Savory Beef Skillet with Caramelized Onions and Garlic Herb Butter

Some recipes don’t need a fancy name to win you over — they just need a good sizzle. This one starts with ground beef hitting a hot pan, onions melting down into gold, and a knob of butter carrying garlic and herbs into the air. It’s rustic, fast, and unapologetically good. The kind of dish that gets passed around the table and doesn’t leave leftovers.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef (80/20 for best flavor)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Optional: chopped parsley and shaved Parmesan for garnish

Directions

Brown the beef:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and ground beef. Cook until well browned and slightly crispy on the edges, breaking it apart as it cooks. Drain excess grease if needed.

Caramelize the onions:

Push the beef to one side of the pan. Add onions to the empty space and cook until soft, golden, and caramelized — about 8 minutes.

Bring it together:

Add butter and garlic to the skillet. Stir everything together until the garlic is fragrant and the butter coats the beef and onions.

Season:

Stir in Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper. Let it cook for another 2–3 minutes to deepen the flavor.

Serve:

Top with chopped parsley and a few shavings of Parmesan if desired.

Serving Ideas

Spoon it over mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles.

Tuck it into toasted rolls for quick sandwiches.

Serve it as a cozy main with roasted vegetables.

© 2025 Lowvee Cole. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.