Make-Ahead Ground Beef
Brown a six-pound batch of beef, mix in onions, peppers and garlic, and freeze in recipe-sized portions for meals that use cooked crumbles.
Servings 6 recipe portions
Equipment
- Large skillet
- Knife and cutting board
- Food thermometer
- Shallow containers
- Freezer bags
Ingredients
- 6 pounds 90% lean ground beef
- 3 onions medium; usually one yellow, one white and one red or purple
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
Instructions
- Wash the peppers and remove their stems and seeds. Peel the onions and garlic. Chop the onions and peppers and mince or press the garlic.
- Brown the beef in a large skillet, breaking it into crumbles and stirring so it cooks throughout. Use a food thermometer to check that the beef reaches 160°F. Work in batches if needed.
- Drain the beef. Mix the vegetables directly into the drained meat.
- Divide the mixture into shallow containers and refrigerate promptly to cool. Don't leave the full batch on the counter to reach room temperature. Refrigerate within two hours of cooking, or within one hour if the surrounding temperature is above 90°F.
- Once chilled, divide the mixture evenly among six freezer bags, or make three larger packages. Press out excess air, seal, label and freeze flat.
Notes
Each of six recipe portions contains the cooked beef from 1 pound raw, plus one-sixth of the vegetables. These are not individual dinner servings or measured pounds of cooked beef. Alternatively, make three larger packages.
The vegetables may be mixed in raw and need cooking in the final dish. Reheat thoroughly to 165°F and cook the vegetables until softened. For slow-cooker recipes, reheat on the stove or in the microwave to 165°F before adding hot. Refrigerate promptly in shallow containers; use within 3–4 days or freeze. At 0°F, use within 2–3 months for best quality.
