3-Ingredient Ground Beef and Biscuit Bake

okay so listen, I need to tell you about this recipe that literally saved my butt last Tuesday when my sister texted me at 4pm like “hey we’re coming over for dinner lol” and I had absolutely nothing planned.

I’m talking three ingredients. Ground beef, those canned biscuits (you know the ones that make that pop sound that still scares me every single time), and whatever cheese situation you’ve got happening in your fridge. That’s it.

Why this whole thing actually works

Here’s the deal with this recipe and why I keep making it even though it sounds kinda weird when you first hear about it:

It’s literally impossible to mess up. Like I’ve made this distracted while scrolling Instagram and it still turned out fine.

The biscuits get all crispy on top but stay soft underneath where they touch the beef. It’s this whole texture thing that shouldn’t work but totally does.

You probably already have everything. I made this with stuff I found in my fridge at like 10pm once because I forgot to meal prep. Again.

Kids actually eat it without complaining. My nephew who only eats chicken nuggets had two servings so like… that’s saying something.

It reheats way better than you’d think. Sometimes better than the first day honestly, the flavors get all melded together or whatever.

What you actually need

seriously that’s the whole list

optional stuff I sometimes throw in: garlic powder (a lot), onion powder, those taco seasoning packets, hot sauce, frozen veggies if I’m trying to pretend this is healthy

how to make it (step-by-step kinda)

So preheat your oven to like 375°F. Or 350°F. Honestly mine runs hot so I do 350° but my mom’s oven is ancient so she does 400°F and it’s fine. Ovens are weird.

Then you’re gonna brown that ground beef in a big skillet. I use my cast iron because I watched a TikTok about seasoning it and now I’m obsessed, but any pan works. Just cook it until it’s not pink anymore, maybe 7-8 minutes? I never actually time it lol.

Drain the grease. Or don’t, if you’re living dangerously. I usually drain most of it but leave a little for flavor because I learned that from my grandma who was very against wasting anything.

This is where you season it. Salt, pepper, garlic powder at minimum. Sometimes I dump in a whole taco seasoning packet if I want it spicy. Taste it as you go. Don’t be scared of salt.

Okay now grab a 9×13 pan or whatever baking dish you have. Mine is kinda crusty around the edges but whatever. Spread the beef in there pretty evenly.

Sprinkle like half your cheese on top of the beef. Maybe more. I’m not the cheese police.

Now here’s the part that feels weird but trust me – tear those biscuits into pieces. Not like tiny pieces, maybe quarters or thirds. Just rip them up with your hands and scatter them all over the top. It looks messy. Gets messy. That’s fine.

Add the rest of the cheese on top of the biscuit pieces because cheese makes everything better and also helps the biscuits get golden.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the biscuits are cooked through and golden on top. Mine took 23 minutes last time but I also opened the oven door like four times to check on it so that probably added time.

The first time I made this I forgot it was in the oven because I got distracted watching videos on my phone and it was in there for like 35 minutes. Still turned out fine, just extra crispy. So yeah, pretty forgiving.

tips that actually helped me

• If your ground beef is super lean (like 93/7 or whatever), add a tablespoon of butter or oil when you’re browning it. Otherwise it gets dry and sad.
• I’ve done this with ground turkey when I was trying to be healthy and it worked but needed way more seasoning. Like double the garlic powder situation.
• My friend adds a can of cream of mushroom soup mixed with the beef and honestly that’s kinda genius if you’re into that
• You can prep the beef part ahead and just add the biscuits and cheese when you’re ready to bake. I’ve done this for potlucks.

storage (aka the mystery container in my fridge)

So this keeps in the fridge for like 3-4 days in a covered container.

But real talk, I’m terrible at labeling things so I constantly have mystery containers in my fridge and I’m like “is this the beef biscuit thing from Tuesday or the leftovers from that thing I made last week?” Label your containers. Be better than me.

You can reheat it in the microwave but it gets kinda soggy. I like reheating it in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes because the biscuits crisp back up. Or an air fryer if you have one of those.

Freezing works too apparently? I’ve never actually tried it because we always eat it all but my mom swears she’s frozen it before. Just thaw it in the fridge overnight and reheat.

nutrition facts (roughly)

(this is based on like 6 servings and I’m just guessing honestly, it varies a lot depending on your cheese situation and what kind of beef you use)

questions people always ask me

Can I use those fancy biscuits from the bakery section?

I mean yeah but why would you waste those on this? Save your money. The cheap pop-can ones are literally perfect for this. Mine aren’t perfect anyway.

What if I don’t have ground beef?

Ground turkey works, ground chicken works, I’ve even done ground pork. Just adjust your seasonings because they all taste different. Turkey needs like… a lot of help flavor-wise.

Do I have to use a 9×13 pan?

Nah, I’ve made this in an 8×8 when I’m cooking for just me and my husband. Just use less stuff. Maybe half a pound of beef and one of those smaller biscuit cans. Or use the full amounts and have thicker layers, whatever.

Can I add vegetables?

Sure, I’ve thrown in frozen mixed veggies, corn, diced bell peppers, whatever. Just make sure if you’re using frozen stuff you thaw it first and drain any water so your biscuits don’t get soggy. Learned that one the hard way.