High Protein Ground Beef (Print version)

Savory ground beef and browned potatoes combine for a hearty, high-protein, easy-cook meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Main Ingredients

01 - 2 pounds ground beef (80/20 blend)
02 - 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes
03 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Seasonings & Sauces

05 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
06 - 1/2 teaspoon paprika
07 - 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
08 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
09 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
10 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
11 - 1/2 cup beef broth or water

→ Garnish

12 - Fresh parsley, chopped

# Directions:

01 - Wash, peel, and dice the potatoes into uniform 1-inch cubes. Rinse in cold water to remove excess starch, then pat completely dry with paper towels.
02 - Heat olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add potatoes in a single layer and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown on multiple sides and tender when pierced. Remove potatoes and set aside.
03 - In the same pan, add ground beef. Break up with a wooden spoon and cook over medium-high heat for 5–7 minutes until browned and no longer pink, reaching an internal temperature of 160°F. Drain excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan.
04 - Push beef to one side of the pan. Add onion to the empty space and cook for 3–4 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Mix onion and garlic into the beef.
05 - Sprinkle paprika, oregano, salt, and black pepper over the mixture. Stir to combine evenly. Add tomato paste and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring until it becomes brick red and slightly caramelized.
06 - Pour in beef broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Return potatoes to the pan, gently folding into the beef mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 10–15 minutes until potatoes are fork-tender.
07 - Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Remove from heat and let stand for 2–3 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's a legitimate 35-37 grams of protein per serving, making it genuinely useful for anyone trying to hit their macros without thinking too hard about it.
  • One pan means one cleanup, and somehow the flavors get even better as everything simmers together and gets to know each other.
  • It freezes beautifully, so batch cooking this is a game-changer for people who actually follow through on meal prep.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing and thoroughly drying the potatoes—I learned this the hard way when I once tried to speed things up and ended up with a starchy, sticky mess that wouldn't crisp.
  • The tomato paste situation is crucial: letting it caramelize in the pan for those extra 60-90 seconds completely transforms the flavor profile from acidic to rich and complex.
  • An 80/20 ground beef blend really does make a difference—go leaner and your finished dish tastes dry, go fattier and you'll be pouring off pools of grease.
03 -
  • Cut potatoes to exact uniform size before you start cooking—this is the single most important thing that separates evenly cooked potatoes from unevenly cooked ones.
  • Let that tomato paste caramelize in the pan for a full minute—it's the difference between tasting acidic and tasting like comfort food that someone actually cared about making.
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