7 Tasty Meal Plan Recipes - Ground Beef (Budget Friendly!) (2024)

Use this one-week meal plan to get SEVEN ground beef dinner recipes using just 2 pounds of ground beef! Healthy and budget-friendly, you’ll add these family favorites to your master list of recipes – ground beef. Stretch your beef and make these delicious ground beef recipes this week!

One thing that has saved my bacon time and time again when meal planning is having a “master recipe list.” Essentially, it’s a big (or small) list of all the “winner” recipes I’ve made for my family.

Because let’s face it: They don’t like everything I cook all the time.

And I don’t want to waste my time or my money making meals that are just going to get pushed around the plate and to the back of the refrigerator.

Having a “master recipe list” means when I sit down on Sunday afternoons to make our meal plan for the week, I’m not starting from scratch every time. I can look at my list and pick out what I already know my family likes to eat!

SEVEN GROUND BEEF RECIPES

I do admit though, that it can be tricky matching up what’s on sale that week with what’s on the master recipe list. If your family likes chicken breast, but ground beef is on sale, you’re either bound to run out of ideas or feel like you’re eating the same thing all the time.

That’s one reason I created this one-week ground beef meal plan for you. Anytime ground beef is on sale, buy a couple of pounds and use these ground beef recipes on your meal plan!

Another reason I wanted to share this one-week ground beef meal plan with you is that I want to show you how to stretch out your ground beef for multiple meals. This meal plan calls for just two pounds of ground beef — and you’re going to get SEVEN ground beef meals!

WHY I LOVE THESE RECIPES FOR GROUND BEEF DINNERS

• You only need a few ingredients to stretch your ground beef, and you can use all of them to really stretch it or pick and choose what your family would like best.
• If you have food sensitivities or allergies, most of these recipes for ground beef dinners are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. (You can easily modify for Whole30, Paleo, and low carb too!).
• The key to any good meal plan is variety. I’ve made sure to include a ground beef casserole recipe, a crock pot recipe, my favorite chili recipe so far, and even a simple one-pot beef and rice recipe. All of them are easy, all of them are healthy, and all of them will help you answer the question, “What recipes can I make with ground beef?” when it’s time to make your meal plan!
• Also, if your people are picky when it comes to their meals, I recommend making recipes where the ground beef wouldn’t be noticeable in the first place. You can mix it in with other things, for example in Chili or Enchiladas.

Don’t forget to make sure you review the meal plan as a whole and substitute appropriately, so your family enjoys what you’re making for dinner tonight!

RECIPES WITH GROUND BEEF – MASTER LIST

By the way, if you don’t have a “Master Recipe List,” I highly recommend starting one this week. It doesn’t have to be anything glamorous or official. My meal planning system is very simple: I use a spiral notebook!

• I write my meal plans on the right and draw a small box in the bottom right corner for any winning recipes.
• Anytime I try something new, I ask the family what they think. If they love it, I write the recipe down in the box!
• Then I can just flip through the notebook and see what’s in the box if I need ideas.

If you DO have a Master Recipe List already going, I highly recommend sorting it by protein.

That way when there’s a sale, and you’re wondering what ground beef dinner recipes to use, or even if you’re intentionally looking for something easy and healthy that uses ground beef, you have a list of your family’s favorite recipes with ground beef ready to go.

(P.S. The same goes for chicken and pork, too!)

ONE WEEK OF GROUND BEEF DINNER RECIPES

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

• 100% real food recipes that are simple, straightforward, and family-friendly.
• A week’s worth of ground beef dinner recipes that feed the average family of 4 for around $50-75.
• Recipes that are quick to make – each recipe comes together in under an hour which is great for a weeknight dinner!
• A week’s menu that stretches just two pounds of ground beef into 7 meals!

WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED:

• Breakfast and lunch. This meal plan is packed with ground beef recipes, so there’s a good chance you’ll have some left over. But we’re not specifically planning for breakfast or lunch here.
• If you need a breakfast meal plan, you can use this freezer-cooking meal plan to make a week’s worth (or more!) of breakfast recipes in an hour.
• If you need a lunch meal plan, use this two-week lunch menu.
• Precautions for food allergies. Because my family is blessed to not have food allergies, I don’t plan for them in my meal plans. However, ALDI has a fantastic line of gluten-free foods, and you’re probably used to subbing anyway if you’re dairy-free. With a few tweaks, I think this ALDI meal plan would work in most food allergy families, too.

MEAL PLAN WITH RECIPES – GROUND BEEF

Before you jump into this meal plan, you need two pounds of ground beef.

I’ve found grass-fed ground beef locally at ALDI, Costco, and my local Kroger. I used to buy it at all three places! Not too long ago though, Butcher Box offered two free pounds of ground beef when you purchased a monthly subscription – now I get my ground beef for FREE!

Butcher Box delivers grass-fed beef, pasture-raised and organic chicken, and heritage pork directly to your front door each month. You can read my honest review of Butcher Box here, and head here for the current Butcher Box offer!

STRETCHING YOUR GROUND BEEF

Once you have your ground beef, we’re going to stretch it into seven meals’ worth.

Note: When I made this at home, I got FIVE meals’ worth out of just one pound of ground beef. But I rounded down in case you have big eaters in the family. Once you stretch the meat, you’re going to measure out the 7 (or more) portions. And you can use anything you have left over to either “beef up” any recipes from this meal plan or freeze it for future dinners.

HERE’S HOW TO STRETCH YOUR TWO POUNDS OF GROUND BEEF:

• Follow the method from my How to Stretch Ground Beef post here, making sure to double the meat fillers (since you’re making two pounds of ground beef instead of one).
• Add two cups of finely shredded cabbage to the list of vegetables. Plan to add the cabbage when you add the carrots or other longer-cooking vegetables. (You can either buy a head of cabbage or take a shortcut with a bag of coleslaw mix, roughly chopped.)
• After cooking the beef, add 4 cups of cooked green or brown lentils. Gently fold these into the mixture at the very end.
• Measure two cups of this stretched ground beef into airtight storage containers.
• Remember that we didn’t season this meat. So, you’ll want to add the appropriate seasonings to your dinner recipes with ground beef as you’re cooking.

P.S. You can also bulk up meals using chicken and pork with these veggies too, although the fillers blend in better with ground meat.

SEVEN GROUND BEEF RECIPES FOR DINNER

While the focus of this one-week meal plan is ground beef dinner recipes, I would be a poor teacher if I didn’t tell you that a GREAT way to eat more produce while keeping your grocery budget lean is serving meatless meals a few times each week.

I’ve included some of our favorite meatless meals at the end of this meal plan. If you toss in a few of these in between the easy ground beef recipes for dinner, and maybe have a breakfast night or a leftover night (or two), you could easily get TWO weeks out of these meal ideas!

• #1: Hamburger Helper // Steamed Peas & Carrots
• #2: Taco Salads
• #3: Instant Pot Chili with ground beef // Cornbread // Side Salad // Homemade Ranch Dressing
• #4: Korean Ground Beef Rice Bowls // Steamed Carrots + Cauliflower + Green Beans
• #5: Chili-topped Baked Potatoes // Roasted Broccoli // Side Salad // Homemade Ranch Dressing
• #6: Shepherd’s Pie
• #7: Egg Roll in a Bowl

And if you have any stretched ground beef leftovers at this point, here are a few other healthy ground beef recipes we love that can help you use it up:

• Stuffed Mexican Green Peppers
• Migas
• Slow Cooker Pumpkin Beef Chili
• Cheeseburger Pizza (Top homemade pizza dough with stretched ground beef, add cheddar cheese + Colby jack cheese blend)

Ground Beef Meal Plan

Sign up to get instant access to my Ground Beef Meal Plan, complete with recipes and shopping list!

OUR FAVORITE MEATLESS MEAL IDEAS

• Weeknight Mushroom Pasta // Side Salad
• Tomato Soup // Rosemary Olive Oil Flatbread
• Chocolate Blender Waffles // Scrambled Eggs
• Minestrone Soup // No-Knead Artisan Bread
• Sweet Kale Salad (Costco Copycat)
• // 90-Minute Man Bread
• Panzanella Bread Salad
• Kung Fu Panda Soup // Side Salad
• Red Lentil Vegetable Soup // Sweet Potato Biscuits

RECIPES – GROUND BEEF FAQS

MORE YUMMY MEAL PLANS

Adding these recipes – ground beef to your meal plan will save you time and money, and you’re sure to find some new winner recipes for your family along the way. If you want something different than ground beef, try one of these other meal plans – each with recipes, instructions, and a shopping list!

• Budget-Friendly Whole30 Meal Plan
• One Week Meal Plan: Slow Cooker Recipes
• Stretch Chicken into Multiple Meals
• Leftover Pork Roast Recipes: 7 Meals from One Roast!
• 7 Healthy Chicken Meal Prep Recipes
• One Week $50 Aldi Meal Plan