10 Surprising Things to Do with Ground Beef

Break the ground beef routine with tasty twists on your favorite weeknight dinners. First up: Bet you've never eaten a cheeseburger with a spoon!

Cheeseburger-lovers, listen up. It's all here: spicy mustard, fresh tomato, juicy ground beef, and lots and lots of melty cheddar cheese. Garnish this soup like a burger with pickles, fresh onion, and lettuce.

Elegant and artful, rustic and delicious. That’s right: It's meat loaf. Add Italian favorites, like tomatoes, roasted peppers, and fresh herbs, to give the classic ground beef recipe the upgrade it deserves. Did we mention it cooks in your slow cooker?

Bring some class to weeknight sloppy joes. The rich additions of roasted sweet peppers and deep porter beer prove sloppy is the new chic.

The last thing your hearty ground beef taco needs is a shell that falls apart after one bite. Solution? Wrap the hard shell in a tortilla for added heartiness and less mess.

Chocolate isn't just for dessert anymore. Try it in your chili for dinner tonight. A pinch of cocoa deepens the savory flavor of ground beef and highlights spiciness.

Give spaghetti the makeover of its life. A clever ground beef "crust" stays moist and flavorful, thanks to the addition of sauce and Italian herbs. It also leaves room for swirls of saucy, cheesy pasta in the center. Slice and enjoy, friends.

Calling all kitchen amateurs! With just six ingredients (most of them in your pantry already), you can totally handle this saucy ground beef recipe. With the bold contrast of crispy fresh slaw and barbecue beef, you might even impress your friends.

Part chili, part spaghetti Bolognese, this meaty ground beef recipe is all parts delicious. With spaghetti squash masquerading as pasta, it's also low in calories and loaded with vitamins.

Deconstruct the tamale for a rock-star dinner that won't take all night to prepare. Typical tamale filling -- spiced ground beef, tomatoes, and olives -- fills the dish, and a wholesome scoop of corn muffin mix tops it off.