HEALTHY RECIPES COLLECTIONS

Lean ground beef is a healthy choice. Really.

Beef has an image problem, especially ground beef, with its ooey-gooey-cheeseburger association, but there is good reason to take a second look at beef. For starters, the 93%-lean ground beef used in these recipes is considered “lean” by the USDA and fits into a healthy eating plan. (Ground beef must be at least 90% lean to meet government guidelines for “lean” meat—the other 10% is fat.) Few foods provide as much zinc, a mineral vital to growth and a healthy immune system. Plus beef is a great source of protein, iron and vitamin B12. Taking advantage of the relatively little fat and all those nutrients, it was easy for us to come up with great-tasting recipes for ground beef that are healthy too.

Recipes | Cooking Tips | Shopping for Natural Meats

Healthy Ground Beef Recipes

• Asian “Salisbury” Steaks
• Beef & Bean Chile Verde
• Beef Burgers with Caramelized Onions
• Beef, Watercress & Roquefort Burgers
• Blue Ribbon Meatloaf
• Cherry Burgers
• EatingWell Sloppy Joes
• Hamburger Buddy
• Indispensable Meat Sauce for Pasta
• Inside-Out Cheeseburgers
• Lean & Spicy Taco Meat
• Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes
• Middle Eastern Burgers
• Old-Fashioned Spaghetti & Meatballs
• Picadillo
• Portobello & Beef Patty Melt
• Rigatoni with Beef & Eggplant Ragu
• Southwestern Beef & Bean Burger Wraps
• Squash-Topped Cottage Pies
• Stuffed Chard with Fresh Marinara
• Szechuan Braised Meatballs
• Tex-Mex Taco Salad

Healthy Ground Beef Cooking Tips

• Ground beef must be at least 90% lean to meet government guidelines for “lean” meat—the other 10% is fat. Our recipes were tested with a range of lean beef—from 90% to 96%. We like 93%-lean beef in these recipes—it has just 3 grams of saturated fat per 3-ounce (cooked) serving, but is still moist. If 93%-lean isn’t available, use any ground beef that’s 90% lean or leaner.
• Conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, is making nutrition headlines lately as a possible bone booster. This naturally occurring trans fat is found in full-fat dairy products, beef and lamb, especially from grass-fed animals. A 2005 study reported that postmenopausal women with higher dietary CLA intakes had denser bones than women with lower intakes. How? Animal research hints that CLA may help preserve bone by inhibiting the activity of compounds that cause inflammation and bone breakdown—but until human studies confirm this, it’s best to think of CLA as just one potentially healthful food component, and avoid supplements.

Related Article

Shopping for Natural Meats

More Healthy Recipes Collections