Skip to Content

25 Easy Hamburger Meat Recipes

Ground beef has to be a contender for one of the most versatile proteins and even better, it’s affordable and delicious. For such a versatile ingredient, it can be easy to find yourself stuck in a culinary rut with ideas for what dishes to create with it.

25 Easy Hamburger Recipe Ideas

To inspire your creativity and to demonstrate its versatility, we’ve pulled together 25 of our favorite hamburger meat recipes for you to come back to for inspiration.

We can’t promise that there will be any leftovers, but we can promise comforting and filling dishes!

1. Ground Beef Casserole

An easy one-pot dish that feeds a crowd and means less washing up for us? We’re all about this ground beef casserole for its simplicity and comforting nature.

Pasta, lots of shredded cheddar cheese, and ground beef come together to make this simple hamburger casserole.

And while we love it for its simplicity, you could also make it go further and add in some Tex-Mex flavors by adding in beans of your choice, Tex-Mex seasoning, and some jalapenos.

2. Best Hamburger Patty

What to make with hamburger meat? It might not be original, but an answer to hamburger meat is really the best one as it’s a classic, crowd-pleasing dish as old as time.

However, as most of us usually opt for the pre-made variety, this patty recipe is sure to become a regular featuring recipe within your kitchen.

From kitchen to table within 30 minutes, these patties are easy, delicious, and ridiculously simple. The secret ingredient is Worcestershire sauce which adds a delicious savory kick.

3. Country Hamburger Skillet Dinner

The humble skillet was made for ground beef, right?

This recipe really gives the famed saying that the best things in life are a simple real credit.

With just four main ingredients (hamburger meat, onions, potatoes, and cheese) and a few additional seasonings,

This recipe is one of the most affordable and simple hamburger dinner ideas out there and one that is best served with a couple of slices of fresh bread to mop up the juices.

4. Steak and Mushroom Gravy

We all know that steak, regardless of the cut, is not an affordable option for most of us out there and so this ‘steak’ made up of hamburger meat is economical, juicy and the end result of mixing ground beef with eggs and cream and shaped into patties and fried is much greater than the sum of its parts.

The mushroom gravy makes use of all of the delicious juices collected in the bottom of the pan and the secret ingredient of a splash of whisky really brings the sauce to life and helps to cut through the richness.

5. Slow Cooker Hamburger Hash

When we think of home comforts, we think of meat and potatoes and so this slow cooker one-pot dish made up of tender potatoes, hamburger meat, corn, cheese, and a creamy mushroom sauce, gives us all the comfort, but without the effort (or the washing up).

This is a great hamburger casserole recipe idea and we love the creamy mushroom sauce, but if you’re wanting a richer gravy, we would recommend substituting it with red wine for that sweet and rich depth of flavor.

6. Easy Keto Hamburger Broccoli Casserole

This is a great keto hamburger meat recipe as it’s low on carbs but intense in flavor.

It also happens to be really quick to make and so is the perfect recipe for when you’re short on time and budget.

The beef broth, cream cheese, and Italian seasoning really intensify the flavors but if you aren’t following a keto diet and would like to add in the carbs, we suggest adding in some rice to soak up the creamy broth.

7. Easy Hamburger Casserole

When you’re lacking in time and energy, the words ‘easy’ and ‘casserole’ are music to your ears, aren’t they?

This recipe calls for just 5 ingredients, so we weren’t exaggerating when we called this recipe easy!

Mozzarella, ground beef, 2 cans of tomato soup, and pasta shells come together to create this easy hamburger casserole recipe that is sure to become a favorite around your dinner table.

The idea of curling up on the sofa and eating this straight from the dish sounds appealing to us but if you’re wanting to inject a bit of color, a crisp green salad would work perfectly on the side.

8. Pressure Cooker Hamburger Stroganoff

One dish to clean and a dish that is ready in just 8 minutes?

For a weeknight dinner, this is the perfect thing to do with hamburger meat as it’s easy, filling, and packed with flavor.

The recipe just requires you to add minced onion, garlic, ground beef, a can of cream of mushroom soup, flour, beef broth, egg noodles, and sour cream to a pressure cooker for 8 minutes.

This recipe is delicious as it is, however, we would recommend adding in 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika as this is traditionally added to stroganoff!

9. Cheeseburger Sliders

These fun appetizers are everything we want from a slider – juicy, cheesy, and beefy.

They’re great for gatherings as they can be prepped in advance and so take all the stress out of hosting while still managing to deliver food that will leave your guests satisfied.

To make them more of a meal, we’d recommend serving two or three of these sliders with homemade baked wedges, homemade slaw, and a cold beer for the adults.

10. Hamburger Hash

If this recipe sounds as though it’s ridiculously simple, it’s because it is.

They’re the best dishes after all, right? Grated potatoes, ground beef, and just a few simple seasonings come together to create this comforting family favorite that’s ready in just under 30 minutes.

To make this even heartier, we think additions of vegetables such as bell peppers, mushrooms, or zucchini would work well as they add a nice textural crunch while adding in extra nutrition.

11. Southwestern Beef and Rice Skillet

This is another easy and simple hamburger dinner idea as it can be made in one pan and is really adaptable.

The recipe calls for diced green bell peppers, tinned tomatoes, cumin, and jalapeno peppers to kick up the flavor, but we find that adding in some powdered Mexican-style seasoning blend really amps the flavor up even more so.

The rice makes this filling, however, if you want to double up on the carbs (us, always), try dipping into this with tortilla chips.

12. Cheesy Hamburger Pie

This is a great weeknight hamburger meat recipe as the ‘pastry’ topping of the pie isn’t labor-intensive and is actually made up of a crust made with Bisquick, milk, eggs, and cheese.

All that’s left for you to do is to brown the ground beef with the seasonings and layer the crust mixture over the beefy ground hamburger mixture and bake until set, golden and crusty.

If you wanted to transform this into a keto-compliant meal, just skip using the Bisquick and you’ll still be left with a set, golden topping.

13. Easy Hamburger Soup

One of the best ways of making a meal go a little further and using up leftovers is soup, and this variation made with lean beef, vegetables, and potatoes are just as budget-friendly as it is time friendly.

Even better, it freezes well and so a delicious meal is always on hand for when you’re short on time.

To make this recipe even more time-efficient and economical, try using readily prepared frozen vegetables to save on time slicing, dicing, and preparing.

14. Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Admittedly, this soup is a lot heartier, rich, and calorific than the aforementioned soup however, it’s a great option for those following a keto diet as it’s high in fat but low on the carbohydrate front with ingredients such as shredded cheddar cheese, ground beef, bacon bits and cream of bacon soup to thicken.

It’s hearty, gooey, decadent, and can be whipped up in less than 15 minutes, making it a great recipe for those evenings where you want something comforting but doesn’t want to spend all night standing over the cooker.

15. Easy Ground Beef Stroganoff

If you’re looking for a satisfying, comforting, and simple to make the recipe to use up your leftover hamburger meat, this speedy stroganoff meets all the mentioned criteria and is ready in just under thirty minutes.

Stroganoff is traditionally made with steak and so while this recipe isn’t wholly authentic, it’s a more affordable yet just as delicious alternative.

The recipe calls for this to be served with egg noodles however you could serve with mashed potatoes or rice if you would prefer.

16. Hamburger Gravy

Biscuits and homemade gravy are what home comfort dreams are made of, and this simple hamburger gravy made with the usual suspects such as milk, onion, garlic, and beef broth

The addition of chopped porcini mushrooms would add even more depth of flavor here and while it’s perfectly served with homemade, crumbly biscuits, it would work just as well served on creamy mashed potatoes, too.

17. Homemade Hamburgers

It may seem too obvious to include a hamburger recipe here but we’re of the opinion that too many hamburger patties are lacking in flavor and dry and so this recipe, offering tips and suggestions for how to elevate the humble ground beef mince into a juicy, flavor-packed and moreish burger.

The egg yolk is the secret and most integral ingredient here as it adds additional fat and binds the hamburger meat together, ensuring it’s succulent and holds together well.

18. Tomato Hamburger Vegetable Soup

Dare we say it – this soup is like an amped-up version of minestrone.

It utilizes frozen mixed vegetables for convenience and seasonings of Worcestershire sauce, dried parsley, dried basil, garlic, and beef broth inject so much savory, umami flavor that you’ll easily (and gladly) use up an excessive amount of bread to mop up the broth.

To make this even more convenient, we would recommend using a slow cooker here as it also intensifies the flavor.

19. Homemade Hamburger Helper

We can’t believe we’ve made it nineteen posts in without including a pasta bake hamburger recipe.

We’re pretty confident that this will become a firm favorite in your family that’s revisited time and time again.

The sauce, made up of tomatoes, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, garlic, heavy cream, and onion is seriously delicious and while it’s the most delicious when steaming and fresh from the oven, it also freezes well and is a great one to have stocked in the freezer for when you’re low on energy.

20. Amish Country Poor Man’s Hamburger Steaks

We’re no stranger to the notion that the most economical dishes are often the most delicious and so these gravy-soaked steaks made from ground hamburger meat and various seasonings are packed with flavor, simple, and a credit to how fulfilling and comforting classic Amish Country recipes are.

This is an incredibly rich meal and so we would recommend serving this with lots of freshly chopped parsley and green vegetables on the side.

21. Hamburger and Zucchini Skillet

Personally, we can never have enough one-pot easy, throw-together dinner meal ideas and so here’s another one.

The combination of brown rice, beef, green peppers, cheese, and zucchini is like a hug in a dish and perfect for weeknight dinners as it’s ready in under 30 minutes.

You can easily customize this by switching the veggies up, depending on what you have to hand in your fridge.
Whatever you choose to use, this is a light yet comforting recipe to make with hamburger meat.

22. Philly Cheesesteak Hamburger Helper

We like to think of this as a more sophisticated version of the beloved and humble Philly Cheesesteak.

The bread bun is switched out for pasta and while any pasta shape you have to hand will use, the macaroni pasta shells, provolone, and shredded mozzarella cheese this recipe calls for makes this feel like a beefed-up (quite literally) version of the mac ‘n’ cheese we all know and love from our childhoods.

What’s not to love?

23. Air Fryer Hamburgers

Frying burgers can be a messy (and dare we say – smelly) business, so cooking these burger patties in the air fryer that this recipe suggests is a great way of getting the flavor of a great hamburger, without the hassle.

The secret ingredient here is the barbeque sauce, which is lightly brushed over the patties as this caramelizes and chars slightly in the air fryer and helps with that sweet, crusty, and smoky exterior.

24. Cheeseburger Macaroni

This recipe will surely result in you ditching the instant mac ‘n’ cheese box when you see how easy it is to make this delicious, cheesy macaroni hamburger dinner recipe.

To make it even more reminiscent of a hamburger helper, we would recommend adding in a couple of tablespoons of ketchup for that sweet, tangy element to cut through the richness of the cheese sauce.

Our top tip with this is that if you’re freezing and then reheating, add in a dash of milk or water to loosen that velvety, rich sauce.

25. Easy Cheeseburger Pie

This hamburger dinner recipe is almost impossibly easy!

Easy, cheesy, quick to make, and requires just six ingredients, this really is a humble pie and is one of Betty Crocker’s most well-loved and shared recipes on Pinterest.

It’s one you’re guaranteed to come back to time and time again and is great served at dinner with herby wedges and slaw or at lunch with a crisp green salad dressed with balsamic vinegar to cut through the richness of the pie.

Skip to Recipe