what is your favorite, but unique thing to do with ground beef?

[ProudGrandma]

We were given a TON of ground beef and we are tired of eating it the "normal" way...so I am looking for something new to do. thanks.

[bbkaren]

In my mind, the best thing to do is not eat it all at once to the point where you're sick of it...

 

We're preppers. When I see a bounty such as that, I think, "Let's dehydrate that!"

 

That way it can be used for years and years into the future and won't freezer burn. A quart jar can hold about...I'd say 3 lbs or so of hamburger dehydrated to weigh maybe half a pound.

 

We just cook it slowly in a skillet (we don't brown it) until it's no longer pink, then put it in a colander and rinse off the grease with hot water...rinsing and sloshing around for a couple of minutes. Oil causes stored foods to go rancid and reduces their shelf life, so you want to get rid of it as best you can.

 

Then either squeeze it and leave it to drain well in the colander for a couple hours, or we've used a clean dish towel to roll the meat up and dry it as best we could.

 

Then into the dehydrator on the meat setting until it turns into fine little dark brown rocks. Hard and crunchy. No chewyness...

 

Into the quart mason jar and vacuum seal with our foodsaver. Lasts for years.

 

To rehydrate, we usually just add some extra water to a long-cooking recipe and keep an eye on the liquid level since the burger will soak up a surprising amount.

 

It can also be rehydrated by simply adding water and allowing it to soak it back up.

___________

 

There are recipes for canned (not dehydrated) meatballs, etc. as well.

 

It would just be a shame to eat it all at once to the point where you're sick of it and not enjoying it anymore...

[heidip2p]

We make a yummy bbq with ours a lot. Maybe you have already done that though. ;)

[NanceXToo]

My family loved this recipe for "Stacked Burrito Pie" from Family Fun Magazine:

 

Stacked Burrito Pie recipe

 

Ingredients:

 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 pound lean ground beef

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup water

1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels

4 (10-inch) flour tortillas

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup salsa

8 ounces cheddar or Monterey Jack, grated

 

1. In large skillet over med-low heat, warm oil. Add onion and saute for 5 min, stirring often. Add garlic and saute another minute.

 

2. Increase heat to medium, then add ground beef, chili powder, and cumin. Cook mixture until beef is browned, stirring often. Add the salt, water, black beans and corn, and bring mixture to boil. Allow it to continue boiling, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates, about 20 min. Remove mixture from heat and let cool for 10 min.

 

3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Using the rim of a 9-inch springform pan (or 9-inch round cake pan) as a template, trim 3 of the tortillas to the size of the pan. Leave the 4th tortilla untrimmed.

 

4. Butter the bottom and sides of the pan. Press the untrimmed tortilla evenly into the pan's bottom. Spread 2 tablespoons of the sour cream over the tortilla, followed by 1/4 cup of the salsa. Spoon and spread a quarter of the beef mixture over the salsa, then sprinkle a quarter of the grated cheese evenly over the top.

 

5. Place one of the trimmed tortillas on top of the cheese, then repeat the layering of the sour cream, salsa, beef, and cheese. Continue this way until all ingredients and tortillas are used up. You should end up with four layers, topped with the final sprinkling of cheese.

 

6. Bake the pie until heated through, about 30 min. Allow to cool for 10 min, then remove the rim from the springform pan if you used one and slice into wedges (otherwise just serve like a lasagna).

 

Serves 10.

[justasque]

I would use the freezer, big-time.

 

1. meatballs. Freeze nicely. Pack with onion,garlic,peppers,bread crumbs.

 

2. meat for burittos. cook with onion, green peppers, tomatoes, beans, seasoning. Then freeze. (Or brown meat and freeze, then combine when you use it.)

 

3. lasagna

 

4. spaghetti sauce. 1 jar of ragu or can of tomato sauce (or homemade) + onion, possibly more veggies like zukes, peppers, eggplant.

 

5. beef stroganof. Doesn't freeze well. Add lots of mushrooms, onions, and red peppers, serve over wide egg noodles. (The sauce is made of butter or oil, flour, and beef broth, as you would a white sauce.)

 

6. shepards/cottage pie. Again, sauce made with beef broth. Include onion, carrots, perhaps peas, perhaps those lovely little white turnips. Top with mashed potatoes.

 

7. Meat pie. Same as above, but use pie crust instead of potatoes. Sauce + crust = YUM!

 

Excuse my spelling, please!

ETA - some of these can be made then frozen; for others freeze the browned meat, then defrost and add to dish. And of course you can freeze it raw, in meal-sized portions.

[Onceuponatime]

I often substitute ground beef for ground pork in canadian pork pie. Shoney's hamburger soup is a hit around here, also chili mac.

[rafiki]

.

[Alte Veste Academy]

I agree that I would freeze a bunch of it in 1 lb. packages. Where can you get 2,000 Ziploc bags cheap? :lol:

 

My favorite atypical recipe with ground beef is Swedish meatballs.

[LaxMom]

I'm defrosting some for taco soup right now! :D

[ProudGrandma]

In my mind, the best thing to do is not eat it all at once to the point where you're sick of it...

 

We're preppers. When I see a bounty such as that, I think, "Let's dehydrate that!"

 

That way it can be used for years and years into the future and won't freezer burn. A quart jar can hold about...I'd say 3 lbs or so of hamburger dehydrated to weigh maybe half a pound.

 

We just cook it slowly in a skillet (we don't brown it) until it's no longer pink, then put it in a colander and rinse off the grease with hot water...rinsing and sloshing around for a couple of minutes. Oil causes stored foods to go rancid and reduces their shelf life, so you want to get rid of it as best you can.

 

Then either squeeze it and leave it to drain well in the colander for a couple hours, or we've used a clean dish towel to roll the meat up and dry it as best we could.

 

Then into the dehydrator on the meat setting until it turns into fine little dark brown rocks. Hard and crunchy. No chewyness...

 

Into the quart mason jar and vacuum seal with our foodsaver. Lasts for years.

 

To rehydrate, we usually just add some extra water to a long-cooking recipe and keep an eye on the liquid level since the burger will soak up a surprising amount.

 

It can also be rehydrated by simply adding water and allowing it to soak it back up.

___________

 

There are recipes for canned (not dehydrated) meatballs, etc. as well.

 

It would just be a shame to eat it all at once to the point where you're sick of it and not enjoying it anymore...

 

I have never even heard of ddehydrating ground beef...but I guess that is sort of what jerky is, right? It seems odd that you can store meat in jars without it going bad....interesting. thanks

[Wendi]

http://recipeland.com/recipe/v/Russian-Meatloaf-18289 (says ground turkey but would be fine with beef, too)

 

http://steamykitchen.com/10802-korean-beef-rice-bowl.html (we love this one)

 

http://steamykitchen.com/662-ground-beef-with-beijing-sauce-over-noodles.html

 

Wendi

[ThatCyndiGirl]

Unsloppy Joes: I cook down sloppy joe mixture until all of the moisture is cooked out. Then I roll out dough (1/24th of a recipe, so dinner roll amount), put a slice of mozzerella cheese on dough, top with 1/4 cup of sloppy joe mixture, pinch to seal and bake.

 

Bierocks

 

Pizza potatoes. Brown ground beefi with onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Add finely diced turkey pepperoni and enough pizza sauce to hold it together. Put on baked potatoes, pour on some pizza sauce and top with mozzerella cheese and parmesan. YUM!

[SweetMissMagnolia]

moussaka.....here's a general recipe-since I"m allergic to tomatoes,I have to edit the recipe....

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/moussaka-recipe/index.html

[mcconnellboys]

I'm not sure what "normal" is for you, but here's how we use ground meat:

 

hamburgers (which is what I'd consider the most common usage)

sloppy joes

tacos (we love, love, love McCormick's taco seasoning mix - better than Taco Bell any day)

meatballs for spaghetti or cooked and mixed into the sauce for a meat sauce over any type of pasta

chili

meatballs can also be used in soup, in a beef stroganoff type of sauce, or in a cocktail type of sauce

lasagna

stuffed shells

stuffed peppers

enchiladas

hamburger steaks served with mashed potatoes and gravy

[Bluegoat]

I make a casserole called "Copenhagen casserole". You brown the beef and onions, and then add just enough tomato sauce and beef broth to dampen it and make it a little wet without being soggy. Then add ground cloves, cinnamon, and salt to taste.

 

In a casserole pan slice up a cabbage and spread half in the bottom of the pan. Layer half the meat, and repeat. Then cook it for half an hour or so at 350C.

 

Serve with broad noodles or boiled potatoes or rice.

 

It's kind of unusual, filling, and very cheap. It also uses winter vegetables which is great.

[Pippen]

Beef & Bacon Rollups

About 10 slices of bacon (turn out best with good quality thicker bacon such as you get at a meat market)

1-1/2 pounds ground beef

3/4 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2-1/2 tablespoons catsup

2-3 teaspoons onion, finely chopped (or to taste)

¾ cup grated cheddar cheese

(The original recipe called for 1 egg but I left it out by mistake the first time and they turned out fine so I never bothered with it.)

Combine all ingredients except bacon thoroughly. Lay out 10 slices of bacon side-by-side on a cutting board or clean countertop. Form meat mixture into a log about 2 inches in diameter. Place log in the center of the bacon so it lies on top of all the side-by-side pieces. You may have to add or subtract bacon slices depending on the width of the slices or squish the meat together a little. Fold both ends of each bacon slice over the log, overlapping the ends. Fasten with 1-2 toothpicks. When the entire log is wrapped in bacon slice meat with a sharp knife in between each bacon slice. Separate the slices and compress each roll-up slightly so the meat is packed firmly within the bacon roll.

Grill over low flame on rack highest from flame, turning frequently. Watch carefully as bacon drippings easily produce flames that will burn the roll-ups.

 

 

Cheeseburger Soup

2 tablespoons onion, chopped

½ cup shredded carrots (pulverize in food processor)

½ cup diced celery (optional)

½ teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

4 tablespoons butter or margarine

3 cups chicken broth

2 cups diced peeled potatoes

½ pound hamburger, browned & drained

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

10 ounces processed American cheese, torn into pieces

1 ½ cups milk

1/8 teaspoon pepper

¼ cup sour cream (optional)

Melt butter in a large pot and saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley until vegetables are tender, about ten minutes. Add broth, potatoes, and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes until potatoes just start to get tender. While soup is simmering, tear or cube cheese into smaller pieces and set aside. Pour milk into a bowl and whisk in flour, stirring to remove any lumps. When simmering is complete, stir flour-milk mixture into soup. Bring to a boil and cook until slightly thickened, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese and pepper, stirring frequently until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream. Yield: 8 servings.

[AlisonK]

Here are two recipes that we really like. I freeze the first one for a ready to go meal:

 

http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/make-ahead-meals-cheesy-beef-and-rice

 

http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/a-kid-friendly-meal-sloppy-cornbread

[Sandragood1]

I make a minestrone. Lots of veggies plus some sort of tomato product (I have some frozen, but whatever you have will work). Add italian seasonings, garlic and onions. Brown the ground beef and add it, with the drippings, to the soup. Now you can add cooked (canned beans), some uncooked pasta if you have lots of broth, and I like some chopped kale right before serving. Serve with parmesan cheese, bread, and butter.

 

Except for the pasta, it freezes well.

 

If you skip adding the drippings from the beef, you'll probably need some beef stock for flavor.

 

Sandra

[silliness7]

We were given a TON of ground beef and we are tired of eating it the "normal" way...so I am looking for something new to do. thanks.

 

 

I got this recipe many years ago at a recipe swap. Brown your meat (drain) and mix it with sour cream, garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper to taste. Sour cream is about 1/2 - 1 cup per pound of meat depending on how creamy you like. Take French bread or some other crusty roll, slice in half, butter the bread and spread the meat on it. Top with tomatoes, green peppers and cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min. til the bread get nice and crunchy and the cheese gets toasty. It's called stroganoff sandwich. We LOVE it!!