Easy Weeknight Dinners: Ground Beef 3 Ways

Ready for a week of stress-free meals? Dinner doesn’t need to be difficult, even with a packed schedule. The key to getting delicious and nutritious meals on the table in a hurry is meal planning. By prepping a protein ahead of time and building meals around it, you can finally ditch the drive-thru.

Ground beef is one of those proteins that’s always a meal planning win. It’s easy to make, crowd-pleasing and versatile. With so many delicious ground beef dinner ideas to choose from, the only problem you’ll have is deciding which one to serve.

Quick and Easy Ground Beef Dinner Ideas

The key to a successful meal plan is to choose something that can be repurposed throughout the week, and there are many ground beef recipes that can be made with just a few additional ingredients. Cooked ground beef will last around 4 days if refrigerated in an airtight container. This can make meals even easier.

First, cook the ground beef to use in simple, quick meals like these ground beef tacos. Load the taco shells full of the freshly made ground beef and store the rest of the beef to use later in the week. For the quickest dinner ideas, try to use the leftover ground beef in recipes where it can be reheated, like this stuffed pepper recipe or this ground beef and vegetable stew. For on-the-go options, try making burritos ahead of time and freezing them, or make fun walking tacos to take in the car.

Successful Meal Planning

Meal planning with ground beef is a great way to enjoy low-stress weeknight meals, but knowing where to start can be a bit tricky. Here are some helpful tips that might make planning your ground beef meals easier.

Consider the Food Groups

When feeding your family, or even just yourself, it’s always good to make sure your meals are as nutritious as possible. Plan meals around recipes that pack in protein like ground beef, plus vegetables, carbs and healthy fats. You can use this as a starting point to continue your planning.

Shop at Home

A budget-friendly way to plan your week starts with shopping your own pantry. What grains do you have on hand? Are there any frozen vegetables lurking in the back of your freezer? These can be helpful starting points when creating your ground beef menu.

Find the Right Recipe

Remember, you’re planning a menu for the week to make life easier. Consider your schedule. What days are the busiest? Are there days when you work late and will be less likely to want to cook? Make sure your ground beef recipes on these nights are as simple and fast as possible. Bonus points for food that can be eaten on the go.

Prep for Success

Wash and cut your produce ahead of time and store it in the fridge where it will be ready for you when you need it. Cook protein (like ground beef) and grains ahead of time so that you can warm them up quickly.

Meal prepping can be a busy family’s best friend. Using ground beef recipes to plan your weekly meal prep can ensure that you have a week of delicious, simple meals for those busy weeknights. To make meal planning easier, download our printable weekly meal planner.

Ready for more? Visit our blog for more meal planning ideas and delicious recipes.