What To Do With 12 Pounds of Ground Beef

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I spent this morning in the kitchen, tackling 12 pounds of ground beef and filling the freezer for later in the month. I didn’t get to all the things I mentioned in my list yesterday, but I’m still pretty pleased with what I did accomplish. (Including the hour long nap that I took with our two youngest once we were done in the kitchen.)

So, what exactly do you do with 12 pounds of ground beef? Well, here’s what I did:

  • 10 meatloaf cups
  • 21 meatballs
  • 2 containers of chili with beans
  • 1 bag of sloppy joe meat
  • 1 bag of beef & gravy (for either shepherd’s pie, pot pie or ground beef stroganoff)
  • 1 bag of spaghetti sauce
  • 12 brown bags burritos
  • 2 bags of browned ground beef to be used for whatever throughout the month
  • Cheeseburger pie (which we had for dinner tonight)
  • Easy taco bake

I store most of our freezer food in plastic freezer bags since we are limited on space with only an above the fridge freezer. They stack nicely when frozen flat, especially when they are filled with sauces.

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It only took 4 hours to get all of those things done too, which is not bad at all considering how much time I saved.

I’ve definitely been out of this freezer-cooking habit for the past 8 months or so. And I’ve been asking myself why all day long! Sure, I’ve done junior-sized baking days and things like that, but nothing like this has been done in a while! Hopefully starting the new year on the right foot will make it easier to keep this up all year long.

We shall see…

As for today’s recipe, I have to share the recipe for this Easy Taco Bake. I thought I had posted it before and was shocked when I couldn’t find it in the archives. It is so easy, so good and full of flavor, and freezer friendly.

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Easy Taco Bake

  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1/2 green pepper, diced
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 1 T. chili powder
  • 2 t. cumin
  • 1 t. garlic powder
  • 2 c. frozen corn
  • 2 c. Bisquick (or homemade substitute – here is the recipe I use for homemade bisquick.)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 c. milk

1. Brown the ground beef with the onion and green pepper. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drain when done.

2. Stir in tomato sauce, seasonings and corn. Spread into a 13×9 casserole dish.

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3. In a small bowl, combine Bisquick (or homemade substitute), eggs and milk until mostly smooth. Pour over the meat mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown.

You can add cheese to the casserole if you want. However, I like to top individual servings with a dollop of sour cream and some shredded cheese. But the choice is totally yours.

This post is being linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace, Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and $5 Dinner Challenge at $5 Dinners.