Ground beef is one of my favorite ingredients to meal prep for the week. It’s quick, budget-friendly, and super versatile—plus, it's a basic cooking skill that everyone should have in their back pocket.
You can use ground beef for so many meals like these Sweet Potato and Ground Beef Bowls, Ground Beef Taco Bowls, Air Fryer Beef Enchiladas, or Spaghetti with Ground Beef Sauce. All of these are my favorite to cook.
You can also make Taco Meat on a Blackstone.
Every week I buy some of the Grassfed Ground beef from Aldi - the Simply Nature kind and a packet of taco seasoning. You can store the cooked ground beef in glass containers and use it throughout the week.
Here are Delicious Weight Watchers Recipes with Ground Beef that you can also try!
Jump to:
Why I Love Using Ground Beef for Meal Prep
- Quick & Easy: You can cook a big batch in under 20 minutes!
- WW Friendly: Lean ground beef keeps points low and protein high. Using 96% lean ground beef? It’s just 2 points per 4 oz serving.
- Endless Variety: Tacos, burritos, bowls, salads, pastas, enchiladas—you name it.
- Budget-Friendly: It’s cheaper than a lot of other proteins.
What You’ll Need
- 1 pound of grass fed lean ground beef (80/20 or leaner depending on your preference) - I like the grass fed ground beef from Aldi.
- A large skillet or nonstick pan
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Salt and pepper (or other seasonings)
- Optional: chopped onion, garlic, or bell pepper for extra flavor
How to Cook Ground Beef in a Skillet
Step 1: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Let it get hot before adding the beef—this helps create a good sear and prevents steaming.
Step 2: Break the beef into chunks and add it to the pan. I like to use this meat cooking skillet tool. Let it cook without stirring for 1–2 minutes to get a nice brown crust.
Step 3: Use your spatula or wooden spoon to crumble the meat into smaller pieces. Stir occasionally to cook evenly.
Step 4: Once the meat is mostly browned, season with salt, pepper, and any other spices (like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, or taco seasoning).
Step 5: If your ground beef is fatty, drain off the excess grease using a spoon or by tilting the pan and using paper towels. For lean beef (90% or higher), you may not need to drain.
Seasonings for Ground Beef
Seasoning ground beef is where the magic happens—it’s how you take basic meat and turn it into taco filling, juicy burgers, pasta sauces, and more. Here’s a helpful guide to seasoning ground beef for all kinds of recipes:
Taco Seasoning: Buy a taco packet or make your own Low Sodium Taco Seasoning Recipe
Jamaican Jerk Chicken Seasoning
Italian Seasoning - 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
🛒 Ground Beef Shopping Guide Tips
Grass Fed Ground Beef - I get this at Aldi and its my favorite.
80/20 Juicy and flavorful — perfect for burgers and meatballs.
85/15: A nice balance for everyday cooking (tacos, casseroles, etc.).
90/10 or 93/7: Leaner choice — great for lighter meals like lettuce wraps or meal prep.
Ground sirloin: Lean and tender, but may be a little pricier.
Ground round or chuck: Chuck has more flavor (a bit more fat); round is leaner.
Recipe FAQS
I always let it defrost in the fridge over night but you can cook it from frozen. It just takes a little longer to cook.
There should be no pink left, and the internal temperature should be 160°F.
Yes you do need to drain the fat. I like to use a paper towel to pick up any access fat.
Refrigerate: Use within 1–2 days.
Freeze: Wrap tightly and store up to 3–4 months. Flatten to save space and speed up thawing.
If you tried this How to Make Ground Beef or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries
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How to Cook Ground Beef
- Prep Time: 1
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 20 min
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Easy
- Method: Skillet
- Cuisine: American
Description
Learn how to cook ground beef like a pro! From stovetop tips to storage and seasoning ideas, this guide will help you make flavorful and juicy ground beef for any recipe.
Ingredients
1 pound of ground beef (80/20 or leaner depending on your preference)
A large skillet or nonstick pan
Wooden spoon or spatula
Salt and pepper (or other seasonings)
Instructions
Step 1: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Let it get hot before adding the beef—this helps create a good sear and prevents steaming.
Step 2: Break the beef into chunks and add it to the pan. I like to use this meat cooking skillet tool. Let it cook without stirring for 1–2 minutes to get a nice brown crust.
Step 3: Use your spatula or wooden spoon to crumble the meat into smaller pieces. Stir occasionally to cook evenly.
Step 4: Once the meat is mostly browned, season with salt, pepper, and any other spices (like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, or taco seasoning).
Step 5: If your ground beef is fatty, drain off the excess grease using a spoon or by tilting the pan and using paper towels. For lean beef (90% or higher), you may not need to drain.
Notes
Low Carb and Keto friendly!
Points will vary depending on what type of ground beef you buy.
This can also be used for chicken or ground turkey.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 0g
- Fat: 19g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Carbohydrates: 0g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 21g
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