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A lover of flavor, I never interpreted the phrase “meat and potatoes” as a compliment. WELL, for neither the first (nor I am sure, last) time, my assumptions have been proven dead wrong. This easy recipe for Ground Beef and Potatoes is all the things I never imagined something as seemingly simple as fried potatoes and hamburger could be.

Ground beef and potatoes with red peppers in a pot

This easy ground beef dinner recipe is flavorful enough to hold my attention, satisfying enough to keep me full, and nutritious enough to be a worthy addition to our healthy meal rotation.

A mixture of potatoes, lean ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and spices, this beef and potatoes skillet will appeal to picky eaters and discerning palates alike.

Most often, the phrase “meat and potatoes” means a lack of eating adventure. A “meat and potatoes” person shies away from green vegetables, plant-based proteins like tofu, and spices.

As someone who embraces a diverse diet and certainly doesn’t want to waste her time on bland food, I am biased in the opposite direction. How could meat and potatoes possibly be anything but boooorrrrring?

Well my meat and potatoes friends, I hereby admit the fault of my prejudice. It turns out that you’ve been onto something all along.

A bowl with ground beef, potatoes, and cauliflower rice

A Simple Ground Beef Dinner Recipe

Lean ground beef is a versatile protein.

It’s healthy in moderation (beef is packed with protein, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12) and when used in recipes that incorporate other important food groups, especially vegetables (like in Ground Beef Stroganoff).

Most often, my easy ground beef recipes are inspired by world cuisines, like this Taco Skillet and this Korean Beef Bowl.

Until this simple skillet recipe came along, it didn’t occur to me to cook beef with something as basic as white potatoes, because I assumed the results would be ho-hum.

Ummmmm, this assumption is from the same girl who easily demolished an entire sheet pan of these Oven Roasted Potatoes by herself and who happily eats a Potato Frittata three days in a row for lunch.

Nice logic, Erin. (Ben I am sure would be happy to give you endless examples of my contradictory behaviors, but we’ll save that for a different post. Or never.)

While the ingredient list here looks basic, the results are anything but dull.

This ground beef and potatoes skillet is homey and classic to be certain—so yes, the “meat and potatoes” persons in your life will approve—but it’s also interesting enough to appease those seeking more from their meal.

What we have is a ground beef dinner idea for all!

Tip!

For another family favorite, check out my Homemade Hamburger Helper, one of my all-time most popular recipes with ground beef. Ground Beef Casserole is another comforting and classic ground beef recipe.

Ground beef and potatoes being stirred in a pot

How to Make Ground Beef and Potatoes

Not only is this ground beef skillet sure to be embraced by everyone at your table, but it’s also easy to make and quick to clean up.

You can cook ground beef and vegetables together in the same skillet, leaving you just one pan to wash in the end.


The Ingredients

  • Lean Ground Beef. The flavorful and scrumptious meat for this dish. I don’t typically use oil with ground beef (the fat in the beef is sufficient enough for it to cook without sticking), but if your beef is ultra lean and your pan seems dry at any point, you can drizzle in a bit of oil to prevent sticking.

tip!

For more great ground beef recipes, check out Ground Beef Dinner Ideas.

  • Potatoes. Tender cubed potatoes are a slam dunk pairing with the ground beef (or mash them with ground beef like in Shepherd’s Pie). They’re nutritious, crowd-pleasing, and pair beautifully with the spices in this dish.
  • Red Bell Pepper. Adds a touch of color, freshness, and sweetness.
  • Worcestershire Sauce. Gives the dish depth and umami flavor.
  • Dijon Mustard. Its tanginess pairs wonderfully with the potatoes.
  • Spices. A blend of smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and oregano elevates this dish from bland to something truly craveable.
  • Hot Sauce. For a delicious kick! Use a lot or use a little to fit your taste preferences.

The Directions

Cubed potatoes in a pot
  1. Sauté the potatoes in oil.
Raw meat being added to vegetables
  1. Brown the beef with the vegetables, Worcestershire, mustard, spices, and hot sauce.
Ground beef with potatoes and peppers in a Dutch oven
  1. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the meat is cooked through. Add the green onions. Serve as desired and ENJOY!

Wine Pairing

Serve ground beef and potatoes with a Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Chardonnay.

A healthy dinner recipe in a bowl

Storage Tips

  • To Store. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days. 
  • To Reheat. Gently rewarm beef and potatoes in a skillet over medium-low heat.
  • To Freeze. I do not recommend freezing this dish, as potatoes can have a mealy texture when thawed. 

Leftover Ideas

  • I love to serve leftovers as a hash by re-crisping the ingredients in a skillet, then topping them with a fried egg. You could also turn leftovers into a scramble by mixing in scrambled eggs instead.
  • Turn your leftovers into a portable meal by wrapping them into a whole wheat tortilla. Make sure to warm the filling up first. (Adding some cheese to the wrap would be scrumptious.)
A pot with peppers, potatoes, and ground beef

What to Serve with Ground Beef and Potatoes

Healthy ground beef and potatoes with rice

Meat and potatoes, I’ll never prejudge you again! Can we be friends?

Ground Beef and Potatoes

4.68 From 727 reviews . Help us out! Review HERE.Help out & review HERE

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 35 minutes

Servings: 4 servings
This easy ground beef and potatoes will be an instant family favorite! Cooks in just ONE pan. Top with cheese or eggs for quick, healthy dinners.

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 pound potatoes peeled and diced into ¼-inch cubes (I used Yukon golds)
  • 1 pound 93% lean ground beef
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus additional to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons hot sauce plus additional for serving (I used sriracha)
  • 2 green onions sliced
  • FOR SERVING: non-fat plain Greek yogurt or sour cream shredded cheddar cheese, cooked brown rice or cauliflower rice (or just more hot sauce!)

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oil in a skillet large enough to hold all of the ingredients over high heat. Once the oil is hot and shiny, reduce the heat to medium, then add the potatoes. Cook, stirring often, until the potatoes are turning golden and becoming tender (they should still be too firm to eat), about 6 minutes.
  • Add the beef, onion, and bell pepper. Cook, breaking apart the meat.
  • Add the Worcestershire, mustard, smoked paprika, garlic powder, oregano, salt, pepper, and hot sauce (add 1 teaspoon if you prefer only subtle heat, more if you would like it spicier).
  • Continue cooking and breaking up the beef, until the potatoes and onions are tender and the meat is fully cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes more.
  • Stir in the green onions. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as desired. Serve hot, topped with Greek yogurt, cheese, over rice, or enjoy it all on its own with a dash of extra hot sauce if you like.

Video

Notes

  • TO STORE: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days. 
  • TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm beef and potatoes in a skillet over medium-low heat. (I love to serve leftovers as a hash by re-crisping the ingredients in a skillet, then topping them with a fried egg.)
  • TO FREEZE: I do not recommend freezing this dish, as potatoes can have a mealy texture when thawed. 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1(of 4)Calories: 387kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 26gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 74mgPotassium: 1045mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1484IUVitamin C: 66mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 4mg

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Erin Clarke

Hi, I'm Erin Clarke, and I'm fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food that's affordable, easy-to-make, and best of all DELISH. I'm the author and recipe developer here at wellplated.com and of The Well Plated Cookbook. I adore both sweets and veggies, and I am on a mission to save you time and dishes. WELCOME!

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  1. We absolutely loved it! This was so delicious and easy to make. The recipe was a hit and we will definitely make it again.5 stars

  2. We have made this recipe multiple times, and everybody loves it!! We usually have ingredients on hand, and it’s very budget friendly. Perfect for busy nights filled with sports and activities. One pan clean up and full bellies for a busy night ahead!5 stars

  3. We love it! This easy, week-night dinner takes like comfort on my plate. If you have leftovers, they’re great with an egg for breakfast or bunch, too!5 stars

  4. This was delicious- total comfort food. We live abroad and it’s more common to find a mixture of ground beef and pork instead of just beef, so we used that. We used Gouda cheese instead of cheddar because of local availability. My entire family (including my toddler) inhaled it. Will definitely make again. Thank you for sharing.5 stars

    1. Hi Sam! Glad you enjoyed it! The nutritional information will be the same per serving. Changing the servings will just adjust the ingredients in order to help you make more portions. Hope this helps!

  5. I’m VERY surprised that this recipe has so many good reviews. I followed the recipe to the “T”. I found the oregano super overpowering and it just didn’t go well with the rest of the spices. Definitely won’t be making it again. I hope my review gets posted because I didn’t see any negative reviews and I couldn’t imagine everybody likes this dish because I will pretty much eat anything and I found this to be repulsive. Im I’m actually really hungry and still don’t want to eat it. It’s that bad. :s1 star

    A skillet filled with cooked ground beef, diced potatoes, and chopped red bell peppers. The mixture appears to be seasoned, with a metal spatula resting on the side of the pan.

    1. I’m sorry to hear this wasn’t to your taste, Mercedes. The amount of oregano normally helps balance out the flavors in this dish so I’m wondering if maybe it was the particular brand. You can definitely adjust the seasonings based on your preferences. Hope this helps!

  6. I used plant based salt/pepper flavor meat crumbles and doubled all yhe seasonings. I was happily dumping away on the smoked paprika when I realized I grabbed blackening seasoning. I ended up not using hot sauce because of my mistake. I added a bag of rice cauliflower and some maple syrup to tone down the spice.5 stars

  7. We tried this today and none us thought this had much flavor. I followed the recipe and added or subtracted any ingredients. So I put it back on the stove and added better than bullion beef flavor and a little water and let it boil down a few minutes. It turned out much better.1 star

    1. I’m sorry to hear the recipe wasn’t to your taste, Skd. I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not enjoy it. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed it, so I really wish they would’ve been a hit for you too!

  8. I enjoyed this recipe! It’s going to go great with eggs in the morning. 🍳
    Easy to adjust the flavoring of the dish as you go.
    I added a bit more garlic powder, salt, pepper and smoked paprika as it was finishing the cooking process.
    Topped with a shredded nacho flavored cheese and plain Greek yogurt. Thank you!5 stars

    A pot of cooked ground beef mixed with diced potatoes, red bell peppers, and green onions. The ingredients are seasoned and sautéed, with a slightly browned appearance, creating a hearty and colorful dish.

  9. Loved this and so easy to make. Added some cherry tomatoes and some beef better than bouillon. Will make again5 stars

    A large pan filled with ground beef, diced potatoes, and red bell peppers cooking together on a stovetop.

  10. Simple ingredients, yet delicious! This is on repeat in my house, as I make it at least once a month. I use very lean organic ground beef, so it feels healthy, too.5 stars

  11. This is a family favorite! I’ve started buying ground beef whenever it’s on sale then freezing just so we can always make it5 stars

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  1. My son’s words were, “That was amazing, I’m going for seconds.” :-) I copied the recipe as is, served it on bed of brown rice with a dallop of sour cream and a house salad. I already had all of the ingredients. It was convenient, quick and delicious. Recommended!5 stars

    2
  2. Excellent recipe. My husband and I loved it. It’s definitely going in the dinner rotation. Thank you!5 stars

    2
  3. This recipe was super delicious and easy. I’m not a huge fan of hot sauce, so I subbed for Japanese Barbecue sauce and this was also a great flavor to add into the mix. It also held well for leftovers.5 stars

    1
  4. This was really good! To make it even more easy and low-effort, I used pre diced hasbrown cubes. Great recipe, thank you :)5 stars

    1
  5. Just curious… the video just shows adding all the ingredients to the pot at once whereas the written instructions are different.

    1
  6. Made this tonight since I didn’t plan ahead. I had all the ingredients, doubled the recipe (for my 4 big eaters), used just 1 lb. of beef plus some cubed white button mushrooms for the other lb. of ‘beef’. Served it with quinoa for ‘carb’, and family liked it so much! I don’t use much smoked paprika, so they thought it was a delicious alternative flavor. Glad I opened your email today-this dish came together quickly, is healthy, and tasty. It will be included in my rotation. Thank you so much for sharing!5 stars

    1
  7. Ngl, I’m in my early 20’s, broke, newly wedded, and my most luxury meal is mac and cheese with cut up hotdogs. With that being said, I attempted this dish (with some altercations due to the lack of certain ingredients that will be listed below). My husband LOVES this dish! He is good with heat, I am not. I added 1.5 teaspoons of the hot sauce (we did Tabasco?) and it was totally okay with me! He added more Tabasco to his own dish. Anyways, I 10/10 would try this dish even if you are new to cooking and/or don’t have all the ingredients! He said this is his number one meal (tied with enchiladas) that I’ve ever made him and we’ve been together for 7 years! Thank you for this recipe <35 stars

    1
  8. I’m glad I tried it! I needed something easy and filling to make and it was soo good topped w some cheese, Greek yogurt and more Cholula hot sauce5 stars

    1
  9. I have been eating it like this for years, we call it Picadillo. I put green bell peppers along with the meat and potatoes, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper. Sometimes I put tomato sauce and water to make it soupy.

    1
  10. Hi Linnea! We reply and publish all comments made on blog post, to help anyone else who has questions. Definitely understand the confusion about the video. We are actually putting the mixture in a white skillet pan and it’s on a white tabletop hot plate. For further conversation feel free to email us at hello@wellplated.com Hope this helps!!

    1
  11. This wasn’t good at all, but to be honest, I’m not a big fan of hamburger meat unless it’s in a taco. To make it more tasty, I threw in extra spices and I finally had to throw in a can of Rotel tomatoes. It was like throwing good money after bad though but we did eat it. Sorry, but no one wanted seconds so we won’t be trying this combo again. We definitely like spicy food and this was just too bland.2 stars

    1