Spryte Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 (edited) We have half a cow in our freezer, from my parents. (They are so sweet!) ...But I have to admit I have no clue what to do with all the ground beef. I was a veggie for 20 years. We are (obviously) carnivorous again, but I am still squeamish about cooking beef, ground beef in particular. Any ideas on items I can make ahead and freeze? (Can I thaw the meat long enough to cook it, then quickly freeze it again, or is that a no no?) We have multiple allergies, so some foods are out (mostly nuts and seeds, a few other items). We're also gluten-free - spaghetti sauce is great but we don't do gluten-free pasta very often so I don't want to fill the freezer with spaghetti sauce. I have a good chili recipe, and DH sometimes makes burgers. But we need more ideas! Any help would be wonderful. Edited February 22, 2012 by Spryte Terrible typo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I think it's fine to thaw, cook and freeze to reheat. At least, I hope it's fine, because I've certainly done that many times. Meatballs can be gf - and they don't have to be with spaghetti. You could eat them on gf buns as meatball sandwiches or just on their own. We use ground meat for tacos a good bit - you can't make and freeze that, but it's really easy to thaw and cook it quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Any ideas on items I can make ahead and freeze? (Can I thaw the meat long enough to cook it, then quickly freeze it again, or is that a no no?) Yes, you can thaw it and cook it and freeze again. I like to make buritto filling. I use garlic, onion, maybe turnip or carrot if I have excess of either, peppers, and tomatoes, plus some seasoning. I might add a can of corn if I want to stretch the filling even further. And I might add beans. I freeze it in one-family-meal portions. Another option is shepard's pie - for that, root veggies are nice, or perhaps mushrooms, and I add a "white sauce"/gravy made with beef broth instead of milk. Top with pastry, biscuits, or mashed potatoes. I also will sometimes freeze just the plain browned meat, in single-meal portions. That lets me add it to whatever dish I'm improving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 You can also serve pasta sauce on spaghetti squash! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Crockpot Sloppy Joes. Somewhere I read to serve it on top of a baked potato instead of on buns for a GF substitute. I think I'm trying this tomorrow night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissad2 Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I buy ground beef on sale and brown it then portion it out in freezer bags to pull out when I need meat for spaghetti, taco filling, sloppy joes etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I often cook ground beef, drain and then freeze it. It's so handy for putting a meal together at a later date. I add water (at least half as much as the ground beef) while cooking. It prevents splattering and spitting. Then I drain in a collander. I think adding the water while cooking helps more of the excess fat drain away when draining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 :bigear: We will have a 1/2 a cow in just a few weeks and I have been wondering what I will do with it?:001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennsmile Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Taco meat can be used for tacos, burritos, nachos, taco salad, taco soup or chili. Potato burgers are yummy, they have egg, onions, green peppers, and potatoes. Then you make a gravy from the drippings. Yum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 Oh, this is great. Thank you! I love these ideas, and can't wait to get cooking this weekend. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Pre-browned ground beef is great to have in the freezer. Use it for: Tacos/burritos Homemade hamburger helper Sloppy Joe's In spaghetti sauce Tamale pie It's good to have some precooked meatballs stashed in the freezer. nobody at my house complains when we eat burgers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 In addition to the already mentioned, I will add: enchiladas (use corn tortillas), meat loaf (I use oatmeal not crackers/bread/stuffing in mine), super nachos (taco meat, beans, lettuce, tomato, salsa, etc on corn chips), lasagna (use zuchini instead of noodles for gf), and like the sloppy joe baked potatoes, you can also do taco meat potatoes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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