Beef
I’m doing freezer meals for the month of May. I’ve been wanting to give this a try for a while, but I just haven’t done it yet. Now, I’ve done some freezer meals in the past, but never like this. Usually I will just make a double batch of chili and freeze half. Or make two casseroles and freeze one. But this is going to be some serious freezer cooking!
I checked my freezer and saw that I already had these meals in there – Eggplant Parmesan, Black Bean Chili, Chicken Pepian and Pizza Dough (pepperonis and cheese too). Woohoo! 4 meals are already taken care of!
Here is my master plan for my first round of freezer cooking:
- Beef & Black Bean Taco Bake
- Teriyaki Honey Chicken (making 2 of these)
- Orange Chicken
- Marinated Chicken Thighs
Ingredients:
1 lb Ground Beef
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
6 lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
1 Can Black Beans
3 Cups Black Bean and Corn Salsa (or regular salsa with 1/2 cup corn)
2 Cups Cheddar Cheese
6-10 Tortillas
1 Cup Honey
1 Cup Soy Sauce
4 teaspoons Minced Ginger
4 teaspoons + 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
1/3 Cup Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3 Tablespoons Ketchup
6 oz Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate
4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1/8 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
3 Tablespoons Italian Dressing
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
You will also need a 9×13 inch baking dish, 4 gallon sized freezer bags and 1 smaller quart or sandwich sized bag.
*Tip: Write baking instructions on the foil/bag so you know how to cook it!*
I first assembled the Beef & Black Bean Taco Bake.
1 lb Ground Beef
1 Can Black Beans
3 Cups Black Bean and Corn Salsa (or regular salsa with 1/2 cup corn)
2 Cups Cheddar Cheese
6-10 Tortillas
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned.
Cut up the tortillas into bite sized pieces and drain the black beans.
Combine the beef, beans, salsa, cheese (save 1/2 cup for the top), and tortillas together in a large bowl. Pour into a lightly greased 9×13 inch casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover with foil.
Cooking instructions: Defrost in refrigerator overnight. Bake at 350°F for 30-45 minutes or until bubbly.
Yield: 4-6 Servings
Next I prepared the Orange Chicken. I also made some orange juice with the leftover orange juice concentrate – or you could double the recipe to use the rest of the can.
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/3 Cup Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3 Tablespoons Ketchup
6 oz Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate
4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1/8 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces and place in a gallon size freezer bag with the flour. Shake bag to coat chicken.
In a smaller zip top bag, combine the salt, ketchup, OJ concentrate, brown sugar and crushed red pepper flakes.
Place the sauce bag in the bag with the chicken and freeze flat.
Cooking instructions: Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Combine the chicken and sauce together in a slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 2-3 hours.
Serve over rice.
Yield: 4 Servings
Then I prepared the Teriyaki Honey Chicken.
4 lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
1 Cup Honey
1 Cup Soy Sauce
1/2 Cup Water
4 teaspoons Minced Ginger
4 teaspoons Minced Garlic
This is makes 2 meals in 2 separate gallon sized bags.
Put 2 lbs of chicken in each bag.
Combine the all the remaining ingredients together in a bowl. Pour half the sauce into each bag with the chicken. Freeze flat.
Cooking instructions: Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove chicken from the marinade. Grill or bake at 350°F for about 30-40 minutes or until cooked thoroughly.
Serve with rice or veggies.
Yield: 4 Servings per bag
Then I realized I still had 2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs and was going to just throw them in a bag with Italian salad dressing. I only had about 3 Tablespoons of dressing left, so I threw a couple other ingredients in there as well.
Marinated Chicken Thighs (I will post a picture after I make this)
2 lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
3 Tablespoons Italian Dressing
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
Splash of Water
Combine all ingredients together in a gallon sized bag and freeze flat.
Cooking instructions: Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove chicken from the marinade. Grill or bake at 350°F for about 30-40 minutes or until cooked thoroughly.
Serve with rice or veggies.
Yield: 4 Servings per bag
It took me 1 1/2 hours to make these 5 meals. I probably could have done it in just 1 hour if I didn’t have my 2 kids with me.
Later in the day I froze a few more things:
Bell Peppers – Chopped and put in freezer bag
Pepperoncinis- Diced and put in freezer bag
Green Beans – Blanched and put in freezer bag
Bread Crumbs – Rolls and bread ends from freezer. Grind in food processor and put in freezer bag
Poblano Peppers – Charred, peeled, seeded, chopped and put in freezer bag
Zucchini Muffins – Froze half a batch in a freezer bag
And I also made Refrigerator Pickles. (Will post recipe soon)
*Tip: Freeze foods flat in freezer bags instead of in plastic containers!*
I had been freezing chicken stock in plastic containers because I ran out of bags. It took up a ton of room in the freezer. I transferred them to freezer bags and saves so much space!
-Beef & Black Bean Taco Bake from Eat At Home Cooks-
-Orange Chicken from The Virtuous Wife-
-Teriyaki Honey Chicken from Once A Month Mom-
Tags: Beef, Chicken, Freezer, Freezer Cooking, Freezer Meals
These mini BBQ beef cups are a hit at parties! It’s the same recipe as my regular BBQ beef cups, which you can find HERE. To make them mini, just use half a biscuit and bake them in mini muffin tins. This recipe is easily doubled for a crowd.
Tags: BBQ Sauce, Beef, Cheddar, Cheddar Cheese, Cheese, Dinner, Ground Beef
Ingredients:
2 lbs Potatoes, cubed
1/4 Cup Butter
1/4 Cup Milk
Salt & Pepper
1-2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1lb Ground Beef
1 Large Onion, chopped
1lb Green Beans, cut into 2-3 inch pieces
1 Can Cream of Chicken or Mushroom Soup
1 Can Diced Tomatoes (Italian Style)
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Boil the potatoes in a large pot of water until tender, about 15 minutes. When they are done, drain and add butter, milk and salt & pepper to taste and mash them.
While the potatoes are cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet ove
n medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Add the onion and green beans, cooking until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in the cream of chicken/mushroom soup and diced tomatoes.
Make a ring of mashed potatoes in the casserole dish. Add the beef filling to the center of the ring. Top with cheese and bake for 30 minutes.
Serves: 4-6
Tags: Beef, Cheddar Cheese, Dinner, Dinner Pie, Green Beans, Ground Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Potato
I wasn’t exactly planning on making sloppy joes with beer, but I didn’t have enough tomato sauce so I have to make a substitute. These ended up being a really good creation!
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 ¼ lbs Ground Beef
1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
Salt & Pepper
1 (8oz) Can Tomato Sauce
1 Cup Dark Beer (I used Black Butte Porter)
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tablespoons Chilli Powder
4 Buns
Pickles, for topping
Shredded Cheddar Cheese, for topping
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add the beef and cook until browned. Add the bell pepper and onion, cooking about 3-5 minutes to soften. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the tomato sauce, beer, worcestershire sauce and chilli powder. Bring to a bubble and let it boil for a few minutes to reduce into a thickened sauce. Lower to a simmer for about 5 minutes, or until you are ready to eat.
Lightly toast the buns under the broiler. Keep a close eye on them because this will only take a minute.
To serve, scoop some of the sloppy joe sauce onto the bottom bun. Top with pickles and cheese and the bun top.
Serves: 4
Tags: Beef, Beer, Bell Pepper, Buns, Cheddar Cheese, Dinner, Ground Beef, Onion, Red Bell Pepper, Sloppy Joes, Tomato
This is my attempt to copy some amazing enchiladas that a good friend of mine makes. These are the best enchiladas ever and are so easy to make!
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1lb Ground Beef (or shredded/ground chicken)
1 Large Onion, chopped
1 (3.8oz) Can Sliced Black Olives
1 Bunch Green Onions, sliced
8oz Cheddar or Mexican Style Cheese, shredded
1 (28oz) Can Macayo’s Red Enchilada Sauce
12-16 Small Flour Tortillas
Sour Cream, for serving
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef once the pan is hot, cooking until browned. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes to soften.
Transfer the beef and onions in a large bowl and add the olives, green onions and half the cheese. Stir to combine.
Pour enough enchilada sauce into a casserole dish to coat the bottom. Dip a tortilla on both sides into the enchilada sauce. Place a large spoonful of the filling on the center of the tortilla and roll up. Place the enchilada seam side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, adding more sauce to the dish as needed.
Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and top with the remaining cheese. Transfer the dish to the preheated oven and bake until bubbly and hot, about 20-30 minutes.
Serve with sour cream.
Yield: 12-15 enchiladas
Tags: Beef, Cheddar, Cheddar Cheese, Cheese, Dinner, Enchiladas, Green Onion, Ground Beef, Macayo's Enchilada Sauce, Olives, Onion, Shredded Chicken
My mom made these burgers and they were so good that I had to make them myself! YUM! I served these with garlic rubbed toast and roasted yellow squash and brussels sprouts.
Ingredients:
1lb Ground Beef
1 Small Onion, finely chopped
1 Clove Garlic, finely grated
1 Egg
2 Tablespoons BBQ Sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s)
Salt & Pepper
Preheat broiler. Cover a baking sheet with foil and place a cooling rack on it.
Mix together all ingredients in a bowl. Separate into 6 even portions and form into patties. Place patties on the prepared baking sheet.
Broil for 6 minutes, flip patties and continue to broil until cooked, about 3-4 more minutes.
Serve either alone or on a bun with extra BBQ sauce.
Tags: Beef, Broiled, Dinner, Gluten Free, Onion
This is another recipe from AllRecipes.com that I adapted for what I had on hand. This was a very quick and easy meal to put together.
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 lb Ground Beef
1 Small Onion, diced
1 (28oz) Can Diced Tomatoes
1 Cup Diced Celery
2 Cups Potatoes, cubed
Salt & Pepper to taste
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef and onion and cook until the beef is no longer pink and the onions are tender.
Stir in the tomatoes, celery and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Serves: 4
Tags: Beef, Dinner, Gluten Free, Potato, Stew
This is another recipe I found on AllRecipes.com, and of course I changed a couple things. This meatloaf has great flavor and is very moist. Definitely making this again!
Ingredients:
2 lbs Ground Beef
3 Slices Bread, broken into small pieces
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 Small Onion, finely chopped
2 Ribs of Celery, finely chopped
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Freshly Grated Ginger (or 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger)
2 Tablespoons Hoisin Sauce
For the Sauce –
½ Cup Hoisin Sauce
2 Tablespoons Ketchup
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs, onion, celery, soy sauce, ginger and Hoisin sauce together in a large bowl. Form into a large loaf on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 40 minutes.
In a small bowl, make the sauce by stirring together the Hoisin sauce and ketchup. Spread over the meatloaf after it cooks for 40 minutes. Continue baking until thoroughly cooked, about 20 more minutes.
Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Serves: 6-8
This is a modified version of a sloppy joe recipe that I make by Rachael Ray. I really love the original recipe, but I had to modify it for what I had on hand. Roasted green beans went well with these sloppy joes.
Ingredients:
1 ¼ lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon grill seasoning (McCormick Montreal Steak)
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
14-16 oz tomato sauce
2 Tablespoons Hot Sauce
4 onion buns, lightly toasted under broiler
Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, vinegar, grill seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce and hot sauce. Pour this mixture into the skillet with the beef and onions.
Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, then cook for 5 minutes on low heat.
Serve the sloppy joe meat on the toasted buns.
Serves: 4
Tags: Beef, Dinner, Sloppy Joes
I believe this recipe came from a Taste of Home magazine many years ago. I modified it slightly and really liked the results.
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely grated
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 lb green beans, cut into 2-3 inch pieces
½ cup uncooked long grain brown rice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
Salt & pepper
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a bubble, reduce heat , cover and simmer until rice is tender, about 40 minutes.
Serves: 4
Tags: Beef, Dinner, Gluten Free, Green Beans, Rice