Ground Beef Recipes

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Hamburgers

Burgers are extremely versatile. The toppings, the "bun" and condiments can all be changed up. Besides hamburger buns, brioche rolls, English muffins, regular sliced bread or toast (many kinds), ciabatta bread, even pita bread and naan, can be used to encase a burger for eating out of hand. Toppings and condiments are limitless. Lettuce, tomato, raw onion, and mayonnaise show up regularly, as does ketchup and mustard. Fried onion, instead of raw are also a good option. But what about avocado on a Mexican flavored burger with salsa, maybe even jalapeños. Or an Italian style burger with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and roasted peppers. BBQ sauce and cole slaw would also be a good combination, as would bacon and mushrooms, a popular burger on menus with Swiss cheese. I happen to like hamburgers with sweet pickle relish or dill pickles with ketchup on mine.

Mom's Genesee Burger - This is a burger Mom used to make when she first opened the bar. I always loved them. She cooked the burger on the griddle, melted Cheddar cheese on top, then placed it on toasted and a lightly buttered English muffin and topped it with fresh alfalfa sprouts. Lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise were optional.
Roquefort Burgers - Burgers are stuffed in the middle with blue cheese, which melts as the burger cooks. Toppings include lettuce, tomato, raw onion slices, and mayonnaise. One of my favorite burgers.
Bacon Swiss Burgers w/ Tomato & Avocado - A classic burger found on many restaurant menus, with lettuce instead of avocado. Bacon Mushroom Swiss Burgers are also popular.
Greek Burger - This burger is a nice change from burgers you find in America. The burger is flavored with herbs and spices you would genrally find in Greek cuisine, and is eaten in a pita pocket. The recipe calls for a tomato, onion and kalamata olives salad, but I like to top mine with plain yogurt and tahini dressing. The salad can be eaten on the side.
Mexican Chipotle Burger - These Mexican style burgers are topped with Monterey Jack cheese, avocado, salsa and get their kick from a spicy chipotle mayonnaise.
Juicy Lucy (American cheese melted in the middle of the burger) - Burger that is popular in Minnesota. It's a beef patty with American cheese tucked in center of the burger, usually served on a bun with pickles and griddled onions.
McDonald's Big Mac Sauce - McDonald's "secret"sauce used on their Big Mac. A good sauce to try on other buregers.

Meatloaf

Meatloaf isn't a modern invention. Many cultures have been mincing meat and making it into loaves and other forms for many years. The earliest known recipes and instances of a meatloaf like dish is in Ancient Rome during the 1st Century AD in a cookbook with an unknown author: Apicius. Early versions with the Romans use dried fruits, minced meat, and wine soaked breads. In Medieval Europe several variations of meatloaf can be found, which seems to be a popular way to eat leftover cuts of meat and other perishables that need to be consumed and cannot be saved. We also now see regional differences. In Germany we see a popular method that includes an egg cooked in the center. Sweden’s variation is topped with a lingonberry sauce and served with potatoes. In the 1600s in the French countryside we see a terrine made with meats, including veal, pork, chicken, and rabbit, were finely chopped, creating a coarse texture bound together through fats and gelatin. New England had a practice to slaughter cows before winter and stretch the meat by using all parts of it. Pepper, salt, onion, and milk soaked bread and eggs were used with the meat.

So we should not be surprised that we find many different versions and variations of "meatloaf" in many different countries, as somewhat reflected in the recipes below.

Italian

Italy is one country that uses ground meat in many of their culture's recipes.

Spaghetti & Meatballs - A popular dish in the United Stes where the tomato sauce the meatballs are cooked in is called gravy.

Hot Meatball Sandwiches - A good sandwich to make with leftovers of Spagetti & Meatball. A hoagie roll is split lengthwise, hot meatballs with sauce are placed inside, topped with mozarella cheese and broiled until the cheese melts.

Bolognese -

Italian Wedding Soup -

Stuffed Peppers

Black Bean & Corn Stuffed Peppers

Mexican/TexMex/Carribean

Jamaican Beef Patties - Although these patties are from Jamaica, they are similar in how they are made to Empanadas, thus I have listed them here. Both are turnover-type pastries with a savory filling wrapped in dough. The difference in taste between the two, though, is very pronounced. Patties use Jamaican island seasonings relying more on curry powder, Scotch bonnet peppers (patties have quite a bit of heat), thyme, and garlic while empanadas often use more cumin and less spicy peppers and add raisins and green olives to the meat mixture. Plus, empanadas are usually fried, while Jamaican beef patties are baked and are more yellow in color because of curry powder used. Their historical background is also different. Jamaican patties are influenced by Cornish pasties brought by British colonists, while empanadas are considered a Spanish dish.

English

Shepherd's Pie - Shepherd's Pie is traditionally made with lamb, but in North America, beef is used. The ground meat is cooked with onions, celery, peas, and carrots in a beef broth flavored with tomato paste. It is placed in a casserole dish and topped with mashed potatoes. This is then baked in the oven until hot and the mashed potatoes have browned. Sometimes cheese is added to the top.

German/Slavic

Hamburger Steak w/ Mushroom Gravy - Hamburg steak is listed by Escoffier as a classic dish in haute cuisine in his Le Guide Culinaire, 1903.

Salisbury Steak w/ Wild Mushroom Gravy - Salisbury steak originated in the United States, but is considered a version of Hamburg steak, which originated in Germany.

Stuffed Cabbage - In this Polish dish, cabbage is cooked until softened and filled with a ground beef and rice mixture seasoned with onion and garlic. The mixture is rolled up in the cabbage leaves and simmered in a paprika spiced tomato sauce. The cabbage rolls are served hot with a dollop of sour cream.

German Meatballs w/ Spaetzle - The meatballs are simmered on a sauce with sour cream and dill and served over spaetzle.

American Goulash - An Americanized version of Hungarian Goulash made with elbow macaroni in place of spaetzle, and ground beef in place beef stew meat. Both use beef, onions and tomatoes in the sauce, but the seasonings are different. Due to the difference in the way they are served, they are quite different dishes. Hungarian Goulash is a meat sauce, cooked for a long time to tenderize the meat and is served over spaetzle. American goulash, on the other hand, is a quick dish where the macaroni noodles are mixed in with cooked ground meat