Quick Easy Ground Beef Recipes for the Freezer

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 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! 

Quick Easy Ground Beef Recipes for the Freezer

How do I make Lean Ground Beef?

I have a simple secret that I LOVE to share about making a more fatty ground beef into lean ground beef. All you do is 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. 

This removes nearly all of the fat and it’s ready to freeze or for your simple hamburger meat recipes!

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:

Just a little cooking tip: Ground Beef is also known as Mince Meat, Hamburger Meat and Ground Chuck.

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

I LOVE to make recipes using Frozen Hamburger Patties! Super easy Ground Beef recipes with few ingredients. They’re made in a snap.

• Pizza Burgers
• Mashed Potato Burger Stacks
• Cheesy Sloppy Joe Casserole
• Cheesy Sauce Burgers in the oven!
• Salisbury Steak
• Crockpot Salisbury Steak

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 ~ make soft or hard/crunchy
• Nachos ~ Jazz up plain ol nachos with taco meat, peppers, tomatoes and onions..maybe even add some homemade guacamole and sour cream
• Beef Enchiladas/Chimichangas ~ I have a recipe for Chicken Enchiladas…simply use taco meat instead!
• Taco Salads ~ this recipe is chicken but you can use ground beef taco meat too
• Taco soup

Crunch Meatloaf Pie

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

When you’ve got ground beef already cooked and frozen, this is one of our favorite meals to make with ground beef! This Layered Beef Bake ready in a snap! Literally!

Use ground meat for 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:

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

These Mini Cheesy Stuffed BBQ Meatloaves are so deelish and are made in the Crockpot! This is another one of those great ground beef dinner ideas that just popped into my head! You can make them ahead and freeze for later!

Quick Spaghetti

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!

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

What is your favorite way to use ground beef? 

5 from 2 votes

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!

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