Ask the Readers: Hamburger, What to Do With It? (A Chance to win $20!)

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  • Comment #109 -I usually brown ground beef  Submitted by Gina on January 7, 2010 - 18:00  "I usually brown ground beef and then add it to any vegetarian chili recipe--it makes it heartier!"
  • char_anderson  I love making Cincinnati Chili with hamburger. I live 2000 miles from Cincinnati so have a friend send me the seasoning. #WBAsk 6 days ago from Seesmic

Everyone knows that in most instances, hamburger is an affordable meat option. You can brown it, bake it, patty it, or fry it. Problem is...it gets a bit tiring when it's the ONLY meat you can afford. With so many people using hamburger in the world, why can't we move beyond our traditional meals of spaghetti, pizza, meatloaf, and sloppy joes? Certainly some of you have inspiration for something extra special you can make with ground beef!

We want to hear your unique dish ideas for the ground stuff. Maybe you have an ethnic treat that you've adapted to accommodate lean ground round. Perhaps you've managed to turn it into a gourmet masterpiece that we've never heard of. (We encourage you to link to your own blog posts if you've blogged a recipe on your own site.) Share your thoughts, tips, or tricks here in our comment thread or on Twitter, and you'll be entered to win one of two $20 Amazon giveaways. (Yes, that's right! We've doubled our prize money!) Dozens of readers have already won. You could be next!

Win a $20 Amazon Gift Certificate

We're doing two giveaways — one for random comments, and another one for a random tweets.

How to Enter:

  1. Post your answer in the comments below, or
  2. Tweet your answer. Include both "@wisebread" and "#WBAsk" in your tweet so we'll see it and count it.

If you're inspired to write a whole blog post, please link to it in the comments or tweet it.

At the end of the drawing, we'll update this post to include (and link to) all of your helpful responses.

Giveaway Rules:

  • Contest ends Friday, January 8th at 11:59 am CST. Winners will be announced after January 8th on the original post and via Twitter. Winners will also be contacted via email and Twitter Direct Message.
  • You can enter both drawings — once by leaving a comment and once by tweeting.
  • Only tweets that contain both "@wisebread" and "#WBAsk" will be entered. (Otherwise, we won't see it.)

Good luck!

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Guest's picture

Salt & pepper 1 1/2 - 2lbs of hamburger meat. Cook on low for about 6 hrs in a slow cooker or crock pot (doesn't work as effectively in the oven).

Makes hamburger taste like roast beef.

Our family of six loves it.

Guest's picture
Kim

Do break up the hamburger or cook it in a whole piece? I'd like to try it.

Guest's picture
Katie M.

I make a beef and bean pie with a pound of (browned) ground beef, a can of bean with bacon soup, a can of kidney beans, a can of black beans, a cup of salsa, and some garlic and onions and paprika. Mix all and fill prepared pie crust (bottom and top). Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes (or until crust is golden).

A simpler recipe is to mix ground beef, a can of beans, and barbecue sauce and top with a Bisquick crust.

Also, taco soup with ground beef, onions, 3 cans chili beans, 1 can corn, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can green chilies, 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 1/2 cups water, taco seasoning packet, ranch dressing seasoning packet -- very flavorful and freezes well!

Guest's picture
Lesa S.

I had made the comment (56 I think) and read the reply about getting a side of beef which got me thinking. As somebody stated part of the prob with ground beef these days is the E Coli prob (not just the lack of flavor, odor, etc). I come from a family of farmers and until Mom moved away all the livestock was was buthchered in-house (so to speak) and still is. I neer saw and don't care too. I live in a NJ town next to Princeton now and theres not too many self cow slaughterings going on that I know of (though plenty of deeer). Well to my point now, are there actually places where people can purchase whole side of beef , perhaps as a co-op. other than out of the back of the truck that drives up on a Saturday afternoon? We have butchershops in our town , two good ones that Im aware of. Is it much more economical is the REAL queestion?

Guest's picture
Guest

My favorite hamburger recipe is Salisbury Steak

Just add an egg, cream of mushroom soup, onion, bread crumbs and brown, then add cream of mushroom soup and mushrooms to the skillet and let simmer for about 10 minutes. It's delicious!

Guest's picture
Sarah R

Easy enough, don't eat it. Red meat isn't that good for you anyway. Bean up. Or do ground chicken (though in my pre-veg days, that always skeeved me out). However, when I use faux ground meat, I usually make meatballs or tacos or spice it up to make this AWESOME brazilian dish called feijoada (ground meat or chorizo w/blk beans, garlic, onion, etc). It's amazing and really different than the usual ho-hum.

Guest's picture
Jessica

We frequently buy what is on sale and then try to use it in many meals throughout the week. So my tip is to use it in different ethnicities each night. Italian one night, Mexican the next, Indian the next and so on... This way you don't get bored. Works with those chicken breasts too!

So my Indian ground beef recipe is to make "spicy" meatballs seasoned with garlic, cumin and any other spices that sounds good. Serve with rice and curry (store bought or homemade). Authentic? probably not. But it tastes great!

Guest's picture
Aaditi

a) dumplings - can't go wrong
b) season it with taco seasoning, add onions + tomatoes + cheese and make egg rolls. amazing.

Guest's picture
Gina

I usually brown ground beef and then add it to any vegetarian chili recipe--it makes it heartier!

Guest's picture
Carole

Brown the meat and stir in a jar of salsa (green or red). In a casserole dish, make 3 layers of corn tortillas, sour cream, the meat, and shredded cheddar. Bake til bubbly

Guest's picture
Julie R.

I stock up on low fat ground round when the price drops to $1.99 per pound here and use it frequently for tacos and enchiladas,chili, meat balls, burgers on the grill, meat loaf, soups, and casseroles. I am limited only by my imagination when it comes to using hamburger in my household.

Guest's picture
Mary Connor

If you are in a hurry, brown your meat, make some pasta many kind... add some shredded cheese...instant supper, make a side salad to go with it!

Guest's picture
Delores Feinberg

Because my son has many food allergies and can't eat things like hamburger helper, I have had to come up with some fairly quick, healthy and delicious alternatives. Even if you don't have allergies to gluten and dairy I think you will love this comfort food as much as our whole family does.

(To save time, plan ahead and precook ground beef and rice. Also, you can use more or less ground beef and rice.)

For 1 serving:

1 can of Amy's Organic Lentil Soup (14.5 oz.)
1/4 lb. browned hamburger
1/2 c. cooked rice (we prefer brown)
salt and pepper

Warm up on the stove in a saucepan.
That's it. It's so good!

Guest's picture

I took 1 st personal loans when I was not very old and it helped my relatives a lot. However, I require the small business loan again.