I'm posting the how-to first with the explanation to follow. Folks who get frustrated at scrolling through blog posts to get to a recipe will understand! 😉
HOW TO
1. In large skillet, saute onions and garlic in tiny amount of fat choice to soften.
2. Add ground meat of choice and slowly incorporate tomato juice a little at a time as meat browns. You want the juice to tenderize the meat without making a sauce.
3. When the meat has reached the safe temperature for consumption, drain fat and set it aside to cool.
4. Once cooled, divide it into freezer safe bags and add any additional seasonings before freezing. I like to freeze the bags flat to make defrosting quicker.
WHY
We buy our ground meat in bulk packages at the grocery store and repackage in smaller bags for the freezer or in pre-frozen one pound packs from the processor. Some of our favorite meals in the winter time use that meat in the base, especially soups like chili and vegetable. When I'm really busy, taking the time to cook the meat before I add the other ingredients takes too much time. I know some people cook soups with raw meat from the beginning but I feel much safer knowing the meat has reached safe temperatures before hand. For me, the most efficient way to make sure the meat is thoroughly cooked AND to save time on those hectic days is to pre-cook a large batch on a slow day. Then I separate it into smaller bags, add the seasonings for the specific soup it will be, and refreeze it.
When those busy days roll around, I take a bag of soup base out of the freezer and dump it into the slow cooker or simmer pot, add all the other goodies, and let it do its magic while I go about my day. I've also used the base as quick meats for things like casseroles, tacos, and lasagna according to the seasonings I added before freezing.
I didn't add amounts to the directions because it depends on how much ground meat you are preparing and what you will be adding to it. We, personally, like a lot of onion and garlic so I don't worry about adding too much but you should use your own discretion. You can also skip the tomato juice if you like. We use a lot of lean meat and the juice really does tenderize it as it cooks.
