Wondering how to season ground beef? You’ll never use another ground beef seasoning for freezer cooking or adding to easy dinners, like tacos, spaghetti, casseroles, or chili, because this one’s the best of the best!
You guys, I have finally figured out the secret to cooking at home more often and not having it feel stressful for me. The secret is having delicious, seasoned ground beef cooked and ready to go! Ground beef is the base of so many easy dinner recipes and it’s inexpensive. Since I like to use it in so many different recipes, I season it enough that it tastes delicious alone but can also work in sauces and tacos and other easy dinner recipes.
Ground Beef Seasoning
Sometimes I buy 4-5 lbs at a time when I see it on sale at the grocery store. I season and cook the meat, let it cool, and then separate it into quart-sized plastic freezer bags. You can also use gallon-sized bags, but I like quart-sized because they hold about one pound of beef, which is the perfect amount for our family.
If you love cooking with ground beef, a few of our favorite recipes to use this meat in are Easy Korean Beef, the Best Lasagna Soup, our easy Tater Tot Casserole, or our Healthy and Delicious Beef Enchiladas! Or you can find all our favorite dinner recipes here!
I think one of the secrets to getting a really good flavor is to sauté onions and garlic before adding the uncooked beef. It adds dimension and great flavor! Seriously… try this. I have also done this using the pre-chopped frozen onions, and it works really well! Just rinse and thaw your onions in a colander first to get out all the excess water.
I have decided that I think the beef browns and tastes the best when cooked in a heavy pan like an iron skillet, so I recommend using one if you have it.
How to Season Ground Beef
- Heat olive oil over medium-high.
- Add chopped onion to the pan and cook until tender.
- Next add ground beef, garlic, and seasonings. Stir.
- Continue to cook and stir for 15 minutes, or until beef is browned.
- Enjoy in tacos, in spaghetti sauce, chili, etc.
How to Freeze Ground Beef
- Let ground beef completely cool.
- Put beef into a freezer bag and lay it flat on the counter.
- Squeeze extra air out of the freezer bag and seal it tightly.
- Label the bag with a sharpie. (Don’t forget to date it.)
- Cooked ground beef can be stored in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Here are some the items I use to cook with:
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You will be amazed at how much less stressful dinner time is when you have ready portioned and cooked to perfection meat that you can grab out of the freezer at any time! Your life is about to get so much easier.
If you try this recipe and like it we would love for you to leave us a comment and positive rating! They mean so much to us!
Ground Beef Seasoning
Video
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 clove minced garlic
- 1/4 cup chopped white onion
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Add oil to a heavy duty pan over medium-high heat.
- Add ground beef and break up to distribute evenly in pan.
- Add onion, garlic and dry seasonings, stir.
- Continue to cook and stir for 15 minutes or until meat is browned.
- Enjoy in chili, tacos, pasta, lasagna, stroganoff - basically any easy dinner recipe!
Notes
Try some of these super easy ground beef dinner recipes:
Healthy Ground Beef Enchiladas Tater Tot CasseroleDelicious Taco Pasta
Slow Cooker Chili
Easy Taco Soup
Nutrition
Happy freezer stocking!!
This post was originally published August 16th, 2017 and has been updated with a video and more detailed information.
I used this recipe for my first time cooking beef! :) Was very easy to follow and came out delicious. Thank you!
great idea!!! helps make preparing dinner easier!!!
I just loved this recipe. I tried this yesterday, and my mom was like just wow.
Hi Jessica, would this seasoning also be good for ground chicken and turkey? If not, have you done a video for those yet? I use this for my meal preps for the protein and add in carbs and veggies. Simple, clean
And quick nothing special but has a great flavor
Yes, it works great on ground chicken or turkey as well!
This recipe is wonderful. It reminds me of the pot roast my grandmother used to make, always delicious.. My husband and I have enjoyed it many times. The left overs are great for beef stroganoff. and please visit us: https://www.beckandbulow.com
So glad you love it!
Dumb question: Do you just set it out to thaw, throw back into a skillet, etc.? Looking for how to “unfreeze” the meat!
It’s recommended to put the sealed bag into the fridge overnight or into cool water for a couple of hours to thaw. Then I just throw it into the skillet and cook it with whatever sauces or seasonings I’m adding!
This was a breakthrough for me. I always over complicate my recipes and cooking and it’s stressful and disheartening. This is so simple Andie really delicious. Super versatile. Thank you for sharing! Will definitely be a staple for feeding my husband who has a bottomless pit of a stomach!
That is so great to hear! Thanks Tara!
If his recipe is to have GB on hand for quick meals from frozen, what is your recommended best method for thawing it?
Why does this need kosher salt? Will normal salt work?
Normal salt will work! I just prefer to cook with kosher salt. Since the grains are different sizes they don’t convert exactly 1:1. So, sub 3/4 of a tsp iodized salt instead of 1 tsp kosher salt and then add a little more to taste.
Very easy and quick to make. I put this in my fried rice and it was delicious!
Would make again.
Thanks!
Yay!! So so glad to hear that! Thanks for sharing Nicole!
Easy, versatile recipe!
I make this all the time, it’s so versatile!
So delicious and versatile! Always great to have this on hand!
Yes! We love to make a bunch and freeze some for easy dinners! Glad you liked it!
This was so tasty! I will for sure be using this recipe again! Thanks!
You are so welcome! Glad you liked it!