Low Sodium Ground Beef Dinner Ideas

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Get a healthy and filling dinner on the table with these ground beef recipes. Ground beef is a budget-friendly protein that cooks quickly and can be used in a variety of dishes. Recipes like Cheeseburger Stuffed Baked Potatoes and Italian Meatball Soup are delicious and low in saturated fat, sodium and calories to make them appropriate for a diabetes-friendly eating pattern.

Better-Than-Takeout Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

This healthy take on burgers and fries swaps in chopped mushrooms for some of the meat in the burger patties, to cut back on calories and saturated fat.

This healthy take on burgers and fries swaps in chopped mushrooms for some of the meat in the burger patties, to cut back on calories and saturated fat.

Pasta Puttanesca with Beef

This easy slow cooker ground beef and pasta recipe makes a great meal any night of the week.

This easy slow cooker ground beef and pasta recipe makes a great meal any night of the week.

Cheeseburger Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Skip the bun and serve all of your favorite cheeseburger ingredients--beef, cheese, tomatoes, red onions and lettuce--with baked potatoes for a hearty and easy dinner recipe that kids and adults will love. Feel free to swap out the ground beef for ground turkey or tofu crumbles.

Skip the bun and serve all of your favorite cheeseburger ingredients--beef, cheese, tomatoes, red onions and lettuce--with baked potatoes for a hearty and easy dinner recipe that kids and adults will love. Feel free to swap out the ground beef for ground turkey or tofu crumbles.

Beef & Bean Sloppy Joes

This healthy copycat recipe of the comfort food classic trades beans for some of the meat to bump up fiber by 7 grams. We also cut back on the sugar and ketchup in this Sloppy Joe recipe makeover to save you 12 grams of added sugar.

This healthy copycat recipe of the comfort food classic trades beans for some of the meat to bump up fiber by 7 grams. We also cut back on the sugar and ketchup in this Sloppy Joe recipe makeover to save you 12 grams of added sugar.

Easy Cauliflower Shepherd's Pie

Credit: Brie Passano

With lots of veggie shortcuts and a cauliflower-mash topping instead of spuds, you can have this comfort-food staple in a fraction of the usual time—and save carbs too! Cook the veggies from frozen; no need to thaw. Swap ground turkey for the beef if you prefer.

Italian Meatball Soup

Vegetables and lean meatballs streamline a traditional Italian meatball soup to make it lighter while keeping all the great flavor. Save some of the meatball soup to make a delicious casserole for later.

Vegetables and lean meatballs streamline a traditional Italian meatball soup to make it lighter while keeping all the great flavor. Save some of the meatball soup to make a delicious casserole for later.

Baked Beans with Ground Beef

Upgrade baked beans from classic side dish to a meaty main meal by adding lean ground beef. The final result, a superfast hearty casserole, is an easy and fast dinner option. Ground turkey or even sausage would work nicely in this dish. Just watch the sodium.

Upgrade baked beans from classic side dish to a meaty main meal by adding lean ground beef. The final result, a superfast hearty casserole, is an easy and fast dinner option. Ground turkey or even sausage would work nicely in this dish. Just watch the sodium.

Beef and Vegetable Sandwiches

Similar to sloppy joes but with more vegetables, these delicious sandwiches are made in the slow cooker.

Beefy Stuffed Shells

Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with a hearty beef and mushroom filling are baked with tomato sauce and cheese for an Italian-style dinner that's ready in less than an hour.

Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with a hearty beef and mushroom filling are baked with tomato sauce and cheese for an Italian-style dinner that's ready in less than an hour.

Old-Fashioned Meatloaf

Mushrooms, garlic and oats sneak some extra nutrients into this hearty and easy meatloaf. Serve with sweet potatoes and your favorite green vegetables for a super-satisfying comfort food dinner.

Mushrooms, garlic and oats sneak some extra nutrients into this hearty and easy meatloaf. Serve with sweet potatoes and your favorite green vegetables for a super-satisfying comfort food dinner.

Kickin' Hot Chili

If you like your chili seriously hot, this recipe is for you. For an even bigger kick, use the whole teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

If you like your chili seriously hot, this recipe is for you. For an even bigger kick, use the whole teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

Quick Pasta Bolognese

Who doesn't love pasta with a quick meat sauce? This crowd-pleasing healthy spaghetti Bolognese recipe is a boon for busy cooks--it's ready and on the table in just 40 minutes.

Who doesn't love pasta with a quick meat sauce? This crowd-pleasing healthy spaghetti Bolognese recipe is a boon for busy cooks--it's ready and on the table in just 40 minutes.

Pineapple-Bacon Barbecue Burgers

For your next barbecue, try these Hawaiian-inspired sweet and savory burgers. They're made from lean ground beef and have bacon and crushed pineapple baked right in. Served with barbecue sauce on Hawaiian sweet rolls, they're sure to impress your guests.

For your next barbecue, try these Hawaiian-inspired sweet and savory burgers. They're made from lean ground beef and have bacon and crushed pineapple baked right in. Served with barbecue sauce on Hawaiian sweet rolls, they're sure to impress your guests.

Meatball-Barley Soup

Homemade meatballs flavored with garlic and rosemary take center stage in this simple 1-hour soup recipe. Great Northern beans and barley add a healthy dose of protein and fiber to this hearty and filling dish.

Homemade meatballs flavored with garlic and rosemary take center stage in this simple 1-hour soup recipe. Great Northern beans and barley add a healthy dose of protein and fiber to this hearty and filling dish.

Cuban Beef Picadillo over Plantain Mash

Ground beef cooked with tomatoes and briny olives can be found all over Latin America. This is a favorite Cuban variation served over plantains, starchy vegetables that look like giant bananas. You can also serve the picadillo over rice or potatoes, so this easy dinner recipe is versatile too.

Ground beef cooked with tomatoes and briny olives can be found all over Latin America. This is a favorite Cuban variation served over plantains, starchy vegetables that look like giant bananas. You can also serve the picadillo over rice or potatoes, so this easy dinner recipe is versatile too.

Stuffed Delicata Squash

In this Tex-Mex-seasoned stuffed delicata squash recipe we swap out half of the ground beef you'd normally use for bulgur to reduce saturated fat without skimping on the amount of stuffing. Serve with a mixed green salad with cilantro vinaigrette.

In this Tex-Mex-seasoned stuffed delicata squash recipe we swap out half of the ground beef you'd normally use for bulgur to reduce saturated fat without skimping on the amount of stuffing. Serve with a mixed green salad with cilantro vinaigrette.

Veggie-Filled Meat Sauce with Zucchini Noodles

Zucchini noodles (or "zoodles") are all the rage as they're a healthy, gluten-free alternative to pasta. In this recipe, crisp-tender zoodles and sautéed mushrooms are served with a meaty tomato sauce. You'll be serving up more vegetables and we promise--nobody will miss the pasta!

Zucchini noodles (or "zoodles") are all the rage as they're a healthy, gluten-free alternative to pasta. In this recipe, crisp-tender zoodles and sautéed mushrooms are served with a meaty tomato sauce. You'll be serving up more vegetables and we promise--nobody will miss the pasta!

Mexican Beef and Corn Skillet Peppers

Sweet bell peppers are simmered to tenderness with ground beef, corn, and Mexican-style seasonings, stuffed, then topped with goat cheese for a hearty dinner that doesn't need an oven.

Sweet bell peppers are simmered to tenderness with ground beef, corn, and Mexican-style seasonings, stuffed, then topped with goat cheese for a hearty dinner that doesn't need an oven.

Zucchini Parmesan

Nothing goes to waste in this twist on eggplant Parmesan, as the scooped-out zucchini flesh gets mixed into the meat sauce. Use long, straight zucchini for this dish, which are easier to hollow out for stuffing.

Farmers' Market Sliders

Grill up your veggie haul from the farmers' market and pile them on as toppings in this healthy burger recipe. Bell peppers work well too.

Grill up your veggie haul from the farmers' market and pile them on as toppings in this healthy burger recipe. Bell peppers work well too.

Meatball Lasagna

Whole-wheat noodles, low-fat cheeses and light pasta sauce make this beef and pasta casserole healthy but still deliciously satisfying.

Whole-wheat noodles, low-fat cheeses and light pasta sauce make this beef and pasta casserole healthy but still deliciously satisfying.

Moroccan-Style Stuffed Peppers

Aromatic savory-and-sweet stuffed peppers are a satisfying supper, thanks to lean beef, brown rice and bell pepper in each bite. Serve with rainbow chard sautéed with olive oil, garlic and parsley.

Aromatic savory-and-sweet stuffed peppers are a satisfying supper, thanks to lean beef, brown rice and bell pepper in each bite. Serve with rainbow chard sautéed with olive oil, garlic and parsley.

Barbecue Meatball Soup

Ready in one hour, this soup will warm you up on a cool fall day.