Ground Beef, Zucchini and Potatoes

An easy and quick meal: ground beef and potatoes skillet with zucchini and herbs.

This zucchini beef skillet is one of those meals put together on a Sunday afternoon when you actually have nothing planned, and you just start searching your fridge and freezer in search of something to eat.

Many times we decide to eat just spaghetti with pesto or tomato sauce; I always have some homemade jars of pesto in the freezer or tomato sauce in the pantry.

But sometimes, I find more than just an opened jar of pesto in the fridge. So here it is: a quick and thoroughly delicious Sunday lunch with ground beef, potatoes and zucchini.

Recipe ingredients

• Zucchini: 2-3 zucchini, depending on size, about 450 g/ 1lb.

• Potatoes: This ground beef and potatoes skillet can be made with either leftover cooked potatoes or freshly boiled potatoes. If you cook the potatoes, cook them in their skin, drain, and let them cool until cool enough to handle. Peel the potatoes, then slice or cube them.

• Ground beef: You can cook this zucchini beef skillet with only ground beef or with a mixture of ground beef and ground pork. The second version will have more calories, but it will taste just as good.

• Dairy products: Heavy cream and a little crème fraiche; I added them to the zucchini beef skillet as well. If you only have heavy cream or only crème fraiche, you can use only one of the two.
  • Or you can replace them with sour cream and a splash of milk, for instance, if that is what you have.

• Herbs: I used fresh summer savory and chives because I had them in the garden. However, feel free to use whatever herbs you have, for instance, parsley, dill, or a mixture of frozen herbs.
  • You can also use this Homemade Ground Beef Seasoning and leave out the rest of the spices.

How to make zucchini and beef with potatoes?

I cooked the ground beef, potatoes, and zucchini dish in my cast iron pan (Amazon affiliate link). This pan is perfect for this kind of dish; however, if you don't have it, a regular large non-stick pan will be fine as well.

• Cook the potatoes, drain, let cool slightly, and peel, slice, or cube. Use leftover boiled potatoes if you have some.
• Cook the ground beef in the heated oil for a few minutes.
• Add onion and garlic. Continue cooking until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Chop vegetables: Half the zucchini lengthwise and slice the halves. Chop the bell pepper.
• Simmer: Add both to the skillet and fry for a few minutes. Add the broth, cover the pot and cook for about 5 minutes or until the veggies are done to your liking. Add the potatoes and reheat them.
• Add cream and crème fraiche, chopped herbs, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir carefully.

What to serve with it?

• Green Salad with Yogurt Dressing
• German Cabbage Salad
• Simple White Cabbage Salad
• Cucumber Dill Salad
• Shopska Salad

More recipes cooked in a skillet

Ground Beef, Zucchini and Potatoes

An easy and quick meal: ground beef and potatoes skillet with zucchini and herbs.

4.62 from 26 votes

Print Pin Share GrowSaved! Rate

Course: Beef, Pork and Lamb

Cuisine: German

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 431kcal

Author: Adina

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients 

USEU

• ▢ 1 lb potatoes See note 1
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 lb ground beef
• ▢ 1 medium onion
• ▢ 4 garlic cloves
• ▢ 1 lb zucchini
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper
• ▢ 1 cup vegetable broth
• ▢ ½ cup single or heavy cream
• ▢ 2 tablespoons crème fraiche See note 2
• ▢ a few sprigs fresh summer savory or thyme See note 3
• ▢ small bunch of chives
• ▢ fine sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

• Potatoes: If you don't have any leftover potatoes, start by cooking the potatoes. Let cool slightly, peel, cube, or thickly slice them. Set aside.
• Chop: Finely chop the onion and the garlic cloves.
• Cook ground beef: Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the ground beef and stir for a few minutes until the meat changes color.
• Add the onion and the garlic and cook until the onions are translucent and the ground beef lightly browned for about 5 minutes.
• Chop vegetables: In the meantime, halve the zucchini lengthwise and slice the halves. Chop the bell pepper into cubes. Add both to the skillet and fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Simmer: Add the broth, cover the pot and cook for about 5 minutes or until the veggies are done to your liking.
• Add the potatoes and reheat them.
• Add cream, crème Fraiche, chopped herbs, salt, and pepper to taste.
• Stir carefully and serve immediately as suggested above.

Notes

1. Leftover boiled potatoes can be used instead.
2. The heavy cream and crème fraiche can be replaced with about 150 g/ 5.3 oz/ slightly more than ½ cup sour cream and a splash of milk
3. You can use other fresh or frozen herbs instead, for instance parsley, dill or any other (frozen) herb mixture you like.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the dish | Calories: 431kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 316mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g

Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @adinabeck or tag #WhereIsMySpoon!