This easy ground beef mashed potatoes recipe is pure comfort food - creamy potatoes topped with rich beef sauce. A simple, hearty family dinner.
When I need something cozy and filling after a long day, I make this ground beef mashed potatoes recipe. It's simple, hearty, and reminds me of the kind of homemade comfort food we all grew up with.
The mashed potatoes are buttery and creamy, the beef sauce rich and flavorful. It's also easy to make and uses basic ingredients you probably already have in your pantry and freezer, much like my Ground Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff or Refried Bean Chili. I often serve it with a quick green salad with Yogurt Dressing or Cucumber Salad with Oil and Vinegar to add something fresh on the side.
Ingredients: 16 | Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 4 servings | Difficulty: Easy
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Recipe ingredients
Ground beef: Use regular ground beef with about 15-20% fat. Leaner meat works as well, but the sauce will be slightly less hearty.
- If all you have is frozen beef, cook this recipe for Frozen Ground Beef using today's veggies and seasoning, adding the flour mixture once the beef is thawed and simmering the sauce as instructed today.
Potatoes: Starchy potatoes, such as Russet or Yukon Gold, are best for mashing. Check out more potato and ground beef combinations: Ground Beef and Potato Curry and Ground Beef Potato and Zucchini Skillet.
Vegetables: Onion, garlic, carrot, and peppers. Finely chop and dice them so they cook evenly with the meat.
Flour: Thickens the sauce and binds the ingredients together.
Beef stock: Use a good-quality beef stock or broth. Adjust the salt depending on how salty the stock is.
More sauce ingredients: Tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce, thyme, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper.
More ingredients for the mash: Milk, butter, and cream cheese.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make ground beef with mashed potatoes?
Make the ground beef sauce
Step #1: Sautรฉ beef and chopped vegetables until the meat is no longer brown (4-5 minutes).
Step #2: Whisk flour and water in a small bowl.
Step #3: Add the flour mixture and the remaining sauce ingredients to the ground beef.
Step #4: Simmer the beef for 40-45 minutes or until the mashed potatoes are ready.
Make the mashed potatoes
Step #5: Cook the chopped potatoes until tender and drain them well.
Step #6: Pass them through a potato ricer or mash them with a potato masher.
Step #7: Warm the milk, add the butter, and let it melt. Stir in the seasoning.
Step #8: Add the mixture and cream cheese to the potatoes. Stir to combine and adjust the taste.
Variations
Use leftover mashed potatoes or another mash recipe like Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes or Cauliflower and Potato Mash. If you use leftovers, warm them gently with a little milk or butter before serving with the beef sauce.
Use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef; both work well. The flavor will be lighter, so season generously. Check out this Teriyaki Ground Turkey Rice Bowl, too; it's delicious!
Bake mashed potatoes and ground beef like a casserole: Spread the beef sauce in a baking dish, top with mashed potatoes, and bake at 375ยฐF/190ยฐC for about 25-30 minutes, until lightly golden on top.
Make ahead, store, and reheat
Make ahead: You can prepare both components a day in advance. Cook the ground beef sauce, let it cool, and refrigerate it in a covered container. Boil and mash the potatoes, then refrigerate them separately. When ready to serve, reheat the beef sauce on the stove and the mashed potatoes with a little milk until warm and creamy.
Refrigerate: Keep the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freeze: You can freeze the beef sauce for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. I don't like freezing anything containing potatoes, but theoretically, you can do it.
Reheat: Warm the beef sauce in a saucepan on the stove, adding a splash of water or stock if it's too thick. Reheat the mashed potatoes in a small pot or the microwave, stirring occasionally and adding a little milk to restore the creamy texture.
Ground Beef Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or another heavy-bottomed pan
- Pot for cooking the potatoes
- Small saucepan
- Small bowl
- Potato ricer or potato masher
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
Ground beef:
- 1.7 lbs ground beef
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot diced
- 2 red bell peppers or pointed peppers, diced
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ยพ cup water
- 1ยผ cup beef stock
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- ยฝ fine sea salt more or less, depending on how salty your stock is
- ยฝ teaspoon ground black pepper
- a small bunch of parsley chopped
Mashed potatoes:
- 2.5 lbs potatoes
- 1 cup full-fat milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons cream cheese
- a few gratings of nutmeg
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Ground beef:
- Prepare vegetables: Finely chop the onion and the garlic, dice the carrot and the peppers.1 large onion + 3 large garlic cloves + 1 medium carrot + 2 red bell peppers
- Sautรฉ: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or another heavy-bottomed pan. Add ground beef and all the prepared vegetables. Sautรฉ until the beef is no longer brown, breaking up the clumps with a wooden spoon while the meat is cooking. It will take 4-5 minutes.1 tablespoon vegetable oil + 1.7 lbs ground beef + prepared vegetables
- Mix flour and water in a small bowl. Add them to the meat.3 tablespoons all-purpose flour + ยพ cup water
- Simmer: Add all remaining beef sauce ingredients, except for the parsley, to the pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover, and cook on low heat while you prepare the potatoes and cook the mash (40-45 minutes or whatever it takes until the mashed potatoes are ready). Adjust the taste and stir in the chopped parsley. 1ยผ cup beef stock + 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce + 3 tablespoons tomato paste + 1 teaspoon thyme + ยฝ fine sea salt + ยฝ teaspoon ground black peppera small bunch of parsley
Mashed potatoes:
- Prepare the potatoes: Peel, wash, and cut them into cubes.2.5 lbs potatoes
- Cook and mash: Place them in the pot, cover them with cold water. Bring to a boil, add some salt, and cook the potatoes until tender - 20-25 minutes, but check. Drain well. Mash the potato with a potato ricer or potato masher.
- Milk mixture: Warm the milk in a small saucepan. Add the butter, and let it melt. Stir in the spices.1 cup full-fat milk + 2 tablespoons butter + a few gratings of nutmeg + fine sea salt and ground black pepper
- Make potato mash: Add the milk mixture and the cream cheese to the mashed potatoes. Mix to combine and adjust the taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the chopped parsley.3 tablespoons cream cheese
- Serve: Divide the mashed potatoes between four bowls and add the ground beef sauce. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Ground beef: Use regular ground beef with about 15-20% fat. Leaner meat works as well, but the sauce will be slightly less hearty. You can also use ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Potatoes: Starchy potatoes, such as Russet or Yukon Gold, are best for mashing.
Adina says
Just made it again last night. I can't go wrong with it, everyone loves it.