Ground Beef Zucchini Skillet

My ground beef zucchini skillet turns ground beef and zucchini into an easy one-pan dinner with pesto, goat cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes.

By Maya Krampf
Updated Aug 12, 2026

28 Votes | 48 Comments

Affiliate links for products I use help keep my content free. See my disclosure policy. For an ad-free experience and more perks, try Wholesome Yum Plus.

Ground beef zucchini skillet with a wooden spoon.

FREE 5-Ingredient Recipe EBook

GET IT NOW

In This Post show

My 20-Minute Ground Beef Zucchini Skillet Is A Different Kind Of One-Pan Dinner

This ground beef zucchini skillet is one of my oldest published recipes, from 2016. Rather than recreating a dish I’ve had somewhere else, it was my easy one-pan way to combine some of the summery ingredients I love most with an affordable protein.

The pesto and goat cheese have always made it different from most ground beef skillet meals, but I recently added sun-dried tomatoes for a little concentrated sweetness and adjusted the zucchini step to help it get more tender and browned without turning watery. Here’s why it’s even better now:

Bold, balanced flavor – Savory browned beef and garlicky pesto get pops of sweet-tangy sun-dried tomato and creamy goat cheese. It’s a much more interesting combo than the usual tomato-sauce or taco-seasoned skillet.
20-minute pan meal, in the right order – This ground beef zucchini recipe gets you protein, veggies, and plenty of flavor all in one pan, with minimal prep or cleanup. I brown the beef first, cover the zucchini to let it soften a bit, then finish uncovered so the edges get golden. Yes, it’s easy, but also the right texture.
Simple, whole food ingredients – Think beef, veggies, cheese, and herby pesto sauce… which you can either make or buy to make life easy tonight.

When you’ve got ground beef and zucchini, but you want something more exciting than another burger or side dish, this ground beef zucchini skillet turns them into a one-pan meal. Grab your biggest pan and make it with me!

Ground beef zucchini skillet recipe with pesto, goat cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes.

“I’ve made this [ground beef and zucchini recipe] a few times now over the past year. It’s so delicious and everyone in the family likes it. Plus, it’s super simple to make! Thanks for sharing.”

-Kass

More Reviews

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here I explain the best ingredients for my ground beef zucchini recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.

Ground Beef – I use 85/15 ground beef and usually don’t need to drain it. If you use 80/20 and see a pool of grease after browning, drain the excess before adding the zucchini. Ground turkey, chicken, or pork work too if you’ve got one of those.
Zucchini – Slice them into even half-moons, so they finish cooking at the same time. Keeping the pieces substantial helps them stay tender instead of turning to mush. Yellow squash or even pattypan squash works well here, too!
Sun-Dried Tomatoes – I added this to my latest version, and think the concentrated sweetness makes the ground beef zucchini skillet taste more balanced. You can skip them if you like how it was before. Or, use fresh cherry tomatoes and let them burst in the pan, similar to the topping in my barramundi recipe!
Basil Pesto – Homemade pesto tastes especially fresh here, but I use store-bought all the time, too. Some readers have told me they coated their ground beef and zucchini with marinara sauce, which can also work well here but substantially changes the flavor of the recipe.
Goat Cheese – Crumbles stay in distinct creamy pockets throughout the skillet. A soft goat cheese log will still taste good, but it melts into the pesto and creates more of a creamy sauce. Feta is the closest easy swap. For a dairy-free option, you can choose dairy-free pesto and leave the cheese off.
Olive Oil & Garlic – The oil gets the garlic fragrant and helps the zucchini brown later. Fresh minced garlic gives this ground beef zucchini skillet the best savory base.
Sea Salt, Black Pepper, & Parsley – For simple seasoning. You can also swap in basil instead of parsley to go with the pesto.

Labeled recipe ingredients: olive oil, garlic, ground beef, sea salt, black pepper, zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, basil pesto, goat cheese, and fresh parsley.

How To Make A Ground Beef Zucchini Skillet

I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.

Saute the garlic. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the minced garlic until it smells amazing.
Brown the ground beef. Season it simply with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat until browned. Break it apart as you go.

Cooked ground beef in the skillet with a wooden spoon and crispy edges.

Start cooking the zucchini. Add the zucchini, cover, and cook until it starts to soften. It should not be fully cooked yet.
Brown the zucchini. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook uncovered for a few more minutes. Keep the heat high enough that the zucchini gets golden spots — you want the liquid to cook away rather than making the squash steam.
Finish with pesto, goat cheese, and parsley. To prevent overcooking both the ground beef and zucchini, I just remove the ground beef zucchini skillet from heat for this part. It usually stays hot from the residual heat, plus I highly recommend eating it right away!

Cooked ground beef and zucchini with sun-dried tomatoes.

Adding pesto into the ground beef zucchini skillet recipe.

Finished ground beef zucchini skillet garnished with goat cheese and fresh parsley.

My Recipe Tips

Grab your largest skillet. An extra large pan gives the beef and zucchini room to touch the hot surface instead of piling up and steaming, and prevents losing pieces over the sides. I like this enameled cast iron skillet here, because it holds heat well and helps the zucchini brown.
Let the beef develop browned bits. Constant stirring prevents a good sear. I break it up with my meat chopper, then give some pieces a moment against the pan before stirring again.
For the best flavor, let the beef get some crispy browned bits. The key is to have the heat high enough to brown nicely rather than steam.
You can drain the beef if needed. I use 85/15 ground beef and don’t need to, but I would if it’s 80/20.
After removing the lid, make sure the heat is high enough to brown the zucchini. This adds flavor and prevents the ground beef and zucchini from becoming watery.
Be careful not to overcook. The zucchini can turn mush if cooked too long. It’s ready when it’s no longer bright white and has some browning, but not soggy or mushy.
Add the pesto off the heat. This keeps the basil flavor fresher. If the ground beef zucchini skillet doesn’t feel hot enough, you can warm it up for a couple more minutes.
I usually start with a bit less pesto and add to taste. The ideal amount can vary a bit depending on the size of your zucchini. It’s always easier to add more than deal with having too much.