Italian Ground Beef and Potatoes
Italian Ground Beef and Potatoes Recipe – This hash-style dish with tomatoes is quick and easy to make in one pan for a hearty, comforting, and delicious family-friendly weeknight meal!
Why We Love this Italian Ground Beef and Potatoes Recipe
If you need a filling dinner in a flash, you know your best bet is an easy one-pan meal. Bonus points if it only takes about 30 minutes to make! And what makes it a true winning weeknight recipe is that it is budget-friendly as well.
So here we go: Easy? Check. Quick? Check. Wallet-friendly? Check. There you have it – Ground Beef with Potatoes is the ultimate meat and potatoes dish! If you’ve got a package of ground beef in your fridge or freezer, and a bag of potatoes, you can make an amazing hearty meal the whole family will love.
This Italian-style recipe is similar to a skillet hash, but a little saucier. We combine ground beef, garlic, onions, herbs, and tomatoes. But instead of serving it over pasta, we simmer potatoes, right in the sauce. This creates a fabulous one-pot skillet meal that comes together with very little effort.
Ingredients You Need
- Olive oil – or other high-heat and neutral-tasting oil, like canola or avocado oil
- Ground beef – 85% fat has a great ratio of meaty goodness without getting oily, or use lean ground beef
- Garlic – minced
- Red onion – peeled and diced
- Italian seasoning – our homemade Italian spice blend is the best!
- Canned diced tomatoes – plus water
- Russet potatoes – peeled and cut into cubes
- Crushed red pepper – optional, for a nice kick of spicy heat
- Salt and pepper – just a pinch of each
- Fresh parsley – adds a pop of fresh flavor
- Asiago or parmesan cheese – shredded, to finish the dish
How to Make One-Pan Ground Beef and Potatoes
Set out a large 14-inch sauté pan, large skillet, or a 6-quart pot. Set over medium to medium-high heat. Add the oil to the skillet. Once hot, add in the ground beef, garlic, onions, and Italian seasoning. Salt and pepper liberally.
Break the meat apart with a wooden spoon. Stir and sauté until the beef is cooked through and the onions are soft.
While the beef is cooking, peel and chop the potatoes.
Pour the canned tomatoes into the skillet, plus water. Then stir in the chopped potatoes and crushed red pepper.
Stir and simmer for at least 15 minutes until the texture of the potatoes is fork-tender. Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Get the Complete (Printable) One-Pan Beef and Potatoes + Video Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Stir in fresh chopped parsley. The consistency of the dish should be thick yet slightly saucy.
Serve the hamburger potato casserole warm with a good sprinkle of cheese over the top. You can use parmesan, Asiago, or shredded cheddar cheese! If you want a melty layer of cheese on top, pop the cast iron skillet into the oven and turn the broiler on for a few minutes, until the cheese is bubbly! If your pan is not oven-safe, transfer it to a baking dish, add the cheese, and then broil!
Tips & Tricks
- Like it spicy? You can add crushed red pepper flakes and/or a dash of cayenne pepper, for an extra kick!
- Add some veggies! Feel free to add extra veggies like bell peppers, carrots, and zucchini!
- You can use any kind of potatoes that you have on hand! Brown potatoes, aka russet potatoes, or Yukon potatoes would both work well. You can also use red potatoes if you have those on hand!
Serving Suggestions
This ground beef and potatoes one-pan recipe is an entire meal in itself. It is enough for 4-6 generous servings, so it’s perfect for a quick family dinner! It is lovely served over a bed of basmati rice or creamy mashed potatoes.
For a full spread, you might consider serving the saucy dish with some homemade Garlic Bread, Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread, or Homemade Breadsticks. And including a fresh green salad is always a great idea!
You can also serve this ground beef casserole for breakfast with a fried egg or scrambled eggs and a tortilla!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this one-skillet recipe with other proteins?
Yes! Like most ground beef and potatoes recipes, you can easily swap the beef with ground chicken or turkey. I suggest dark meat poultry though for the juiciest and flavorful meat.
How do I make this a vegetarian one-pan dinner recipe?
Use your choice of ground meat replacement, like plant-based meatless crumbles. It would also be great with pre-cooked lentils! This substitution also makes this a vegan recipe, if you omit the cheese!
Is this one-pot recipe gluten-free?
Yes, it is! There is no wheat product or all-purpose flour in this dish; the potatoes help to thicken the tomato sauce.
How long do leftovers last?
This Italian ground beef and potatoes recipe can be stored and saved for later! Transfer cooled leftovers to an airtight container, and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Can you freeze Italian beef and potatoes?
Technically yes you can, but note that the potatoes will become softer when thawed and reheated. But it will still taste good! Let the leftovers cool and transfer them to an airtight container. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Looking for More Easy One-Pan Dinner Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Rustic Hungarian Goulash
- Homemade Hamburger Helper
- One-Pot American Goulash
- Creamy Skillet Cajun Chicken and Mushrooms
- Parmesan Lemon Chicken and Rice
See the recipe form below for nutrition facts.
Italian Ground Beef and Potatoes Recipe + Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ cup chopped red onion or sweet onion
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes + 2 cans water
- 1 ½ pounds russet potatoes peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh parsley chopped
- ½ cup shredded Asiago or parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Set out a large 14-inch sauté pan, or a 6 quart pot. Set over medium heat. Add the oil to the skillet. Once hot, add in the ground beef, garlic, onions, and Italian seasoning. Salt and pepper liberally. Break the meat apart with a wooden spoon. Stir and sauté until the beef is cooked through and the onions have softened.
- While the beef is cooking, peel and chop the potatoes.
- Add the canned tomatoes to the skillet, plus 1 additional can full of water. Then stir in the chopped potatoes and crushed red pepper. Stir and simmer for 15+ minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender. (Add extra water if needed.) Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. The consistency of the dish should be thick yet slightly saucy. Serve warm with a good sprinkling of cheese over the top.
Pretty good for a quick one pot on a weekday. We only did one can of water and it came out perfect. We also added some fresh oregano & used mozzarella instead of Asiago. Most importantly our daughter liked it so we’ll be making it again!
Used this recipe as a base and added additional veggies to my liking (broccoli & 1 yellow belllpepper). It’s a very comforting dish. P.s used veggie mince, which worked well too.
Wish we had followed our instincts on not adding two cans of water. Even after removing a huge amount of liquid and adding a cornstarch slurry, this was just a weird watery mess of a dish. We feel deceived by the pictures…
Hi Wyllow,
The potatoes absorbing the water, and the cook time evaporation should have tightened up the sauce. Were your potatoes fully cooked? I’m wondering if the heat was too low.
Really like the ease of this meal, but mine came out super watery. I did omit the cheese at the end of the recipe, but that’s the only modification I made. Will make again with less added water! Thanks!
Simple meal to make. I am always looking for new recipes with ground beef. Thank you for showing up in my search. All I did extra was add a can of corn. Taste great!
Just a note that my potatoes took waaaay longer than 15 min to cook. Luckily i made this dish earlier in the day 😄
Excellent! Family loves it! Quick and easy. Gluten free! Really enjoyable family meal. Thanks!
Such an easy meal that my whole family loved! Great recipe, thanks so much.
This Italian ground beef and potatoes recipe was a hit! It was packed with flavors and tasted soooo delicious! Must-try!
Wow!! We all loved this dish so much! It was so quick and easy to prepare — perfect for those busy weeknights!
this is such an easy and delicious dinner recipe, I served it with some salad on the side and some bread and the family ate it all up!