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Wouldn't it be nice to have a way to have instant ground beef crumbles? Some stores do sell crumbles in the freezer section, but the price is high for that convenience.Did you know that you can do it yourself?
Here's how to make your own ground beef crumbles.
Hamburger crumbles is hamburger boiled in a small amount of water. You are boiling it to prepare and package it flat, in storage bags for the freezer, to use in future meals. It cuts down your day-to-day prep time because the main part of your meal is precooked.
Boiling? Don't knock it till you've tried it! Boiling is less messy, it's lower in fat, and it's much easier to cook a larger quantity of meat. And once you get in the habit of just grabbing a package of crumbles from the freezer when making a hamburger-based meal, you'll be hooked!
Take a large soup or stock pot, and place five pounds of ground beef in it, loosely broken up. You can use cheaper mixes of beef, because the fat is going to wash away. Add just enough water to cover the meat. Turn on the heat, bring the meat to a boil, and reduce the temperature to a simmer. Allow the meat to cook, stirring occasionally, until all pink is gone. Feel free to add any seasonings you'd normally use with your beef: onions, pepper, garlic, etc.
Brown the meat and drain it in a colander. Package meat into 1-cup portions (that's approximately one pound), and freeze in heavy-duty zipper top plastic bags. Store the bags flat and you'll be able to fit quite a few into your freezer! To use, simply empty the bag contents into the pot of soup. Most of the time there's no need to defrost in advance, because if the crumbles are spread out flat for freezing, they thaw quickly.
Use homemade ground beef crumbles in any recipe that calls for browned ground beef. Search our recipe database, or try this suggestion for taco soup:
Quick Taco Soup
3 cans chili-style beans or black beans, drained 1 (10 oz) can corn, drained (or 1 cup frozen corn) 1 (13 oz) can diced tomatoes 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce 1 (2 oz) envelope taco seasoning 1 lb browned ground beef (one package of freezer crumbles)
Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker or in a soup kettle. Heat thoroughly and serve!
Serves 10
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If you're making a casserole, a soup or a dozen other dishes, the first part of the recipe often reads, "Brown and crumble one pound of ground beef. Drain off excess fat." That step takes 10 minutes, and if you have frozen beef, it also requires a day of defrosting before that. 
