Ground beef is such a versatile protein and often times we see it served with a pasta of some sort. Perhaps you’ve used your last box of pasta, don’t feel like boiling water, or are in the mood for something different. Today I’m going to be sharing a lot of different ways you can enjoy ground beef without pasta. I’ll also be sharing some tips on feeding picky/selective eaters who may not enjoy ground beef yet.

Carbs That Pair Well with Ground Beef That Aren’t Pasta

Perhaps you already have the perfect ground beef recipe in mind and need a past alternative. Here are some carbohydrates that aren’t pasta that pair very well with ground beef (and ground meat in general).

Bagels
Chips (potato, tortilla, cassava, veggie, etc.)
Tater Tots (potato, sweet potato, millet)
French Fries (regular potato and sweet potato)
Hash Browns
Rice (brown, white, sushi, jasmine, etc.)
Toast
Tortillas

Low Carb Pairings for Ground Beef

For those who can’t have traditional carbs, here are some low carb options you can get creative with.

Banana Flower
Cauliflower Rice
Spaghetti Squash “Noodles”
Zucchini Noodles

Ground Beef Recipes & Ideas without Pasta

Some of these suggestions are pretty straight forward and some may leave you wanting a recipe. I’ll link to recipes here and there, but I’m guessing you already have a favorite recipe to pull from for many of these suggestions.

Baked Potato + Seasoned Lean Ground Beef + Sour Cream + Cheddar Cheese (sprinkle with a little chili powder for an extra kick)
BBQ Meatloaf + Peas & Carrots + Rice (my kids LOVE this comforting meal)
Beef & Broccoli Served over Regular Rice
Beef Stir Fry – Steamed Rice + Stir Fry Vegetables (you can get these in the freezer section) + Seasoned Ground Beef
Beef Stroganoff Served atop Regular White Rice (you can use cauliflower rice as well)
Ground Beef + Mushroom Sauce + Seasoned White/Brown Rice
Ground Beef + Seasoned Tomato Sauce (think onion powder, garlic powder, etc.) + Diced Bell Peppers (can be cooked or raw) + Zucchini Noodles
Ground Beef Nachos! Taco Seasoned Ground Meat + Tortilla Chips + Sour Cream + Cheese + Salsa (here’s a recipe for taco seasoning if you need one)
Korean Beef Bowl – Seasoned Korean Ground Beef + Rice + Sautéed Vegetables
Layered Beef & Bean Dip (Seasoned Ground Beef + Refried Beans + Guacamole + Salsa + Cheese)
Meat Loaf + Mashed Potatoes + Steamed Carrots (classic comfort food for many)
Parmesan Cheese + Chopped Onion + Italian Seasoning + Ground Beef + Sliced Tomatoes (a great weeknight meal)
Sloppy Joes Served with Garlic Bread (instead of a burger bun)
Spicy Ground Beef + Slaw + Naan (whilst beef isn’t in traditional Indian food, you can create awesome flavours at home)
Tater Tots + Mixed Vegetables + Seasoned Ground Chuck + Cheese (a fun dinner for the whole family, think: a play on hamburger helper)

Easy Ground Beef Recipes

Here are some incredibly delicious and satisfying recipes that you can make at home with ground beef. Each recipe is also gluten free and allergy friendly. I’ll also say this: take these ideas and RUN with them. Don’t be afraid to try new things with your ground beef.

Pepperoni Pizza Dip Recipe (great with garlic bread sticks, my kids call this the ultimate comfort food)
Asian Inspired Creamy Rice & Meat with Vegetables
Carrot & Parmesan Ragout (a great recipe for busy weeknights)
Nutrient Dense Italian Ragu Recipe (one of my kids’ favorite ground beef recipes)
Bacon Bomb Meatballs
Meat & Sweet Potato Stuffed Peppers

Beef Recipes You Can Have for Dinner Tonight

If you’ve got a pound of ground beef hanging around, here are some delicious recipes you can try to make tonight. If you don’t have the right ingredients on hand, make a basic beef taco or simple burger. You can never go wrong with those if you ask me.

Easy Meat Sauce Recipe (a special onion and garlic free recipe I created for those who can’t have alliums)
Bacon Smash Burgers
Bacon Chili
Pepper Meatballs (use ground beed instead of ground chicken)

Casserole Recipes for Your Ground Beef

Grab a casserole dish and get ready to make a tasty recipe. These particular recipes are all naturally gluten free and allergy friendly.

Amazing Diary Free Enchiladas
Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
Potato Lasagna
Tater Tot Casserole (swap the shredded chicken for ground beef, this recipe uses a custom dairy free cream of mushroom soup recipe)

Picky Eater Tips

Before we get to the tips, please know that many little kids struggle to eat meat. For most it’s a texture issue. For some kids, it’s a lack of predictability (more on that later). Many parents are concerned about a lack of protein in their child’s diet. I can tell you this: unless your child is on a high protein diet for medical reasons, there’s a very good chance they’re meeting their daily needs by consuming a well rounded diet.

If picky eating is a growing concern in your home, my friend Jennifer over at Kids Eat in Color has a great picky eating quiz you can take to help gauge if this is a normal phase, or something else. I’d also suggest the courses from Feeding Littles. Megan and Judy are two amazing professionals who have fantastic feeding advice.

Now, on to the tips!

Helpful Related Articles & Resources for Picky/Selective Eating

Serve Picky/Selective Eaters a Little Bit to Prevent Food Waste

One of the biggest complaints parents have when managing picky eating is the amount of food waste. The key is to give your child a small portion (think Tablespoon) of each item available to them. From there, they can take as much more as they’d like. With this method, if they don’t like something, you’ve lost a very small amount of food rather than a large amount.

Taking this approach can also help kids with food in general. Some kids get overwhelmed when their plate/bowl is fully loaded. By seeing smaller amounts, some kids are more likely to give it a try.

Make Sure They Can See the Food

Serving meals family style is a big hit with many picky eaters. It allows them to eat the portions of the meal they’re comfortable with. When your child is old enough, they can also serve themselves which gives many kids a feeling of independence.

It’s important that you make sure your child can see what’s on offer. It’s easy to put food in a large bowl on the table, but if it’s a wooden or plastic bowl, chances are, your child can’t see what’s inside. When most kids are seated at the table, they’re not high enough to see in the bowls. The solution is simple: use clear serving bowls. Now your child can see the food and it totally counts as another exposure.

Have Your Child Help With Each Stage

Many people underestimate what their kiddo is capable of. Truth is, as long as we’re patient with them, kids can do a LOT when it comes to helping make meals. You’ll have to create an age appropriate way to include them in each step, and those steps include:

Meal Planning
Grocery Shopping
Meal Prep (produce etc.)
Cooking
Serving
Cleaning Up After the Meal

Kids can help meal plan by looking at photos of food with you. They can help grocer shop by putting produce into the bag, loading food onto the conveyer belt when checking out, and offering their opinion here and there. Some kids LOVE holding the list and checking things off said list. These actions may seem small, but they all add up to something big.

Your child can help you prep food with a set of child safe knives. Teach them kitchen safety, and help them wash, peel, and cut produce. Many kids will sample what they’re cutting as well. Invest in a sturdy kitchen stool or kitchen tower for your little one so they can help cook as well. I had my kids at the stove pretty young and it paid off big time.

Finally, make sure your child knows how to set the table, call everyone to the meal, and how to clean up when they’re done. Even toddlers can help clean up with something simple like “can you put this in the trash can?”. Make sure you model good manners as well with please and thank you.

Novelty Can go a Long Way

There are a lot of easy ways you can make serving and eating food a fun event for your child. For some kids, this is the subtle push they need to try something new. You can start by purchasing novelty spoons and tongs for serving. If your child has the dexterity, have them help serve and/or serve themselves.

Have a fun night where you all eat with serving spoons or cooking spoons. Your child may find this hilarious and enjoy being silly with you.

Skip eating at the table and have a picnic on the floor. Have your child help you set up said picnic, and invite a few stuffed animals to join.

There are companies like Constructive Eating that sell fun plates and utensils for kids. Check them out and see if special cutlery could help your child try new foods. Remember, you know your child best, and these are only suggestions. If your child is immune to novelty items, move on and don’t stress over it.

Understand Predictability

I want you to think about a box of crackers. Every. Cracker. Tastes. The. Same.

Now, I’d like you to think about a pint of blueberries. They generally look the same, but some are sweet and others are tart. Some are firm whilst some are super squishy. Blueberries in their fresh form are not predictable. In fact, most fresh produce isn’t predictable. Frozen gets a pass because it’s usually used in a smoothie and the differences average out when blended together.

Now, think about how your child perceives these foods. One is engineered to be the same every time, and to be incredibly delicious. The other items, not so much. With some kids, this is so important.

If your child is struggling with predictability in foods there are a couple of things that can help. First, serve foods with their favourite dip. Many parents think dips are “bad” but they can mask the differences in unpredictable foods. If your child wants to dip fresh blueberries in ketchup, that’s actually a win.

The second thing to do, depending on your child’s language skills, is to describe the food to them. Take a strawberry and cut it in half. Eat half, then describe it in great detail to your child. Use words like firm, juicy, sweet, and so on. Then, offer them the other half. You’ve made that strawberry predictable for them and they may be more willing to give it a go.

Food Play for the WIN

The best part about food play if you ask me is that you get to spend quality time with your child and relax around food. It’s a no-pressure way to introduce ingredients and see food as fun. When using food play, make sure you’re playing with new foods you’re introducing.

An example is Tic Tac Toe. Have long vegetables such as carrots be the game board, and small produce such as blueberries and raspberries be the pieces. You and your child will sit together, chat, and touch these foods. It’s an amazing food exposure that also builds great memories.

A Personal Word of Advice

I want to finish these picky eater tips off with a story. When my kids were little, I decided to make ground beef for the first time (we were a chicken kind of house). One child took a bite, then spat it out, then started scratching at his tongue. I thought, wow, that must taste horrible because he’s trying to get the flavour off of his tongue. I never forced my kids to have a bite, so we moved on.

Knowing you should introduce foods to a child many times before calling it quits, I made it again. And guess what? Same results. It was seasoned differently as well. Knowing that this child clearly hated ground beef, I went back to chicken and turkey and everything was fine.

A year later, due to other health issues, I found out that child was, wait for it, allergic to beef. In fact, allergic to all bovine material (I already knew they were allergic to milk). I share this story to say this: you never know why your child won’t eat something, so don’t force it. This child was having an allergic reaction, couldn’t communicate it, and showed no other obvious signs such as vomiting, hives, etc. Just scratching food off of their tongue.

So, keep exposing, but also keep an eye out for what could be symptoms of a food allergy or food intolerance, as the diagnosis rate is on the rise.

Answering Your Ground Beef Questions

Do you know of an easy ground beef meal for a picky toddler?

Honestly, I’d serve something deconstructed. For example, lightly seasoned ground beef + spaghetti sauce + small pieces of bread would be a great way to serve your kiddo. If they’re a big fan of ketchup or barbecue sauce, you can use that in place of the spaghetti sauce. Many people think dipping sauces is “bad” for toddlers, but it can encourage them to try new foods.

You can purchase divided plate so each component stays separate, or you can serve everything one regular plate, but divided. Sometimes, kids are intimidated by mixed foods, and that could be part of what you’re up against at the moment.

If a recipe calls for ground turkey, can I use ground beef in its place?

Yes, you can, but let’s talk fat content. Most recipes that call for ground turkey are using a lean ground turkey with less than 10% fat content. That means you’ll need to replace it with a lean ground meat. However, ground turkey thigh (with a higher fat content) is a thing, so make sure you know what the recipe developer used so you can choose the best alternative.

If you’re a fan of meats with a higher fat content, you can still replace them 1:1 for other ground meats. In that case, if the recipe uses a lot of cooking oil/fat, you can probably reduce that since the meat will create plenty of cooking juices.

In some cases, you’ll need to cook a high fat content ground meat in its own pan, strain of the excess fat, then mix it into the rest of the recipe. Bottom line though: yes, you can replace ground turkey with ground beef. Just be sure to watch the fat 🙂

Do you know of any good Instant Pot ground beef recipes?

Not personally, but, my friend Megan over at Allergy Awesomeness wrote a whole cookbook around fast and easy meals. Many of the recipes use an Instant Pot, and I know she uses ground beef often.

Easy Ground Beef Recipes and Ideas That Don’t Need Pasta