What to Make With Ground Beef and Noodles: 3 Fast Weeknight Dinners
Ground beef and noodles is the goulash a lot of people grew up with, and it does not need a long afternoon. Egg noodles cook fast. The beef needs salt and a little tomato or just butter and the noodle water. These three are a one-pot, a buttered skillet, and a noodle soup. All of them are familiar on purpose. Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.
Quick picks: 3 dinners with ground beef and noodles in 30 minutes or less
Fastest option: a 18-minute dinner
18 min
Buttered beef and noodles
Total time, start to plate · One skillet · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
Egg noodles tossed with browned ground beef and a spoon of butter.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 8 oz egg noodles
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp salt
Steps
- Boil the noodles in salted water.
- Brown the ground beef with the salt in a skillet. Drain the extra fat.
- Toss the noodles and butter through the beef.
- Taste. Buttered noodles are bland until the salt from the beef and the water meet.
Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.
One-pan or sheet-pan option
25 min
One-pot beef and noodles
Total time, start to plate · One pot · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
Ground beef, tomato paste, and egg noodles cook in one pot.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 8 oz egg noodles
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 onion
Steps
- Brown the ground beef with the onion and salt. Pour off the fat.
- Stir in the tomato paste, then the water and dry noodles.
- Simmer, stirring, until the noodles are tender.
- Rest a few minutes. Add a splash of water if the pot seizes up.
Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.
The other dinner
20 min
Beef noodle soup
Total time, start to plate · One pot · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
A small amount of beef, onion, and noodles in a salted pot.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1 cup egg noodles
- 5 cups water
- 1 onion
- 1 tsp salt
Steps
- Brown the ground beef with the onion. Drain it.
- Add the water and salt. Bring it to a simmer.
- Add the noodles and cook until tender.
- Taste the broth before you add anything else.
Keeps: Fridge for 2 days. Noodles swell.
Make it with leftovers
Cooked beef warms in the buttered skillet and the soup. Dry noodles belong in the one-pot. Leftover noodles skip the boil on the butter card. Don't simmer leftover noodles for ten more minutes.
Pantry staples you'll need
- Salt
- Onion
- Butter
- Tomato paste
- Garlic
No noodles: pasta shapes work the same way. See ground beef and pasta. No beef: buttered noodles and an egg. See eggs and bread if you are down to that.
Picky-eater and healthy tweaks
Buttered noodles and plain beef, side by side, is the peace treaty. The red one-pot is the mixed bowl. Onion can be left out of a child's scoop.
Drain the beef. A tomato-and-noodle bowl doesn't need a cream of mushroom soup. Butter in the skillet card is a spoon, not a stick.
Have something else in the fridge?
Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.
Snap your fridgeRelated dinners
Questions
What can I make with ground beef and noodles in 20 minutes?
Buttered beef and noodles takes 18 minutes, start to plate. Egg noodles tossed with browned ground beef and a spoon of butter.
What's the easiest dinner with ground beef and noodles?
Buttered beef and noodles is the low-fuss one: one skillet, 18 minutes. Egg noodles tossed with browned ground beef and a spoon of butter.
Can I make this with leftover or cooked ground beef?
Cooked beef warms in the buttered skillet and the soup. Dry noodles belong in the one-pot. Leftover noodles skip the boil on the butter card. Don't simmer leftover noodles for ten more minutes.
What else can I add to ground beef and noodles for a full meal?
The cards already use ground beef, egg noodles, butter. 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 noodles a healthy dinner?
Drain the beef. A tomato-and-noodle bowl doesn't need a cream of mushroom soup. Butter in the skillet card is a spoon, not a stick.
How do I make ground beef and noodles kid-friendly?
Buttered noodles and plain beef, side by side, is the peace treaty. The red one-pot is the mixed bowl. Onion can be left out of a child's scoop.
Can I make ground beef and noodles in one pan or a sheet pan?
One-pot beef and noodles uses one pot and takes 25 minutes. Ground beef, tomato paste, and egg noodles cook in one pot.
What if I don't have noodles?
No noodles: pasta shapes work the same way. See ground beef and pasta. No beef: buttered noodles and an egg. See eggs and bread if you are down to that.