Tuesday, July 6, 2021

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!!!!



29 comments:

  1. Don't forget about empanadas. They are so delicious.

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    1. Thanks! Yum - so many goodies can be made!!!!

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    2. We've been freezing ground beef in 1/2 lb. packages for a couple of years. We use less meat in recipes. And, as you say, you can always use more if you need to.
      --Maxine

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    3. That is about the perfect size Maxine. It is perfect for 1 or 2 people. I love meat - but try to use less for bigger recipes with other ingredients.

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  2. We do half pound packages, too. Sometimes we can get ground pork at the discount store for 75 cents a pound. We make that into large batches of taco meat or sloppy joes and freeze it. I add tomato sauce to the taco meat so it isn't so pork tasting.

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    1. What a wonderful price!!! Great idea to add the tomato sauce. I love making taco meat ahead of time and freezing. Makes life much easier down the road.

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  3. I just caught a sale on ground beef and canned up a bunch of cooked pints. I use it in tacos, burritos, spaghetti sauce, etc. It's quick and convenient and doesn't use up valuable freezer space.

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    1. That is fantastic. I haven't braved canning meat as of yet! I love the idea, especially freeing up freezer space and it being shelve stable!

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  4. Always keep ground beef in my freezer, and I watch for sales, too. Recently caught an unadvertised special at 0.99# for family packs. I vacuum seal in 1/2# packages, which helps eliminate (or at least reduce) freezer burn. Sometimes I'll pre-patty the meat for burgers, but most times I freeze it as-is, so it's more versatile. Burgers, tacos, meatballs, meatloaf, sloppy goes, and more. Yum!

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    1. Got to watch for those deals! I do most of mine in bulk packs as well. I can easily form burgers from it when thawed. Like you I think it is so versatile - love my burger!

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  5. I think ground beef is what we eat the most off too. It is so versatile. Today I have three chicken breasts thawing and am deciding how to use them. I know I can get multiple meals out of those three. I found these on markdown recently. Buying on markdown is one of the ways we save on meat. I know you like those Kroger mark downs too.

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    1. You betcha I do! Love mark downs. Kroger usually has real good ones.
      Chicken and ground beef are my 2 staples as well. Both so versatile. It is really amazing how far both can be stretched.

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  6. This is a perfect post. Today I am making meatloaf using a mixture of ground beef and ground turkey. Since I am a household of one, I make meatloaf "muffins" in my muffin tin instead of an actual loaf. I freeze the "muffins" individually. That way I have the beginnings of a meal in the freezer ready to thaw and heat up.

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    1. I do the same - you can pull out 1 or 2 and have dinner ready in no time! I love mixing ground meats too. Enjoy!!!

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  7. When my children were young we ate a lot of ground beef, as you say it is such a versatile choice. Sadly, our prices are nowhere near as inexpensive as yours. $3.49/lb is the lowest I've seen (and that's in C$).
    I've started buying ground pork too as well, it's terrific in Mexican or Spanish dishes.
    There is almost always a bag of homemade "Mom" burgers in the freezer.
    I do use extra lean ground beef for chilis and meat sauce because I often do these in the slow cooker. The lower fat content means I don't have to brown and drain the meat beforehand.

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    1. I often mix the ground meats together too.
      That makes sense to use the lean in the slow cooker. One pot meal!
      I know prices vary a lot.

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  8. I love porcupine meatballs and I am going to try that recipe. I too lave ground meat as you can do so much with it.

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    1. The porcupines are so easy to make and make for a tasty dinner with a salad or veggie.

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  9. We love ground beef too. So good. I think hamburger gravy over biscuits sounds good for one day this week or next. Thanks for the idea. I like to get canned biscuits and flatten them, then add seasoned browned hamburger meat, green chile, onion and cheese and bake until the biscuits are done. Been making these forever and we love them.

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    1. Yum - that sounds so tasty. I will have to try that - never made it. Glad you found an idea to use!

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  10. Those porcupine meatballs were my son's favorite meal growing up. I haven't made them in several years. Seeing the recipe makes me want to try them again. These are all good ideas. Thanks Cheryl!

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    1. I haven't made them for a long while either - but always loved them.
      Thanks, glad you enjoyed this.

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  11. You are so right about ground beef being versatile. I had a cookbook dedicated to hamburger recipes. Have to see if it is still around. The porcupine balls sound yummy, haven't had those in ages. May have to make a tamale pie also. It makes sense to freeze ground beef in smaller and flatter bags. Goes in the freezer so much easier. Thaws quicker too.

    Looks like rain has set in for a few days. Cuts down on watering and keeps the water barrels full. We got hostas moved and some new plants in the ground in their place. This rain should be good for them. That is great of your brother to share his green bean harvest. We love sweet corn but it takes up so much room. Fresh Thyme has it 5/$2 frequently. We save some on the cob for the chickens. They go crazy for it.

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    1. I have an old hamburger cookbook as well. Tamale pie sounds tasty.
      We got rain this morning for a few minutes. It all helps. My brother is always quite generous with me and sis on garden goodies. We all share. I like corn too - just a lot of trouble to grow - it gets ate before being picked!

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  12. We mix our ground beef with cooked lentils for anything Mexican inspired, it doesn’t really change the texture too much, adds fiber and stretches the meat. We do it in sloppy joes too! I was skeptical at first but even my kids don’t object!

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    1. That is cool idea. I often mix beans in with anything I make that is Mexican. It sure is a good way to stretch the meat. Lentils are super healthy and sure do help stretch a meal.

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  13. Having our own beef makes it so I always have ground beef in the freezer. But I don't waste it. When the kids were here I had 4# thawed for a meal in which we ate out instead. We ended up using one pound and after they left, Farmer & I used another. That left 2 thawed so I just cooked them up and froze it in 1# equivlants. I'll use those on nights when I don't have time to thaw out a frozen pound. When our new beef comes in August I will probably cook up the last 10-15#s that are in the freezer now and will use those first.

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  14. I wonder if your ground meat has gone up in price as much as ours has? I don't think I have seen any under $4..(well, 3.99) But I just shop local...not worth the drive to Terre Haute and back if I could find it cheaper. Besides, I do like out little local IGA for beef for the most part.

    What I miss having fairly often is tacos...and Roger just does not care for them since his stroke. He will eat them every now and then...

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    1. I still find ground beef on sale for 1.99 - 2.29/lb. on sale. That is the only time I buy it. Of course that is Kroger or Meijer. I love tacos or anything even sort of Mexican. My favorite type of food.

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