Quick Ground Beef Freezer Cooking

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Ground Beef Freezer Cooking

Freezer cooking does NOTย have to be an all-day/all-weekend ordeal. Just doing some simple bulk cooking can save you SO much time in the kitchen during that dreadedย getting ready for dinner time!For example, this afternoon I did a quick batch of freezer cooking with a an almost 8lb. package of lean ground beef. In just barely over an hour, I processed all the beef to yield us prepared meat forย at least 8 dinners–8 hamburger patties, chili, seasoned taco meat, & meat sauce for pasta!ย And, better yet, it only required two dishes and such a money saver too!

Here’s how:
– get out one large stock pot & large “frying” pan
– divided the ground beef package into quarters (for me this was just shy of 2 pounds each)

– place 1 quarter in the pan & 1 quarter in the stock pot. Add your favorite “taco” seasoning to the meet in the pan. Let it brown.
– Add chopped onion to the meat in the stock pot & let brown together (this is for the chili)

– While those are browning, take another quarter (plus a little extra from the last quarter) and patty it up for hamburgers (I made 8 total… 6 “adult”-sized & 2 kiddie-sized). That’s enough for two dinners, plus lunch leftovers for Mr. Mom Endeavors. Place each patty on a piece of wax paper and put them in a freezer bag.

– Once the meat in the pan is brown, set it aside to cool.
– Add the rest of your ingredients to your pot for chili (recipe coming soon!ย now here) and let the chili simmer!
– After this, place your taco meat in freezer containers/baggies.
– Use that pan to brown up your last chunk of meat. Add some garlic & tomato sauce to make a homemade meat sauce!

And, voila, enough prepared meat for at least 8 meals for our family made with minimal cleanup in just over an hour (not counting the chili simmering)! Woot!
Do YOU do any quick freezer/batch cooking sessions?

*Linked to some of these GREAT sites! Check out more Great Ideas at Infarrantly Creative!

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I’m Sara, a mom to three adorable boys living in the Arizona desert. As a former teacher, I love sharing my passions with others. So, have a look around for creative inspiration about cooking, creating, celebrating, traveling with kids, and more everyday mom endeavors!

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24 Responses

  1. Thank you for the step by step! I have a book on freezer meals, and I haven't tried it yet b/c I was worried I'd spend 72 hours in the kitchen. ๐Ÿ˜‰ Great post. ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks so much for linking up to my party. I hope you'll stop by Serenity Now again soon! ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Great tutorial! I agree that freezer cooking doesn't have to take a long time, but it saves so much time later.

  3. I found your post from I love naptime. What a great idea. I've never thought of prepping all of that ahead of time.

  4. Thanks for doing this! I think this is one of those ideas that was right on the tip of my tongue, but just wasn't happening! Right after I saw this, I happened upon some cheap ground meat. The next day I did: chili, cooked ground meat for tacos, cabbage casserole or spaghetti, and a couple of burgers!

    So thanks for the idea!

  5. Thanks so much for sharing! I just bought a lot of ground beef I got on sale. I always freexe, but love the different ways you prepared it to freeze.

    Thanks again!

  6. I do this all the time, taking advantage of sales and bulk pricing. but not necessarily because I’m frugal (though I am).

    Not only does it make good use of sale meat and make for easier cooking in the evenings, but I HATE TO CLEAN GREASE SPATTERS! This way, I end up cleaning one big pan once and the stove ONCE. Hoo-ray! ๐Ÿ™‚

  7. What a great idea. I need to get back into the swing on things and get some freezer stuff prepped. I have cooked bulk ground beef in the slow cooker and it works great. I add some water and stir it every once in awhile and it comes out really fine. I like the idea of making chili ahead of time, we eat it a lot in the winter and I just made a TON of chili base sauce from the garden tomatoes. I am thinking maybe some individual sized chilis for my husbands lunches. Thanks for the inspiration and now to find some ground beef on sale ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. Glad you found this then, Lori! ๐Ÿ™‚ I love the idea of trying it in the slow cooker! Will give that a go sometime! ๐Ÿ™‚

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