-inspired gingery ground beef rice bowl, or simple South American picadillo, a pound of ground beef can go so far.
Storing Leftovers + Meal Prep
I usually make this and serve it right away, because it’s a quick-and-easy “let’s see what we have” meal for me. But you can also totally meal prep it on the weekend and store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. It reheats really well if you dump it in a skillet over medium low heat and stir it gently until it is warmed through.
4 Favorite Ways To Use Ground Beef
Need To Feed Those Hungry Hoards?
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