Beef is the dinner that gets eaten. Ground beef stretches into skillets, casseroles and meatballs for a few dollars a serving, and a chuck roast turns into Sunday dinner with almost no attention. Either way, nobody at the table pushes it around the plate.
These 15 beef dinner recipes are every beef recipe on Sip Savor Mix, grouped by cut and method. The ground beef recipes are mostly weeknight fast. The roasts and braises take hours, but nearly all of that time is hands off, and several of them cook in the slow cooker while you are at work.
Each entry lists the real total time from the recipe card and how many it serves. Two temperatures matter here. Ground beef is done at 160°F. Roasts and braises go far past that, to the point where the meat pulls apart with a fork, which usually means 200°F or more.
Ground beef skillets and one pot dinners
These are the 35 to 40 minute dinners. Brown the beef in a single layer and leave it alone for the first few minutes so it develops color instead of steaming. Eighty five percent lean is the right choice, with enough fat for flavor and not so much that you have to drain a puddle.
Cheeseburger Skillet
Ground beef, elbow macaroni and a tangy sauce of ketchup, mustard and Worcestershire cook together in one pan, then sharp cheddar melts in and diced pickles and tomato go on top. The pasta cooks right in the beef broth and milk, so there is no second pot. It tastes exactly like the burger it is named for and it is done in 35 minutes. Kids ask for this one by name.
Time: about 35 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Cheeseburger Skillet recipe with the printable card
One Pot Chili Mac
Ground beef, kidney beans, tomatoes and elbow macaroni simmer together in one pot with toasted chili spices, then two cups of cheddar melt over the top. Toasting the spices in the pan for a minute before the liquid goes in is what makes it taste like real chili. Ready in 40 minutes and serves six. Set out sour cream, green onions and hot sauce at the table.
Time: about 40 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full One Pot Chili Mac recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Beef Chili
Two pounds of ground beef, two kinds of beans, toasted spices, a spoonful of cocoa and a splash of coffee simmer all day in the slow cooker. The cocoa and coffee add depth without tasting like either one. Brown the beef deeply in the skillet first and stir masa harina in at the end to thicken. It makes eight servings and freezes for up to 3 months.
Time: about 7 hours 40 minutes | Serves: 8
Get the full Slow Cooker Beef Chili recipe with the printable card
Meatballs and meatloaf
The same rules apply to all three. Soak the breadcrumbs in milk first so the meat stays tender, mix gently with your hands just until combined, and cook to 160°F. Overmixing is what makes meatballs and meatloaf dense.
Classic Meatloaf with Brown Sugar Glaze
A two pound beef meatloaf shaped free form on a sheet pan and baked at 350°F under a sticky brown sugar and ketchup glaze that goes on in two coats. Baking it on a sheet pan instead of in a loaf pan lets the fat drain away and gives the glaze more surface to caramelize. Rest it 10 minutes before slicing. Leftover slices make the best sandwiches of the week.
Time: about 1 hour 30 minutes | Serves: 8
Get the full Classic Meatloaf with Brown Sugar Glaze recipe with the printable card
Swedish Meatballs
Beef and pork meatballs seasoned with allspice and nutmeg, browned in a skillet and simmered in a creamy pan gravy built on the browned bits. Grated onion in the mix keeps them moist and disappears into the meat. The whole thing takes 55 minutes and serves six over egg noodles or mashed potatoes. Chill the shaped meatballs for 20 minutes if the mixture feels soft.
Time: about 55 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Swedish Meatballs recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara
Homemade beef and pork meatballs are baked at 425°F for 12 minutes to set the outside, then slow cooked in a simple garlic marinara for four to five hours on LOW. Baking first means they hold their shape in the sauce and you never stand over a splattering skillet. Serve over spaghetti or in rolls with melted mozzarella. Makes 24 meatballs.
Time: about 5 hours 5 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara recipe with the printable card
Ground beef casseroles
Two versions of the same idea. Savory ground beef in gravy, a layer of mashed potatoes, and 25 minutes in a hot oven until the top browns. Both can be assembled a day ahead and baked when you get home.
Cottage Pie
Ground beef, carrots and peas in a rich gravy built with tomato paste, red wine, beef broth and Worcestershire, topped with cheddar mashed potatoes. Dragging a fork across the potatoes before baking makes ridges that crisp and brown. Broil for the last minute or two for extra color. It takes an hour and a quarter and serves six.
Time: about 1 hour 15 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Cottage Pie recipe with the printable card
Beef and Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie
Finely chopped cremini mushrooms are browned before the beef goes in, which deepens the flavor and stretches a pound and a half of meat to feed six. The filling simmers until the gravy thickens, then gets topped with mashed potatoes and baked until bubbling. Traditional shepherd’s pie uses lamb, so swap in ground lamb if you want the original version.
Time: about 1 hour 30 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Beef and Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie recipe with the printable card
Quick beef strips
Both of these use thin strips of beef rather than ground, and both are on the table faster than takeout. Slice against the grain so every piece is tender.
Beef Stroganoff
Strips of top sirloin are seared hard in two batches, then browned mushrooms, onion and a sour cream sauce come together in the same pan. The beef only goes back in at the end to warm through, which is why it stays tender. Serve over buttered egg noodles. It is done in 45 minutes and serves four.
Time: about 45 minutes | Serves: 4
Get the full Beef Stroganoff recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
Strips of chuck roast simmer in a garlic ginger soy sauce for four to five hours on LOW until tender, then the sauce is thickened with cornstarch and fresh broccoli goes in for the last 15 to 20 minutes. Chuck is the right cut here because the long cook breaks it down. The broccoli stays bright green with a little snap. Serve over steamed rice.
Time: about 5 hours 20 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli recipe with the printable card
Roasts and braises
Chuck roast and short ribs are tough cuts full of connective tissue, and long, low cooking is what turns that into rich, spoonable meat. Sear first where the recipe calls for it, and cook until the meat gives no resistance to a fork. Every one of these is better the next day.
Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Root Vegetables
A seared chuck roast cooks on a bed of carrots, baby potatoes and parsnips for eight to nine hours on LOW, then the strained cooking liquid becomes gravy with a cornstarch slurry. Tomato paste and a splash of wine in the skillet after searing give the gravy real depth. It is the classic Sunday roast on a weekday schedule and serves six.
Time: about 8 hours 35 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Root Vegetables recipe with the printable card
Mississippi Pot Roast
Chuck roast, a packet of ranch seasoning, a packet of au jus mix, a stick of butter and a handful of pepperoncini. Nothing else goes in, not even liquid. After eight to ten hours on LOW it shreds into rich, tangy beef that is good over mashed potatoes, rice or noodles, or piled onto rolls. Five minutes of prep, and it serves eight.
Time: about 9 hours 5 minutes | Serves: 8
Get the full Mississippi Pot Roast recipe with the printable card
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
Bone in short ribs are seared, then braised at 325°F in red wine, beef broth and herbs for two and a half to three hours until the meat pulls from the bone. The strained braising liquid is reduced to a glossy sauce. Salting the ribs a day ahead makes a noticeable difference if you have the time. This is the dinner for a birthday or a holiday weekend.
Time: about 4 hours | Serves: 6
Get the full Red Wine Braised Short Ribs recipe with the printable card
Classic Beef Stew
Chuck roast cubes are browned in three batches, then braised in the oven with red wine, broth, carrots and potatoes until they fall apart. Peas go in at the end so they stay green. Browning in batches is the step people skip and the step that matters most. It takes a little over three hours and serves six.
Time: about 3 hours 10 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Classic Beef Stew recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
Bacon, beef chuck, red wine and pearl onions in the slow cooker for eight to nine hours, with browned mushrooms stirred in at the end. You brown the bacon and beef on the stove and deglaze with wine before it all goes in the pot. Serve over mashed potatoes or buttered noodles. It tastes like a restaurant dish and costs a fraction of one.
Time: about 9 hours 5 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon recipe with the printable card
How to use this list
Buy beef by the plan, not the package. Ground beef is cheapest in three to five pound family packs. Divide it into one pound portions, flatten each in a freezer bag so it thaws quickly, and freeze for up to 4 months. A whole chuck roast can become pot roast, stew and beef and broccoli over three weeks if you cut and freeze it the day you buy it.
Match the recipe to your evening. The cheeseburger skillet, chili mac, stroganoff and Swedish meatballs are all done in under an hour on the stove. Meatloaf, cottage pie and shepherd’s pie need about an hour and a half, most of it in the oven. The slow cooker recipes need a morning start, and the short ribs and beef stew need a free afternoon. The two week fall weeknight meal plan builds a schedule around exactly this kind of mix.
Swap ground meats freely. Ground turkey works in the chili, chili mac, cottage pie and shepherd’s pie with a bit more salt and fat, and ground pork can stand in for half the beef in the meatloaf. Do not swap the roasts. Chuck roast and short ribs are built for braising in a way that leaner cuts are not, and a sirloin roast will turn dry and stringy in the slow cooker.
Cook once, freeze half. Every recipe here except the stroganoff freezes well for up to 3 months. Cool completely, portion into flat freezer bags or containers, and label with the date. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat to 165°F. For a weekend plan that stocks the freezer with several of these at once, see our fall freezer meal prep guide.
Frequently asked questions
What internal temperature should ground beef reach?
Cook ground beef, meatballs and meatloaf to 160°F, checked with an instant read thermometer. Roasts and braises like pot roast and short ribs are cooked well past that, until the meat pulls apart easily with a fork.
What is the best ground beef for these recipes?
Eighty five percent lean is the best all purpose choice. It has enough fat to stay juicy in meatloaf and meatballs but not so much that skillets and casseroles turn greasy. If you use 80 percent, drain more of the fat after browning.
Which beef cut is best for pot roast and stew?
Boneless chuck roast. It is well marbled and full of connective tissue that melts into rich, tender meat over a long, low cook. Buy a whole roast and cut it into cubes yourself for stew rather than buying pre cut stew meat, which is often a mix of cuts.
Can I make these beef dinners ahead?
Yes. Meatloaf, meatballs, cottage pie and shepherd’s pie can be assembled a day ahead and refrigerated before cooking. Pot roast, short ribs, stew and chili are all better on day two. Reheat leftovers to 165°F.
How long does cooked beef keep in the refrigerator?
Refrigerate cooked beef within two hours and eat it within 4 days. Braises and chili freeze well for up to 3 months. Cream based dishes like stroganoff are best eaten within 3 days and do not freeze well.
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