What to do With a Pound of Ground Meat (Minced)

 There are so many things that a person can do with a pound of ground beef, pork, lamb, turkey, chicken......  whatever kind of ground meat you have.  I know other places refer to ground beef as minced, that is why the reference is above.

There really is no limit to what you can make.

Many of us are living alone or just have 2 people at home now - and perhaps can get by with using just a half pound of meat in a recipe.  People actually eat a lot of meat and it isn't necessary to have so much.  Meat should be an ingredient in a recipe or a side like anything else.   Meat prices are going up, so we all need to learn to eat less and stretch it a little further.

Let's get started!

Chili or soups of all kinds (my favorite is hamburger/veggie soup)

Taco, burritos, enchiladas, burritos, tamales, tostadas, nachos ......

Lasagna

Stuffed shells

Sloppy Joes

Goulash

Hamburger gravy over toast or biscuits

Burgers of all sizes - from sliders to 1/4 pounders!  Burgers can be made hundreds of ways

Patty melts

Shepherds pie

Meatballs of all types

Pot pies

Porcupines

Porcupines

1 lb. ground beef

1 can tomato soup

1 C uncooked instant rice

1/4 C minced onion

Garlic powder

Salt

1 tsp. prepared mustard

Make meat balls with meat, 1/4 can of soup, rice, onion and seasoning.  Brown until golden.  Pour remainder of the soup over meatballs with the mustard added in.  Simmer for about 20 minutes, until rice is tender.  THESE ARE SO GOOD

The above recipe is the simple version - you can add about anything you want and jazz it all up!

Stroganoff

Baked spaghetti - baked Ziti

Casseroles of any kind

Hamburger hash

Philly beef and cheese - add onion and peppers with Italian seasoning

Meatloaf - meat loaf in muffin tins - meatloaf burgers

Stuffed peppers, squash or eggplant

Pizza

Poor man Swiss steak

Stuffed cabbage

Calzones

Turn ground pork, turkey, chicken, etc. into sausage - add your own spices and seasonings

 

               Tostadas - bean and a little taco meat added - topped with veggies and cheese

                                          Salsa topped burger and veggies - YUMMO

There is just no end to what you can make.  Ground meat is so versatile.  Use a lot or a little.  I have gone to packaging up meat in 1/2 lb. packages now.  I can always use more than one pack if I need to. 

Think about precooking your ground meat to use in recipes.  That way you can pull out a pack and add to any recipe and be done in a jiffy.

Pre-form burger patties before freezing.  Place a piece of parchment or wax paper in between burgers to make them easy to take apart (if only needing one or two).

If freezing raw meat - place your measured amount in bags and mash it flat.  It makes it easy to stack in the freezer and it will thaw in no time.

You can get beef from very lean to fatty.  There are usually blends from 70/30 - 90/10.  I like to get 80/20 or 85/15 if I can.  I WANT some fat in mine!!!  Fat gives flavor!!!!!  I also like the consistency better.  Very lean is just too steak like for me - it always seems to be a heavier density.

It is all a personal preference.

Right now - ground beef is about the cheapest meat that can be purchased in MY area.  It is usually much cheaper than pork, turkey or chicken.  I am STILL paying 1.99/lb. - 2.29/lb. for my ground beef (on sale).  I get a bunch anytime it is on sale.  I am well supplied with MANY packages in the freezer.  I keep it on hand all the time - it is my most used meat.

Now you can purchase ground sirloin or angus and it will all cost a lot more!!  That is a sure thing!  I like just plain old ground beef - love the flavor and consistency.

Just remember - you can use ground meat in just about ANY recipe.  Experiment a little - and use less.  No need for a huge amount of meat - use as a normal ingredient.

Hope this gives you a few ideas.  I know there are a lot of things not mentioned.

You have any special ideas?  Please share!!!!