Smash burgers may be the latest craze, sizzling their way from niche diners to UK supermarkets with crispy edges and caramelized flavor. But they are just one more reinvention of ground meat, a substance that has been endlessly repackaged for decades. Lasagna, meatballs, tacos, kebabs, chili, shepherd’s pie—the list is long, and yet the ingredient at their core is always the same: a bland, unremarkable paste that only tastes good once sauce and spice work their magic. If we celebrate these countless reinventions, why are we so reluctant to give plant-based grounds the same stage? Tofu, seitan, and pea protein are no less versatile, often healthier, and undeniably more sustainable. Ground meat has gotten a free pass for too long—it’s time to smash the bias.
Trend Snapshot
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Trend Name | Ground Reinvention – rethinking minced meat and its plant-based rivals |
| Key Components | Sauces, spices, cooking techniques; meat vs. plant-based grounds |
| Spread | Global – from lasagna to smash burgers to dumplings |
| Examples | UK smash burger boom; countless global minced meat dishes |
| Social Media | Culinary discourse around #SmashBurger but little for #SmashTofu |
| Demographics | Everyday consumers, flexitarians, plant-based advocates |
| Wow Factor | Exposing the myth that ground meat is inherently flavorful |
| Trend Phase | Mature for meat; emerging for plant-based grounds |
The Smash Burger Example (and Why It’s Just One of Many)
The smash burger’s UK rise has been documented by The Guardian, which noted how pressing a patty flat on a hot griddle turned it into a mainstream obsession. Yet its popularity doesn’t come from beef itself—it comes from a technique that uses heat and pressure to create texture and flavor. The meat is a vehicle, not the source. Without the sear, a ground beef patty is bland and soft. With it, the crust crackles, the aroma intensifies, and suddenly it feels like an innovation.
That is the secret of almost every ground meat trend: it’s not the meat, it’s what we do with it. Lasagna? Sauce and cheese. Chili? A storm of spices. Tacos? Seasoning blends. Shepherd’s pie? A blanket of mashed potatoes hiding the mince. Ground meat alone rarely stands out—it is culinary clay, shaped into something palatable by layers of flavor. Smash burgers prove the point, but they’re only one more entry in a long history of disguising blandness as brilliance.
Ground Meat: A Global Blank Canvas
Across the world, ground meat is treated less as a delicacy and more as an adaptable base. In Italy, ragù bolognese simmers beef and pork in tomatoes and wine until transformed. In the Middle East, spiced lamb forms kibbeh or kofta. In Latin America, picadillo blends beef with raisins, olives, and peppers. In the U.S., chili con carne drowns mince in spices, while meatloaf buries it under ketchup glazes. Southern Living even catalogs 79 weeknight recipes using ground beef, proving just how many ways one can dress up the same paste.
This variety highlights ground meat’s appeal: it absorbs flavor well and pairs with nearly anything. But it also exposes the truth: ground meat by itself isn’t particularly exciting. It needs help—lots of it. For decades, we’ve celebrated it anyway, pretending its reinventions represent culinary genius. In reality, what we celebrate is the creativity of cooks, not the inherent virtues of ground beef.
Sauce, Spice, and the Illusion of Flavor
Ground meat’s dominance comes not from taste but from cultural comfort. Families rely on it because it’s cheap, familiar, and endlessly maskable. A bit of paprika here, oregano there, maybe a splash of soy or Worcestershire—and suddenly dinner feels hearty. The illusion works so well that we forget the foundation is uninspiring on its own.
This is the double standard that trips up plant-based grounds. When tofu or seitan needs sauce, critics call it “flavorless” or “boring.” But when beef needs sauce, we call it tradition. Nobody accuses chili of being bland because the beef is bland—they celebrate the chili powder, cumin, and garlic that make it sing. If tofu relies on the same logic, why is it dismissed? The answer is cultural inertia. Meat has long been granted the benefit of the doubt. Plant-based foods still fight for legitimacy.
Plant-Based Potential
The truth is, plant-based proteins are just as adaptable as ground meat—if not more so. Tofu crumbles soak up marinades. Seitan can be ground and spiced into sausages or meatballs. Pea protein mimics the chew of beef once seasoned. And unlike meat, these options come without the same environmental toll or saturated fat load. According to Harvard’s School of Public Health, plant-based diets not only improve sustainability but also reduce risk factors for heart disease and obesity.
If the culinary world applied the same creativity to plant-based grounds that it lavishes on beef, the results would be just as diverse—and far healthier. Imagine if tofu were treated with the same reverence as beef in chili, or if seitan were given the same stage as lamb in kofta. The flavors would hold up. The dishes would work. The only missing ingredient is cultural acceptance.
Smashing the Bias
So why does ground meat get a free pass while plant-based grounds get scrutinized? Part of it is habit. Part of it is marketing. And part of it is nostalgia for foods we grew up with. But nostalgia isn’t a strong enough reason to ignore innovation. If smash burgers can electrify diners by tweaking technique, plant-based foods can do the same—if we let them.
It’s time to smash more than burgers. It’s time to smash the bias that keeps us celebrating ground beef while dismissing tofu crumbles or seitan strips. Ground meat has been reinvented for generations, dressed up until it feels exciting. Plant-based deserves the same chance. Because in truth, ground beef was never better—it just had a better PR team.
Ground meat has coasted on the illusion of versatility, celebrated for reinventions that rely on sauce, spice, and technique. Plant-based grounds operate under the same logic, but are dismissed as bland before they’re given a chance. The smash burger trend proves that transformation comes from creativity, not from the raw ingredient. The future of food should celebrate that creativity across the board, giving plant-based the stage it deserves.
For more explorations into how food reshapes culture and values, see our feature.