What To Cook With Ground Beef?

Ground beef is such a versatile cut of beef and as a consequence has hundreds of dishes which can cooked with this amazing ingredient. So you have some ground beef and are wondering what to cook with it. Take a look at our Ground Mince Beef category for further recipe ideas but in this article I am going to be focusing upon the classic Sloppy Joes recipe which is a great simple and quick idea to feed your family and most importantly, they will love it!

Sloppy Joes is an old dish and having its roots in the American mid west. The term ‘sloppy’ relates to the fact that the filling would slop out of a sandwich or bun whilst eating, but hey, that’s what the dish is all about. Regardless of whether it all stays in the sandwich or bun one thing is clear, all of it will be eaten!

Ground Beef Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

1lb (450g) of lean ground minced beef

1 x Medium onion sliced

1/2 Chopped red or yellow pepper (about 40grams or so)

1 x Garlic clove crushed

1 x Tsp of mustard

1/2 Cup of tomato ketchup

1/4 Cup of BBQ ketchup

*Optional 1Tsp of chilli powder*

Method

1. Place the ground mince into a heavy based frying pan or skillet and brown for 2 minutes.

2. Add the onion, pepper and garlic continuing to brown until the peppers are soften and mince cooked through.

3. Add the mustard and ketchup and mix throughly (check the seasoning and add salt pepper if required) and reduce to a very low heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve in a fresh, soft and lightly toasted burger bun and watch it go! One of the tastiest and simplest ground beef recipes you and your family will eat again and again! Enjoy your cooking.

What Can I Make With Ground Beef?

Ground beef is such a versatile meat that it can be used in hundreds of different dishes using a diversity of ingredients but what can you actually make with ground beef which is easy, straight forward and simple to cook?

Firstly check out our Ground Beef Mince category to view some ground beef recipes including my personal favourite, easiest beef mince recipe.

If you are stuck for ideas what to cook with your ground beef mince then a classic dish using this ingredient which should be in the armoury of every mom/chef is of course classic Chili Con Carne and below you will find my twist on this classic ground beef recipe.

Ground Beef Chili Ingredients

1 x tablespoon of oil
1 x large chopped onion
1 x chopped red pepper
2 x garlic cloves , crushed/chopped or minced
1 x teaspoon of chili powder (mild or hot it’s up to you!)
1 x teaspoon of paprika
1 x teaspoon of ground cumin
500g lean ground minced beef
1 x beef bouillon cube crushed
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
Half a teaspoon of dried marjoram
1 x teaspoon of sugar
2 x Tablespoons of tomato puree
1 x 410g can red kidney beans

Can of soured cream for serving and plain boiled long grain (basmati) rice.

How to cook the perfect Chili Con Carne

1. Fry the onion in the oil over a medium to high heat until the onion is soft and translucent.

2. Add the chopped red pepper, chilli, paprika and cumin and cook for a further 5 minutes stirring.

3. Using your fingers, break up the ground beef mince into fine pieces before adding to the pan (good idea to turn up the high to high just before adding the mince) and cook for around 5 minutes until the mince is cooked through and browned.

4. Make up your sauce by placing the bouillon cube into half a pint of boiled water and stir until dissolved and add to the pan.

5. Add the chopped tomatoes, marjoram, salt and pepper, 2 tablespoons of tomato puree and the sugar.

6. Cover and bring the pan up to the boil and lower to a simmer for around 20 minutes. Check on the pan frequently over the 20 minutes stiring and ensuring that their is plenty of liquid (if it is drying out simply add a couple of tablespoons of water).

7. Empty the can of beans into a sieve and rinse thoroughly with water and add to the pan, bring up the heat to the boil once more and lower again simmering for another 10 minutes. This is a good time to taste your chili and add more seasoning if required.

8. After the final 10 minutes, give the chilli a stir and replace the lid to let it settle for 5 to 10 minutes before serving with your freshly cooked rice and enjoy.

So, here is the one of the best and tastiest ground beef recipes which I hope you and your family enjoy – it just goes to illustrate what you can make with ground beef!

Easy Recipes For Ground Beef

One of the most popular and easy recipes for ground beef mince is one of my own creations and without doubt one of the simplest ground beef recipe quick and easy methods of cooking this most versitile of beef cuts. A simple ground beef recipe and extremely tasty with onions and seasoning it could be considered a large beefburger cooked in the oven but is a great quick and inexpensive meal for you and your family. Served with home made chips and peas this is a recipe which all your family with love.

Towards the end of the cooking time you may notice that the top of your ground mince has blackened somewhat, do not worry this is an effect of the eggs and seasoning combined with the natural fats rising to the top of the mince. Better still, the top becomes crispy and makes the dish unique, so slightly crisp on the top is a good thing!

Ingredients

450g/1lb ground mince beef

2 x Oxo Cube/Knorrs seasoning cubes

2 x Fresh eggs

1 x Large Onion Sliced & Diced (small)

Tomatoes or Mushrooms to Garnish

Best Ground Beef Recipes

1. Prepare a large onion – cut into small pieces by slicing the onion thinly and then dicing into as small chunks as possible (you do not want to have large thick chunks given they will have trouble binding with the ground mince beef.

2. Place the diced onions into a large bowl with 450g (1lb) of mince beef – this is sufficient to feed around 3-4 hungry people.

3. Break two fresh eggs into the bowl with the onion and beef mince.

4. Crumble 2 Oxo Cubes or Knorrs seasoning cubes into the bowl.

5. Mix all ingredients together thoroughly.

6. Spoon out the mince beef mixture into an appropriately sized glass or ceramic dish – you are looking for the layer of mince to be around 2-3″ deep so place into a bowl which gives you this depth.

7. Finish the mince with either sliced tomatoes or mushrooms completely covering the top of the mince with either (or both if you prefer, although sliced tomatoes tend to caramelise which makes for a lovely topping!)

8. Place the dish into a preheated oven at 200 degrees or 180 degrees if using a fan assisted oven and cook for 45 minutes.

Whilst the mince is cooking why not part boil some potatoes sliced as chips for 5 minutes in boiling water. Drain, and leave to cool for 5 minutes then place on a baking tray with some frylite (oil spray) generously sprayed over the soon to be crispy chips and baked in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn after 15 minutes and give another generous spray of frylite and cook for a further 15 minutes until golden.

If you are stuck with ideas around what to cook with beef mince, this is a  really simple yet easy recipes for ground beef which will quickly become a family favorite. The additional of homemade chips makes this a great meal which is free from any artificial ingredients and is made by you in it’s entirety.

I have received some enquires around what are the best knives to use in the kitchen particularly for cutting beef precisely. I purchase my butchery knives from our local Victorinox dealer and would not use any other manufacturer (virtually all my colleagues also use Victorinox knives). They will last many years and retain their edge and handle perfectly. You can purchase the Victorinox 7-Inch Granton Edge Santoku Knife here and a superb sharpening steel the Diamond Machining Technology Ceramic Steel is also worth investing in (a steel will last you a lifetime, you will ever only need one!).