What to Make With Ground Beef and Mushrooms: 3 Fast Weeknight Dinners
Ground beef and mushrooms are a way to stretch the beef and get a sauce from the mushrooms' water, once that water cooks off. If the pan stays wet, both foods taste boiled. Brown the mushrooms first or with room around the beef. A skillet, a sheet pan, and a spoonable soup. Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.
Quick picks: 3 dinners with ground beef and mushrooms in 30 minutes or less
Fastest option: a 20-minute dinner
20 min
Beef and mushroom soup
Total time, start to plate · One pot · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
Mushrooms browned, then a little beef and water. A few slices mashed into the broth.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 8 oz mushrooms
- 1 onion
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
Steps
- Brown sliced mushrooms with the onion until the pot looks dry.
- Add the ground beef and salt and cook until the beef browns.
- Add the water and simmer 8 minutes. Mash a few mushrooms into the broth.
- Taste. It should taste like mushrooms, not like hot water.
Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.
One-pan or sheet-pan option
25 min
Sheet-pan beef and mushrooms
Total time, start to plate · One sheet pan · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
Mushrooms and crumbled beef roast with space between them so they brown.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 8 oz mushrooms
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp salt
Steps
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Halve the mushrooms. Crumble the beef into small pieces on the pan.
- Toss with oil and salt. Don't pack it into one layer of mush.
- Roast until the beef is browned and the mushrooms are shrunken and brown, about 15 minutes.
- Taste. Mushrooms take more salt than the beef does.
Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.
The other dinner
25 min
Beef and mushroom skillet
Total time, start to plate · One skillet · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
Mushrooms brown until the pan is dry, then ground beef finishes with garlic.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 8 oz mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp salt
Steps
- Slice the mushrooms and fry them with a pinch of salt until their water is gone and they brown.
- Add the ground beef and the rest of the salt. Break it up and cook until browned.
- Stir in the garlic.
- If you want a spoon of sauce, add a splash of water and scrape the pan. Taste before soy sauce. It gets salty fast.
Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.
Make it with leftovers
Cooked beef can join mushrooms that have already browned. Raw mushrooms need the dry-pan time. Leftover cooked mushrooms are soft. Warm them in the soup. Don't expect them to sear again.
Pantry staples you'll need
- Oil
- Salt
- Garlic
- Onion
- Soy sauce
No mushrooms: cook the beef with onion and call it a different night, or see ground beef and zucchini. No beef: the chicken and mushrooms skillet is the other protein.
Picky-eater and healthy tweaks
Mushrooms are a frequent no. Serve the beef plain and the mushrooms on another plate, or chop them small in the soup. Don't disguise big slices.
Mushrooms let you use less beef. Drain the fat. Skip a canned cream soup. Soy sauce or salt and the browned bits are the sauce.
Have something else in the fridge?
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Questions
What can I make with ground beef and mushrooms in 20 minutes?
Beef and mushroom soup takes 20 minutes, start to plate. Mushrooms browned, then a little beef and water. A few slices mashed into the broth.
What's the easiest dinner with ground beef and mushrooms?
Beef and mushroom skillet is the low-fuss one: one skillet, 25 minutes. Mushrooms brown until the pan is dry, then ground beef finishes with garlic.
Can I make this with leftover or cooked ground beef?
Cooked beef can join mushrooms that have already browned. Raw mushrooms need the dry-pan time. Leftover cooked mushrooms are soft. Warm them in the soup. Don't expect them to sear again.
What else can I add to ground beef and mushrooms for a full meal?
The cards already use ground beef, mushrooms, garlic. A piece of fruit or a handful of frozen vegetables is enough if you want more on the plate. Don't make a second shopping trip.
Is ground beef and mushrooms a healthy dinner?
Mushrooms let you use less beef. Drain the fat. Skip a canned cream soup. Soy sauce or salt and the browned bits are the sauce.
How do I make ground beef and mushrooms kid-friendly?
Mushrooms are a frequent no. Serve the beef plain and the mushrooms on another plate, or chop them small in the soup. Don't disguise big slices.
Can I make ground beef and mushrooms in one pan or a sheet pan?
Sheet-pan beef and mushrooms uses one sheet pan and takes 25 minutes. Mushrooms and crumbled beef roast with space between them so they brown.
What if I don't have mushrooms?
No mushrooms: cook the beef with onion and call it a different night, or see ground beef and zucchini. No beef: the chicken and mushrooms skillet is the other protein.