Ground Beef and Potatoes Skillet

The ground beef and potatoes served on a white plate with a piece of Texas toast.

Ground Beef and Potatoes Skillet

This simple ground beef and potatoes skillet is a great way to get dinner on the table on a busy weeknight. In this recipe ground beef is cooked with diced potatoes and flavored with onions, garlic, and spices. The ingredients are kept to a minimum, but it’s still packed with flavor.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword beef recipes, ground beef, potatoes

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 432kcal

Author Elizabeth

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Olive Oil or your favorite cooking oil
1 pound Ground Beef use sirloin, chuck, or round
1½ teaspoon Salt we use kosher salt
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Small Onion finely diced
3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
½ tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 pound Russet Potato peeled and cut into roughly ½ inch cubes (red or yellow potatoes can be substituted if necessary)
½ cup Beef Broth
1 tablespoon Chopped Parsley for garnish optional (green onions, chives, and cilantro will also make good garnish options)

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the ground beef and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Stir well to combine then arrange the ground meat in one layer. Cook for 3 minutes without disturbing.
Stir the beef and continue cooking for 2 minutes (or until browned) while stirring and breaking up large pieces with a cooking spoon or spatula. (see cook’s notes and tips 1)
Add the onions to the ground beef and stir to combine. Cook for 3 minutes, stir often.
Next, add the garlic and tomato paste. Stir well to combine the ingredients and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add the potatoes, broth, and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet, stir well. When the beef and potatoes start to sizzle, cover the pan, and lower the heat to medium low.
Cook gently for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. A fork or knife should slide in and out without resistance. Stir occasionally to make sure the potatoes are not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Taste the beef and potatoes and add salt if needed. As a reference we added a ¼ teaspoon to ours.

Notes

Depending on the fat content of the ground beef you may want to drain some or all of it. An easy way to do this is to take the pan off the heat, arrange the beef on one side and tip it slightly so that the oil pools opposite the meat. Use a large spoon to scoop out the excess oil. Level the skillet and continue with the recipe.
Stir gently when the potatoes start to soften so they do not break apart.
If you’d like less sauce in the potatoes and ground beef skillet uncover the pan for a few minutes and let some of the pan juices cook out. Stir occasionally.

Nutrition