15 Ground Beef Skillet Recipes That Save My Weeknights

One skillet and one package of ground beefin 45 minutes or less.

By
Devan Grimsrud
Devan Grimsrud
Devan Grimsrud

Devan Grimsrud is a Berlin-based writereditorand recipe developer originally from MinneapolisMinnesota. After working in television production with James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Zimmernshe relocated to Berlin and became the managing editor at Kitchen Storiesan international digital cooking platform with millions of active users. 

Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Updated July 312025
Devan Grimsrud
homemade hamburger helper in a skillet at a table setting with two glasses of soda and a side salad

Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Lindsey Lower

As a person who cooks and develops recipes for a livingmany people in my life assume that everything I make must be complex—a multi-componentmany-ingredient dish that's swooped and sauced up like a Michelin-starred restaurant. I don't know how they get these ideasbut if I had a dollar for every time I've nearly choked with laughter at an assumption like thiswellI'd have some extra cash on hand.

That's becausewhen I'm not developing a specific recipe (most of which are geared towards home cooksnot restaurant chefs)I eat relatively simply. In factI love a one-pan-pot-skillet dinner as much as anyoneand rely on them often during busy or just plain lazy weeks. And many of my favorite one-pan dinners start with one of the quickest cookingmost reliable proteins: ground beef.

So when I tell you that the recipes below are all made in under 45 minutes with a base of ground beef and a single skillet (or pan)you can rest assured that this list isn't just useful for youbut for me as well! Save your favorites for a rainy weekdayyou'll be glad you did.

Join MyRecipes to savesearch and sort recipes all in one place! To start savingclick on a recipe belowthen tap the heart 🩷 icon.

  • Cheesy Hamburger Pasta Skillet

    A top view of a skillet with the Cheesy Hamburger Skillet Recipe

    Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

    "Lean ground beefsuch as ground sirloinworks really well here because of its beefy flavor. Plus the cheese and cream bring enough richness to this skillet. You can use ground turkey or chicken; I’ve even subbed bulk Italian sausage in a pinch."—Meghan SplawnRecipe Developer

  • Ratatouille Ground Beef Skillet

    A skillet containing a cooked dish of diced vegetables and ground beefgarnished with fresh basil

    Simply Recipes / Coco Morante

    "I go with 90% lean ground beef for this dish—there’s no need to drain off any excess greaseand you can still add plenty of olive oiltoo."—Coco MoranteRecipe Developer

  • Cheesy Baked Taco Skillet

    Cheesy Baked Taco Skillet with toppings on the side

    Simply Recipes / Sara Haas

    "This dinner is the main dish and sides put togetherso why not go big? If you have cooked leftover vegetables or even a bag of frozen vegetablesstir them in when you add the rice. If you’re using frozen veggiescook them for a few minutes longer to thaw and cook off some of the liquid."—Sara HaasRecipe Developer

  • Unstuffed Peppers

    spoonful of unstuffed pepper lifted from skillet with more

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Lindsey Lower

    "This recipe has all the flavors of classic stuffed peppers—ground beefricetomatoand cheese—without the need to hollow out and pre-cook the whole peppersstuff each cavityand bake. In factthese unstuffed peppers are ready in just 30 minutes flat."—Laurel RandolphAssociate Editorial Director

    Continue to 5 of 15 below

  • Sloppy Joe Skillet Dinner

    overhead view of Sloppy Joe Skillet Dinner

    Simply Recipes / Coco Morante

    "My family enjoys this skillet dinner topped with the same things we like on our sloppy Joe sandwiches: sliced pickles for the kiddosplus sliced onions and pickled jalapeños for the grownups. You can also add a little fresh chopped parsley if you have it on hand. For crunchtry sprinkling on some fried onions."—Coco MoranteRecipe Developer

  • Easy Taco Casserole

    easy taco casserol in a pot at a table setting with bowls of toppingschips on a platterand a bottle of beer

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Lindsey Lower

    "For this recipeit's important to use sturdythick- tortilla chips and not restaurant- chips. I like the GreenWise brand."—Laurel RandolphAssociate Editorial Director

  • One-Pan Beef and Chickpeas

    overhead view of 20-Minute One-Pan Beef and Chickpeas in a skillet with a side of greek yogurt and rice

    Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

    "This dish is heavily inspired by keema cholewhich originates in the Indian subcontinent and is particularly popular in PakistanNorth Indiaand Bangladesh. Keema chole is a mix of ground meat and chickpeasoften with oniontomatogarlicgingerand spices."—Devan GrimsrudRecipe Developer

  • Easy Beef Krapow

    Beef Krapow in two bowls

    Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

    "This recipe calls for Thai basilwhich has a minty floral aroma that is very distinctively delicious and iconic to this dish. If you cannot find it at your local Asian supermarketfeel free to use sweet basil since it is more readily available."—Frank TiuRecipe Developer

    Continue to 9 of 15 below

  • Homemade Hamburger Helper

    homemade hamburger helper in a skillet at a table setting with two glasses of soda and a side salad

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Lindsey Lower

    "If you want to add some vegetables to up the nutritional valuetry diced bell peppers or tomatoes along with the onionor toss in handfuls of fresh spinach or frozen peas at the end."—Laurel RandolphAssociate Editorial Director

  • Dolma and Ground Beef Skillet

    A skillet with dolmas cooked in tomato sauce and ground beefserved with pita bread and yogurt

    Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

    "This dinner tastes like it took hours to make thanks to the rich flavor of the ground beef combined with the tang of the dolmasbut from start to finish you’ll need less than 30 minutes to get this hearty main on the table."—Megan ScottFormer Senior Editor

  • Ground Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

    Ground beef and broccoli stir fry over rice in a bowl at a table setting with a glass of watera bowl of sliced scallionsand a bowl of sesame seeds

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Lindsey Lower

    "For an extra fast mealbuy packaged broccoli florets from the bagged produce section of the grocery store."—Laurel RandolphAssociate Editorial Director

  • Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

    Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

    Nick Evans / Simply Recipes

    "Brown lean ground beefchopped onionsbell peppers with a quick sauce of ketchup, Worcestershire sauceand beef stock. Fold in pieces of provolone into the warm sauce creating a gooeycheesymeaty concoction to stuff into toasted brioche bunsand you’ve got a quick tasty dinner made in one skillet."—Nick EvansRecipe Developer

    Continue to 13 of 15 below

  • 4-Ingredient Enchilada Skillet

    Beef enchilada skillet topped with melted cheesechopped tomatoesand jalapenos

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Julia Gartland / Food Styling by Samantha Seneviratne

    "Be sure to drain the grease after cooking the ground beef. If there’s excess grease in the panthen the enchilada sauce won’t mix in properly."—Jessica FurnissRecipe Developer

  • Salisbury Ground Beef

    salisbury ground beef with a side of green beans on a plate

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Lindsey Lower

    "Serve this Salisbury ground beef over freshly cooked tagliatellepappardelleor egg noodles for a weeknight dinner you’ll want to make again and again."—Laurel RandolphAssociate Editorial Director

  • Egg Roll in a Bowl

    Overhead view of a bowl of egg roll in a bowl next to two forks and bowl of sliced green onions

    Simply Recipes / Jessica Furniss

    "Add half a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil and half a teaspoon of rice wine vinegar with the soy sauce to enhance the egg roll flavors."—Jessica FurnissRecipe Developer

Explore More: