Quick Ground Beef + Potatoes (1-Pan!)
The beloved classic combo of meat + potatoes just got a weeknight make-over in this easy ground beef and potatoes recipe. With family-friendly flavors, this crave-able dinner is so simple & hearty!
5 star review
“My husband loved this one. Gives a classic simple cheeseburger flavor to the meal. Turned out great! Husband has already requested it be added to our meal rotation.”
– Evie
A Quick Ground Beef and Potatoes Dinner in One-Pan
As a busy mom, I’m always creating new dinner ideas with simple, easy-to-find, pantry-staple ingredients… that my family will actually eat. Cue ground beef and potatoes. These two ingredients are such a hearty, classic combo that also happens to be budget-friendly and always a hit with the family.
We love it so much I’ve also created an oven baked beef and potatoes casserole version that’s great to make-ahead. For this potato beef creation, I wanted to make it really quick on the stovetop and in just one pan. Because, you know, fewer dishes! And to keep the 10 minute prep as simple as possible, we’re using Russet potatoes – but you don’t even have to peel them! Score!
To continue my obsession with simplifying family dinner, I kept the seasonings as uncomplicated as possible. Just salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika pack a flavor punch without unnecessarily complicating things. And between us, I highly recommend using smoked paprika to add a really nice smoky flavor. After that, a few family-friendly flavors from mustard, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce, making this dinner both flavor-packed and kid-friendly all at the same time.
Just note though that these sauces have varying salt levels based on the brands you use, so be sure to taste it before adding extra salt. Finally, this simple dish with ground beef and potatoes is not spicy at all, so if you want some heat, I recommend adding a teaspoon of chili powder and top it with hot sauce (I love do love Cholula on this one!) and maybe a heavy dollop of sour cream and you’re good to go.
Welcome to My Kitchen! Let’s Make Classic Beef and Potatoes on the Stove
Pro Tips to Simplify this One Pan Family Meal
- Vegetable Chopper: I highly recommend using a vegetable chopper to streamline prep to under 10 minutes. Just slice your medium potato into quarters, then place it in your vegetable chopper. Of course, you can chop your potatoes by hand, but if they aren’t diced small enough, they’ll take longer to cook.
- Large Skillet: Use a big enough pan (at least a 12-inch skillet) since we’re using a hefty amount of potatoes and ground beef. We’ve got a family to feed here!
- Frozen Potatoes: Shortcut this recipe by swapping in frozen diced potatoes or frozen diced hash-browns in place of the raw potatoes. Now that is easy!
Make it Dairy-Free
This recipe works just as well with dairy-free cheddar shreds on top.
Quick Ground Beef + Potatoes (1-Pan Dinner!)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ pounds Yukon gold (see notes), or Russet potatoes, chopped into ½ inch cubes (no need to peel)
- 1 cup water (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 4 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F. (See note to skip this step)
- Heat a large heavy-bottom, non-stick skillet with lid over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil, the onion, and the ground beef. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt, the garlic, and the smoked paprika.
- Break the meat apart with a spoon and cook for 5-8 minutes until the meat is browned and cooked through and the onion has softened, stirring occationally.
- Remove the meat and set aside. To the same pan (no need to wash it first) add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the potatoes. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon smoked paprika. Cook on medium to medium-high for 1 minute until the spices are fragrant.
- Add ¼ cup water, cover, and cook, stirring frequently, until the potatoes are just tender but not falling apart, about 15-20 minutes. Note: if the potatoes begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, add additional water, ¼ cup at a time.
- When the potatoes are cooked through, add the cooked meat back to the pan, along with the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup, stirring to combine. If the pan seems dry, add an additional ¼ water, stirring to combine.
- Sprinkle half the cheese over the beef and potato mixture, stirring to combine. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the top, then place in the oven for 5 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Serve warm with toppings of choice.
Notes
- Cooking the Potatoes (Time): For the potatoes to cook in 15-20 minutes, you really do need to cut them into ½ inch cubes (see step-by-step photos for reference). If in doubt, cut them smaller than you think you need to. You’ll also need to cover the pan during cook time, adding splashes of water if they begin to stick, which will help them cook faster as well.
- Cooking the Potatoes (Type): I tested this recipe multiple times with both Russet and Yukon gold potatoes, and both work. However Yukon gold cook much faster than Russets, so if in doubt, (or for the fastest option), use Yukons.
- Cooking the Potatoes (Sticking): Have some water on hand to splash into your skillet when the potatoes stick to the bottom. Adding just a little water throughout the cooking process lets us cut wayyy down on the amount of oil. Add the water just 1/4 cup at a time, and at the end, you can add a little extra water to make it a bit saucier. I ended up using one cup of water in total, and my potatoes cooked in about 15 minutes.
- Skip the Oven: If you’d rather skip the oven step, simply allow the cheese to melt over the hot beef and potatoes at the end.
- Spice it Up: To keep this recipe family-friendly, I opted to keep the spice level to a minimum. However, if you prefer it spicer add 1 minced jalapeño along with the ground beef, 1 teaspoon chili powder along with the other spices, and top with hot sauce when serving.
- Optional Recommended Toppings: sliced green onion, sour cream, hot sauce.
My husband loved this one. Gives a classic simple cheeseburger flavor to the meal. I did not buy enough hamburger at the store so added 3 cups of cali rice. Turned out great! Husband has already requested it be added to our meal rotation.
Evie, what a fantastic idea to add frozen cauliflower rice! So glad this one was a hit for you, thanks for sharing your notes and for leaving a review!
Good! Reminds me of sausage and potato hash for breakfast, cracked eggs with the leftovers in the morning and equally good 🙂 also tastes good with just nutritional yeast added instead of cheese
Rebecca, what a great idea to add an egg – yum! Thanks for your great notes and for leaving a review!
Being from South Louisiana, I feel this really needed to be spiced up a bit. Way too much paprika. I would add some Cajun seasoning, chopped up onions and real garlic. My wife, son and I added pepper after it was done. Okay meal.
Hi John, you’re correct that in making this one as weeknight + family-friendly as possible I opted to keep the spice level and chopping to a bare minimum. If you want to punch things up I agree that adding chopped onion, Cajun seasoning, and jalapeño would work really well here. Did you use paprika or smoked paprika as called for in the recipe? I do recommend using smoked as it adds a nice depth of flavor without overpowering the dish.
Good but potato’s were not fully cooked even after 20 minutes. I would suggest covering the pan to speed up the process. I ended up putting it back in the oven for about 20 extra minutes to get the potatoes cooked completely. Which resulted in a bit of a dryer result. I would probably add some beef stock to the mix when adding the other wet ingredients if I make again.
Coby, I think covering the pan is a great idea of the potatoes haven’t cooked in 20 minutes. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Husband and kid approved! I will make again.
Angela, yay, happy to hear this easy dinner was such a hit. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and for leaving a review!
Good, hearty meal. Husband liked it and he is fussy! I could have cooked the potatoes a bit longer, though.
Diane, so happy to hear this ground beef dinner with your (a little bit) fussy husband! 😉 For quicker cooking you can always dice the potatoes slightly smaller or cover with a lid to help speed the process along. So happy to hear you enjoyed, and thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I spiced it up quite a bit and added chopped peppers and onions and garlic. Overall a dish worth repeating.
Sandy, I love that you spiced it up since this one’s pretty mild on its own. Happy to hear it’s a diner worth repeating!
Excellent family fish, found favor with the pickiest of eaters! I make the cheese optional and just put it on the table as another topping. Green onions, fried onions, maybe some pickled veg would be good with it, too
Nicole, ohhhh, fried onion sounds like a lovely addition. Thanks for sharing your notes and for leaving a review!
My super picky eater loved this recipe! He said it was a 10/10!
Maridyth, that’s wonderful to hear! So happy this dinner recipe was a hit with the whole fam, and thanks for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a review!
Can I use diced canned potatoes
Hi Cheryl, yes, you can use canned potatoes in this recipe. I recommend you drain them, rinse, and pat dry first. Then, since the canned potatoes are already cooked, brown the meat per the recipe, then brown and season the potatoes, but reduce the cook time to 5 or so minutes – just enough to for the potatoes to absorb the flavors, but avoiding any possibility of over-cooking. If you give it at try let me know how it turn out!
Can I substitute tomato sauce for the !ketchup
Hi Louis, yes, but it will change the taste of the recipe. Ketchup is sweeter, tangier, and thicker than tomato sauce. So you may need to add a bit of sweetener (honey might be good), tang (1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar perhaps) and perhaps a bit less water. If you give it at try let me know how it turns out!
Quick and Delicious!
Exactly what I was going for with this recipe, Marie! So happy to hear you enjoyed, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a review!
I made this thinking it would be perfect for my teen boy. I was wrong. I should have gone with my gut and omitted the mustard and added real onion and garlic. It is VERY mustard forward. He refused to eat it, now I am stuck with it for myself. All of the components worked, just not great with all the condiments added.
Amanda, sorry to hear this one wasn’t a hit with your son. My teenager loves it, but we all have different tastes, so I get it. I went with garlic powder and onion powder to speed up prep, but fresh always make a great option, too.
I am picky but it turned out great!
Heather, great to hear that this beef and potato recipe is “picky eater” approved! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and leaving a review!