Ground beef is the workhorse behind half the counters on the show: chili simmering in one pot, sloppy joes holding on another burner, meatloaf under a red glaze and taco filling ready for the rush. It is inexpensive because it can carry beans, potatoes, cabbage, rice and pasta without disappearing. These 26 slow-cooker dinners use that strength on purpose. There are loose fillings for buns and tortillas, shaped meatballs and patties, layered casseroles, pasta sauces, stuffed peppers and soups that feed eight to twelve. Most begin at the skillet. That extra ten minutes develops the browned flavor a covered crock cannot create and lets excess grease leave before it muddies the sauce. The recipes are sized for a crowd, but the leftovers divide and freeze well enough to make the price per serving useful for smaller households too.
Weeknight Beef and Three-Bean Chili
Three cans of beans stretch two pounds of beef into ten real bowls without making the pot feel cheap. Browning the meat and spices first is the difference between deep chili and boiled hamburger soup. This freezes cleanly for the next night nobody wants to cook.
Weeknight Beef and Three-Bean Chili
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef and onion in a large skillet for 9 to 10 minutes, breaking the meat into fine crumbles, until it reaches 160°F.
- Drain the fat and stir in the garlic, chili powder and cumin for 1 minute.
- Transfer the mixture to a 6-quart crockpot and add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, all three beans, broth and salt.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened.
- Stir from the edges and cook uncovered on high for 15 minutes if the chili does not mound briefly on a spoon.
Diner Sloppy Joe Filling
This loose-meat filling stays savory enough for adults and sweet enough to taste like the school-night sandwich people remember. Two and a half pounds of beef make twelve portions, so a pack of buns does most of the budget work. Keep the pepper finely diced so it melts into the sauce.
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Diner Sloppy Joe Filling
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef, onion and bell pepper in a skillet for 10 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F.
- Drain the fat and stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Transfer the mixture to a 6-quart crockpot and add the tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire, brown sugar and salt.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours until the sauce clings to the fine beef crumbles.
- Spoon 3/4 cup filling onto each of the 12 buns and serve before the bread softens.
Big-Batch Ground Beef Taco Filling
Three pounds of beef and two cans of pinto beans fill a lot of tacos without anyone counting the meat. The beans get lightly mashed into the filling, where they absorb chile and beef drippings. Freeze it flat in quart bags for faster taco nights later.
Big-Batch Ground Beef Taco Filling
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef and onion in a large skillet for 10 to 12 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F, then drain the fat.
- Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and paprika for 1 minute.
- Transfer to a 6-quart crockpot and add the tomato sauce, pinto beans, broth and salt.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, then mash about half the beans into the beef and stir well.
- Warm the tortillas and serve 1/2 cup filling across 2 tortillas per person.
Beef and Black Bean Enchilada Filling
This is the saucy beef-and-bean center for enchiladas, burritos or rice bowls, and one batch covers more than one dinner. The crock lets canned enchilada sauce settle into the meat without drying it. Drain the tomatoes so the filling stays inside a tortilla.
Beef and Black Bean Enchilada Filling
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef and onion in a skillet for 9 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F, then drain the fat.
- Stir in the garlic, cumin and chili powder for 30 seconds.
- Transfer to a 6-quart crockpot and add the enchilada sauce, black beans, tomatoes, corn and salt.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours until the filling is thick and the corn is tender.
- Warm the tortillas and divide 1/2 cup filling among 2 tortillas per serving.
Ground Beef Picadillo
Potatoes, olives and raisins make two pounds of beef feel like a complete dinner instead of a topping. The raisins soften into the tomato sauce and provide little sweet breaks against the briny olives. Cut the potatoes small and even or the meat waits on hard centers.
Ground Beef Picadillo
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef, onion and bell pepper in a skillet for 10 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F, then drain the fat.
- Stir in the garlic, cumin and oregano for 30 seconds.
- Transfer to a 6-quart crockpot and add the tomatoes, potatoes, olives, raisins and salt.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours until the potato cubes are tender and the sauce clings to the meat.
- Stir gently from the bottom and rest uncovered for 10 minutes before serving.
Slow-Cooker Brown Sugar Meatloaf
A foil sling lifts this family-size meatloaf out of the crock before it sits in its own juices. The low heat keeps the center moist, while a sticky ketchup glaze supplies the familiar top. Don’t pack the beef hard; a dense loaf is usually a mixing problem, not a cooking problem.
Slow-Cooker Brown Sugar Meatloaf
Ingredients
Method
- Fold two long strips of heavy-duty foil into a cross-shaped sling in a 6-quart crockpot and coat it lightly with oil.
- Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for 5 minutes, then add the beef, eggs, onion, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup ketchup and mix gently.
- Shape the mixture into a compact 9-by-5-inch loaf on the foil sling.
- Mix the remaining ketchup with the brown sugar and vinegar, spread it over the loaf, and cook covered on low for 4 to 4 1/2 hours until the center reaches 160°F.
- Use the sling to move the loaf to a board, rest for 15 minutes, and slice into 10 portions.
Swedish Meatballs in Sour Cream Gravy
Homemade meatballs make this more than a bag-and-soup shortcut, and one pound of pork stretches the beef without raising the cost much. Brown them so they stay round. Sour cream goes in after the heat drops or the pale gravy can split.
Swedish Meatballs in Sour Cream Gravy
Ingredients
Method
- Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for 5 minutes, then mix with the beef, pork, egg, onion, salt, allspice and pepper and roll 32 meatballs.
- Brown the meatballs in the oil in 2 batches for 6 minutes and transfer them to a 6-quart crockpot.
- Whisk the broth and flour until smooth, pour it over the meatballs, and cook covered on low for 4 to 5 hours until they reach 160°F.
- Cook the egg noodles separately and divide them among 8 bowls.
- Switch off the crockpot, temper the sour cream with 1 cup hot gravy, stir it back in, and spoon the meatballs and gravy over the noodles.
Salisbury Steak Patties with Mushroom Gravy
Ground beef becomes eight proper patties instead of another loose filling, and mushrooms turn the broth into diner gravy. Sear both sides before stacking them in the crock. The patties are tender, so lift them with a wide spatula rather than stabbing them with a fork.
Salisbury Steak Patties with Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients
Method
- Mix the beef, breadcrumbs, egg, onion, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire, salt and pepper gently and shape 8 oval patties.
- Brown the patties in the oil in 2 batches for 3 minutes per side and transfer them to a 6-quart crockpot.
- Brown the mushrooms in the same skillet for 6 minutes and scatter them over the patties.
- Whisk the broth, flour and remaining Worcestershire until smooth, pour it into the crock, and cook covered on low for 5 hours until the patties reach 160°F.
- Lift the patties onto plates and stir the mushroom gravy before spooning it over them.
Tomato Porcupine Meatballs
Uncooked rice pokes from these old-fashioned beef meatballs as it swells in tomato broth, which is where the name comes from. Keep the balls small enough for the rice to cook through. The sauce and meat together turn one pound and a half of beef into eight servings.
Tomato Porcupine Meatballs
Ingredients
Method
- Mix the beef, rice, onion, egg, salt and pepper gently and shape 24 meatballs about 1 1/2 inches wide.
- Whisk the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth and Worcestershire in a 6-quart crockpot.
- Nestle the meatballs into the sauce in no more than 2 layers.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 to 6 1/2 hours until the rice grains are tender and the meatballs reach 160°F.
- Rest uncovered for 10 minutes before lifting the meatballs with a spoon so they keep their shape.
Beef and Rice Stuffed Peppers
Whole peppers make six tidy dinners from a pound and a half of beef and two cups of rice. Browning the meat first keeps grease out of the tomato filling. Choose peppers that can stand upright in the crock, even if their shapes are not pretty.
Beef and Rice Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
Method
- Cut the tops from the peppers, remove the seeds and membranes, and stand the shells in a 6-quart crockpot.
- Brown the beef and onion in a skillet for 9 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F, drain the fat, and stir in the garlic.
- Mix the beef with the rice, 1 cup tomato sauce, cheddar, salt, oregano and pepper.
- Fill the peppers, spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the tops, and cook covered on low for 4 1/2 to 5 hours until the peppers are tender.
- Rest for 10 minutes and lift each pepper with a wide spoon.
Beef and Corn Tater Tot Casserole
The crock makes a soft-topped hotdish, not the brittle tot crust an oven gives. A towel under the lid catches condensation and helps the potatoes brown around their edges. Beef, corn and homemade mushroom sauce keep the filling familiar and inexpensive.
Beef and Corn Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef and onion in a skillet for 9 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F, then drain and transfer to a buttered 6-quart crockpot.
- Brown the mushrooms in the butter for 6 minutes, stir in the flour for 1 minute, and gradually whisk in the milk, salt and pepper until thick.
- Stir the mushroom sauce, corn and 1 cup cheddar into the beef.
- Arrange the frozen tots in one layer over the filling, place a clean kitchen towel under the lid without letting it touch the food, and cook on high for 3 1/2 hours.
- Scatter the remaining cheddar over the tots and cook uncovered on high for 20 to 30 minutes until melted and the potato edges are browned.
Cheeseburger Potato Casserole
Thin potato slices and ground beef make a layered dinner that feeds ten from ordinary ingredients. Mustard and Worcestershire give it burger flavor without a pile of pickles in hot cream sauce. Slice the potatoes evenly so the center layers finish together.
Cheeseburger Potato Casserole
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef and onion in a skillet for 9 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F and drain the fat.
- Melt the butter, whisk in the flour for 1 minute, then gradually whisk in the milk, mustard, Worcestershire, salt and pepper until slightly thick.
- Layer half the potatoes, half the beef, 1 cup cheddar and half the sauce in a buttered 6-quart crockpot and repeat, reserving 1 cup cheddar.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 1/2 to 6 hours until a knife slides through the center potatoes.
- Scatter the remaining cheddar over the top and cook uncovered on high for 15 minutes until melted.
Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole
Chopped cabbage and beef deliver the flavor of cabbage rolls without boiling and wrapping leaves. Cooked rice waits until the end so it does not drink the casserole dry. A head of cabbage stretches two pounds of beef into ten heavy scoops.
Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef and onion in a skillet for 9 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F, drain the fat, and stir in the garlic.
- Place half the cabbage in a 6-quart crockpot, add the beef mixture, and cover with the remaining cabbage.
- Whisk the tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, Worcestershire, salt and pepper and pour it over the layers.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours until the cabbage is tender.
- Fold in the cooked rice and cook on high for 20 to 30 minutes until hot and thick enough to scoop.
Crockpot Beef Lasagna
No-boil noodles are one convenience that actually earns its place in a slow cooker. The beef sauce supplies enough moisture to soften them while ricotta stays in distinct creamy layers. Stop when the center noodles are tender; an extra hour turns the outside into pasta pudding.
Crockpot Beef Lasagna
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef and onion for 10 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F, drain, and stir in the garlic, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
- Mix the ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining salt.
- Spread 1 cup beef sauce in a buttered 6-quart crockpot and layer one-third each of the broken noodles, ricotta mixture, remaining sauce and mozzarella.
- Repeat the layers twice, ending with mozzarella and the remaining Parmesan.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 to 4 1/2 hours until the center noodles are tender, then rest uncovered for 20 minutes before cutting.
Sunday Ground Beef Marinara
A long tomato simmer makes basic ground beef sauce taste like more work than it costs. Carrot softens the acidity and almost disappears. One pot coats a pound and a half of spaghetti for ten servings, with enough sauce to keep leftovers from drying out.
Sunday Ground Beef Marinara
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef and onion for 9 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F, drain the fat, and stir in the carrots, garlic and tomato paste for 2 minutes.
- Transfer to a 6-quart crockpot and add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours until the sauce is thick and the carrot has softened into it.
- Cook the spaghetti separately until al dente and drain it.
- Divide the pasta among 10 bowls, spoon over the sauce, and divide the Parmesan evenly.
Ground Beef Mushroom Stroganoff
Ground beef makes stroganoff a weeknight dinner, while two pounds of mushrooms keep it from tasting like noodles under hamburger gravy. Brown the mushrooms in batches so they develop color. Sour cream goes in after the heat is off and stays smooth.
Ground Beef Mushroom Stroganoff
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef and onion for 9 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F, drain, and transfer to a 6-quart crockpot.
- Brown the mushrooms in the butter in 2 batches for 6 minutes per batch and add them with the garlic.
- Whisk the broth, Worcestershire, mustard, salt, pepper and flour until smooth and pour it into the crock.
- Cook covered on low for 5 hours, and cook the egg noodles separately near serving time.
- Switch off the crockpot, temper the sour cream with 1 cup hot gravy, stir it back in, and spoon the stroganoff over the noodles.
Crockpot Cottage Pie
Ground beef makes this cottage pie, while the mashed-potato cap turns it into a full meal. Frozen peas keep the prep down and the cost sensible. Warm the potatoes before spreading them so the filling does not spend an hour trying to heat a cold lid.
Crockpot Cottage Pie
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef and onion for 10 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F, drain, and transfer to a 6-quart crockpot with the carrots and garlic.
- Whisk the broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and pour it over the beef; cook on low for 5 hours.
- Boil the potatoes until tender, drain, and mash them with the milk, butter and remaining salt.
- Stir the frozen peas into the beef, spread the warm mashed potatoes over the filling, and cover.
- Cook on high for 30 to 45 minutes until the peas are hot and the center reaches 165°F.
Hamburger Vegetable Soup
This is the freezer-clearing soup: beef crumbles, potatoes, green beans, corn and tomatoes in a broth that stays brothy. Ten servings from two pounds of meat is the useful math. Cut the potatoes small enough to finish before the green beans fade.
Hamburger Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef and onion for 9 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F, drain, and stir in the garlic.
- Transfer to a 6-quart crockpot and add the potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, broth, salt, thyme and pepper.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours until the potatoes are tender.
- Stir in the green beans and corn and cook on high for 30 minutes.
- Cool leftovers in shallow containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
Ground Beef Taco Soup
Beans and corn push one and a half pounds of beef to ten bowls, which is why taco soup keeps showing up at potlucks. The broth is thinner than chili and needs no cheese to make sense. Lime at the end pulls the canned ingredients into one pot.
Ground Beef Taco Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef and onion for 9 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F and drain the fat.
- Stir in the garlic, chili powder and cumin for 30 seconds.
- Transfer to a 6-quart crockpot and add the tomatoes, beans, corn, broth and salt.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours until the corn and beans are tender.
- Stir in the lime juice and serve while the soup remains brothy.
Cheeseburger Potato Soup
Potatoes and milk turn ground beef into eight big bowls without hiding it under canned soup. Mustard supplies the burger-counter note, and cheddar goes in off heat so the broth stays smooth. Pickles are good beside this soup, not cooked inside it.
Cheeseburger Potato Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef and onion for 9 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F, drain, and transfer to a 6-quart crockpot.
- Add the potatoes, carrots, broth, mustard, salt and pepper and cook on low for 6 hours until the potatoes are tender.
- Mash about 2 cups of potatoes in the crock.
- Mix the butter and flour into a paste, whisk it into the milk, and stir it into the soup for 20 minutes on high.
- Switch off the heat and add the cheddar by handfuls, stirring each addition smooth.
Beefy Tomato Macaroni Soup
This is the bowl that sits between vegetable soup and American goulash. Cook the macaroni separately and it stays pasta instead of turning the tomato broth thick and starchy. A pound and a half of beef feeds eight because every spoonful also carries elbows and vegetables.
Beefy Tomato Macaroni Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef and onion for 9 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F and drain the fat.
- Transfer to a 6-quart crockpot and add the carrots, celery, garlic, tomatoes, broth, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 hours until the vegetables are tender.
- Cook the macaroni separately for 1 minute less than the package directs and drain it.
- Stir the macaroni into the soup and serve before it absorbs too much broth.
Cowboy Beef and Bean Pot
Four kinds of beans stretch ground beef into twelve smoky-sweet portions for a cookout or game. Bacon brings enough fat, so lean beef works best. This is thicker than chili and meant to sit beside cornbread or grilled food without running across the plate.
Cowboy Beef and Bean Pot
Ingredients
Method
- Cook the bacon for 7 minutes until browned and transfer it to a 6-quart crockpot.
- Brown the beef and onion in the bacon fat for 9 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F, then drain thoroughly.
- Add the beef, all four beans, tomato sauce, ketchup, molasses, mustard, vinegar and salt to the crock.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours until thick and the beans are tender.
- Stir well and rest uncovered for 15 minutes before spooning onto plates.
Ground Beef Keema with Potatoes and Peas
Keema turns two pounds of ground beef into a warmly spiced dinner with potatoes and peas built in. Toast the spices in the browned meat before the crock does the tenderizing. Frozen peas wait until the finish so they stay green against the red-brown sauce.
Ground Beef Keema with Potatoes and Peas
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef and onion for 9 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F and drain the fat.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, curry powder, cumin and coriander for 1 minute.
- Transfer to a 6-quart crockpot and add the tomatoes, potatoes, broth and salt.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours until the potato cubes are tender.
- Stir in the peas and lemon juice and cook on high for 15 minutes until the peas are bright and hot.
Beef and Black Bean Burrito Bowls
Bowls make a pound and a half of beef cover eight dinners because rice and beans share the work. Keep the rice out of the crock so it stays fluffy instead of absorbing the tomato sauce. The beef mixture freezes separately in flat bags for fast lunches.
Beef and Black Bean Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef and onion for 9 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F, drain, and stir in the garlic, chili powder and cumin.
- Transfer to a 6-quart crockpot and add the tomato sauce, black beans, corn, broth and salt.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours until the mixture is thick and the corn is tender.
- Stir in the lime juice and divide the warm rice among 8 bowls.
- Spoon the beef-and-bean mixture over the rice and serve without letting the rice sit in the crock.
Ginger Soy Ground Beef Bowls
Soy, ginger and pear turn browned ground beef into a glossy bowl topping that is savory first and lightly sweet. The crock is useful for holding a crowd batch without drying it. Rice stays separate, and sesame oil enters at the end where its aroma survives.
Ginger Soy Ground Beef Bowls
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef and onion for 9 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F and drain the fat.
- Stir in the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds and transfer the mixture to a 4-quart crockpot.
- Add the pear, soy sauce, brown sugar and broth and cook covered on low for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
- Stir in the rice vinegar and sesame oil and cook uncovered on high for 10 minutes until glossy.
- Divide the rice among 8 bowls, add the beef, and place 1/4 cup cucumber slices beside each serving.
Cornbread-Topped Beef Tamale Pie
A beef-and-bean filling cooks first, then cornbread batter steams across the top into a soft golden lid. It is not oven-crisp, but the corn flavor runs through the whole scoop. Keep the lid closed during the final hour or the batter stays gummy in the center.
Cornbread-Topped Beef Tamale Pie
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef and onion for 9 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F, drain, and stir in the garlic, chili powder and cumin.
- Transfer to a buttered 6-quart crockpot and add the tomato sauce, black beans, corn and 1 teaspoon salt; cook covered on low for 5 hours.
- Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and remaining salt, then stir in the egg, buttermilk and melted butter just until combined.
- Switch the crockpot to high, spread the batter over the hot filling, and cover without opening for 60 to 75 minutes.
- Check that the cornbread center reaches 200°F and a toothpick comes out without wet batter before scooping.
Why you brown the beef first even though it is a slow cooker
Raw ground beef releases water before it browns. In a covered slow cooker, that moisture has nowhere to escape, so the meat steams into pale clumps while its fat floats into the sauce. A wide hot skillet solves both problems. Add the beef in a loose layer, leave it alone long enough for the underside to take color, then turn and break it into the size the finished dish needs. Chili and soup can use rough crumbles; taco filling and sloppy joes need smaller, even pieces; meatballs and meatloaf should be shaped raw and browned only where their individual recipes direct.
Browning also wakes up tomato paste and dried spices. Once the beef has color, clear a small patch in the skillet and cook tomato paste, chile powder, cumin or curry spices in the remaining film of fat for 30 to 60 seconds. Their aroma should deepen without scorching. Deglaze the browned bits with a measured splash of broth, water or sauce and scrape that liquid into the crock. The slow cooker can then do what it does well: gently tenderize vegetables, merge seasonings and hold a crowd-size dinner without scorching the bottom. Do not crowd a small skillet with three pounds of meat. Brown in two batches or the temperature drops and the beef boils in its own liquid.
Draining the fat without losing the flavor
Fat carries flavor, but a slick on top of chili or gravy is not the flavor anyone wants. Use 85% to 90% lean ground beef for most of these recipes. After browning, push the meat to one side and tilt the skillet so the clear fat runs to the empty edge. Spoon it into a heatproof bowl, leaving the dark browned juices and stuck-on fond behind. A colander removes more fat, but it also loses those concentrated juices; if the beef is exceptionally fatty, drain it briefly and return it to the hot skillet before adding spices and deglazing.
Never rinse browned beef. Water washes away seasoning and cools the meat while sending grease toward the drain, where it can harden in pipes. Let collected fat cool, then discard it in the trash. Bacon recipes need a more deliberate balance: reserve only the amount specified for sautéing the onions and drain the rest. If a completed slow-cooker dish still looks greasy, rest it uncovered for 10 minutes and skim the surface with a wide spoon. For make-ahead chili, soup or sauce, refrigerate it promptly in shallow containers; the fat firms on top and lifts away cleanly the next day. Reheat the food to 165°F, adding a small splash of broth if removing the fat made the sauce tighter.
Questions people ask
Can I put raw ground beef directly in a slow cooker?
Ground beef can cook safely in a slow cooker when a tested recipe is followed, but browning gives better texture, deeper flavor and a chance to remove excess fat. These recipes specify browning unless the shaped meat must cook intact. Do not add frozen ground beef; thaw it safely in the refrigerator first.
What ground-beef leanness works best?
An 85% to 90% lean blend balances flavor and manageable fat for chili, sauces and casseroles. Meatloaf and meatballs benefit from 85% lean beef because very lean meat can dry out. If using 80% lean beef, drain it carefully after browning and expect a little less finished volume.
How long can cooked ground-beef dishes stay on warm?
Use the warm setting only after the food is fully cooked, and confirm it holds at 140°F or hotter. For the best texture, serve pasta, rice and dairy-thickened dishes within about an hour. Chili, taco filling and tomato sauce tolerate a longer hold if stirred and kept safely hot.
Which of these crowd dinners freeze best?
Chili, sloppy joe filling, taco meat, enchilada filling, picadillo, marinara, hamburger soup and burrito-bowl beef freeze especially well. Cool within two hours, portion into shallow containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Freeze rice, pasta, potatoes and dairy garnishes separately when possible.
How much ground beef should I plan per person?
For a meat-forward patty or meatloaf, plan about 5 to 6 ounces raw beef per adult. In chili, soup, tacos or a casserole stretched with beans and vegetables, 2.5 to 4 ounces is usually enough. The stated servings here assume full dinner portions with the suggested starch or bread.
