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5.0 from 18 votes

How to Cook Ground Beef

How to cook ground beef to use for your favorite ground beef recipes!

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
15 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 204 kcal
Course: Main Course , Dinner
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons cooking oil
  • 1 pound ground beef (85/15 or leaner)
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Remove  ground beef from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature (about 20-30 minutes). 
  2. In a medium or large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat (a little closer to the "high" side than the "medium" side). 
  3. Add ground beef to pan and press down to cover the bottom of the pan (like you are making a big hamburger), then break into large pieces (A wooden spatula with a big flat edge works best for this). 
  4. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes without stirring or breaking up more. Try to break that habit of adding the beef to the pan and immediately chopping up into little tiny pieces right off the bat.
  5. Flip the ground beef over, season with salt (or any other seasonings your particular recipe calls for) and cook on the other side for another couple minutes.  
  6. After a couple minutes, start breaking into smaller pieces. Resist the urge to stir constantly or the beef won't get "browned". Continue to brown by stirring, then waiting a minute or so, then stirring again until the ground beef is brown and cooked through. 
  7. For more tips on cooking ground beef, see notes above. 

Nutrition Information

Serving 6g Calories 204kcal (10%) Protein 13g (26%) Fat 16g (25%) Saturated Fat 6g (30%) Cholesterol 54mg (18%) Sodium 438mg (18%) Potassium 204mg (6%) Calcium 14mg (1%) Iron 1.5mg (8%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 204

% Daily Value*

Serving 6g
Calories 204kcal 10%
Protein 13g 26%
Fat 16g 25%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Cholesterol 54mg 18%
Sodium 438mg 18%
Potassium 204mg 4%
Calcium 14mg 1%
Iron 1.5mg 8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.