Ground beef is a versatile and budget-friendly ingredient that can be used in a variety of delicious and healthy Paleo recipes. Whether you're looking for a quick weeknight meal or a comforting dish to share with your family, there's a Paleo ground beef recipe out there for you. The paleo diet is great for your health, but all that protein can be expensive. Ground beef is a great option if you’re looking to create paleo-friendly meals for your family without breaking the bank.
Why Ground Beef is Great for Paleo
Ground meat is an easy and budget-friendly way to incorporate more protein into your diet, especially when complying with Paleo and AIP diets. It’s also an easy way to add protein to most meals and makes meal prep a breeze!
Tips for Choosing Ground Beef
My tip is to opt for sustainably raised meats whenever you can, such as free-range and pasture-raised poultry and grass-fed, grass-finished meats.
Ground Beef Recipes
Here are some delicious and easy Paleo ground beef recipes to get you started:
Stir-Fries
These recipes are quick, easy, and packed with flavor.
Read also: Paleo Granola Recipes
Healthy Ground Beef Stir Fry
This healthy ground beef stir fry is full of flavor and great for weeknights! No slicing meat means it comes together quickly in one skillet and is ready in just 20 minutes. The ingredients are simple and delicious. Plus, all you need is one skillet! It’s perfect for busy nights when you’re tired and need to keep cleanup minimal!
Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon oil
- White part of scallions
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Peppers
- Peas
- Carrots
- Mushrooms
- Shredded cabbage or brussels sprouts
- Sauce (see below)
- Sautéed cauliflower rice (optional)
- Green scallions and sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions:
- Make sure you have your veggies prepped and ready to go since this stir fry cooks quickly.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add a tablespoon of oil.
- Once hot, add the beef, season all over with salt and pepper, and cook until browned, breaking up lumps with a spatula.
- Discard beef drippings and add the second tablespoon of oil to the skillet.
- Over Medium high heat, cook the white part of the scallions, the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add in the peppers, peas, carrots, and mushrooms and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, then stir fry for a minute until just barely fork tender.
- Stir in the shredded cabbage or brussels sprouts and cook another minute, stirring.
- Add the beef back in and stir, then the sauce and stir to coat.
- Serve over sautéed cauliflower rice if desired and garnish with the green scallions and sesame seeds.
Gluten Free Noodle Stir Fry
Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground beef pork, or other ground meat
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or other high heat oil
- 1 sweet bell pepper thinly sliced
- 3 cup broccoli broken up into tiny bite size pieces (think nickle-quarter size)
- 5 cups shredded cabbage either pre-shredded, or napa and savoy cabbage work really well too
Sauce Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos or gluten free soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vinegar I use rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoon fresh ginger finely shredded , I use a microplane…best tool EVER
- 3 cloves garlic minced (again..I have used them all, and this cheap mincer is THE best!)
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil*Optional Add In's: Fish sauce think salt in Vietnamese cuisine..it's amazing, even if you do not like fish!
Instructions:
- Prepare your veggies and whisk together the sauce ingredients. set aside.
- Preheat a 12" skillet (I use my favorite cast iron pan for everything!) over medium heat, and brown your meat, breaking it up into small pieces, remove from pan and set aside.
- Add the preferred oil to pan and let it get hot.
- Throw in the broccoli and sweet pepper, stirring to coat.
- Stir fry the veggies for a couple of minutes, ensuring they are just starting to cook and not getting wilted.
- Add the meat back in, add in the sauce, and stir.
- Add in the shredded cabbage, and cook until just wilting.
- Taste, and add more sauce if you like.
- Serve over a bed of steamed rice or cauliflower rice.
Korean Ground Beef Bowl
This simple paleo Korean ground beef bowl recipe takes about 20 minutes to make. The sweet-spicy-savory combination reminds of me of one of my favorite Korean dishes - beef bulgogi.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef
- Onion
- Olive oil
- Carrot
- Ginger
- Coconut aminos
- Garlic
- Coconut sugar
- Sesame oil
- Sriracha sauce
- Green onions
Instructions:
- Saute onion in a bit of olive oil for 2 minutes over medium-high heat.
- Add ground beef and stir and break up meat until it is browned.
- Add carrot and ginger and cook for another minute, stirring.
- Stir in coconut aminos, garlic, coconut sugar, sesame oil, sriracha sauce, and 2 chopped green onions.
- Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring.
- Remove from heat.
- Serve ground beef over rice, cauliflower rice, in a lettuce wrap, with kimchi on the side - or eat plain.
Stir Fry with Ginger and Garlic Sauce
When I’ve got about 10 minutes to make dinner and I’m struggling for inspiration I turn to stir-fries. This ground beef stir fry from The Endless Meal is a great option if you’re staring at the fridge and you need food really quickly. The tasty garlic and ginger sauce is definitely one I’ll be using again.
One-Pan Meals
These recipes are perfect for busy weeknights when you want a delicious and healthy meal with minimal cleanup.
Whole30 Ground Beef and Broccoli
This one pan, Whole30 Ground Beef and Broccoli is a 15 minute meal that will satisfy any eater!
Read also: Paleo Diet Delivered: What You Need to Know
Ingredients:
- Ground beef
- Broccoli florets
- Coconut aminos
- Fish sauce
- Sesame oil
- Vinegar
- Garlic
- Spicy Chili Lime Mayonnaise (see below)
Instructions:
- In a small bowl, mix together the coconut aminos, chopped garlic, sesame oil, fish sauce and vinegar. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet to medium/high heat and add the ground beef.
- Begin to break apart the beef and cook until its golden brown. Remove from the pan.
- Add 2 tablespoons oil to the hot pan along with the broccoli florets.
- Toss the broccoli and cook it until its tender crisp.
- Add the beef back to the broccoli and stir.
- Pour the sauce over the meat and broccoli and stir until everything is coated.
- Turn off the heat.
- Top with a generous dollop of Spicy Chili Lime Mayo and enjoy!
Spicy Chili Lime Mayonnaise Ingredients:
- Mayo
- Lime juice
- Chili powder
- Salt
Spicy Chili Lime Mayonnaise Instructions:
- In a separate bowl, mix together the mayo, lime juice, chili powder + salt!
Comfort Food Classics
These recipes put a Paleo spin on classic comfort food dishes.
Paleo Ground Beef Stroganoff
This Paleo Ground Beef Stroganoff is a simple and easy recipe for a busy weeknight, coming together in just 20 minutes. It uses coconut cream to replace the sour cream, making it dairy free, and bonus, it’s gluten free and Whole30 compatible.
Ingredients:
- Ground beef
- Mushrooms
- Coconut milk
- Cassava flour
- Broth
- Spices (garlic powder, ground black pepper, kosher salt)
- Cooking fat (avocado oil)
Instructions:
- Place the can of coconut milk in the freezer just before you start prepping the recipe.
- Clean the mushrooms, then using a cutting board and sharp knife, cut them in half (down the middle, not top to bottom) and thinly slice them.
- Place a large pan over medium heat on the stove.
- Put the cooking fat into the pan and once it’s warmed, dump the mushrooms into the pan.
- Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon kosher salt over the mushrooms and cook them for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring them with a wooden spoon until they are cooked through.
- Scoop them into a small to medium bowl and set aside.
- Put the ground beef into the pan and add the remaining ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Break up the ground beef with a wooden spoon and cook until it is no longer pink.
- While the beef is cooking, take out the can of coconut milk and open it with a can opener. DO NOT SHAKE IT.
- Remove the top of the can and using a measuring cup, scoop out ¼ cup of the hardened cream on top. The remaining coconut milk can be saved for another recipe.
- Set the coconut cream aside for a moment.
- Once the beef is done cooking, measure out then add in the cassava flour and stir to coat the ground beef.
- Next measure out then add the beef broth and stir with the wooden spoon to incorporate.
- After a minute or two, add in the mushrooms and the coconut cream.
- Stir to melt everything together.
- Use full fat canned coconut milk, not lite coconut milk or boxed or bottled coconut milk.
Shepherd’s Pie
As well as keeping your supper paleo-friendly, this shepherd’s pie from Paleo Running Momma will be your kid’s new favorite. The recipe is also dairy-free but still topped with super creamy mash.
Meatloaf
Well, The Real Simple Good Life has given this traditional supper a healthy paleo twist. You can serve it up for your gluten-free and keto friends, too.
Sloppy Joes
If you want something bursting with interesting flavors that you can have with your paleo sides, then you need to try Real Food With Jessica’s sloppy Joes. They’re a great way to make ground beef interesting, even if you’ve eaten it 4 times this week!
Read also: Paleo Mayonnaise Recipe
Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
For a cheese-free casserole option that’s paleo-friendly, my favorite is Paleo Running Momma’s bacon cheeseburger recipe. It’s full of hearty veggies, ground beef, and a creamy sauce, and it’s topped with crispy bacon, which is always a good idea!
Other Paleo Ground Beef Recipes
- Grain-free enchiladas: Ancestral Nutrition has your comfort eating, midweek dinner sorted with this grain-free recipe for enchiladas.
- Mongolian beef: Recreating this dish with ground beef instead of sliced flank steak means that Unbound Wellness’s version is much more cost-effective but just as delicious.
- Easy taco casserole: If you’re looking for something you can throw in the oven and then pop on the table, then this taco casserole from Whole Kitchen Sink is a great paleo option.
- Korean ground beef: This Mom’s Menu has such a tasty recipe for Korean beef that you’ll be hard-pushed to remember it’s healthy!
- Ground beef taco bowls with cauliflower rice: This paleo taco bowl from The Healthy Consultant is full of so many awesome nutrients, and just looking at it will make you feel healthier!
- Loaded cauliflower ground beef casserole: Paleo Grubs uses it as a contrast to the savory ground beef in their casserole recipe.
- Sweet potato lasagne: This sweet potato version from Heal Me Delicious is a great paleo option for the whole family to tuck into.
- Paleo breakfast bake: Her Paleo breakfast bake is such a delicious way to start the day.
- Gnocchi bolognese with spinach: If you’re missing your pasta, then Mary’s Whole Life has created just the supper for you.
- Pakistani Kima: For a Friday night dinner, this ground beef curry is the paleo jackpot!
- Caribbean-inspired beef soup: This Caribbean soup from Heal Me Delicious is creamy, filling, and super-nutritious.
- Beef taco soup: This hearty soup from Every Last Bite is a great 30 minute meal that you can get on the table quickly and then freeze the rest for and even quicker supper another day.
- Garlic rosemary meatballs: Wonky Wonderful’s herby meatball recipe is much more interesting, and you can add tomato sauces or vegetables to make a healthy main course.
- Ground beef with Worcestershire sauce: This tasty recipe from I Heart Umami can be bulk cooked in advance and kept in the freezer.
- Beef and plantain bowls: This ground beef and plantain bowl from The Real Simple Good Life is gorgeous, and the green sauce is so delicious I might just eat it on its own.
Other Ground Meat Options
These are the recommended ground meats to use by flavor, texture, and fat profile. For most recipes that call for ground meat, the protein is interchangeable with your preferred meat or even mixed half and half with other meat. Take, for example, Italian meatballs. They’re often a mix of ground beef and ground pork. This offers a nice marriage of flavors and textures.
- Ground chicken: Ground chicken is a leaner, poultry-based meat that can be swapped with ground red meat like beef or bison.
- Ground turkey: Ground turkey is another awesome poultry option for lean ground meat.
- Ground bison: Whenever I cook with beef or bison, I like to prepare it in a way that really shines through in both flavor and texture.
- Ground pork: Ground pork is classic in certain dishes! It’s also perfect for combining your ground meats, to add some more flavor or fat like with classic Italian meatballs (they’re usually 1/2 ground pork and 1/2 beef).
- Ground lamb: By now, you probably know my husband is Greek, so we enjoy eating lamb on the regular. These are some of my favorite Greek lamb recipes that do a great job of showcasing this delicious ingredient.