25 Beef Recipes From Around the World

Classic Beef Stroganoff — The Spruce / Qi Ai

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.

01 of 25

Herb and Spice Beef Tenderloin Roast

The Spruce / Nita West

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.
02 of 25

Beef and Guinness Stew

The Spruce

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.
03 of 25

7 Layer Casserole With Ground Beef and Rice

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

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.
04 of 25

Thai Waterfall Beef Salad

Takeaway / Wikimedia Commons

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.

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05 of 25

Beef Bourguignon

The Spruce / Elaine Lemm

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.
06 of 25

Chinese West Lake Beef Soup

Tran Tuan Viet / Getty Images

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.
07 of 25

Beef on Weck

The Spruce / Leah Maroney

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.
08 of 25

Carne Guisada

Michelle Arnold / Getty Images

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.

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09 of 25

Honey Beef With Sesame Seeds

Lars Ruecker / Getty Images

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.
10 of 25

Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

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.
11 of 25

Grilled Beef Yakitori

Dan Goldberg / Getty Images

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.
12 of 25

Classic Cottage Pie

The Spruce

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.

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13 of 25

Classic Beef Stroganoff

The Spruce / Qi Ai

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.
14 of 25

Ngao Yuk

IMAGEMORE Co., Ltd. / Getty Images

Just about any cut of beef can be used in these Chinese steamed beef balls—all it needs is to be minced beforehand. Ngao yuk is a dim sum staple that's good on its own or with a spread of other tasty tidbits.
15 of 25

Slow Cooker Asian Beef Short Ribs

Brian Hagiwara / Getty Images

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.
16 of 25

Slow-Cooked Birria

ALLEKO / Getty Images

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.

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17 of 25

Easy Classic Beef Wellington

The Spruce

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.
18 of 25

BBQ Beef Ribs

The Spruce

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.
19 of 25

Beef Rendang

The Spruce / Darlene Schmidt

Really any cut of beef can be used to make this Southeast Asian beef rendang since it will get simmered in broth for about 30 minutes before getting sliced into bite-size chunks or strips. The homemade rendang paste adds serious flavor to the dish.
20 of 25

German Beef Rouladen

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

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.

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21 of 25

Vietnamese Noodle Salad With Lemongrass Beef

The Spruce / Connie Veneracion

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.
22 of 25

Ropa Vieja

Rinaldo Wurglitsch / Flickr

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.
23 of 25

Beef and Guinness Pie

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

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.
24 of 25

Chili Colorado With Beef

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

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.

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25 of 25

Spanish Beef Tomato Stew

LauriPatterson / Getty Images

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.

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