Spaghetti and meat sauce is probably one of the most common meals in the country. Pasta is cheap and filling, making ground meat the most economical way to feed your family, especially since beef prices keep rising. It’s perfect for family dinners.
Eventually, though, spaghetti gets boring. If you’re looking into your freezer stocked with ground beef and wondering what to make, here are some comforting ground beef pasta recipes that will help you branch out from the same old meals while sticking to your budget.
Beef Stroganoff
Skip the pricey steak and beef stroganoff becomes an easy weeknight meal. This is a truly one-pot meal where the egg noodles are cooked right in it, flavored with Dijon mustard and worcestershire sauce.
Recipe: Budget Bytes
One-Pot Chili Mac
Eat chili year round with this classic chili, cheese, and macaroni combo. It’s a simple ground beef chili recipe (spice it up with hot peppers if you want!) cooked with macaroni, evaporated milk for a little creaminess, and plenty of cheddar.
Recipe: Once Upon a Chef
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Who doesn’t have memories of Hamburger Helper dinners as a kid? If you want to relive that meal without the box, try this homemade Hamburger Helper recipe, which is flavored with paprika, garlic, and onion powders.
Recipe: House of Nash Eats
Grandma’s Ground Beef Casserole
Ground beef, egg noodles, and casserole go together like peas and carrots (which you can feel free to add to this recipe, too). This is a simple, homestyle casserole with tomato sauced-beef studded with pockets of cream cheese and sour cream.
Recipe: AllRecipes
Beef and Macaroni Soup
Pasta and beef come together in plenty of soups. This one is like a beefed up minestrone, with Italian seasonings, elbow noodles, and diced tomatoes. A sprinkle of parmesan on top would be great.
Recipe: Spend With Pennies
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15-Minute Lazy Noodles
Don’t sleep on Asian noodle dishes, even with ground beef to use up! The beef cooks fast, along with onions and spinach. Then just toss it with noodles and a blend of soy sauce, sesame oil, and honey.
Recipe: Woks of Life
Beef Taco Pasta Skillet
No tortillas for tacos? No problem, just switch them out for pasta with this recipe instead. A packet of taco seasoning and canned mild green chiles give it some oomph. It’d be great with bell pepper or corn added.
Recipe: Budget Bytes
Instant Pot Goulash
American goulash isn’t anything like the Hungarian stew — it’s made with ground beef, macaroni, and tomatoes. This is an Instant Pot version, so you can get it all on the table in no time at all.
Recipe: AllRecipes
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Easy Creamy Ground Beef Pasta
This creamy, saucy pasta dish includes garlic and Italian seasoning, but lots of heavy cream and a bit of Dijon mustard makes it stand out from the rest of the tomato-laden pack. You’ll want bread to sop up the sauce.
Recipe: Salt & Lavender
Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup
Get out the crock pot for this easy lasagna soup. Bell peppers, spinach, and mushrooms add healthy bulk. Use broken lasagna noodles for the pasta, or go with something like rotini or bowties if that’s what you have on hand.
Recipe: Spend With Pennies
Chili Dog Mac and Cheese
Kids will get a kick out of this recipe, which is a delightful mashup of chili dogs and mac and cheese. In addition to ground beef chili, this casserole has sliced hot dogs and plenty of cheese to fulfill the mac and cheese promise in its name.
Recipe: AllRecipes
One Skillet Ground Beef with Orzo
For a lighter, Mediterranean take on ground beef and pasta, this skillet meal fits the bill. It’s made with orzo, rice-shaped pasta, along with green olives, spinach, and oregano. Feta cheese stirred gives it a nice salty, briny tang.
Recipe: Dizzy Busy & Hungry
Ground Beef Noodle Stir Fry
If you normally order lo mein at Chinese restaurants, try making this similar dish at home with quick-cooking ground beef. Broccoli and bell peppers are mixed with the noodles along with a sauce made with plenty of fresh ginger.
Recipe: Damn Delicious
Swedish Meatballs
While Ikea serves their Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes, we’re big fans of using egg noodles in the rich gravy instead. Though the recipe says the allspice and nutmeg are optional, use them because it’s what gives Swedish meatballs their distinctive flavor.
Recipe: Taste of Home
Taco Spaghetti
How about taco-fying your spaghetti to shake things up a little? This is a one-pot weeknight meal full of taco-seasoned beef, Rotel tomatoes, and spaghetti noodles. If you don’t like cilantro, try chopped green onions on top instead.
Recipe: Princess Pinky Girl
Sloppy Joe Pasta
If a sloppy joe casserole doesn’t sound like a warm hug, we don’t know what does. This recipe calls for a packet of dry sloppy joe seasoning mix, but you can use a can of Manwich if you prefer — just omit the water in the recipe.
Recipe: Taste of Home
Beef and Mushroom Country Casserole
Using a half-pound of mushrooms stretches the half-pound of ground beef in this casserole into something more substantial. Sour cream and tomato sauce add richness, and there’s plenty of grated cheddar melted on top.
Recipe: Budget Bytes
Salisbury Steak Meatball Noodle Skillet
Salisbury steak moves from microwaved TV dinners to your stovetop in this smart recipe. Shape the seasoned ground beef into meatballs instead of steaks, and they’ll mix right into the noodles and gravy, making a hearty meal.
Recipe: Grandbaby Cakes
Gnocchi Nicoise
This interesting recipe is full of good things: ground beef, bacon, shallots, and nicoise olives. It’s a little bit like a chunky bolognese sauce, so it’s great mixed with gnocchi, little Italian potato dumplings that almost every grocery store carries now.
Recipe: Food Network
