By Sarah Skerrett, Mr. Food Editor
As a kid, it seemed like we had a revolving door of dinner table staples I wasn’t always excited about. There were certain meals I looked forward to (ravioli with a huge serving of parmesan cheese) and could eat five days a week, and some meals I would dramatically choke down (chicken pot pie). At least a few times a week, me or my brother would complain, “This again??” 
What does it take to turn that familiar complaint into a “Yum!” and a clean plate? Just a creative spin on traditional favorites, like this collection of 15 Kid-Friendly Ground Beef Recipes. Now, it’s generally not difficult to get a child to eat a Sloppy Joe…they’re messy, fast and kids love ‘em. But you can only serve the same Sloppy Joe so many times before the complaint chorus kicks in.
Instead of eliminating Sloppy Joes from your dinner repertoire, simply update your cookbook with new variations like Barbecue Joes and Veggie Packed Sloppy Joes! Other delicious recipes using ground beef include Cheeseburger Bake, Spaghetti Sundaes, Pizza Fondue, Hula Sliders and more.
Some of these recipes aren’t just tasty, they’re fun for kids, too. Normally, kids are told not to play with their food but you won’t mind when they’re eating Volcano Meat Loaf! These mini meatloaves are covered in creamy mashed potatoes and “lava” – beefy gravy – pours from the top of the volcano. For this ground beef recipe and more, check out Mr. Food and make dinner fun tonight!
Here’s some more great kid-friendly ground beef recipes to round out your dinner (and lunch!) options:
Cooking with Kids: Shepherd’s Pie (thanks to Cheri at Adventures in the Kitchen!)
Ground Beef Stroganoff (thanks to Amy at Kitchen and Kids!)
Kid-Friendly Beef, Quinoa and Veggie Meatballs (thanks to La Jolla Mom!)
Easy Weeknight Lasagna (thanks to Heather at Family Friendly Frugality!)
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Great article with some fantastic kid-friendly recipes. I can’t wait to try some of them. Thank you for including my ground beef stroganoff, definitely kid-friendly.
Have a great day!
Thanks so much for including my recipe! I’ll have to be sure to check out the other recipes included as well!
Heather, loved the weeknight lasagna, I will definitely be checking your site for quick & easy recipes
-Sarah at Mr. Food
Incredible article. I can see that you know the subject very well. I`m looking forward to reading some more.
Great post!
Love your favorite meatloaf recipe. Instead of using ketchup, I use a larger baking pan and, in the last 1/2 hour of baking, top the loaf with l can (10 oz) of cream of mushroom soup diluted with 1/2 can of water (or stock). After the loaf is removed from the pan, the drippings are stirred into the hot gravy and used to top the sliced meatloaf and mashed potatoes. This is truly comfort food.