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Want to stock your freezer with some ready to go meals? In this post, I’m sharing my favorite beef make ahead freezer meals.
Having ready to go meals in the freezer is such a life saver on busy nights when you don’t have time to cook a full meal. Or when you just don’t feel like it! 😉
Here are my favorite beef make ahead freezer meals.
You can check out my favorite chicken freezer meals here.
Favorite Beef Make Ahead Freezer Meals
Making freezer meals takes just a little prep time, but will save you so much time each night at dinner time.
I can’t tell you how good it feels to be able to just grab a meal from the freezer, heat it up, and have dinner ready to go in minutes.
Saves us from eating out and spending too much money on food. And I spend less time in the kitchen!
If you want to learn more about freezer cooking, be sure to get your free copy of The Beginner’s Guide to Freezer Cooking.
In this free guide, I give you my best freezer cooking tips and a simple freezer cooking plan perfect for beginners. You can get your free copy right here!
I wanted to share my favorite beef make ahead freezer meals with you. Beef freezer meals take a little more time to prepare than chicken freezer meals, since I usually cook everything before freezing it.
But, that means when dinner time comes, I can just heat up the meal instead of finish cooking something.
Both types are nice to have, so I like to have a good stock of beef and chicken freezer meals.
Favorite Beef Make Ahead Freezer Meals
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1. Spaghetti Sauce
Why I love it:
I love making a huge batch of spaghetti sauce and dividing into perfect portions for the two of us. It makes about 10 containers, which is 20 servings. Super frugal, super easy, and always yummy.
And my husband can easily warm it up if needed! I recommend this as a beginner freezer meal!
How to make it:
Ingredients:
3 28 oz cans tomato sauce
2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
4 lbs ground beef
Assorted Spices: (Use what you love – this is what I add. And we are trying to make these meals quick, so I don’t measure! Just a good dash of each, and a small dash of cayenne pepper.) Garlic Salt, Onion Powder, Basil, Oregano, Chili Powder, Cayenne Pepper
Directions:
- Using a large skillet, brown 4 lbs of ground beef. Sprinkle with spices if desired. Drain grease when done. (I use a strainer over a large bowl that I can reuse for the taco meat.)
- Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, ground beef, and desired spices to a large pot and let simmer (a.k.a. – leave the burner on low, put the top on the pot, and catch up on your to do list.)
- Portion the sauce up by your family size in freezer containers, label, and stick in the freezer.
When ready to serve: Let thaw overnight (or heat from frozen – just will take longer), heat in stove pot, boil noodles, combine and devour.
2. Taco Meat
Why I love it:
Taco meat can be easily heated up in the microwave or in a skillet and ready to serve in a matter of minutes.
This is my go to freezer meal for the busiest nights. I can throw all the toppings on the island, and we are ready for a taco bar dinner in about 5 minutes!
If I’m ever gone for dinner, I always try to have some taco meat in the fridge for my husband to heat up. So easy!
How to make it:
Ingredients:
2 lbs of ground beef
1 taco seasoning packet
*Multiply by adding 2 lbs of beef to every seasoning packet
Directions:
- Add your ground beef to a skillet to brown. Drain grease in strainer and large bowl.
- Mix the taco seasoning packet with 2/3 cup water and add mix to beef.
- Let boil, then simmer until mixed well.
- Add family size portions to freezer containers, label, and stick in the freezer.
When ready to serve: Let thaw overnight (or heat from frozen), heat in skillet or microwave, add to tortillas, tortilla chips, or a salad!
Create a taco bar by placing all the toppings on the counter for everyone to create their own.
Related Post: The Ultimate Aldi Freezer Cooking Plan – Make 80 Meals in 2 Hours
3. Burger Patties (or Sliders)
Why I love it:
Making burger patties is so easy, and makes for a quick meal when you are ready to cook them.
You don’t have to cook anything now, so the work is super quick. And when you want to serve burgers for dinner, they are ready to throw right on the grill.
How to make it:
Ingredients:
2/3 lb ground beef
Favorite burger seasoning – I love Lawry’s seasoning salt and McCormick’s Montreal Steak seasoning. You could also try adding dry onion soup mix for more flavor!
Directions:
- Add desired seasoning to ground beef and mix well.
- Make 2 equal size burger patties or 4 slider patties.
- Freeze in freezer bag with freezer paper between patties.
When ready to serve: Thaw overnight in fridge. Heat grill and grill to desired doneness. Top with favorite toppings.
4. Chili
Why I love it:
Chili is always a warm and comforting meal, and it’s even better when it’s ready in just a couple of minutes!
I like to make a big pot of chili, freeze it in portions for the two of us, and then just heat it up in the microwave or in a saucepan for a quick cozy meal.
How to make it:
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
30 oz can pinto beans
15.5 oz light red kidney beans
1 can of Rotel
8 oz can tomato paste
Spices: 1/2 tbsp cumin, 1/2 tbsp chili powder, sprinkle cayenne pepper
Directions:
- Brown ground beef, drain grease.
- Place all other ingredients in pot on medium low heat.
- Add ground beef once done, and stir well.
- Let simmer on low for 30 minutes.
- Divide into freezer containers and freeze.
When ready to serve: Heat in microwave or in saucepan until warm. Serve with favorite toppings (Frito’s, shredded cheese, sour cream, crackers)
You could also make a larger batch of chili in the crock pot all day, have it for dinner, and freeze the leftovers.
Related Post: Quick No Cook Freezer Meals
That’s it! Those are my 4 favorite beef make ahead freezer meals.
I have tried a few others, but these are my staples that I come back to again and again.
You can get a full beef freezer cooking plan with these meals here.