It’s no secret that ground beef is the perfect protein when on a tight budget! And these days, with the price of food and groceries, the cheaper the ingredients, the better for me!
Finding cheap ground beef recipes has actually saved me hundreds of dollars. I get to feed my family without compromising on health and without breaking the bank.
Switching out proteins for a cheaper alternative has put a twist on many classic dishes – which helps you save on your food and grocery bill without feeling like you’re even on a budget to begin with!
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To add some variation and diversity to my weekly meal plan, I’ve put together some of my favorite cheap ground beef recipes that are quick and easy. Trust me, as a busy, working mom, nothing beats a cheap, one-pan, under 30 minutes meal! Many of these recipes will fall into this category.
Table of Contents
27 Cheap Ground Beef Recipes
1. Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
If you’re looking for a one-skillet dinner recipe, you’ll love this Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet from Cook Dinner Tonight. This is so easy to whip up and honestly, it’s pretty easy on your pockets too!
2. Beef Ramen Bowl
Did someone say ground beef and ramen? I think I’m in frugal heaven! Mix both of these budget-friendly ingredients together to create this delicious Simple Beef Ramen Bowl from Pass Me Some Tasty!
Best of all, this can be made in just a few minutes, and you can also choose to swap out ingredients for cheaper options. Oh, and it’s gluten free!
3. No Bean Chili
This No Bean Chili Recipe from Mary’s Whole Life is comfort in a bowl and is just as delicious as the classic version! Honestly, this meal is so nutritious, wholesome and packed with flavor.
This will, without a doubt, become a staple in your weekly dinner line up!
4. Taco Stuffed Shells
Mmmm. Imagine cheesy stuffed shells infused with an irresistible burst of taco flavor! Seriously, this recipe is sure to make you forget you’re even on a budget!
These Taco Stuffed Shells from JCP Eats is delicious and filling and will quickly become a family favorite in your household.
5. Instant Pot Ground Beef Vegetable Soup
A hearty bowl of soup that only takes 30 minutes to make? Yes, please! Simplify your weeknight cooking with this Instant Pot Ground Beef Vegetable Soup recipe from Eating in an Instant.
This soup is nutritious and flavorful, and a must on our list of cheap ground beef recipes!
Pssst! Did you know you can save more money by meal planning? Meal Planning saves me thousands of dollars every year! Not sure how to get started? Grab a copy of my free Meal Planning e-guide below.
6. Taiwanese Beef Noodle Bowl
This Taiwanese Beef Noodle Bowl recipe from Chew Out Loud is healthy, hearty and easy to make. Trust me, your family (and your wallet) will thank you!
7. Baked Ziti Casserole
Baked pasta always screams comfort, right? If you’re looking for a pasta dish baked to creamy perfection, this Baked Ziti Casserole from Cooking with Carlee is a must!
You’ll love that this is a perfect make-ahead meal and can be frozen for later. And if you don’t have ziti at hand, have no fear! This casserole can be made with any pasta of your choice!
8. American Goulash
Who doesn’t love a comforting, hearty bowl of goulash? This American Goulash recipe from The Forked Spoon uses simple ingredients, many of which can already be found in your pantry!
This recipe is super simple, made in one pot, and can be made even simpler by prepping it as a make-ahead meal. It is definitely a fave on our list of cheap ground beef recipes!
9. Skillet Ground Beef Recipe with Orzo
By now, you’d have realized that I’m a sucker for a one pan/skillet meal. But as a busy, working mom, can you blame me? We all love a quick and easy meal and this One Skillet Ground Beef Recipe with Orzo from Dizzy Busy and Hungry will not disappoint!
Packed with tons of flavor, this meal is filling and satisfying and is the perfect budget meal to add to your next weekly meal plan!
10. Zucchini Casserole with Ground Beef
With just a few simple ingredients, and a few minutes of your time, you can easily whip up this Zucchini Casserole with Ground Beef from The Fresh Cooky!
This delicious recipe is loaded with nutritious vegetables, full of flavor, low-carb (hello, weight goals!) and is a one skillet meal! Need I say more?
11. Beef Empanadas
This Beef Empanada recipe from The Forked Spoon is quick, easy, delicious and best of all, perfect for tight budgets! These empanadas will add some fun variation to your weekly dinner line up, without breaking the bank!
12. Keto Taco Salad
This Keto Taco Salad from Basics With Bails incorporates ground beef, making this the perfect budget recipe for people on a low carb diet! Don’t forget that you can always swap ingredients for cheaper alternatives!
13. Ground Beef Pinwheels
How fun is this Ground Beef Pinwheel recipe from Box Mix Recipes? You wouldn’t believe how easy and budget-friendly this recipe is! You’ll love adding this to your dinner plan on busy weeknights!
14. Beef Giniling
Beef Giniling is a hearty Filipino Ground Beef recipe that will easily become the ultimate comfort food in your household. This Beef Giniling recipe from Somebody Feed Seb is the Ground Beef Stew you didn’t know you needed in your life!
Seriously, it’s packed with veggies, uses simple ingredients, is one-pan, and budget-friendly. Your family will love it!
15. Stuffed Zucchini Boats
These Stuffed Zucchini Boats are packed with delicious Spanish Ground Beef and Rice. There’s no doubt that this will add a fun and creative flair to your weeknight dinner plan!
This recipe is so healthy and delicious. It’ll surely be a crowd-pleaser! Get the easy-to-follow recipe from Seasons in the Kitchen.
16. Hamburger Helper
This Hamburger Helper recipe from Organically Addison is so simple, made in one pan and is a healthier version that is made with nutritious ingredients. This is a cheap ground beef recipe that your family will absolutely love!
17. Hawaiian Loco Moco with Brown Gravy
Diversify your dinner line up with this Hawaiian Loco Moco recipe from Little Black Skillet. This will add a unique burst of flavors to your tastebuds.
18. Sloppy Joes
What’s a cheap ground beef recipes line up without Sloppy Joes? You will absolutely love this one-pan Sloppy Joes recipe from Chew Out Loud! It’s a simple, budget-friendly meal that uses pantry ingredients. Yet, it’s saucy, delicious and oh-so-full of flavor!
19. Fideo Soup with Beef and Tomatoes (Mexican Noodle Soup)
This Sopa De Fideo Con Carne from 24Bite is a Mexican noodle soup recipe that is cheap, quick and easy. It’s the perfect comfort food and can be whipped up using a few pantry staples and a few minutes of your time!
20. Tater Tot Shepherd’s Pie
Add some fun and flair to your budget meal plan line up with this twist on a classic British dish. This Tater Tot Shepherd’s Pie recipe from The Jam Jar Kitchen is hearty comfort food for the soul!
21. Minced Beef Hotpot
This Minced Beef Hotpot recipe from Krumpli has carefully layered minced beef, potatoes and sliced onions baked until golden and bubbly. This frugal meal will easily become a go-to in your weekly meal plan when you’re on a budget!
22. Cheesy Taco Potatoes
These Easy Cheesy Taco Potatoes from Stef’s Eats and Sweets is a simple weeknight dinner for busy moms on a budget. With just a few ingredients and a few minutes of your time, you can have a delicious, filling and hearty meal on the table!
23. Ground Beef Tacos
Simple Ground Beef Tacos is a must when it comes to cheap ground beef recipes. Not only is it easy and delicious, but you can customize your toppings and fixings based on your budget. Get the full recipe from Small Town Woman!
24. Paccheri Pasta
Adding ground beef to a pasta dish never fails when you’re on a budget. And this Paccheri Pasta recipe from xoxoBella delivers a hearty and rich flavor that is filling without putting a strain on your wallet!
25. Hamburger Steak
This Hamburger Steak recipe from Little Sunny Kitchen is a one skillet meal that is flavorful and super simple to make. This will easily become a family fave in your home! You can pair this with other budget-friendly sides like mashed potatoes or buns.
26. Ground Beef Stroganoff
Swapping out sliced beef for ground beef is such a smart way to make this classic dish budget-friendly. Little Sunny Kitchen‘s Ground Beef Stroganoff recipe is simple to follow and shows you how to whip up this delicious dish in just about half hour!
27. Teriyaki Meatloaf
Meatloaf must make an appearance on a list of cheap ground beef recipes, right? This Teriyaki Meatloaf recipe from Mae’s Menu is quick, budget-friendly and absolutely delicious!
Bonus Money Saving & Meal Planning Tips
1. Meal Plan to Save Money
Meal planning is a must if you want to save money on your food and grocery bill. Creating a meal plan ensures that you’re setting yourself up for a successful week.
You’ll want to take note of all the breakfasts, lunches and dinners you plan to cook for the upcoming week. Take note of which meals you can double to ensure leftovers for another day. This can save you both time and money.
Obviously, the meals you choose to cook should be budget-friendly recipes. That’s right… meals of caviar and lobster have no place on a budget meal plan!
Feel free to choose from this list of ground beef recipes but also add variation to your meal plan by browsing our list of dirt cheap meals and our list of cheap dinners that cost $1 per person. In fact, you can browse many of our cheap recipes for inspiration.
A successful meal plan also incorporates meal prep on a weekend. Prepping your meats and veggies makes whipping up your weeknight dinners a breeze! Knowing that all the hard work is done makes it less tempting to forego your meal plan and cave by getting takeout.
Not sure how to get started meal planning? This $5 Meal Plan is a gamechanger! It will simplify your meal planning, help you stay on track with your food budget, and can help you save hundreds of dollars every month. Each meal costs about $2 per person (or less!). Try it here (with no strings attached) for FREE (for two weeks).
2. Make a Grocery Shopping List & Budget (&Stick to it!)
Once you have your meal plan, the next step is to make your shopping list. Go through your recipes, take note of all the ingredients, double check your pantry and make your shopping list based on what is needed.
Remember that you can always swap out ingredients for cheaper alternatives to suit your budget. Finally, once you’ve established your budget and shopping list, you must stick to it!
3. Use Cashback Apps
Cashback apps are an absolute gamechanger when it comes to saving money and making extra money! Seriously, you’re leaving money on the table if you’re not taking advantage of cashback apps!
Cashback apps make shopping online for your groceries (and other necessities) really simple. When you shop via cashback sites such as Rakuten or TopCashBack, you’ll get back a percentage of the money you spent and this really adds up after time. Easy peasy.
Alternatively, you can purchase in store and then use apps such as Fetch to scan your receipts for cash back.
4. Order Online or Have One Designated Grocery Run
Another highly effective money saving tip is to do your grocery shopping online and select delivery or curbside pickup. Not only will you get to benefit from cashback from using online sites, you’ll also eliminate the urge to over-shop and overspend.
You’re way more likely to keep filling your cart when you casually stroll the aisles or inhale the wafts of freshly baked goodies from the in-store bakery! Remember that a deal is not a deal and a special is not a special if it wasn’t on your shopping list to begin with!
5. Increase your Income
I’m always a huge advocate for finding ways to make extra money instead of focusing all of your efforts on just saving money. Frugal living and saving money will only get you so far. The real gamechanger happens when you take your income to the next level!
With the internet at your fingertips, there’s really no excuse for living paycheck to paycheck or drowning in debt. When there are so many ways to make money online, it’s as simple as starting a side hustle and watching the extra cash roll in.
Additional Info on Cheap Ground Beef Recipes – FAQs
Why add baking soda to ground beef before cooking?
Many people swear by adding baking powder to their ground beef before cooking. This tenderizes the beef, keeps it moist and helps it to brown better. All in all, you’ll have a heartier meal that is full of flavor!
What is cheaper than ground beef?
Generally, ground beef is one of the cheapest proteins available. However, you may be able to get some brands of ground turkey at a cheaper price. Chicken drumsticks is another type of protein that may around the same price of ground beef or even cheaper. Sometimes you just need to shop deals and cut coupons to get the best value for your money!
What to use leftover ground beef for?
It depends. We use our leftover ground beef for other meals all the time! There’s no food wastage over here! For example, if we have leftover sauce from a marinara pasta, we use the ground beef marinara sauce as a topping for hot dogs on another day. Hello chili dogs!
Leftover ground beef is also used as filling for pies, pastries, casseroles or can even be eaten with rice another day! You can also freeze leftovers to last longer and to be able to use some other time.
Related Posts on Cheap Ground Beef Recipes
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12 Easy Crockpot Recipes that cost $1 per Person
Final Thoughts on Cheap Ground Beef Recipes
Cheap ground beef recipes are a must when you’re trying to save money without compromising your taste buds and your sanity. These recipes are budget meals that are fit for a king!
Which recipe are you going to try first? Do you have any other cheap ground beef recipes that you swear by? Share with us in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!
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