Meal planning and food, Organising
How To Cook 6lb Of Ground Beef In The Slow Cooker.
I’m very excited to share this life-changing tip for cooking ground beef, in the slow cooker, in bulk. For anyone who is super busy and doesn’t have time to home cook dinners from scratch every night, then this is the post for you! Stock up your freezer with pre-cooked ground beef and save yourself time at dinner.
It’s super simple to batch-cook ground beef this way, and there are so many recipes you can use to cook a tasty meal in minutes! Just defrost the cooked beef, reheat, add the sauce of your choice, and don’t forget to season it to taste! You’ve just saved yourself 20 minutes browning the beef and have one less pan to wash. Hooray!
Having bulk ground beef readily available in my freezer is one of the biggest time savers at dinner time, especially when life throws me a curveball, and my meal plan goes out of the window!
What is a slow cooker?
A crockpot or slow cooker is an electrical pot that simmers food over a long time. It often has a ceramic insert.
A lot of people set the crockpot to start cooking as they leave for work so their food is ready for when they return home approx 8 hours later.
I like to use my crockpot or slow cooker to help me batch cook my meals.
To batch cook ground beef in the slow cooker, you will need the following:
- A crockpot
- A slotted spoon
- Potato masher
- Sieve
- Weighing scales
- Glass jug
- Freezer storage bags or boxes
- Freezer labels
- Sharpie pen
How to cook ground beef in the Crockpot
Time needed: 4 hours and 10 minutes
- Start with 6lb of ground beef.
I usually buy my ground beef in bulk at Costco or Bookers, but any supermarket butcher will gladly grind up the amount you need.
- Chop up 3-6 onions.
I usually like one onion to 1lb of ground beef.
- Add onions and ground beef to the crockpot.
Try to crumble up the minced beef with your fingers as you add it to the crockpot.
- Add two cups of water.
It might not seem like a lot of liquid, but remember that a lot of water will come out of the mince during cooking.
- Turn the slow cooker on high and cover the food.
I prefer to cook my ground beef in the slow cooker on high. If you prefer to cook it on a lower setting, double the cooking time.
- Stir the meat and onions after 15 minutes of cooking time
I stir the ground beef every 15 minutes during cooking to break down any lumps and to help the bulk ground beef cook evenly. You may use a potato masher if you need to break down the meat into smaller pieces.
- Cook for 3-4 hours.
Cook for 3-4 hours until the meat has gone an even brown color
- Drain the cooked beef
Using a slotted spoon, drain the cooked mince, then drain it again using a sieve.
- Allow the meat to cool.
It is super important that food is allowed to cool thoroughly before placing in a freezer or fridge.
- Portion your ground beef for the freezer.
Bag up or box the cooked meat into portions suitable for your family meals or approximately 2 cup portions. This will give you approximately five meals. I prefer to use freezer boxes for storing my slow cooker ground beef.
If you are using bags, try placing the bag into a glass jug to give it stability and to stop any mess as you transfer the meat into the bags. - Label, label, label!
Ensure all your bags/tubs are labeled with the contents and date.
- Freeze or refrigerate
You can freeze your bulk ground beef or keep it in the fridge for this week’s meal plan!
Ground beef crockpot recipe ideas.
- Ground beef stroganoff
- Shepherds pie
- Tacos
- Nachos
- Quesadillas
- Enchiladas
- Stuffed cabbage rolls
- Chilli
- Burritos
- Spaghetti bolognese
- Sloppy joes
- Goulash
- Meat pizza
- Stuffed peppers
- Cheeseburger Bake
- Lasagne
- Mince and mash
- Mince and onion pie
- Ground beef casserole
- Ground beef pasta
- Ground beef and noodles
Cooking ground beef taco meat in the slow cooker
This way of cooking slow-cooker ground beef is a game-changer!
For quick and easy crockpot ground beef tacos, you can add taco seasoning, salsa, and some garlic when cooking.
You will not need to add water as the ground beef contains enough.
You can use this versatile base to make:
- Burritos
- Tacos
- Nachos
- Quesadillas
- Enchiladas
Bulking up ground beef
I like adding loads of veggies to the bulk ground beef to ensure my family is eating healthily.
If your kids don’t like veggies, you can always blend them and hide them in the sauce. Courgette, carrot, tomato, peppers, and swede are all great veggies to hide in a sauce.
If you struggle to get your kids to eat vegetables, here is a great way to get them to eat them without the drama!
Why not try menu planning around your ground beef dinners, for instance, Taco Tuesdays, Sloppy Jo Sundays, and Fajita Fridays?
To find out more about meal planning, read this post.
To read more about batch cooking for beginners, read this great little post packed full of ideas to get you started with batch cooking.
What’s your favorite slow cooker ground beef dish? Let us know in the comments below!