How to Cook Ground Meat Base to Freeze for Cajun Cooking

Ground meat base or hamburger is a common ingredient for Cajun cooking. There are many Cajun main dish meals that start with a hamburger or ground meat with instructions to saute the vegetables with the meat. We have developed a method for FAST and EASY Cajun cooking by making this meat base in advance and freezing it. Here's how.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• about five pounds of ground chuck or hamburger meat
• fresh celery
• fresh onion
• fresh bell pepper if you like
• freezer bags
• room in your freezer

1. CHOP a cup or so of celery and another cup or so of onion. If you like fresh bell pepper in your meat mix, you can chop half a cup or so. We start with a deep pan, not a skillet, but more like a spaghetti pot that we can put on the stove. SPRAY Pam in the bottom. Put these chopped vegetables in the pot and start cooking. Put about five pounds of ground meat--chuck or hamburger meat in the pan and stir occasionally with a large spoon until the meat is well done and the vegetables are translucent.

2. Do not add spices or even salt and pepper. Once this mix is made, let it cool. SPOON into freezer bags in about 1/2 pound quantity for two or three-fourths to one pound quantity for four. SQUEEZE the air out of the freezer bags and close as soon as they are cool enough. This makes several meals. See free recipes in Resources below.

3. FREEZE the meat for future use. We cook many main dishes with this base. The recipe for Cajun stuffed bell peppers uses this meat, as does the beef stroganoff and macaroni and meat casserole recipes in Resources below. We use this for spaghetti sauce, too.

Tips & Warnings

• Once this meat mix is frozen, preparing the meal is a snap--the vegetables have been chopped, the meat has been cooked, and those pans will not have to be washed.
• By using a deep container for cooking the meat, there is no mess on the top of the stove.
• copyright 2009 Linda Richard
• Be sure you freeze this meat mix as soon as it is cool enough.

Resources

• Cajun Stuffed Bell Peppers Fast
• Another Cajun Main Dish Fast
• Cookbooks Recipe Books for Sale
• Macaroni and Meat Casserole
• Beef Stroganoff with Noodles
• Use Microwave for Stove Top Cooking
• Cajun Pork Roast Recipe

[ruf1950]

on 9/13/2009 Thanks for the ideas for Cajun cooking with frozen ground beef. 5*****

[karileighk]

on 7/4/2009 Yum, another one that sounds good!

[cherylphillips]

on 7/3/2009 Great idea. Love Cajun food and this is good info! 5*