Three Easy Ground Meat Dishes in 30 Minutes

Ground meat is a versatile ingredient that is perfect for making tasty and hearty dishes. If you’re already eager to try something more original than cutlets, read on to discover what you can prepare from ground meat.

Hungarian Lecsó with Ground Meat

An ideal balance of sweet peppers, acidic tomatoes, and hearty meat. The dish turns out aromatic and juicy. It can be served as a main course with fresh bread or as a thick sauce for rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

Ground meat — 400 g;

vegetable oil (or olive oil) — 2 tbsp;

onion — 1 large head;

bell peppers (different colors) — 2–3 large pieces;

fresh tomatoes — 3–4 pieces (or canned in their own juice — 1 can, 400 g);

garlic — 1–2 cloves (optional);

sweet paprika — 1 tsp;

salt — to taste;

black pepper — to taste;

fresh parsley or cilantro — for serving.

Preparation

In a deep frying pan or saucepan, heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Fry one coarsely chopped onion and 400 g of ground meat until browned.

Add 2–3 bell peppers cut into strips. Fry together for 5–7 minutes until the peppers soften.

Add 3–4 tomatoes diced (or 400 g canned in their own juice). Season with salt, pepper, and add 1 tsp of paprika (be sure to use sweet, Hungarian paprika). Mix well.

Cover and simmer on low heat for 15–20 minutes until the vegetables are completely softened and the sauce thickens. At the end, you can add finely chopped parsley or cilantro.

Skillet Lasagna

Layered pasta, tomato sauce with meat, and stretchy cheese — but cooked in one skillet in 20 minutes. Perfect for when you want a treat but don’t have time to fuss.

Ingredients

Ground meat (beef or mixture) — 400 g;

olive oil — 1 tbsp;

onion — 1 piece;

garlic — 2–3 cloves;

tomato paste — 500 ml;

water — 100–150 ml;

lasagna sheets that do not require pre-boiling — 6–8 pieces;

cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, pizza blend) — 100–150 g;

dried Italian herbs (oregano, basil) — 1 tsp;

salt — to taste;

black pepper — to taste;

fresh basil — for serving.

In a deep skillet, fry 400 g of ground meat with onion until browned. Add 2–3 cloves of garlic.

Add tomato paste. Season with salt, pepper, dried Italian herbs. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Break the lasagna sheets into large pieces and insert them into the meat sauce. Pour a little water (about 100–150 ml) around the edges so that the pasta steams.

Cover and cook on medium heat for 10–15 minutes until the pasta is soft. Sprinkle generously with grated mozzarella or other melting cheese on top. Cover for another 2 minutes to melt the cheese.

Spicy Tacos with Ground Meat and Fresh Vegetables

Warm crispy tortillas, ground meat fried with spices, cool sour cream, crispy lettuce, and juicy tomato. Each taco is assembled individually, resulting in a very tasty dish.

Beef ground meat — 400 g;

vegetable oil — 1 tbsp;

onion — 1/2 piece;

garlic — 1–2 cloves;

taco seasoning mix — 1–2 tbsp;

taco tortillas — 1 package (8–12 pieces);

hard cheese (cheddar, parmesan) — 100 g;

fresh tomatoes — 1–2 pieces;

iceberg lettuce — several leaves;

sour cream or natural yogurt — for serving.

Preparation

Fry 400 g of ground meat with onion. When the meat is browned, add 1–2 tbsp of taco seasoning mix or simply paprika with garlic. Pour in 50 ml of water and simmer for 2 minutes.

Dice the tomato, slice the lettuce into strips, grate the hard cheese.

Dry taco tortillas (they are small and hard) quickly fry on a dry skillet on both sides until spots appear or heat in the microwave in a damp towel for 30 seconds.

Into each warm tortilla, place a spoonful of ground meat, then cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and sour cream. Serve immediately.

Don’t want ground meat? Here’s a simple and tasty chicken in walnuts recipe — it will take about an hour in total.