The floral kick of freshly ground black pepper permeates each bite of this aromatic stir-fry.

This hearty Japanese rice bowl features soboro (finely ground meat simmered in soy sauce, dashi, and sake) served over rice to make a satisfying meal. Long before rice bowls were popular in the U.S., cookbook author and Japanese food expert Elizabeth Andoh taught readers how to make donburi — a casual dish of meat and vegetables served over rice — as a complete meal. This version features ground beef, peas, and fresh ginger spooned over steamed rice. To simplify the recipe, Andoh suggests using water instead of dashi.

Sour cream and chives deliver classic loaded baked potato flavor, but they aren’t your only topping options. Other topping ideas include chopped red onion, green onions, crispy onions, pickled jalapenos, salsa, Buffalo sauce, hot sauce and ranch dressing. You can even turn cheese and bacon air-fryer potato skins into a hearty meal by topping them with your favorite chili recipe or pulled pork.

With chicken tenders, the name of the game is dipping sauce. You can lean into a homemade ranch dressing or barbecue sauce of any variety. And you could always try something different like a peanut butter dipping sauce. While it may sound simple, a really delicious homemade ketchup can be a surprisingly comforting choice too. Besides sauces, a crudités platter, air fried vegetables or even a french fry charcuterie board are delicious sides to serve with chicken tenders.

The remarkable butcher and grass-fed-beef evangelist Pat Whelan is the author of The Irish Beef Book. Coauthored with the restaurant critic Katy McGuinness, the cookbook contains a simple-yet-divine dinner idea: these smallish "pies" filled with a smart combination of fresh chorizo and lean grass-fed ground beef. Seasoned with onion and Worcestershire—we've amped up the filling with extra spices in Senior Food Editor Mary Frances Heck's adaptation of the dish here—they come together in a snap and can easily be made ahead. The topping of thinly sliced starchy russet potatoes form a crispy, potato chip–like topping atop each meaty pie. The move is genius and delivers the comfort of shepherd's pie without the steps involved in making mashed potatoes. All in all, this recipe will please kids and adults and, if you sub the meat for a plant-based version, vegetarians, too.

They’re messy, yes, but so worth it.

This classic beef lasagna is a hearty meal perfect for a Sunday supper.

Although this ground-meat curry is often made with lamb, we've found that the distinctive combination of spices tastes just as good with beef. Serve the thick, chili-like keema with warm naan (Indian flatbread), if available, or pita.

This dip from Food & Wine’s Justin Chapple is a fun riff on seven-layer dip. Chapple takes the dip to another level by starting with a layer of super–flavorful ground beef that’s spiced with homemade taco seasoning.