Easy Ground Beef and Bacon Skillet Recipe: Only One Pan (2024)

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Sneak Peek: This easy Ground Beef and Bacon Skillet Recipe with potatoes and carrots is an idea to keep in your back pocket for a busy day when you are too tired to think about cooking, and the pantry is empty.

Easy Ground Beef and Bacon Skillet Recipe: Only One Pan (1)Pin

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After a hard day of work with a growling stomach providing background music, I find it hard to think clearly about what to fix for dinner. However, when the only vegetables in the fridge are carrots, wilted celery, and a month-old cabbage, this Ground Beef and Bacon recipe sounds pretty good.

We first came to love this recipe when camping. I know just about anything tastes better when you eat it in the woods, but whenever I’m in the mood for meatloaf and potatoes, this is an easy substitute that takes much less time to prepare.

Happy Cooks Speak Up

I made this tonight as I was looking for a quick dinner. The only change I made was to add a sprinkle of garlic powder to the meat. I thought this tasted like a bacon cheeseburger. My family really liked it.” — MELODY

Recipe Inspiration

Know what else makes food taste better? (Not cooking it yourself doesn’t count.)

Bacon! As I said in my recipe for Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño Chicken Bites, bacon makes any food fly off the table.

Don’t get me wrong.

I’m not trying to sell this particular recipe as some incredible gourmet delight that will make your dress fly up, your pants fall down, or your life turn out perfectly.

Nope. This easy one-skillet recipe is a kind of comfort food assembled with four ingredients you probably already have on hand.

Hopefully, you won’t have to make an extra trip to the grocery store. Such a trip just before dinner is an exercise in patience that I try to avoid.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Easy Ground Beef and Bacon Skillet Recipe: Only One Pan (3)Pin
  • BACON: Nothing substitutes for the smoky flavor of bacon. Thinly-sliced bacon fries up better than thick-sliced bacon. You want it to be crispy, not limp and greasy. You could leave the bacon out, but I wouldn’t. It’s what makes this dish.
  • GROUND BEEF: Any ground beef (hamburger) will work. I like 85/15 ground beef because you won’t have to drain as much grease (although there will probably still be some from the bacon). Ground turkey is an acceptable substitute.
  • POTATOES: Substitute sweet potatoes for white potatoes if you prefer. They cook a bit faster. However, since they are the same color as the carrots, the whole dish is not as pretty as it is with white or buttery yellow potatoes.
  • CARROTS: Not much to say about carrots other than they need to be sliced. Use baby carrots if you like, but I would still cut them into half-inch slices. If you still have carrots left after making this recipe, I recommend this Easy Carrot Casserole Recipe or these Smoked Carrots (made in the oven).

📌Kitchen Secrets📌 for Success With This Recipe

  1. The correct setting and timing for cooking this dish will be affected by the type of pan you use (the heavier, the better) and your particular stove. I start out using medium-high heat. As soon as the bacon starts to brown, I turn the heat down to allow the vegetables to cook through.
  2. The thinner you slice the vegetables, the faster this dish will cook. I use a mandolin to get thin slices quickly, but a knife or slicing with a food processor is good, too.
  3. If you slice the potatoes ahead of time, be sure to let them sit in a bowl of water so they won’t discolor.
  4. This makes a good camping recipe. Cook it in an electric skillet or an iron skillet.

How To Layerthis Skillet Recipe

  • FIRST LAYER: Bacon
  • SECOND LAYER: Lean ground beef
  • THIRD LAYER: Sliced potatoes (russet potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes)
  • FOURTH LAYER: Sliced carrots

Optional additions

  • Add chopped onions to the hamburger layer.
  • Sprinkle a few drops of Worcestershire sauce over the beef before adding the vegetable layers.
  • Scatter garlic powder over the potato layer.
  • Drop some smoked paprika on top of the carrot layer. (I got the idea from this recipe for smoked carrots.)
Easy Ground Beef and Bacon Skillet Recipe: Only One Pan (5)Pin

FAQ About Ground Beef and Bacon Skillet

Can I make this ahead of time?

I never do. It’s more of a last-minute recipe–best eaten immediately.

What should I serve with this ground beef and potato casserole?

Ketchup! Lots of it. Or barbecue sauce or ranch dressing. This recipe begs for your favorite condiment.

A light salad on the side will add some fiber to the menu. Fresh bread like this Crusty French Bread or some Herb and Garlic Dinner Rolls you can make with your bread machine would be another welcome addition.

Random Thoughts: Would you like to see more easy recipes for ground beef? Take a look at this Best Baked Beans with Ground Beef and Sausage, Easy Chile Relleno Casserole with Ground Beef, or Easy Beef Goulash with Ketchup: Only One Pot To Clean.

Recipe Help at Your Fingertips: For questions or suggestions, email Paula at saladinajar.com. If you need help, I’m happy to troubleshoot via email (faster than leaving a comment). Attach pictures and as many details as possible for the best advice.

Easy Ground Beef and Bacon Skillet Recipe: Only One Pan (6)Pin

Yield: 4 servings

Easy Ground Beef and Bacon Skillet Recipe

Bacon, ground beef, sliced potatoes and carrots are layered in a skillet to make a delicious supper in minutes.

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Video

Prep time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes minutes

Total time: 25 minutes minutes

Ingredients

  • 5-6 slices thin-sliced bacon
  • 1 pound (454 g) ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon salt divided
  • freshly-ground pepper
  • 3-4 medium (639 g) potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 5-6 (500 g) carrots sliced

Instructions

  • Cut 5-6 slices thin-sliced bacon in half crosswise and place it in a single layer covering the bottom of a large skillet. Fry the bacon on one side over medium heat. When it starts to brown and gets a little crispy, turn each piece over. Remove the skillet from the heat immediately before it browns on the second side. Drain excess bacon grease.

  • Crumble 1 pound (454 g) ground beef evenly over the bacon. Season with a half of 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of freshly-ground pepper.

  • Arrange 3-4 medium (639 g) potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced over the top of ground beef.

  • Distribute 5-6 (500 g) carrots on top of the potatoes.

  • Season with remaining salt and pepper. Cover.

  • Cook about 15 minutes over medium-low heat until the bacon is crisp and vegetables are tender.

Notes

The only tricky part of this recipe is figuring out exactly where to set the heat so the bacon turns out crispy but not burned. If the bacon is still limp and light colored on the bottom, but the vegetables are cooked through, turn up the heat a bit. The correct setting will be affected by the type of pan you use and your particular stove. I suggest you keep an eye on it the first time or two you make this.

Nutrition

Serving: 4 | Calories: 454kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 721mg | Potassium: 1223mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 12742IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 4mg

All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com

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Easy Ground Beef and Bacon Skillet Recipe: Only One Pan (2024)

FAQs

Can you cook bacon and beef in the same pan? ›

I would not attempt to cook them together unless the bacon is cut into 1/4″ lardons. But, cooking them one at a time, removing, say the bacon, then adding lead ground beef sounds just fine to me. Cooking bacon strips and then adding your basic burger to the pan is a great idea.

Can you mix raw bacon with ground beef? ›

Can you put raw bacon in a burger? Yes. But if you do, you should cook the patties until they're cooked through. If you prefer your burgers medium-rare, you should cook the bacon and crumble it before mixing it into the ground beef.

How to cook ground beef without frying pan? ›

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cover a large sheet pan ($20, Crate & Barrel) with foil. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, break up the meat into equal-size pieces about an inch or smaller. Cover pan with more foil, bake for 15 minutes.

Should I make eggs or bacon first? ›

You fry bacon on a skillet, then after the bacon is crispy, fry eggs in the bacon grease. Garnish your plate with toast or fruit.

Should the pan be hot before adding bacon? ›

Add bacon to a hot pan, says senior associate food editor Claire Saffitz, and it will immediately seize up, sealing in all of that congealed, unrendered fat. Instead, lay the bacon flat in a cold pan and place it over a burner set to medium or medium-low.

Can you cook ground beef and pork in the same pan? ›

Yes it is absolutely fine. Some of the recipes for bolognese are a mix of beef and pork meat. I think as long are long cooking where we kill all the bacteria it won't be a problem.

Should I cook bacon or burger first? ›

The bacon added to the burger meat can be either precooked or raw. But if you add raw meat, make sure to fully cook the burger – no rare meat for you – to make sure to thoroughly cook the bacon inside. If you insist on eating a rare burger, cook the bacon first.

Can you cook ground beef on a skillet without oil? ›

If you're using a nonstick pan you don't have to use oil (unless you're using extra-lean ground beef). Cast iron and stainless steel are the best choices for getting that beautiful, brown sear. Once the pan is hot, add the meat, and use a spatula to break it up into pieces.

Do you use oil when frying ground beef? ›

If you're working with a nonstick pan, you may not need to add any additional oil. The natural fat from the ground beef will help the meat brown and prevent it from sticking. If you prefer, you can add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan before adding the beef.

What is the secret to cooking ground beef? ›

Baking soda acts as a tenderizer for ground beef, keeps it moist during cooking, and encourages deep browning by raising the acidity level of the surface of the meat. Simply add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to 1 pound of ground beef for more tender meat with better browning.

Do you drain the fat after cooking ground beef? ›

Draining the grease from ground beef will make a dish healthier and is usually recommended. Brown the meat first to extract the fat. Then, you can spoon the grease out of the pan or use a colander to drain the grease. It is important you do not discard the hot grease down a drain as it can cause damage to the drain.

Does ground beef get more tender the longer you cook it? ›

Cooking for too long: Overcooking ground beef can cause it to become tough and dry. The longer it is cooked, the more moisture is lost, and the tougher it becomes. Using the wrong cut of meat: Different cuts of beef have different levels of connective tissue, which can affect the tenderness of the meat.

Can you cook two different meats same pan? ›

As long as all of the meats are cooked to doneness, and the pan is hot enough to kill bacteria (it is) then there is little risk. The real problem, which could also be unsafe, is different species, pork, lamb etc require different cooking temperatures, this might mean some are over/under cooked.

Can you cook steak and bacon together? ›

wrap each steak with a strip of bacon. put the olive oil in a large pan and heat the pan until you can move the olive oil around easily. put your steaks in the pan and if you hear a sizzling noise that is good if not take the steaks out and heat it longer. cook the steaks for 1 min on each side.

Can you cook beef in bacon grease? ›

Add the rosemary and garlic to the skillet and spoon the bacon fat over the steak. Continue cooking, tilting the skillet every so often and spooning the bacon fat up over the top of the steak, until a thermometer inserted sideways into the thickest part registers 120 degrees F for medium rare, about 1 minute.

Is it okay to cook different meats in the same pan? ›

Can you cook chicken and beef in the same pan? On the same grill or cooktop, yes.

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