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17 Quick Easy Ground Beef Recipes for the Freezer

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Starting out our week or month right with an easy meal plan I like to go first to my list of Budget Friendly Meals. I also use these 17 Quick Easy Ground Beef  Recipes for the Freezer, I create a basic foundation and go from there.  I’ll share how I make my life easier with these super easy recipes with ground beef  with few ingredients, so that you too can relax and not stress about what’s for dinner for at least a week! 

Easy Beef Stroganoff Skillet Dinner

17 Quick Easy Ground Beef Recipes for the Freezer

How do I make Lean Ground Beef?

First, I buy Ground Beef in bulk or large quantities and then fry up big batch’s in several pans before I freeze. 

I have a simple secret that I LOVE to share about making a more fatty ground beef into lean ground beef. All you do it fry it up good so that most of the fat is cooked out of the meat. Then rinse Beef in a strainer in super hot water to remove any excess grease off of the meat. 

If your ground beef is frozen and you are wondering how do you defrost ground beef?

Simply put in  the refrigerator over night. Or you can also defrost in the microwave. I don’t recommend that you defrost on the counter for the day. this has proven to breed germs and can make you sick! You CAN however run warm water over your ground beef to defrost…if you don’t want to use the microwave and it’s last minute.

The good news is that if you have already cooked your ground beef BEFORE you froze it…half the work is already done and as soon as you defrost you can simply add meat to whatever recipe you decide to make. 

Easy recipes with hamburger meat:

This is a super easy recipe and the Stroganoff can be made ahead of time and frozen then you simply serve over noodles or rice!

Easy Beef Stroganoff Skillet Dinner ~ pictured above

I LOVE to make recipes out of Frozen Hamburger Patties! Such an easy way to use up Ground Beef Patties with few ingredients.

More meals to make with ground beef ~ 

Taco Meat

When I am cooking up one of the batches of hamburger I add taco seasoning.  I use this meat to serve with to make some of these recipes:

  • Tacos
  • Nachos
  • Beef Enchiladas/Chimichangas
  • Taco Salads ~ this recipe is chicken but you can use ground beef taco meat too
  • Taco soup

Crunch Meatloaf Pie

Crunchy Meatloaf Pie

Use Ground Beef in place of chicken and make Cheesy Chicken Taco and Rice Skillet Meal! It’s super yummy and because your taco meat is made ahead it will only take minutes!!

Cheesy Taco Chicken and rice !

When you’ve got ground already cooked and frozen, recipes like this Layered Beef Bake are ready in a snap! Literally!

Layered Beef Bake! Such a quick easy recipe made in minutes!

Pizza topping

My hubby loves meat on his Pizza.  So when I make Pizza I have cooked Ground Beef all ready to roll. 

Here is one of my favorite time savers with Ground Beef:

I like to a make a huge batch of Meatballs and then serve them in different ways with different sauces:

Easy Ground Beef Recipes for the Freezer

Meatballs Recipe

  • 3 pounds lean Ground Beef
  • 1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs
  • 3 eggs
  • 6 tbls. minced onion
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • Mix all ingredients together.  Make into 1 inch balls.  Put onto cookie sheets and cook in oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove meatballs to another cookie sheet and flash freeze.  Divide into dinner portions  and put into freezer bags.

Serve Meatballs with these different sauces:

Sour Cream Stroganoff Sauce Recipe

  • 1/4 C. butter
  • 1 small onion
  • 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/4 C beef broth
  • 1/2 C – 1 pint sour cream ( I use 1 C)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dill seed
  • salt & pepper to taste

Heat butter,  add onion.  Cook on low,  Stirring for about 5 min or until onion is clear but not browned.  Blend in flour.  Gradually stir in beef broth.  Cook, stirring until  thickened.  Stir in sour cream,  dill weed,  salt & pepper.  Add meatballs.  Heat to serving temp or cool and reheat later.  Serve over noodles.  Serves 6 to 8.  Or 20 appetizer servings.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs Recipe

  • 1 20 oz can unsweetened pineapple chunks packed in natural juices
  • 1/4 C packed brown sugar
  • 1 10 3/4 oz can chicken broth
  • 1/4 cider vinegar
  • 1/2 Cup Water
  • 1 tsp. soy sauce
  • 1 T ketchup
  • 2 Tbls. cornstarch
  • 1 C sliced green onion
  • 3 green bell peppers, seeded, cut into 1 inch squares
  • 5 oz can sliced water chestnuts
  • 1/2 C shredded carrots

Drain the pineapple chunks,  reserving 3/4 cup of juice (if there is not enough,  add water to make 3/4 C)  Combine juice,  additional 1/2 cup water,  vinegar,  soy sauce,  brown sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan and stir until sugar and cornstarch dissolve.  Cook over low heat until thick and bubbling,  stirring constantly.  Add green peppers,  shredded carrots,  meatballs,  water chestnuts and 1 Cup of pineapple chunks.  Heat until meatball are hot,  stirring frequently.  Serve with rice.

Swedish Meatballs Sauce Recipe

Swedish Meatballs

These Mini Cheesy Stuffed BBQ Meatloaves are so deelish and are made in the Crockpot! You can make them ahead and freeze for later!

CROCKPOT CHEESY BARBEQUE MINI MEATLOAF AND STUFFING

Spaghetti of course

Thaw beef.  Put into a pan with Store bought Spaghetti Sauce.  (or homemade spaghetti sauce) Serve over noodles.  Of course you can always use the meatballs from the recipe below to make spaghetti and meatballs. 

You can be creative with your Spaghetti too like this French Bread Spaghetti!

French-Bread-Spaghetti.

I also make homemade hamburger patties and freeze them too!  BIG money and time saver!

Creative Meals With Frozen Hamburger Patties

What is your favorite way to use ground beef? 

5 from 2 votes
Easy Ground Beef Recipes for the Freezer
Print
Meatballs
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 
Course: quick easy dinners
Cuisine: Freezer Meals
Author: Shari Lynne
Ingredients
  • 3 pounds lean Ground Beef
  • 1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs
  • 3 eggs
  • 6 tabls minced onion
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together.
  2. Make into 1 inch balls.
  3. Put onto cookie sheets
  4. Cook in oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
  5. Remove meatballs to another cookie sheet and flash freeze.
  6. Divide into dinner portions and put into freezer bags
Recipe Notes

Be sure and check out the different sauces to go with these Meatballs...YUM!

Make these Pre Cooked Hamburger Patties and Freeze for Later! Great for a quick dinner or for kids to prep themselves, since you need only to pop into the microwave for a minute!Homemade pre-cooked Burgers in Bulk

Interested in Freezer Meals:

Easy Freezer Meal Ideas and Recipes

Freezer-Cooking-Methods

Feel Free to Share! Thank you! 😀

Comments

    • Hi Rachael! That’s funny you mention Hamburgers..of course I forgot to add that in..I like to make up patties ahead of time. Tator Tot Hot dish is great too..my fam loves that one. I’ve never froze though..have you? Thanks for stopping by! Blessings to you!

      Reply

  2. These recipes are great. I love the sweet and sour meatballs. I have a big pack of ground beef, so I am going to try these today for my husband – he will love them. Thanks for sharing the recipes.

    Carrie

    Reply

    • Hi Carrie! I’m so glad you like them and that they are something your family will use..it’s always nice to have a few things in the freezer for those busy days 🙂 thanks for stopping by! Blessings!

      Reply

  4. Wonderful ideals and several items I did not know how to make and so this is going to help me out a lot Thanks for posting it.

    Reply

  7. Thanks for these recipes. I’ve never tried Swedish meatballs, but I love ground beef with gravy. And that is my favorite. Ground beef with cornstarch gravy over warm noodles.

    Reply

    • Hey there DM..had fun chattin today 🙂 Yes I love it with gravy too! The last little recipe is like the one you suggest only with flour instead of cornstarch..but both are deelish 🙂 Thanks for stopping!
      Blessings

      Reply

    • Mmmm Stroganaff is so good isn’t it Thomas! I’ll have to hop on over and visit your blog..it sounds fun AND deelish! Thanks for stopping by!
      Blessings!

      Reply

  9. The sweet and sour meatballs sound so good! I am going to have to try them, I bet the kids will love them. Besides burgers on the grill, you mostly covered my favorite ways of having ground beef. Tho I do like to make a Shepherds Pie. I am not sure if I make it right, I kind of wing it but it is similar and tastes good. I am bad at following recipes, I experiment way too much 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Dawn! Yes the sweet and sour meatballs are great..Mmmm Shepherds Pie is deeelish..so easy to make. I’m sure yours is great. I love to experiment too! I’ve come up with some of my family’s favorites that way 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by!
      Blessings!

      Reply

  14. I’m pinning these for later, Shari, since I’ll be going back to work soon. (SOB!)

    I want to be able to pull out things in the morning for my kids to have dinner in the evening — trying to make it as easy on my husband as I can.

    Love your great ideas!

    Reply

  17. 5 stars
    Love your list. Sometimes I get stuck in a rut with ground beef. The recipes are great. Thanks! I do the plain meat and taco meat already. I also have sometimes made meatloaf and frozen it, uncooked.

    Reply

    • Awesome Cathy! I’m glad there were a few recipes you could try..I need to add some more “exciting” recipes to that menu list! Thank you for stopping by and have a blessed week!

      Reply

  19. Stop saying “unthaw”….it is an illogical, double negative and makes you sound silly!! What is NOT silly however is your list of wonderful recipes. I am making frozen meals for a VERY soon mother-to-be and her husband, and am going to use many of yours! Thanks.

    Reply

    • HA! Thank you Vee! You are right totally illogical…I’ll change it for sure. I appreciate you bringing that to my attention. Thank you for stopping by! Blessings!

      Reply

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