Batch {Bulk} Cooking with Taco Meat

Last week I shared with you part 1 of my ground beef bulk cooking. This week I'm back with part 2. First let me remind you that: Each time I buy any type of meat in bulk and have a cooking session, I’ll come on here to share with you what I batch/bulk cooked as well as some ideas of different uses for it. Now moving on to what I did with the other half of that 5lbs. ground beef.

Just like last time I took this half of it and browned it up with a whole chopped onion. I put 1/4 cup of water in the skillet to help it break up a little easier and cook off some (not all) fat. I cooked it until completely done and drained it well. I put it back into skillet with 1/4 cup water, a few tablespoons of my homemade taco seasoning, stirred to combine well, and let cook for 10 minutes on low. I separated the meat into two cup portions (1 lb. ground beef) to put into quart size Ziploc bags.

As you can see I got 3 bags out of it that I pre-labeled, squeezed all the air out them before closing, let meat finish cooling off, and placed in a flat single layer on a baking sheet to freeze. Once it was stiff enough I take the baking sheet out, and stack the bags on top of one another in the freezer. This is so you save on space to put other things in there.

 Now what can I use these bags of cooked taco meat for? Here’s a list:

* Tacos
* Taco Soup
* Taco or Tamale Pie
* Taco Casserole
* Taco Pizza
* Taco Salad or Lettuce Wraps
* Loaded Nachos or Tots
* Mexican Dip (ex: 7 layer)
* Stuffed Bell Peppers/Potatoes/Shells
* Chili Mac ( homemade version of Hamburger Helper)
* "Cincinnati" Style Chili
* Burritos, Quesadillas, Enchiladas, or Empanadas (hand pies)

These are just examples of the many things you can do. I may come back to add to this list later as other things come to mind. What can you think of that I haven’t added to the list? Please fee free to let me know. That concludes my session with a 5lb. chub of ground beef. These things can be done with ground turkey too. I will be back next week to share with you another type of batch/bulk cooking session.