10 Easy and Fun Beef Recipes That'll Mix Weeknights Up

Soup, chili, and stir-fry will have everyone in the family asking for more.

Updated May 27, 2024

20191203-donburi-rice-bowl-vicky-wasik-12 — Vicky Wasik

Ground beef and flank steak are quick cooking and deeply satisfying, thanks to their rich, beefy flavor. Do you love tacos? Are you a fan of chili? Need some cozy soup? There's something for everyone on this list. Most importantly, these easy beef recipes are quick to pull together, making them perfect for hectic weeknights (or any night of the week, really).

Stir-Fried Lo Mein With Beef and Broccoli
Serious Eats / Mariel De La Cruz
Beef and broccoli might only be a classic combination in the American Chinese repertoire, but that doesn't make it any less delicious. In most restaurants, you'll find it served with rice, but we like to stir-fry it with hearty lo mein noodles.
Stir-Fried Lo Mein With Beef and Broccoli
Cuban Picadillo
Serious Eats / Diana Chistruga
Picadillo is a Cuban-style hash made with ground pork, ground beef, or a combination of both. While simple to make, this classic Cuban dish is extremely flavorful. It begins with a sofrito of finely chopped onion, red bell pepper, and garlic. Dried cumin, dried oregano, bay leaves, tomato paste, and white wine are additional ingredients that layer the picadillo. What makes picadillo really sing is the addition of briny, pimento-stuffed green olives, capers, and raisins.
Cuban Picadillo
Pressure Cooker Beef Barley Soup
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
You can get this deeply flavorful soup on the table in about an hour. Using the right cut of beef, cut to the correct size, and a splash of fish sauce yields a flavorful, nourishing soup.
Pressure Cooker Beef Barley Soup
Pressure Cooker Ground Beef and Bean Chili Recipe
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
This classic beef-and-bean chili is loaded with tender ground beef, red kidney beans, and layer upon layer of flavor. We didn't cut any corners that mattered, but thanks to the high pressure and temperature of the pressure cooker, we reduced the cooking time significantly.
Pressure Cooker Ground Beef and Bean Chili
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Easy Stir-Fried Beef With Mushrooms and Butter
Serious Eats / Mariel De La Cruz
It may not be traditional in the strictest sense of the word, but the combination of soy sauce and butter is an irresistible one. One of our favorite ways to combine them? In a stir-fry, like this simple one with marinated flank steak and mushrooms.
Easy Stir-Fried Beef With Mushrooms and Butter
Rau Muống Xào Thịt Bò (Vietnamese Sautéed Morning Glory With Beef)
Serious Eats / Vy Tran
Normally, a vegetable stir-fry is part of a meal with multiple dishes, and its more reserved flavor profile makes it a good counterpart to more boldly flavored dishes on the table, but with the added beef in this recipe and some steamed rice, this is substantial enough on its own.
Rau Muống Xào Thịt Bò (Vietnamese Sautéed Morning Glory With Beef)
Beefsteak Donburi (Japanese Rice Bowl) With Spinach
Vicky Wasik
This recipe features a well-seasoned rice bowl topped with tender strips of ribeye steak and sautéed spinach. Shredded nori and fried garlic provide interesting texture and flavor.
Beefsteak Donburi (Japanese Rice Bowl) With Spinach
Chinese-American Beef and Broccoli With Oyster Sauce
Melissa Hom
For this recipe, we use flap meat marinated in soy and rice wine (you can feel free to use flank, hanger, or skirt if you prefer), sliced thin, then rapidly stir-fried in a ripping hot wok.
Chinese-American Beef and Broccoli With Oyster Sauce
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Classic Reuben Sandwiches (Corned Beef on Rye With Sauerkraut and Swiss)
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
Who said you can't have a sandwich for dinner? Making a Reuben is easy, but that doesn't mean we can't incorporate some technique to get it just right. Preheating the kraut and corned beef ensures that the cheese melts quickly upon assembly. Toasting the rye on one side yields a crisp outer texture, but leaves the interior tender for maximum fusion with the cheese.
Classic Reuben Sandwiches (Corned Beef on Rye With Sauerkraut and Swiss)
American Chop Suey (Macaroni, Beef, and Cheese Skillet Casserole)
Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
Beefaroni, chili mac, Johnny Marzetti: Whatever you call it, this stuff is delicious. Tender pasta with a rich tomato and beef sauce flavored with garlic and oregano, cooked together with onions and garlic and finished with cheese, this is Italian-American comfort food at its finest.
American Chop Suey (Macaroni, Beef, and Cheese Skillet Casserole)

10 Easy and Fun Beef Recipes That'll Mix Weeknights Up

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