Mediterranean Ground Beef And Vegetables Skillet

Midweek meals are always challenging, whether you’re a busy parent or have too much work on your schedule. That doesn’t mean, though, that you can’t eat something healthy and nutritious. This Mediterranean ground beef and vegetable recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes, and you’ll only need one pot or skillet to prepare it.

If you’ve cut down on your daily carbs or are following a keto diet, you could serve this delicious, healthy ground beef recipe with some crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese on top. We love having it with plain rice or potato wedges on the side, along with an easy green salad for some extra goodness.

If you are looking for more Mediterranean recipes with ground meat, take a look at my stuffed zucchini boats or my one skillet ground turkey and sprouts recipes.

Ingredients & How-to

To make this recipe of Mediterranean ground beef and vegetables, we are going to need ground beef, olive oil, onion, garlic, zucchini, bell pepper, carrot, tomatoes, allspice, cinnamon, sweet paprika, fresh parsley, salt and ground pepper. You could add more spices and veggies depending on your family’s liking.

• Ground beef: I’m using organic lean groun beef for this dish but you could use a more fatty one if you prefer it.
• Zucchini: You could use green or yellow zucchini squash.
• Pepper: I’m using a red bell pepper but you could also use green or yellow or 2-3 sweet mini peppers.
• Tomatoes: I like to use tomato puree or passata but you could also use 2 fresh tomatoes blended or fire roasted diced tomatoes for more flavor.
• Spices: For extra flavor, I add a little bit of ground cinnamon, ground allspice and sweet paprika. Some other spices you could add are cumin, bay leaves, dried herbs and red pepper flakes for a kick.
• Fresh parsley: Fresh parsley is a very common fresh herb added to Mediterranean dishes. You could substitute it with fresh mint or dill.

For full quantities check the recipe down below. So let’s get started!

01. To start, I’m preparing the vegetables. I dice the onion, roughly chop the garlic cloves and set them aside. I cut the zucchini into quarters, dice the bell pepper and cut the carrot into slices.

02. Moving to the stove, I place a skillet or wide pot over medium heat. Once hot, I add the olive oil and ground beef. Using a wooden spatula, I break up the ground meat and brown it for 4–5 minutes.

03. Next, I add the chopped onion, garlic, spices, salt and black pepper and mix it will with the ground beef. Heating up the spices before adding any liquid will enhance the flavors and bring out more aromas. I cook everything for 3-4 minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients.

04. Then I add the tomato purée, vegetables and fresh parsley to the pot and mix everything to combine. You could also use crushed tomatoes or blended fresh tomatoes.

05. I add about a cup of water and leave it all to simmer in medium-low heat. I cover with the lid, to keep the steam inside and do check it every 10-15 minutes in case I need to add a bit more water.

06. The food is ready when the vegetables are fork-tender, in about 20-25 minutes. If it’s too watery, you could increase the heat and cook it for a few more minutes without the lid but do keep an eye on it as it can easily stick to the bottom of the pot.

Substitutions

• Instead of bell pepper, you could use 2-3 sweet mini peppers.
• You could add more vegetables like eggplant or mushrooms.
• You could use any mix of dried herbs you have at home like herbs from provense or Italian seasoning.

Tips

• Sauteing the ground beef and spices for a few minutes before adding the veggies will enhance the flavors.
• For extra flavor, you could use broth instead of water.
• Use a wide skillet or pot to cook faster and evenly the ground beef and vegetables.

Serving suggestions

You could serve this ground beef with vegetables on its own or with some crumbled feta cheese or goats cheese on top. You could also combine it with some carbs like plain rice or mashed potatoes.

Storage

If you have any leftovers of this one skillet ground beef then store it in the fridge and consume it within the next 2-3 days. It is also freezable for up to 2 months. Make sure you thaw it in the fridge overnight and warm it up thoroughly before serving.

FAQ

What spices go well with ground beef?

What other vegetables can I add to ground beef skillet?