Easy Ground Beef and Bacon Skillet Recipe: Only One Pan Needed

Pinterest Hidden Image

Sneak Peek: This easy Ground Beef and Bacon Skillet Recipe with potatoes and carrots is an idea to keep in your back pocket for a busy day when you are too tired to think about cooking, and the pantry is empty.

picture of Ground Beef and Potatoes Skillet with Bacon in a black iron skillet with catsup on the side.Pin

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

After a hard day of work with a growling stomach providing background music, I find it hard to think clearly about what to fix for dinner. However, when the only vegetables in the fridge are carrots, wilted celery, and a month-old cabbage, this Ground Beef and Bacon recipe sounds pretty good.

We first came to love this recipe when camping. I know just about anything tastes better when you eat it in the woods, but whenever I’m in the mood for meatloaf and potatoes, this is an easy substitute that takes much less time to prepare.

Happy Cooks Speak Up

I made this tonight as I was looking for a quick dinner. The only change I made was to add a sprinkle of garlic powder to the meat. I thought this tasted like a bacon cheeseburger. My family really liked it.” — MELODY

Recipe Inspiration

Know what else makes food taste better? (Not cooking it yourself doesn’t count.)

Bacon! As I said in my recipe for Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño Chicken Bites, bacon makes any food fly off the table.

Flipped over Hamburger and Potatoes Skillet --ready to eatPin

Don’t get me wrong.

I’m not trying to sell this particular recipe as some incredible gourmet delight that will make your dress fly up, your pants fall down, or your life turn out perfectly.

Nope. This easy one-skillet recipe is a kind of comfort food assembled with four ingredients you probably already have on hand.

Hopefully, you won’t have to make an extra trip to the grocery store. Such a trip just before dinner is an exercise in patience that I try to avoid.


Ingredients and Substitutions

4 ingredients needed for this simple skillet recipePin
  • BACON: Nothing substitutes for the smoky flavor of bacon. Thinly-sliced bacon fries up better than thick-sliced bacon. You want it to be crispy, not limp and greasy. You could leave the bacon out, but I wouldn’t. It’s what makes this dish.
  • GROUND BEEF: Any ground beef (hamburger) will work. I like 85/15 ground beef because you won’t have to drain as much grease (although there will probably still be some from the bacon). Ground turkey is an acceptable substitute.
  • POTATOES: Substitute sweet potatoes for white potatoes if you prefer. They cook a bit faster. However, since they are the same color as the carrots, the whole dish is not as pretty as it is with white or buttery yellow potatoes.
  • CARROTS: Not much to say about carrots other than they need to be sliced. Use baby carrots if you like, but I would still cut them into half-inch slices. If you still have carrots left after making this recipe, I recommend this Easy Carrot Casserole Recipe or these Smoked Carrots (made in the oven).

📌Kitchen Secrets📌 for Success With This Recipe

  1. The correct setting and timing for cooking this dish will be affected by the type of pan you use (the heavier, the better) and your particular stove. I start out using medium-high heat. As soon as the bacon starts to brown, I turn the heat down to allow the vegetables to cook through.
  2. The thinner you slice the vegetables, the faster this dish will cook. I use a mandolin to get thin slices quickly, but a knife or slicing with a food processor is good, too.
  3. If you slice the potatoes ahead of time, be sure to let them sit in a bowl of water so they won’t discolor.
  4. This makes a good camping recipe. Cook it in an electric skillet or an iron skillet.

How To Layer this Skillet Recipe

  • FIRST LAYER: Bacon
  • SECOND LAYER: Lean ground beef
  • THIRD LAYER: Sliced potatoes (russet potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes)
  • FOURTH LAYER: Sliced carrots

Optional additions

  • Add chopped onions to the hamburger layer.
  • Sprinkle a few drops of Worcestershire sauce over the beef before adding the vegetable layers.
  • Scatter garlic powder over the potato layer.
  • Drop some smoked paprika on top of the carrot layer. (I got the idea from this recipe for smoked carrots.)

Recipe after cooked in a skillet with two small plates served up beside it.Pin
Flip the layers over if you want to see the bacon on top.

FAQ About Ground Beef and Bacon Skillet

Can I make this ahead of time?

I never do. It’s more of a last-minute recipe–best eaten immediately.

What should I serve with this ground beef and potato casserole?

Ketchup! Lots of it. Or barbecue sauce or ranch dressing. This recipe begs for your favorite condiment.

A light salad on the side will add some fiber to the menu. Fresh bread like this Crusty French Bread or some Herb and Garlic Dinner Rolls you can make with your bread machine would be another welcome addition.


Random Thoughts: Would you like to see more easy recipes for ground beef? Take a look at this Best Baked Beans with Ground Beef and Sausage, Easy Chile Relleno Casserole with Ground Beef, or Easy Beef Goulash with Ketchup: Only One Pot To Clean.


Recipe Help at Your Fingertips: For questions or suggestions, email Paula at saladinajar.com. If you need help, I’m happy to troubleshoot via email (faster than leaving a comment). Attach pictures and as many details as possible for the best advice.

ground beef and potatoes in iron skiletPin
Yield: 4 servings

Easy Ground Beef and Bacon Skillet Recipe

Bacon, ground beef, sliced potatoes and carrots are layered in a skillet to make a delicious supper in minutes.

Rate this recipe

(5 stars if you loved it)

5 from 9 votes
PRINT RECIPE PIN RECIPE SEND EMAIL

Video

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 5-6 slices thin-sliced bacon
  • 1 pound (454 g) ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon salt divided
  • freshly-ground pepper
  • 3-4 medium (639 g) potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 5-6 (500 g) carrots sliced

Instructions

  • Cut 5-6 slices thin-sliced bacon in half crosswise and place it in a single layer covering the bottom of a large skillet. Fry the bacon on one side over medium heat. When it starts to brown and gets a little crispy, turn each piece over. Remove the skillet from the heat immediately before it browns on the second side. Drain excess bacon grease.
  • Crumble 1 pound (454 g) ground beef evenly over the bacon. Season with a half of 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of freshly-ground pepper.
  • Arrange 3-4 medium (639 g) potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced over the top of ground beef.
  • Distribute 5-6 (500 g) carrots on top of the potatoes.
  • Season with remaining salt and pepper. Cover.
  • Cook about 15 minutes over medium-low heat until the bacon is crisp and vegetables are tender.

Notes

The only tricky part of this recipe is figuring out exactly where to set the heat so the bacon turns out crispy but not burned. If the bacon is still limp and light colored on the bottom, but the vegetables are cooked through, turn up the heat a bit. The correct setting will be affected by the type of pan you use and your particular stove. I suggest you keep an eye on it the first time or two you make this.

Nutrition

Serving: 4 | Calories: 454kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 721mg | Potassium: 1223mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 12742IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 4mg

All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com

5-Star Ratings Are My Favorite!Help others find this recipe in search results on the web.
My Amazon Store

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




34 Comments

  1. 4 stars
    Tried this for dinner tonight for myself and the husband for the first time. Not what I was expecting. Not fantastic but likewise wasn’t unenjoyable. The ketchup did help the taste a bit but the main concern was that the ground beef had no attention grabbing taste as per the recipie posted. Yes I put a fair bit of pepper in there. The bacon was crispy, the potatoes and carrots tender, even put some celery and threw in some garlic as well. Not sure if changing the bacon type or more seasonings being put in would help me! Husband did hit it with seasoning salt but then again his taste is a bit more selective than mine (he trained as a chef).
    Gave 4 due to ease of cooking, ease of selecting ingredients, 1 pan use, prep time and presentation. Sorry had to take 1 off due to the lack of seasoning/extra taste in the beef. But would try it again and experiment with spices/seasonings.

    1. Thanks for writing. This is a “camping recipe.” We’ve become quite fond of it because of the simplicity. It’s a blank palette for people to add whatever suits them. While that might not be for everybody, it opens the door wide open for people like you who want a lot of flavors. Glad to hear you added some spices. Another option is to use different condiments. Personally, I love Mayochup on the side.

  2. 5 stars
    I have made this in an electric skillet for years.
    I also add a layer of sliced onion circles on top for extra flavor.

    1. Hi Linda,
      Me, too on the electric skillet. But I haven’t tried sliced onions. Good idea. Thanks so much for writing.

    2. 5 stars
      I have been making this recipe for many years adding rings of sliced onion as the top layer.
      First in an electric skillet now in a large nonstick pan stovetop.
      I start cooking the bacon first when it stars to brown I flip each piece and then add the other ingredients in layers ,ground turkey, potatoes, carrots then onions.
      Salt and pepper.
      I cover the pan and let it cook until the vegetables are tender.
      I then turn the heat up a bit to ensure the bacon is crisp.
      Family favorite for years!
      The original name I had for the recipe was “slumgully”

      1. Hi Linda,
        I’m so glad you wrote. I can’t wait to try your idea about cooking the bacon until it starts to brown, then flipping it before adding the other ingredients. The bacon is the only tricky part of this recipe. I suspect this is the remedy. Thank you for writing.

  3. 5 stars
    Love this recipe! This was very tasty!

  4. 5 stars
    I made this tonight as I was looking for a quick dinner. The only change I made was to add a sprinkle of garlic powder to the meat. I thought this tasted like a bacon cheeseburger. My family really liked it.

  5. Obviously, deep skillet is needed for French Potato Pie. 🙂

  6. This looks yammy. I also make similar to this what I found on Russian website. In cold skillet put a layer of half portion of ground meet (or any meat combinations: beef and pork, beef and chicken, etc), salt and pepper. Then layer of thinly sliced potatoes, salt pepper. Then thinly sliced onion, salt and pepper. Repeat same layers with second half of meat, potatoes, onion, salt and pepper. Put on a top mayo and shredded cheese, cover with lid. Cook 20-25 min on low-med heat until you see steam coming out from underneath of lid. Put aside, let it rest 10 min. My husband and son love this dish. For reason not understandable to me Russians call it French Potato Pie.

    1. Interesting variation. I must give it a try.

  7. Stephanie says:

    Ohhhh! Yum. AT the end of the day, I need some winning no-brainers, thank you! My husband is not the biggest cooked carrot fan…does anyone have a substitution suggestion?

  8. Update-had this again Wed. night and it was really yummy. My DH ate all the leftovers for lunches and said it reminded him of camping with his family when he was a little guy. He is a total fan of this dish!

  9. Your pictures are great. I do have a question — It appears that you did this yummy 4-layer meat & potatoes in an iron skillet. It also looks like you have a glass top stove. I had been told iron skillets were a no-no with ceramic or glass top stoves, so do I dare try this with my Granny’s iron skillet? Can’t wait to taste it!

    1. Hi Jeanine,
      I have never heard that about glass top stoves and iron skillets. You could be right for all I know. But I use them with no problem I am aware of. HOWEVER, I normally prefer to use non-stick skillets because I don’t like to wash things by hand. The skillet in the picture is only a prop but you could certainly make this in an iron skillet. Again, I, myself, make this in a non-stick skillet for ease of clean-up.

      1. Thanks for your quick reply. I plan to try the recipe this week and will likely use the non-stick skillet, but I might try it sometime in the iron skillet in the oven. Blessings to you today!

  10. OK-made this last night and DH said Yum! We named it Campfire Skillet. I did saute 1/2 onion until soft and spread on the beef and my stove must have come over on the Mayflower bcuz it took 45 minutes to get done. DH is a gravy freak so a small batch of brown gravy was served on his. We both brought it today for lunch. Highly recommended.

  11. Looks beautiful Paula!
    Do the potatoes really cook in 15 minutes?

    1. Hi Natasha,
      How’s it going? Yes, the potatoes will cook in 15 minutes. Slice them very thin and of course, the skillet it is covered as it cooks so it doesn’t take long.

  12. My husband’s loves meatloaf and I never make it!! Perhaps if I prepared this he’d be just as happy 🙂

  13. Julie Sherman says:

    Wow! This recipe looks really good (and easy!). I don’t think I would have ever thought to put everything in the skillet at once. Brilliant! I will definitely be giving it a try in the near future. Thanks for sharing!

  14. The Café Sucré Farine says:

    Wow, this must be loaded with flavor, I love that the bottom becomes the top with that yummy bacon!

  15. The picture definitely looks better than anything we ever produced camping!!!

  16. Looks delicious especially with the crisp bacon to top! Yum!

  17. This is definitely a mans meal for sure, my husband would love this, I’ll have to give it a try for him!

  18. Cyn; -) in S. Calif says:

    Looks delish, Paula, and really takes me back a few decades. My Mother used to make something like this quite frequently. We add sliced onions and sometimes bell pepper to what you use. If it’s on hand, we throw in a little sliced green cabbage. Also, a little leftover cooked brown rice is in the bottom of the Dutch Oven. Everything is layered with a sprinkling of S&P, then a 28oz can of tomatoes is poured over the top. Put lid on and cook about 30 minutes. We never tried bacon… good idea. Now-a-days we layer and put it all in a crockpot and let it cook itself all day. Yum; -). Thanks for a great post.

  19. Quick, easy and delicious- what more could you need? That bacon on top (or bottom, whichever way you look at it) looks good! 🙂

  20. You know what I love? There’s a good amount of veggies here! I know you get it, but I am often in disbelief how many one pot recipes lack enough veggies. Looks great! Thanks for sharing!

  21. This should be a very popular recipe on your blog, for sure, Paula. Heinz now makes a ketchup with balsamic vinegar which I use on meatloaf. The leading photo is gorgeous.

    1. Thanks for the heads-up about the catsup Gary. I think I must pick some up ASAP.

  22. I make a version of this in a casserole — my husband’s all-time favorite dish! I put the sliced carrots, potatoes, layer of onion, salt & pepper (lightly.) Then add a layer of ground beef ( I usually brown it,) salt & pepper, pour over a can of tomato soup, diluted with half can of water. Cover with foil, bake 350 1 hr. — so good!

    1. Oh Sally, That sounds wonderful! Must try when I have an hour for it to bake.

  23. Oh, my, Paula! It doesn’t get any easier than that! We all have days that fill up too fast, leaving less time to cook dinner. Thank you!

    One question: You do not cover the skillet with aluminum foil to hold the heat in to help the potatoes and carrots cook? Maybe I’m overthinking this one! It’s too easy!

    1. Rita,
      Yes, yes. You must cover it to hold the heat in. I use a lid but aluminum foil would also work.