To say beef is a versatile food is an understatement. Just about every country eats beef, all the way from Japan to Brazil to Spain and all over the United States. It can be prepared in many ways including grilled, fried, baked, roasted, slow-cooked, and even raw, and there are a lot of different cuts to choose from.
Beef is so versatile it can be the star of fancy dinners, quick lunches, simple stews, and more. No matter how beef is eaten, it can easily showcase worldwide flavors and culinary creativity.
Herb and Spice Beef Tenderloin Roast
Beef tenderloin is the most tender cut of the animal and is often served as a special occasion food. This recipe gives the meat a classic herbed crust that goes well with potatoes, carrots, and braised greens. And, while it can grace the table during a celebration, it doesn't take more than an hour to prepare.
Beef and Guinness Stew
One of Ireland's most popular foods is beef and Guinness stew, which features stout made by the centuries-old Guinness brewery in Ireland. Cut up a chuck roast for the stew meat or get lean beef already chopped, let it simmer with vegetables, bacon, and the beer for a couple of hours, and then enjoy the warming and hearty dish.
7 Layer Casserole With Ground Beef and Rice
Use ground beef in this simple casserole and make dinner a one-pot affair. Though it takes a while to cook, this American dish is a great way to not only make the house smell good, but limit the number of dishes to clean at the end of the night.
Thai Waterfall Beef Salad
Featuring thinly sliced, grilled sirloin steak, this Thai-inspired salad showcases how well beef goes with fruit and slightly sweet and salty soy-based sauces. Serve this light but filling salad for lunch or dinner, and keep in mind the meat can be cooled and eaten the next day, too.
Continue to 5 of 24 belowBeef Bourguignon
Try out this classic French stew and learn why it's been such a popular menu item for the past century. Originally created by French chef Auguste Escoffier, beef Bourguignon gained an American following thanks to Julia Child and her cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." Use brisket, chuck, or stewing beef to create our take on the dish which takes close to 30 hours to fully prepare.
Chinese West Lake Beef Soup
Ground beef adds protein and delicious flavor to this hearty West Lake soup. Eaters can keep this quick soup simple by following the recipe exactly or spice it up with chilies, hot sauce, or ginger.
Beef on Weck
The name of this sandwich comes from Kummelweck, the roll used to house the tender roast beef. It was created in Western New York in the mid-19th century and features top round roast that's sliced and spiked with horseradish. Serve beef on weck for a fun lunch or dinner.
Carne Guisada
In Spanish, carne guisada means "stewed meat," but this Dominican dish offers so much more. The cubed beef chuck cooks down over three hours with green peppers, olives, peas, carrots, and spices to create a warming dish that has enough vegetables and starch that you don't need to serve it with anything else.
Continue to 9 of 24 belowHoney Beef With Sesame Seeds
If sesame chicken is high on the favorites list, this honey beef will satisfy the taste buds. The main ingredient is flank steak that's sliced and marinated in honey and spices. It's stir-fried to give the beef a crispy shell that gets coated with a light oyster sauce.
Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
Corned beef is a recipe often associated with Saint Patrick's Day, but don't wait until March to make this dish—it's good year-round. All that's needed is an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker and a few ingredients for a full meal.
Grilled Beef Yakitori
In Japan, yakitori is a popular type of dish consisting of skewered and grilled meat. This sirloin version is grilled on medium-high heat to help caramelize the sauce and fat before being served medium to medium-rare.
Classic Cottage Pie
Cottage pie is basically shepherd's pie, but with ground beef instead of traditional lamb. It's an easy English staple to make any time of year, but especially in the colder months, and needs little more than a side of peas to be a complete meal.
Continue to 13 of 24 belowClassic Beef Stroganoff
Beef stroganoff is Russian in origin and is a great way to use up leftover steak, roast beef, deli meat, or brisket. This classic version has lots of beefy flavor and gets a little tang from sour cream. Serve over egg noodles.
Slow Cooker Asian Beef Short Ribs
Using a slow cooker to make short ribs is one of the easiest and best ways to prepare this cut of meat. In this simple recipe, the beef gets flavored with brown sugar, chili sauce, and soy sauce to give the protein an Asian flare. Serve the meat with rice, soba noodles, or wrapped up in scallion pancakes.
Slow-Cooked Birria
This Mexican beef stew is a spicy, chile-filled bowl of bright lime, tender chuck roast, and spices. The slow-cooked biria gets cooked to the point of shredding, making it an easy way to prepare beef as a warming dish for lunch or dinner.
Continue to 17 of 24 belowEasy Classic Beef Wellington
Thanks to Britain's Duke of Wellington, this classic dish has graced tables since 1815. Beef Wellington highlights the fillet or tenderloin by hiding it in a rich pastry crust. It is made as a celebration dish since it's not an easy thing to make, but it wows anyone lucky enough to eat it.
BBQ Beef Ribs
Next time you crave barbecue, give these flavorful beef ribs a try. These ribs are grilled low and slow with a homemade rub and barbecue sauce for tender, succulent, and flavorful meat.
German Beef Rouladen
Get some beef brisket or rump and flatten it to make this stunning German beef rouladen. While the pretty rolls of beef, pickle, bacon, celery, and spices looks difficult, it's not too hard to prepare. Just plan ahead, since the rouladen cooks in braising liquid for about two hours.
Vietnamese Noodle Salad With Lemongrass Beef
In Southeast Asia, this noodle salad (called bún bò xào) isn't typically served as a main course, but this recipe lets the dish take the spotlight at the table. The beef is thinly sliced sirloin that is stir-fried with peanut oil.
Continue to 21 of 24 belowRopa Vieja
The name of this Cuban beef stew translates to "old clothes," an odd name for a dish that tastes much better than it sounds. Rather, the name describes how the stripes of beef and vegetables look like colorful rags. The best meat to use in ropa vieja is flank steak which gets cooked down until it's easily shredded.
Beef and Guinness Pie
Cut up a good chunk of chuck steak to make this comfort food which is a fun take on Ireland's famous beef and Guinness stew. The beef pie takes about three hours to prepare, but in the meantime enjoy any leftover stout.
Chili Colorado With Beef
This thick, beef-filled red chili is a popular dish in the Sonora and Chihuahua regions of Mexico. The main meat of the stew is top rump roast or round roast that cooks for two to three hours before getting chopped up and mixed with an array of red chilies.
Spanish Beef Tomato Stew
Within an hour you can have a tasty plate of tomato-based beef stew. This Spanish-inspired dish also features smokey roasted red peppers which go great with the tender chunks of beef stew meat.