True Value of Freeze Dried Ground Beef

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Back in early 2009, when my husband and I decided we needed to create an emergency food pantry, our first goal was stocking up on meat. We knew we could abound produce, and by that time, I knew how to dehydrate nutrient for long-term storage. However, raising enough animals to provide meat for our growing family unit wasn't possible in our suburban neighborhood.

So, nosotros ventured out to a 'prepping expo' and purchased our very first freeze-dried food. Most of it was freeze-dried footing beef. It was an expensive investment for u.s.a., but we both breathed a little easier knowing we had a good three months ' worth of shelf-stable meat when/if we needed it.

Stocking upward on meat is a priority
Why freeze-dried meats brand sense
How do you reconstitute freeze-dried footing beef?
Look a bit of sticker stupor with freeze-dried basis beef!
The main principle to think
22 Frugal ways to put freeze-dried basis beef to utilize
- Make a tasty Picadillo
- Stuffed bell peppers/cabbage rolls
- Chili Rellenos
- Eggroll in a Bowl
- Tacos — of course!
- Fill up a quesadilla!
- Chili con carne, beans optional
- Semi-vegetarian burgers
- Meaty marinara sauce
- Cauliflower rice with a booster of ground beefiness
- Survival Mom's Macho Mexican Rice
- Beefiness and vegetable soup
- Breakfast tacos and burritos
- Hash
- Beefiness-topped Nachos
- Peak a pizza with freeze-stale ground beef
- Chili Mac
- Burrito
- Archetype beef and gravy
- Taco/Big Mac salad
The possibilities are near limitless

Stocking upwards on meat is a priority

There are only a few ways to stock upwards on meat in majority. One is to purchase freeze-dried meat and poultry, which I've done systematically over the years.

You lot tin can buy canned chicken, beefiness, ham, and other types of meat at grocery stores and home-can meat yourself. This makes a lot of sense if you lot can also acquire that meat for a low toll.

Buying beefiness or pork from a farmer is another option, although the upfront cost is meaning.

Families who hunt and fish are able to home-tin can enormous amounts of deer, elk, and fish. This can be a huge savings, but not everyone can exercise that.

Why freeze-dried meats make sense

And so, I return once more and again to my monthly purchases of meats from Thrive Life. This makes a lot of sense for my family unit in several ways:

There is no waste whatsoever. When I open up a can of freeze-stale basis beef, that'south the only thing in the can—no fat, no bones, no excess moisture — just 100% ground beef.
The meat is shelf-stable. I can store it in a absurd location, and it will last for years and years.
Fifty-fifty an opened can has a shelf life of at least a year.
It's already cooked! Rehydrate, add together to a recipe, and nail. You're washed.
It won't spoil. I'thou certain you've had the feel of opening your fridge and getting a smash of that spoiled meat olfactory property! Talk well-nigh wasting money!
The meat is very lightweight. A #x tin of ground beef, which holds approximately a gallon of food, weighs but i 1/two pounds! It would be incredibly easy to grab unabridged cases of any freeze-dried meat in a hurried evacuation.
When rehydrated, the meat is virtually indistinguishable from fresh. I've oft used freeze-dried chicken in my chicken enchilada recipe, and friends have no idea they're eating freeze-dried nutrient!
Thrive Life has a great selection of different freeze-dried meats. Ground beefiness/hamburger, however, continues to exist one of the most popular.
A little can go a long way — meet my tips below!

How do yous reconstitute freeze-dried ground beefiness?

It's then piece of cake! I cup of Thrive Life'south freeze-dried ground beef rehydrated in ane/ii loving cup of warm h2o yields a lilliputian over 1 1/2 cups of ground beef to be used in recipes.

You'll observe that this basis beef doesn't come seasoned. It's perfect for every type of recipe imaginable, from Mexican to Asian to Italian and American.

Wait a scrap of sticker shock with freeze-dried ground beef!

Yous're familiar with the dominion of supply and demand, right? Whenever the demand for a product rises, it becomes more valuable, and its' price will rise accordingly.

Over the by couple of years, as I write this in the bound of 2022, there's been a huge increase in need for all freeze-dried foods. Even so, there are just and then many chickens or pigs or cattle that a given farmer tin can raise in a year! And then the supply of meat hasn't grown near every bit fast as the need, and yes, the prices are quite high.

The main principle to retrieve

Another reliable adage, though, is "necessity is the mother of invention"! So, in my own kitchen, I've had to come upwardly with some pretty creative means to use freeze-dried footing beef, in item, and I wanted to share some of these with you.

The main concept is this: wait for recipes and repast ideas in which meat/poultry is just 1 of many other ingredients. For example, I'll never use freeze-dried footing beef to make a meatloaf. That would exist i expensive meatloaf! However, I can combine that ground beefiness with grains, veggies, and spices in many recipes, getting the benefits of beefiness while using the freeze-dried version frugally.

Without whatsoever further ado, here is my list for getting the almost out of freeze-dried basis beefiness!

22 Frugal ways to put freeze-dried ground beef to use

Big Tip #ane: Freeze-dried ground beefiness comes in the form of tiny little nuggets rather than the loose, cooked footing beef you're used to. I prefer rehydrating the beefiness and then chopping information technology up to await more than like cooked hamburger. Every bit a bonus, when chopped upwards, information technology volition go farther in your recipes. Then in all of the suggested meals below, assume yous'll chop upwardly the footing beefiness before adding it to your other ingredients.

I use a food chopper like this to make the task quick and piece of cake. I recommend a manual chopper over a food processor to ensure the ground beefiness isn't chopped too finely. Also, you'll only be chopping a loving cup or two of rehydrated basis beef for almost every recipe, and a manual chopper is much easier to use and clean than a food processor.

Big Tip #2: Expect for recipes or create your own that combine i-2 cups of ground beef with other ingredients. That amount of beef is the sweet spot since a cup of freeze-dried ground beef rehydrates to almost that same measurement. To make upwards the difference or stretch the meal further, try adding oats, cooked wheat berries or other cooked grains, cooked lentils, rice, or potatoes mixed in with the beef itself or just stirred into the dish.

Make a tasty Picadillo

Picadillo is a yummy, basis-beefiness-based dish from Latin America. I've made a couple of Spanish versions of this, and my very favorite taco shop sells Picadillo tacos. With the ground beef, you'll add together chopped onion, cherry bell pepper, plenty of seasonings, and green onions if y'all like (and I similar!). Here's one recipe I've made a few times simply added 2 cups of rehydrated freeze-dried potato chunks and 1 cup of freeze-stale ground beef, chopped.

Simple Skillet Picadillo

Combine ground beef with seasoned veggies and tomatoes for a Spanish-way picadillo dish yous can serve over rice or in a tortilla.

Prep Time 15 mins

Melt Time 25 mins

Form Master Course

Cuisine Spanish

Servings 4

Calories 420 kcal

1 Big skillet
one Cutting lath
1 Chef's knife
one Large spatula

one loving cup ried diced potatoes, rehydrated
½ medium onion, chopped
1 ruddy bell pepper, chopped
2 T. avocado oil or the oil/fat of your choice
1 medium tomato, chopped
one garlic clove, minced
1 cup freeze-stale ground beef, rehydrated and chopped
1 t. cumin
one t. salt, or to sense of taste
½ t. blackness pepper
4 T. tomato paste
6 pimento-stuffed dark-green olives, sliced
2 T. raisins (optional)

Estrus skillet over medium high estrus for ane minute.
Add together oil to hot skillet. Heat for 1 minute, and and so add the chopped onion and red bell pepper. Plough down heat to medium.
When onion and pepper are tender, pass up the estrus to medium, and add together the garlic. Continue to melt for i infinitesimal.
Add the rehydrated potato chunks, ground beefiness, table salt, pepper, and cumin, and mix together by gently turning the vegetables over with a spatula until combined.
ally, gently mix in the tomato paste, olives, and raisins. Cook for some other v-7 minutes or until picadillo is completely heated.

Both olives and raisins add a special zingy note to this recipe. Add more than called for, or less, according to your own taste.

Keyword ground beef, picadillo, Spanish picadillo

Stuffed bell peppers/cabbage rolls

My mom fabricated these when I was a kid, and I still love them both! Y'all'll find plenty of recipes online, only substitution 1 to ane 1/2 cups of freeze-stale basis beefiness in place of fresh. Likewise, be sure to add a grain similar rice, oats, or even lentils to increase the amount of filling for the bell peppers or cabbage rolls.

Chili Rellenos

Dearly loved past my husband, this is a condolement food no matter which version yous make. Again, in that location are several versions and loads of recipes, but use a cup of rehydrated and chopped freeze-dried ground beef to the filling for a actually hearty main dish. For this, yous'll only need about 1/two cup of rehydrated and chopped freeze-dried ground beef since information technology plays merely a small office in filling the rellenos.

Eggroll in a Bowl

If yous haven't heard of this recipe, well, you've been living under a rock, my friend! Loved and cherished by depression-carbers and Keto-fiends, this unproblematic recipe dishes out the yummy cabbage-based filling of the eggroll, all in a bowl. Near recipes include a pocket-sized corporeality of meat, making this perfect for using freeze-dried ground beef. (Yous might also try freeze-stale footing turkey.)

Tacos — of course!

Except for this fourth dimension, afterward you've rehydrated and chopped the freeze-stale footing beef, add a little somethin-somethin to extend the footing beef filling. Cooked Mexican rice (my recipe is the best!), refried beans, corn, chopped green chilies, or some taco-flavored TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) can all exist added to the beefiness. And then, of course, height with shredded lettuce, chopped onion, grated cheese, and salsa!

Fill a quesadilla!

You'd exist hard-pressed to find a quicker meal than the much-loved quesadilla. Effectually here, we use depression-carb tortillas, grated Tillamook cheese (honestly, the simply brand worth buying), and sometimes caramelized chopped onion and jalapeno.

However, when I need the quesadilla to provide a bigger repast for my hubby, I added ground beef between the 2 tortillas. Only a half-loving cup of rehydrated and chopped freeze-stale basis beefiness volition exercise the job.

Chili con carne, beans optional

This is a no-brainer. Mix upward your favorite chili recipe and add a loving cup or so of rehydrated and chopped freeze-dried ground beef to replace the meat in the recipe. Personally, I adore beans in my chili, and now living in Texas, that seems to be quite a contentious issue.

To stretch that chili as far as possible, add a tin or two of beans. And if you serve it over cooked white rice, you'll accept an amazing meal on your hands!

Semi-vegetarian burgers

Years ago, I lived in Germany with a super-fun roommate who was 100% vegetarian. Not beingness a huge meat-lover myself, I had no problem adapting to a whole new world of meatless cooking. In detail, I really liked her veggie burgers made from mashed, cooked lentils, a few other veggies, and seasonings. Actually tasty.

You lot tin hands brand a version of that with freeze-dried, chopped-up ground beefiness. Use equal parts cooked lentils with the beef, add shredded carrots, finely chopped onion, dried parsley, salt, pepper, and an egg to help concur the mixture together, and then fry the patties in a bit of oil.

Meaty marinara sauce

I loved spaghetti and meatballs as much as anyone, simply when the kids were footling, I decided to forego the endeavor of making meatballs in favor of adding cooked ground beef to marinara sauce. So quick and easy.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add a tablespoon or two of oil, and and then thinly sliced onion, some chopped ruddy bell pepper, and sliced mushrooms. Cook all those veggies until tender, and and so add a jar or ii of marinara sauce and freeze-dried ground beef.

Y'all'll be serving this over pasta or mixing information technology with rigatoni or something like, so all you'll demand is a cup or so of the ground beef to make a meal.

Cauliflower rice with a booster of basis beef

Low-carb types will appreciate the use of freeze-dried ground beef mixed in with cooked cauliflower rice. The beauty of this combination is that it can go in several directions. Add chopped dark-green onion, a couple of beaten eggs, some finely sliced cabbage, soy sauce. Before you know it, y'all're dining on a hot, Keto-friendly meal of fried "rice."

Switch out the eggs, cabbage, and soy sauce for chili pulverization, cumin, a drained can of Ro-tel tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and sliced blackness olives for a Hispanic version; only as expert! And then, outset with the cauliflower rice and ground beefiness, and come upwards with your ain flavor combinations.

Survival Mom'due south Macho Mexican Rice

This ane is so, so expert, and the trick is browning the rice in a bit of hot oil before adding all the other ingredients. On its own, it makes a nice side dish, but go alee and add together a cup of chopped and rehydrated freeze-dried ground beef to make it a more filling main dish. You'll find the recipe here.

Beefiness and vegetable soup

There are and so many recipes for beef and veggie soup, and you probably already have 1 that's your favorite. If not, I admire this one and have made it many times over the years. And take a wait at this one that includes barley. Smart!

Since nosotros're working toward creating succulent and frugal meals, replace whatsoever meat is called for with, again, a cup or so of rehydrated and chopped beef. If y'all demand this soup to be more filling, and then add rice, macaroni, corn, or more vegetables along with a couple of tablespoons of butter, ghee, or the oil of your choice. The addition of oil increases the number of calories and fat, of import for a higher level of satiety or feeling full.

Comforting Beefiness & Vegetable Soup

The Survival Mom

This forgiving recipe allows you lot to make adjustments to suit your upkeep, taste, and family size.

Prep Time 25 mins

Melt Time 30 mins

Course Master Form, Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Calories 350 kcal

ane 4 quart pot with lid
one Cut board
i Chef's knife
i Vegetable peeler

1 cup freeze-dried basis beef Rehydrate in i/ii cup warm water. Chop to a fine consistency earlier adding to soup.
ii T. avocado oil or the oil/fat of your pick
4 cups h2o or beef stock/broth
one fourteen.v ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
i medium onion, chopped
½ cup chopped celery
iv beef bouillon cubes, if using water instead of beef stock
one ½ t. salt
¼ t. black pepper
¼ t. dried oregano
½ t. dried basil
i loving cup fresh, frozen, or freeze-stale dark-green beans½

Place a big pot over medium-high heat, and permit pot to heat for 1 minute.
Add together 2 T. of oil and heat for i minute. Stir in the carrots, potatoes, onions, and celery and keep cooking until vegetables are tender.
Add all remaining ingredients. Bring soup to a boil.
Reduce estrus and encompass pot with lid. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the carrots and potatoes are tender.
If desired, arrange the salt and seasonings to taste.

This tasty soup can hands be stretched to serve more people past adding whatever of the following:

A drained can of corn
A drained tin can of pinto, black, or navy beans
ane loving cup of macaroni — Add together an boosted cup of h2o.
1 cup cooked rice
ane loving cup cooked barley or other grain
ane/2 cup canned or frozen peas

With these additional ingredients, suit the amount of liquid if soup becomes too thick.

Breakfast tacos and burritos

This breakfast will brand just almost everybody happy, and you can change it for more than variety. Think: scrambled eggs + basis beefiness + grilled onions/bell peppers/jalapenos/greenish chiles + potato chunks + cheese + add your own favorites here.

You can throw this together in minutes and and then fill soft flour tortillas for tacos or wrap the filling in burrito-size tortillas. Finally, add some salsa or hot sauce to make the repast complete.

Hash

Hash has become trendy in the final few years, and for good reason. It's a peachy manner to combine a diverseness of elementary, cheap ingredients and leftovers!

I admire Thrive Life's Murphy Chunks for a repast like this. They rehydrate quickly and brown nicely in a skillet with a chip of oil. For hash, heat the fat or oil of your choice in a skillet, add together chopped onions/bong pepper (any color)/chopped zucchini/the veggies of your choice, and melt until they're tender.

At this signal, add together freeze-dried basis beef, common salt, and pepper, and melt for a couple of minutes until the hash is well-heated. The final pace is to gently mix in 2 cups of rehydrated and tuckered Tater Chunks. Allow to continue cooking while the potatoes brownish, turning the mixture over every so oftentimes and so potatoes are evenly browned.

Beef-topped Nachos

A favorite meal for our family is a large platter of hot nachos dripping in melted cheddar cheese and topped with chopped onions, sliced pickled jalapenos, chopped tomato plant, some refried beans, sliced black olives, and beef.

Because this meal is filling on its ain, a cup of chopped freeze-dried beefiness will exist enough. Add some guacamole on the side for more than calories, fatty, and deliciousness.

Top a pizza with freeze-dried basis beef

Whether your pizza is homemade, frozen, or store-bought, you can top it with freeze-dried ground beefiness to make a heartier repast.

Wondering how yous might store cheese for the long term? My friend, you've come to the right place! Freeze-stale cheese is a wonder and a perfect companion to freeze-dried basis beef in so many dissimilar recipes, including pizza.

Chili Mac

My Nana used to make a recipe she called Shlumgum, and it'southward basically what I've come to know as Chili Mac. It'due south super easy, super quick, and super frugal. What'due south not to similar?

To cooked macaroni, add the usual cup of chopped and rehydrated freeze-stale footing beef, a can of chopped tomatoes, some salsa to gustation, taco seasoning to taste, chopped onion, and bong pepper, and a can of tomato sauce.

Heat all this together in a big pot. For a creamy version, mix in 4 ounces of cream cheese and/or enough grated cheddar to make your heart sing.

Burrito

Mix together refried pinto beans, the usual chopped freeze-dried ground beefiness, chopped onion, possibly some cooked rice (leftover Macho Mexican Rice, perhaps?), some corn, and potato chunks.

Then, rut the mixture until it'due south ready to be loaded upwardly and wrapped in large flour tortillas. Add a sprinkling of cheddar cheese and salsa for more flavour. This is a nifty way to serve a hearty and very filling meal with plenty of calories and plenty beef to make everyone in the family happy.

As well, learn almost Instant Refried Beans if it's a must-accept for your emergency food storage!

Classic beef and gravy

Beef and dark-brown gravy are a classic, irresistible combination. With freeze-dried ground beef, this dish comes together speedily using dry gravy mix or homemade gravy. Add sliced mushrooms, maybe some sour foam or sour cream powder, and serve over hot noodles or rice. So good!

Taco/Big Mac salad

Both of these salads are my go-to when I want to keep things cool and simple in the kitchen. Both revolve around chopped iceberg lettuce, chopped tomato, footing beefiness, grated cheddar cheese, chopped onion, and and then the appropriate dressing.

For taco salad, I mix equal parts sour cream and mayonnaise with salsa. I add the salsa a flake at a time until I have the season and consistency that I want. Adjacent, rut upwardly the chopped and rehydrated freeze-dried basis beef and add either taco seasoning or a combination of cumin/chili pulverisation/garlic powder/onion powder to gustatory modality. I also like to add together a loving cup or and then of cooked pinto beans and chopped avocado.

For the Big Mac salad, just add sliced pickles and ground beef flavored with salt and pepper. The Big Mac dressing combines mayonnaise, ketchup, a fleck of mustard to sense of taste, a dash of garlic powder and onion powder, and finally, a large spoonful of pickle savour, either dill or sweet.

The possibilities are nearly limitless

Once I got over the price shock of freeze-dried meat, I discovered its versatility is as limitless as whatsoever other meat. Factor in its ability to remain fresh and ready to eat for ten years or more, so information technology makes sense to add information technology to your food storage pantry. One can at a time adds up, and you can begin to gather uncomplicated recipe ideas similar the ones in this commodity and the other ingredients you lot'll need.

There are two very satisfying components here — peachy super-simple and comforting recipes alongside the knowledge of having a supply of salubrious foods stored abroad for your family.

Accept other suggestions for using freeze-stale ground beef? Add them in the Comments section below!

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I'm the original Survival Mom and for more than eleven years, I've been helping moms worry less and enjoy their homes and families more with my commonsense prepping advice.

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