Ground beef. When I do my big box run, I generally stock up and buy 5 – 10 pounds of reasonably priced ground beef and when I return home, I immediately make two meatloaves and meatballs and freeze them. The rest I will flat pack into small freezer bags for quick defrosting and ease of meal making. The meatballs I keep generic in seasoning so I can use them in both Italian cooking and for my slow cooker Swedish meatballs. It is all in the sauce. Plus, you can dump the meatballs into a slow cooker, cover in the sauce of your choice and set on low for six hours. Add pasta or rice, and you have a meal you hardly had to do anything to create. One of my partner’s favorite Autumn meals is actually meatball soup. I simply toss the frozen meatballs into the slow cooker with plenty of homemade stock and diced up, often leftover vegetables, add some Italian seasoning and set it on low for five or so hours. Topped with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and some shredded parmesan cheese and a slice of crusty bread and I have one happy man on my hands. Leftovers freeze great.
Come fall, I also make a few freezer tubs of chili. I simply sauté a pound or two of ground beef with a large, diced onion and a heaping tablespoon of minced garlic, dump it in the slow cooker and add some finely diced carrots and peppers. For us, the hotter the better but regular bell peppers work fine as well. I then stir in a large can and a small can of crushed tomatoes and a heaping tablespoon of cumin and mild chili powder although I usually use the hotter chili powder if no guests are expected. Add in a large can of water from the tomato can (I often swap the water out for homemade chicken broth) and maybe some onion and garlic powder. Salt, pepper. All to taste. This recipe is never exact; I use what I have handy for sure. About halfway into the six-hour low cook, I pull my cooked, frozen pinto beans and add in about two cups. I have also been known to sneak in cooked black beans and kidney beans. I will then taste and season again if needed and keep an eye on it. My partner will literally grab a spoon and eat it straight out of the slow cooker; it is that much of a fan home meal for him.
Ground beef is endlessly versatile and once you buy some, you should think about bringing it home and spending an hour or so creating some meals from it:
- Pasta dishes like Bolognese, spaghetti with meatballs, baked ziti, and lasagna can be assembled quickly and frozen.
- Casseroles: beef-and-rice and shepherd’s pie are tummy pleasing, one-dish meals that all use ground beef.
- Meatloaf & Meatballs are my go-to two for the price of one moves.
- Soups & Stews: like my chili and meatball soup, the options here are endless,
- Tacos & Burritos: We have a standing taco Tuesday dinner in our house
- Sandwiches & Wraps: Burgers, sloppy joes, and more, the choices never end here.
- Grilled skewers: Layer longish ovals of seasoned ground beef with potatoes and vegetables for a hearty grilled kebab dinners that are quick and easy — although I would prep these and make them for that night’s meal.
- Stuffed peppers: Fill bell peppers with seasoned ground beef, leftover rice, and your favorite tomato sauce. These can be frozen as well.
- Hamburger steaks with gravy and beef stroganoff are also cheap and tasty choices. I will assemble cooked ground beef and cheese enchiladas, smother them in homemade sauce and freeze for a festive Mexican themed meal. I often will toss in some diced onion while cooking the ground beef.
Some assembly organizational tips:
- Pull all your leftovers first to decide what dishes make the most frugal sense. Let them guide your choices.
- Prep at least a couple of large onions by chopping in advance.
- Same goes for garlic although I tend to cheat and use the jarred, minced kind.
- Same goes for all your leftover and needed vegetables. Get them ready.
- Defrost your homemade stocks and broths in advance.
- Assemble freezer-worthy pans and make sure you have enough foil to cover if you are not using plastic freezer containers. Pull out a good marker, labels and the freezer bags you will be filling.
- Make sure you have all the sauces you will be using on hand and ready to go.
- Line up the spices and herbs you will be using. Have them ready to use with measuring spoons at hand if you measure that sort of thing.
- Make or pull any frozen dough(s) you may need. I keep a batch of easy to make food processor pie dough in my freezer at all times to pull when I need it.
Food Processor Pie Dough
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of AP flour
1 stick of very cold butter cut into little cubes
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
Generous pinch of salt
6 to 8 tablespoons of ice water
Method:
Place the flour and salt in the food processor and start the motor. From the chute above, add in the butter bit by bit until you have dry, crumbly mix. Pour in the vinegar followed by the ice water, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough clumps together. Turn out onto a floured surface and pack gently into a flattened oval. Don’t knead too much or handle the dough excessively because it will quickly become tough. A light touch is best here. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill one hour prior to using or double wrap in plastic wrap and a freezer bag to freeze. Use for basically anything that requires pie dough. Endlessly versatile.
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the house behind 