9 Forgotten Ground Beef Dinners Everyone Ate In The '70s

Ground beef has been a staple in home kitchens for decades. This affordable and versatile ingredient is perfect for packing protein and rich, meaty goodness into all kinds of dishes, from hearty pasta Bolognese to loaded enchiladas and classic meatloaf. Back in the 1970s, ground beef was as popular as ever, and it formed the base of countless fuss-free, family-friendly recipes. This was a time when convenient, comfort food meals were all the rage, so the quick-cooking, flavor-packed meat was a natural addition to the menu.

As tastes and cooking styles have evolved, weekly dinner rotations have shifted too. While many beef-based favorites from the '70s have stood the test of time, other dishes have slowly drifted off the radar. Thankfully, ground beef shows no signs of going out of fashion any time soon, and the way you use this trusty ingredient is completely up to you. If you ask us, vintage recipes can be an excellent source of inspiration, and many will have you wondering why we ever stopped making them. Here are nine nostalgic meals that once held a regular spot on dinner tables across America and beyond.

Shipwreck casserole offers heartiness and convenience in equal measure. Made with simple kitchen staples, this easy layered bake is thought to have Depression-era roots and has remained a go-to for home cooks in the decades that followed. Despite being a big hit in the '70s, shipwreck casserole has now largely disappeared from modern dinner tables, but there's no reason why this retro favorite can't make a comeback.

There are no set rules with this dish; hence, you'll find a fair bit of variation amongst recipes. The core ingredients, however, are ground beef, canned tomatoes, onions, and thinly sliced potatoes. Some versions also include rice and other veggies such as mushrooms or bell peppers. Once the beef and veggies have been sauteed, everything is layered in a dish and often topped with a generous sprinkling of grated cheese. Then, the casserole is baked until golden and bubbling. The result is a nutritious, satisfying meal that's perfect for weeknight family dinners, and leftovers will taste great the next day, too.

Meatballs might already be a regular in your dinner rotation, but have you met their spiky '70s cousin? Porcupine meatballs feature an unlikely uncooked ingredient that makes the dish a bit more filling, and arguably a whole lot more fun. By adding white rice to the ground beef mixture, you get a heartier batch of meatballs, with a rather pleasing spiked appearance. 

The recipe isn't all that dissimilar to modern-day meatball dishes, with the addition of rice being the key differentiator. Seasonings, aromatics, and binders like onion, egg, and fresh herbs add flavor to the beef mixture, and the hand-shaped balls are simmered in tomato sauce to infuse them with heaps of tangy brightness. In the 1970s, home cooks loved to use canned tomato sauce or even condensed soup to keep this step as simple as possible, but a from-scratch sauce would work great, too. As everything simmers away, the rice begins to swell and soften, and the grains end up poking through the surface. This creates the signature texture that gives these old-school meatballs their name.

Savory ground beef and tender noodles are a winning combo, and one 1970s recipe that makes excellent use of this comforting duo is John Ben Ghetti casserole. The exact origins of this dish are unclear, but it's likely a twist on the equally retro Johnny Marzetti casserole, which can be traced back to 1920s Ohio. Both versions combined sauteed ground beef and vegetables with canned tomato soup and cheese, but while John Ben Ghetti traditionally featured spaghetti, Johnny Marzetti was typically made with macaroni. The former was also a little more veg-forward, with peas, pimentos, and green bell peppers thrown into the meaty mixture.

Whipping up a John Ben Ghetti casserole is wonderfully easy, with the pasta, beef, and veggie mixture piled into a baking dish, smothered with shredded cheddar, and baked to melty perfection. It's ideal for making in a large batch if you're feeding a crowd, and it'll pair well with a wide range of sides, from steamed greens to crusty garlic bread.

Another soul-warming fusion of ground beef and pasta, goulash is a low-effort meal that's packed with savory depth. In true '70s style, this recipe leans into the convenience of canned goods and pantry staples, and it evokes fond memories for many who grew up during the decade.

We're not talking Hungarian-style goulash here, which is generally made with larger chunks of beef and doesn't contain pasta. Instead, the American version takes a simpler approach, with the ground beef requiring a shorter cooking time, and macaroni transforming the dish into a well-rounded, complete meal.

The sauce is a blend of canned tomatoes and tomato sauce, and this is enhanced with veggies like onions, peppers, and canned corn. Savory flavor boosters like Worcestershire sauce and Italian herbs were popular additions, and home cooks could easily put their own spin on things by throwing in more unusual ingredients, such as pimento-stuffed olives and Adobo seasoning. Cheese was another important component, whether melted into the sauce or used as a topping pre-baking.

In 1971, Betty Crocker released its Recipe Card Library — a collection of easy recipes made with convenient, affordable ingredients. Recipes came printed on cards that could be stored in a dedicated box, with home cooks encouraged to build their collection over time. Of course, ground beef was a feature, and one recipe that stands out for its ease of prep and unique topping is Zippy Beef Casserole.

This recipe ticked all the boxes for busy home cooks, featuring kid-friendly flavors and fuss-free preparation. It was a simple case of cooking off some ground beef, boiling macaroni, and crafting a quick sauce with a creamy, tangy-sweet blend of canned mushroom soup, milk, and ketchup. Minced onion and diced green pepper added nutrients and aromatic depth, while shredded cheddar amped up the indulgence. There's a lot to love about the dump-and-bake approach here, and the crunchy topping only adds to this casserole's appeal. A layer of crushed potato chips, added during the last few minutes of baking, introduces a whole new textural element, while complementing the salty, savory flavors beneath.

If you love Tex-Mex-inspired flavors, Sombrero Pie is sure to impress. Another top pick from the Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library, this rustic bake graced dinner tables with its delightfully warming flavor throughout the '70s. The recipe does involve making cornmeal pastry from scratch, but don't let this put you off. The filling comes together fast, and the pastry is simply draped over the top, adding extra sustenance and a subtle sweet corn flavor that takes everything to the next level.

You might be disappointed to learn that this pie is, in fact, not baked in the shape of a sombrero. This does, however, make things far easier to assemble. The filling (a blend of sauteed ground beef, pork, and onion, plus tomato juice, canned corn, and chili powder) is briefly simmered before being piled into a dish. Topped with the cornmeal dough and oven-baked, the pie is a mouth-watering blend of rich, saucy meat and golden, flaky pastry that'll pair beautifully with Mexican-inspired toppings like sour cream, pico de gallo, or guacamole.

Pillsbury's Bake Off recipe books are a goldmine of easy, crowd-pleasing meals. These books feature winning bakes and meals from the annual Pillsbury Bake Off contest, which first launched in 1949. By 1970, Pillsbury was on its 21st edition of the series, and this release features a particularly memorable ground beef recipe.

Sloppy Joe Pie was the brainchild of Laetitia Doster from Jacksonville, Florida. Her concept was undeniably creative, but remained in keeping with the '70s taste for fun, family-friendly comfort food. The recipe uses Pillsbury's popular pie crust mix and takes inspiration from the classic American sandwich, with a saucy tomato-and-beef filling (made with canned tomato soup, of course). For added crunch, the pie is also topped with a mixture of shredded cheese, sloppy Joes seasoning, and reserved pie crust mix, which bakes up golden and crumbly. A ring of sliced stuffed olives makes for a striking garnish, yielding a cozy yet elegant pie that's fit for dinner parties and casual weekend feasting alike.

Cabbage rolls are popular in Polish cuisine, but they also had their moment on the American home-cooking scene in the 1970s. This recipe is a wonderfully nourishing way to enjoy ground beef, and it's simpler to prep than you'd think. The Polish version, known as golumpki, tends to include a from-scratch tomato sauce, but the American recipe uses that trusty 1970s shortcut ingredient — canned tomato soup.

Cabbage rolls are also much more filling than first meets the eye, with each generously stuffed leaf delivering a welcome boost of protein and carbs, and plenty of tangy tomato flavor. Some recipes use beef only, while others call for a mixture of beef and pork. The ground meat is combined with diced onion, egg, cooked rice, and seasonings before the mixture is snugly rolled up inside boiled cabbage leaves and arranged in a baking dish. Then, it's a simple case of pouring over the canned soup and slow-baking everything until tender. 

Served fresh from the oven, cabbage rolls work great as a side or the main event of your meal. They'll taste fantastic with mashed potatoes, crispy latkes, roasted veggies, or a fresh side salad, and we'd argue they'd absolutely deserve a spot on the modern-day table.

As the name suggests, hamburger rice casserole pairs ground beef with fluffy white rice to create a hearty, deeply savory bake that comes together with minimal fuss. This casserole was once a staple at potlucks and church gatherings, and it was especially popular in the Midwest. It might not be as widely known today, but this dish is most definitely worth revisiting if you're on the lookout for an easy, filling family dinner that's packed with old-school appeal.

With the sauteed beef and rice as a satisfying base, hamburger rice casserole gets a dose of creaminess from canned mushroom soup, and there's usually diced onion or celery thrown in, too. Shredded cheese (think cheddar or mozzarella) serves as the ultimate melty topping, but this isn't essential. In fact, some versions take a less traditional approach, finishing the bake with crispy chow mein noodles. This recipe leaves plenty of room for customization, whether you fancy throwing in canned tomatoes, fresh herbs, garlic, or a splash of soy sauce. Either way, it's sure to deliver on both flavor and convenience.