Hearty Lunch Ideas With Ground Beef

In cold months, a bowl of beef and biscuits will warm you up and give you the strength to face the elements. Prepare a quick version of the dish using store-bought biscuit dough. Cook ground beef and onions in an oven-safe skillet. Add mushrooms and sliced red peppers, if you wish. When the beef is cooked through, top the mixture with pieces of uncooked biscuit dough. Put the skillet in the oven and bake until the biscuits begin to turn brown. Scoop servings onto a plate and serve them with a green salad and light ranch dressing.

Tacos are filling but not so heavy that they'll weigh you down all afternoon. Cook ground beef with taco seasonings and scoop several spoonfuls into the bottom of a baked taco shell or flour tortilla. Add black beans or refried beans and shredded cheese for even more filling protein, then top the tacos with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream and guacamole. Two or three tacos is all you need to fill you up for several hours.

A bowl of pasta is made instantly heartier when you add some ground beef. Cook a pot of whatever type of pasta you like. Noodles made with whole wheat contain more fiber than the type that's made with white flour, so they may make you feel full for longer. Sauté beef in a skillet and add jarred tomato sauce and a bay leaf. Let the mixture cook for a few minutes. Pull out the bay leaf before tossing the pasta with the sauce.

Chili made with ground beef is one of the heartiest dishes you can make. It's even better when eaten a day or two after cooking, so it makes an ideal leftovers-for-lunch option. Cook up a pot for dinner and heat up the leftovers the next day. Add plenty of beans and vegetables, such as carrots and zucchini, to your chili to make it extra filling. Just before you eat, sprinkle on some shredded sharp cheddar cheese and spoon in a little sour cream for even more flavor.