6 Easy Old-Fashioned Ground Beef Recipes for One

These old-fashioned ground beef recipes for one are easy to manage. A little beef, a few familiar ingredients and a great single serving. There’s hamburger gravy, potato hash, beef macaroni and a small meatloaf that doesn’t involve dividing an egg.

If you usually call it beef mince, that’s what we’re using here. Plain beef throughout, with no pork, bacon or mixed-meat mince.

Most of these dinners cook on the hob. The meatloaf needs the oven, and the cottage pie has an optional spell under the grill if you fancy a browned top.

A couple of these recipes have dairy in them. If you keep kosher, or are lactose intolerant, you can use substitutions.

How much ground beef do you need for one person?

Each recipe below uses around 125 g, or about 4½ oz, of raw ground beef. That makes dividing a 500 g packet rather convenient: four portions, ready for four separate dinners.

If you buy beef in one-pound packs, divide it into four 4 oz portions instead. That slightly smaller amount works in these recipes too.

These are starting portions, so add a little more bread, vegetables or potato if you’re hungry. You don’t have to turn dinner into a weighing and measuring competition.

Beef with around 10–15% fat is a practical choice for the below recipe roundup. If yours releases a lot of fat during cooking, you can opt to spoon off the excess before adding the other ingredients.

For the hob recipes, a frying pan around 20 cm/8 inches across is useful. You want enough room to stir.

Quick cooking note: ground beef should reach 160°F, about 71°C. Colour alone isn’t a reliable guide when you’re making dense things like a meatloaf. It’s better to use a food thermometer in those cases, and always insert its probe sideways into the centre of the meat. The USDA has some ground beef guidance if you want more tips.

1. Hamburger gravy on toast for one

Despite the name, there’s no burger to assemble here. It’s basically crumbled beef and onion in a simple gravy, spooned over toast.

This is a good place to start when you’re hungry but your enthusiasm for cooking is fairly limited.

Serves: 1
Time: About 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 125 g (about 4½ oz) ground beef
• ¼ small onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 2 teaspoons plain flour
• 120 ml (½ cup) beef stock
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Black pepper and salt, as desired
• 1–2 slices of toasted bread, to serve

Let’s cook

1. Heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the beef. Break it into small pieces and cook for 5–6 minutes, until browned.
3. Spoon off any excess fat, leaving a little in the pan. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
4. Gradually stir in the stock, followed by the Worcestershire sauce. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom.
5. Simmer gently for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until the gravy thickens and the beef is cooked through. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick.
6. Toast the bread. Taste the gravy before adding salt. Give it a good grind of pepper and spoon it over the toast. Done!

Prefer potatoes? This also works over mash or a baked potato. You’ll find more ideas in my easy potato meals for one person.

2. Ground beef and potato hash for one

One potato, a little onion and ground beef make a straightforward dinner with very little washing-up.

The useful detail here is the size of the potato pieces. Keep them on the smaller sode so they soften quicker.

Serves: 1
Time: About 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 125 g (about 4½ oz) ground beef
• 1 medium potato, about 180 g (6 oz), cut into 1 cm/⅜-inch cubes
• ¼ small onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 3 tablespoons water, plus more if needed
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and black pepper
• Optional: 2 tablespoons grated cheddar

Let’s cook

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the potato and onion, and saute for 3 minutes, stirring.
2. Add the water and cover with a lid. Turn the heat down slightly and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring halfway through. Add another tablespoon or so of water if the pan dries out before the potato has softened.
3. Check a potato cube with a fork. Once it’s nearly tender, remove the lid and let any remaining water evaporate.
4. Push the potato to one side and add the beef. Break it up and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring it into the potatoes as it browns.
5. Add the paprika and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for another 2–3 minutes, until the beef is cooked through and the potato is tender.
6. Season to taste. If you’re adding cheese, scatter it over the top and cover briefly to melt.

You can plate this with some simple sliced tomatoes, a little salad, some microwaved peas or whatever vegetable needs using up.

3. Old-fashioned beef macaroni for one

Beef, tomatoes, macaroni and a bit of cheese. This is a familiar, comfy sort of dinner, with a shopping list you can remember without taking a screenshot.

The pasta cooks separately here. That gives you a bit more control over the sauce.

Serves: 1
Time: About 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 125 g (about 4½ oz) ground beef
• 60 g (about 2 oz) dried macaroni
• ¼ small onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 200 g (about 7 oz) tinned chopped tomatoes, including their juice
• ½ teaspoon dried mixed herbs
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 tablespoons grated cheddar

Let’s cook

1. Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to the packet instructions.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute the onion for 3–4 minutes.
3. Add the beef and cook for 5–6 minutes, breaking it up as it browns. Spoon off excess fat if necessary.
4. Stir in the tomatoes and mixed herbs. Simmer uncovered for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the beef is cooked through.
5. Before draining the pasta, save a little of its cooking water. Stir the drained macaroni into the beef sauce, adding a spoonful of the reserved water if needed.
6. Season to taste, scatter over the cheddar and let it melt.

Using the tin: a standard 400 g tin gives you enough tomatoes for two portions of this sauce. Freeze the unused half separately if you don’t want another tomato-based dinner anytime soon.

4. Mini meatloaf for one, without an egg

A little meatloaf feels like a proper sit-down dinner, even if you’re eating it in your slippers.

This version uses breadcrumbs moistened with milk, so there’s no egg to divide. Shape it directly on a tray and you won’t need a special miniature loaf tin either.

Serves: 1
Time: About 35–40 minutes, including resting

Ingredients

• 125 g (about 4½ oz) ground beef
• 2 level tablespoons fine dried breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons tomato ketchup, divided
• A small pinch of salt and some black pepper
• A little oil for the tray

Let’s cook

1. Heat the oven to 190°C conventional/170°C fan/375°F. Lightly oil a small baking tray.
2. Mix the breadcrumbs and milk in a bowl. Leave for 2 minutes.
3. Add the beef, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, 1 teaspoon of the ketchup, salt and pepper. Mix gently until combined.
4. Shape into a small oval loaf about 3 cm/1¼ inches thick. Place it on the tray and spread the remaining ketchup over the top.
5. Bake for approximately 20–25 minutes, until the centre reaches 160°F, about 71°C. Give it longer if needed; the thickness of the loaf affects the cooking time.
6. Rest for 5 minutes before lifting it onto your plate.

Serve with peas, mash or some buttered cabbage and onions. You can get the vegetables going while the meatloaf bakes.

5. Easy cottage pie for one

Cottage pie is the beef version of a mash-topped pie. It’s also a useful dinner for a single potato and those frozen peas that’ve been sitting in your freezer.

There’s no lengthy baking stage here. Cook the filling, make the mash and put them together. A few minutes under the grill will brown the top if you want.

Serves: 1
Time: About 35–40 minutes

Ingredients

• 125 g (about 4½ oz) ground beef
• 1 medium potato, about 200 g (7 oz), peeled and cut into small chunks
• ¼ small onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 teaspoon plain flour
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) beef stock
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons frozen peas
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 tablespoon milk, plus a little more if needed
• Salt and black pepper

Let’s cook

1. Put the potato in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to boil. Simmer for 12–15 minutes, until soft enough to mash.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute the onion for 3–4 minutes, then add the beef and cook for 5–6 minutes, breaking it up.
3. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the stock, then the Worcestershire sauce and peas.
4. Simmer for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the filling is thick, the peas are tender and the beef is cooked through. Season to taste.
5. Drain the potato well. Mash with the butter and milk, adding a little more milk if it needs it. Season.
6. Spoon the hot filling into a bowl and top with the hot mash. Or put both into a small grill-safe baking dish and grill for 3–5 minutes until the top starts to brown. Keep an eye on it and take it out when it reaches a nice colour.

An easier evening: if you already have some leftover mash, use about 150 g (5 oz). Reheat it before putting the pie together.

6. Ground beef and mushroom noodles for one

This is a simple beef-and-mushroom dinner with a spoonful of sour cream stirred into the sauce.

You don’t need wine or a tin of condensed soup. A little stock, mustard and the mushrooms do the work.

Serves: 1
Time: About 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 125 g (about 4½ oz) ground beef
• 60 g (about 2 oz) dried egg noodles or tagliatelle
• 100 g (3½ oz) mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 teaspoon plain flour
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) beef stock
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• Salt and black pepper

Let’s cook

1. Cook the noodles in a small saucepan according to the packet instructions.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they soften and start to brown.
3. Add the beef and cook for 5–7 minutes, breaking it into small pieces.
4. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the stock, then stir in the mustard.
5. Simmer for 3–4 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the beef is cooked through.
6. Turn the heat down low and stir in the sour cream. Warm it gently without boiling, then season to taste.
7. Drain the noodles and add them to the pan. Toss everything together, loosening the sauce with a spoonful of hot water if needed.

Using the rest of the sour cream: a spoonful is good on a baked potato, or stirred into a small bowl of potato soup.

What to do with the rest of the ingredients

Cooking one portion can still leave you with half an onion and an open tin of something -or-other. A little overlap between meals helps.

• Onion: several recipes use a quarter. Chop the rest and freeze it in small portions for cooked dishes. It will also keep just fine for a few days in the fridge.
• Tinned tomatoes: the macaroni uses half a standard tin. Freeze the remainder in a labelled container.
• Bread: if you’re like me and don’t eat much bread, you can keep it sliced and in the freezer.
• Potatoes: buy a few loose ones if a large bag usually outlasts your meal planning.
• Stock and broth: make up only what you need, following the packet’s dilution instructions, or freeze surplus prepared stock in small portions.

Questions about cooking ground beef recipes for one

Can I freeze ground beef in single portions?

Yes! Divide fresh beef into portions, wrap well or put into freezer bags, remove excess air and label with the date. Flattening each portion makes it easier to stack.

Thaw in the fridge in a container that catches any drips. Check out the USDA storage and thawing advice to be safe.

How long can I keep ground beef in the fridge?

Use raw ground beef within 1–2 days, or freeze it sooner. Follow an earlier use-by date if the packet gives one.

Refrigerate cooked leftovers in a shallow container within two hours, use within 3–4 days and reheat to 165°F, about 74°C. Keep the fridge at 4°C/40°F or below.

What else can I make with a small portion of beef?

If you have any cabbage to use up, try the beef-and-cabbage skillet in my old-fashioned cabbage recipes for one.

Otherwise, the hamburger gravy is probably the easiest starting point here. One small pan, some toast and dinner’s sorted. 🥘