The 9 Brilliant Beef Recipes below feature a range of cuts, incorporated into highly enjoyable, customizable meals that may be different to what you’re used to. They provide fantastic examples of quality beef-central meals that can transform your family dinners or entertainment options from ho-hum to awesome. Try a few of these out, and you’ll quickly start incorporating them into your regular recipe list!
1. Slow Cooker Beef and Potato Gratin
Beef and Potato Gratin is casual and approachable and is so easy to make that it works for busy weeknights, or as a tasty side dish for special occasions. The key to success is taking your time while prepping in layers – thinly sliced potatoes, seasoned beef, and melty cheese – then giving the slow cooker at least four hours to work its magic.
2. Easy Ground Beef Hand Pies
Ten minutes of prep work and some time in the oven leaves you with delicious, pastry wrapped herbaceous parcels of beef and veg. Easy Ground Beef Hand Pies are great for a quick weekend lunch or snack plate, yet are equally useful for freezing and setting aside for future meals. They’re saucy and meaty but broken up with tender veggies and a light herby flavor. Portable and flavorsome, it’s tough to stop at just one or two!
3. Rustic Beef Stew
Sometimes, when it comes to leveling up your stew recipe, it pays to let your Dutch oven do all the work. This Rustic Beef Stew utilizes different ingredients from the norm, including fire-roasted red peppers and cream of mushroom soup – just throw them in the Dutch oven, let them coalesce, then try to be patient as it cooks. Rustic Beef Stew bubbles away on the stove and fills the kitchen with such a delicious aroma…you’ll be hard pressed to keep away until its ready!
4. Thai Basil Beef Skillet
This versatile Thai Basil Beef Skillet is one of my favorite meals. It brings together the classic flavors from Thailand in just 20 minutes – fragrant basil, garlic, and Thai chili heat. You can ratchet up the heat, or take it slow, and veggies are versatile as well. Thai Basil Beef Skillet is a vibrant dish with enough visual appeal to make it a showcase meal for hosting friends and family.
5. Florentine Meatballs
Florentine Meatballs are as good in a pasta sauce as they are as make ahead protein for other dishes. What makes this “Florentine?” The spinach! It adds a hearty, earthy flavor to the meatball, one that stands up with the richness of beef. And lets be honest, sneaking a veggie into meat feels like a win with even the pickiest of eaters. Here’s another reason why these meatballs are so amazing…they’re even better as leftovers!
6. Beef Kofta Salad
Beef Kofta Salad is a brilliant 24/7 recipe because it’s so light and vibrant, yet has the ingredients to be a suitable standalone meal at any time. The combination of mint, tomatoes, and tzatziki is zesty and refreshing, and allows the kofta balls scope for their own Mediterranean flavors to show out in yummy contrast.
7. 30 Minute Taco Soup
Hearty, filling and simple to make should be the catch phrase of all quick soup recipes – it’s got to be meaty and robust but have some ballast in the liquid to be worth doing at speed. 30 Minute Taco Soup gives you delightful layers of flavor in half an hour without being thin and watery – it’s like a chili/taco combo of deliciousness. 30 Minute Taco Soup is great for a quick fill up on the run, or when you need to warm your bones up pronto!
8. Stracotto Di Manzo (Italian Pot Roast)
One of my favorite traditional Italian comfort foods, Stracotto di Manzo is an aromatic pot roast cooked low and slow in the slow cooker. The familiar mix of herbs and spices sticks to the meat and veggies in a thick and wonderfully layered tomato sauce. This recipe is a brilliant option for when you want to take your usual pot roast to herbaceous and tasty new level.
9. West Texas Spaghetti
West Texas Spaghetti breaks all the rules of ‘traditional’ (read Italian) pasta making that you read, watch, and experiment with. It’s baked, loaded with some unexpected yet flavor rich ingredients, then cut into slices for a pie-like tangy southern classic perfect for family dinners, potlucks, and make ahead meal planning.
Conclusion
Beef is a terrific base ingredient to use in a range of meals, salads, and snacks, without getting bogged down by boredom or laziness. Each one of these could also be made with a ground turkey, pork, or chicken but there’s no alternative to ground beef. It’s rich, full-bodied flavor makes even the most simple of dishes seem so much heartier and comforting.