Ground Beef 101

This year, resolve to never pay more than $1.99/lb for ground beef! When ground beef goes on sale, I buy several large family packs, divide them into meal sized portions, and then freeze them. It saves time and money. There are several things that I like to do with ground beef.

1. Brown several pounds. Then, I divide up the meat into 1 pound servings and freeze them in quart-size freezer bags. When I am short on time, I pull one of these packages out, throw it in the microwave for a couple of minutes, season it, and add it to Hamburger Helper or use it in a casserole or for tacos.

2. Shape ground beef into patties. Wrap individually and freeze. Your next hamburger is never more than a few minutes away!

3. Make meatballs. These are so delicious and much better for you than the store-bought ones. I make a double batch and freeze them. When I need a quick meal, I microwave a few and add it to spaghetti or use it in beef stroganoff.

Best Ever Meatball/Meatloaf Recipe
1.5 lbs. ground beef
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. salt
1 med. onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. pepper (or less)
1/2 can tomato sauce (or 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce)

Lightly mix all ingredients and roll into balls. Place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 20-25 min. in a 350 degree oven.

If you are making meatloaf, place in a bread pan and top with sauce. Bake for 1 hour in a 350 degree oven.

Sauce:
1/2 can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp brown sugar

You can even mix up a meatloaf, freeze it, and cook later.

Be sure to label and date anything you freeze. That way, you can rotate through older packages first.