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This Cheesy Ground Beef and Potato Skillet is a dinner I came up with when we were in the middle of packing for our cross-country move, when I was trying to use up all the food we had in the pantry and the fridge before heading to Boston.
I had a ton of potatoes and ground beef (and who doesn’t love beef and potatoes) – and needed something other than stew or taco-stuffed potatoes, and wanted to incorporate some of the flavors of my Cheesy Beef Taco Skillet with the potatoes – and this dish was born!
Recipe at a glance: 6 servings – 20 min prep – 50 min bake – one skillet – no precooking the potatoes
Why You’ll Love This Ground Beef and Potato Skillet
- One pot dinner. Brown, layer, and bake in the same skillet – fewer dishes!
- No precooking the potatoes. Thin slices bake up perfectly tender.
- Budget-friendly. Ground beef, potatoes, and pantry staples stretch to feed a crowd.
- Kid-approved. It’s basically a cheeseburger and potatoes in casserole form.
- Easy to customize. Make it taco-style, cheeseburger-style, or sneak in extra veggies.
- Great leftovers. It reheats beautifully for lunches.
Don’t want all the extras in a recipe post? We provide a skip to recipe button in the top left corner, as well as a clickable table of contents, just below, to help make this page easier to navigate.
At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
Table of Contents
- Ingredients for Ground Beef and Potato Skillet
- How to Make a Ground Beef and Potato Skillet Bake
- Tips for the Best Ground Beef and Potato Skillet
- Easy Beef and Potato Skillet Variations
- Casserole Dish In the Oven Method
- Cheesy Beek and Potato Skillet Make-Ahead and Freezer Instructions
- What to Serve With Ground Beef and Potato Skillet
- Storage and Reheating
- Ground Beef and Potato Skillet FAQs
- Cheesy Potato and Beef Bake Recipe
Ingredients for Ground Beef and Potato Skillet
- Bacon – thin cut or thick cut bacon, cut into chunks, gives a salty, hearty kick of flavor and is perfect as a topping.
- Ground beef – 85/15 or 90/10 gives great flavor without too much grease.
- Potatoes – Yukon Golds are my favorite: buttery, creamy, and they hold their shape. Russets work too.
- Onion – adds sweetness and savory depth.
- Bell pepper – any color; red or orange add the most sweetness and color.
- Garlic – because everything’s better with garlic.
- Seasonings – salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and a little dried thyme.
- Beef broth – steams the potatoes so they cook through and soak up flavor.
- Cheddar cheese – sharp cheddar, freshly shredded, melts best.
- Olive oil – for the potatoes and the pan.
- Fresh parsley or green onions – optional, for a fresh finish.
How to Make a Ground Beef and Potato Skillet Bake
Prep
Heat the oven to 400°F.
Slice the potatoes about 1/4 inch thick (a mandoline makes this fast) and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
In a large pan or heavy skillet, brown bacon lardons until crispy and crunchy.
Reserve Bacon
Remove bacon from pan (leave grease to cook ground beef in) and place on a paper towel to drain extra grease.
Brown Ground Beef
Cook the ground beef, breaking it up, until browned. Drain excess grease.
Brown Vegetables
Add the onion and bell pepper and cook 4-5 minutes until softened. Transfer the beef mixture to a bowl and wipe out the skillet.
Add Potatoes
Add thin-sliced potatoes to the skillet.
Add Herbs and Spices
Stir in garlic, smoked paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook 1 minute more.
Mix
Layer in cheese, stirring to make sure the skillet is well mixed. Pour the broth evenly over the top.
Bake
Cover tightly with a lid or foil and bake 35-40 minutes, until a knife slides easily through the potatoes.
Brown
Uncover, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and the browned bacon, and bake 10-15 minutes more, until the cheese is melted and the edges of the potatoes are golden. For extra browning, broil 1-2 minutes – watch closely!
Rest and serve. Let it rest 5-10 minutes so the juices settle, then garnish with parsley or green onions.
Do You Have to Precook the Potatoes?
Nope! As long as you slice them thinly (about ? inch) and bake covered with broth, they steam until perfectly tender. If you slice them thicker or are short on time, microwave the slices for 4-5 minutes first, or parboil them for 5 minutes, and reduce the covered baking time to about 20-25 minutes.
Tips for the Best Ground Beef and Potato Skillet
- Slice evenly. Uniform slices cook at the same rate – a mandoline is your best friend here.
- Drain the beef. Extra grease makes the bottom layer soggy.
- Cover tightly. The trapped steam is what cooks the potatoes through.
- Shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents that keep it from melting smoothly.
- Season every layer. A little salt and pepper on the potatoes makes a big difference.
- Let it rest. Five to ten minutes helps it hold together when you slice it.
Common Beef and Potato Skillet Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)
| Mistake | What happens | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Slicing potatoes too thick | Crunchy, undercooked potatoes | Slice 1/4 inch thick, or precook thicker slices |
| Baking uncovered the whole time | Dry, tough potatoes | Bake covered first, then uncover to melt the cheese |
| Skipping the broth | Potatoes don’t cook through | Add broth to create steam |
| Not draining the beef | Greasy, soggy bottom layer | Drain well after browning |
| Adding all the cheese at the start | Burnt or rubbery cheese | Save most of it for the last 10-15 minutes |
Easy Beef and Potato Skillet Variations
- Cheeseburger Potato Skillet – stir 2 tbsp ketchup and 1 tbsp mustard into the beef, use American or cheddar cheese, and top with diced pickles.
- Taco Potato Skillet – season the beef with taco seasoning, use pepper jack or a Mexican blend, and top with salsa, sour cream, and green onions.
- Creamy Version – swap the broth for a mix of ½ cup broth and ½ cup heavy cream, or stir a can of cream of mushroom soup into the beef.
- Breakfast Skillet – swap the beef for breakfast sausage and crack eggs on top during the last 10-12 minutes.
- Extra Veggies – add mushrooms, zucchini, spinach, or corn to the beef mixture.
- Swap the protein – ground turkey, ground chicken, or Italian sausage all work.
- Sweet potato version – use sweet potatoes for a cozy fall twist (they cook a bit faster).
Casserole Dish In the Oven Method
No oven safe skillet? No worries, simply follow these steps to make it in a casserole dish:
- Brown the beef and veggies in any skillet, then layer everything in a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake at 400°F for 40-45 minutes, then uncover, add cheese, and bake 10-15 minutes more.
Cheesy Beek and Potato Skillet Make-Ahead and Freezer Instructions
- Make ahead: Assemble the skillet (without the final cheese), cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Add 10 minutes to the covered baking time.
- Freeze: Bake, cool completely, then wrap tightly and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat covered at 350°F until hot.
What to Serve With Ground Beef and Potato Skillet
A crisp green salad or Caesar salad
Roasted green beans, broccoli, or garlicky sautéed spinach
Steamed corn or mint and garlic peas
Coleslaw for a fresh crunch
Storage and Reheating
- Fridge: Cover the skillet or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Microwave individual portions 1-2 minutes, or reheat covered in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes.
- Freezer: Freeze up to 3 months (see make-ahead instructions above).
Ground Beef and Potato Skillet FAQs
Thinly sliced potatoes (about ? inch) take 35-40 minutes covered at 400°F, plus 10-15 minutes uncovered to brown.
Yukon Golds hold their shape and turn creamy. Russets are softer and absorb more flavor. Red potatoes work too and don’t need peeling.
No! Scrub them well and leave the skins on for extra texture and nutrients – especially with Yukon Golds or red potatoes.
They were likely sliced too thick or not covered tightly. Re-cover and keep baking in 10-minute increments until a knife slides through easily.
What cheese is best? Sharp cheddar is classic. Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, pepper jack, or a Mexican blend are great swaps.Sharp cheddar is classic. Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, pepper jack, or a Mexican blend are great swaps.
Yes – use a greased 9×13-inch dish and follow the casserole method above.
Yes. Assemble up to 24 hours ahead, refrigerate, and add about 10 minutes to the covered baking time.
The ingredients are naturally gluten-free – just double-check your broth label.
Yes! Thawed frozen sliced potatoes or hash brown rounds work. They cook faster, so start checking after about 25 minutes covered.
Looking for more easy ground beef dinner ideas? Try my Hamburger Cabbage Soup next!
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Cheesy Potato and Beef Bake
Ingredients
- ½ lb bacon, cut into lardons
- 1 ½ lb Yukon Gold potatoes, about 4-5 medium, sliced ?-inch thick
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 lb ground beef, 85/15 or 90/10
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced (any color)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, divided
- ½ tsp black pepper, divided
- ¾ cup beef broth
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- Chopped parsley or green onions, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, brown bacon. Reserve bacon, drain off half the fat and cook beef in rest.
- Toss the sliced potatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil, ¾ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper.
- Brown the ground beef, breaking it up, about 6-7 minutes, in bacon fat. Drain excess grease.
- Add the onion and bell pepper and cook 4-5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic, smoked paprika, thyme, and remaining salt and pepper; cook 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and wipe out the skillet.
- Brush the skillet with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Layer half the potatoes in the bottom, top with the beef mixture and ½ cup cheese, then shingle the remaining potatoes on top.
- Pour the broth evenly over the top. Cover tightly and bake 35-40 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Uncover, sprinkle with the remaining 1 ½ cups cheese, and bake 10-15 minutes until melted and golden. Broil 1-2 minutes for extra browning if desired.
- Rest 5-10 minutes, garnish, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
