Casseroles
$1.41per plate
Prep
10 min
Slow Cooker · Ground Beef
Ground Beef Crock Pot Base
Cook once, eat all week. This is a big batch of seasoned ground beef made hands off in the slow cooker, ready to become tacos one night, pasta sauce the next, and a casserole after that. Two pounds cook down into about eight servings of savory, freezer-friendly base, so the per-plate cost drops and the weeknight work disappears. It is the cheapest kind of meal prep: one afternoon, no standing at the stove, dinners half done for days.
$1.10per plate
Estimated recipe total
$8.78 · serves 8
Cook
3 hr 50 min
Total
4 hr
Serves
8
1 How to make it
1
Add everything to the crock
Break the ground beef into chunks in the slow cooker and add the onion, garlic, and seasonings. There is no need to brown it first; the slow cooker does the work.
2
Cook low and slow
Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours, stirring once or twice to break up the meat as it cooks through. Low and slow keeps it tender and lets the onion melt into it.
3
Drain the fat
When the beef is fully cooked and no pink remains, drain off the liquid and fat. Draining well keeps the base from being greasy and helps it freeze cleanly.
4
Portion for the week
Divide the beef into meal-size containers, about a cup each. Now it is ready to turn into tacos, spaghetti sauce, a rice skillet, or a casserole with almost no work.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Ground turkey or chicken. Leaner and often cheaper. They cook the same way; there will be less fat to drain.
- Add a can of tomatoes or tomato paste. Cook it in for a base that leans toward pasta sauce or chili from the start.
- Do it on the stove. No slow cooker, brown the beef with the onion and seasonings in a big skillet in about 15 minutes and portion the same way.
- Season it neutral. Keep the seasoning simple so the base works for any cuisine, then add taco or Italian spices when you reheat each portion.
3 Budget tips
- Buy ground beef in the family pack, which is cheaper per pound, and cook the whole thing at once.
- One afternoon of hands-off cooking gives you the base for three or four dinners, which beats cooking meat from scratch every night.
- Freeze the portions flat in bags so they thaw fast and stack neatly in the freezer.
- Draining and saving the rendered fat gives you a free fat for frying potatoes or eggs later.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Refrigerate portions in airtight containers for up to 4 days. Keep them chilled and reheat only what you need.
Freezer
Freeze meal-size portions flat for up to 3 months. Thaw a bag overnight or reheat straight from frozen in a pan.
Reheating
Reheat in a skillet over medium with a splash of water, or microwave a portion until hot. Add taco seasoning, tomato sauce, or barbecue sauce to take it in a new direction each night.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
270
Protein
20g
Fat
20g
Carbs
2g
Estimates per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not a substitute for medical advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
Do I have to brown ground beef before the slow cooker?
No. You can add it raw and let it cook through over about 4 hours on low, breaking it up as it goes. Browning first adds a little more flavor but is not required for this base.
What can I make with a batch of cooked ground beef?
Tacos, spaghetti or pasta sauce, chili, a rice skillet, stuffed peppers, sloppy joes, or a casserole. Keep the base plainly seasoned and add the specific flavors when you reheat.
How do I keep it from being greasy?
Drain the liquid and fat well after cooking, especially with 80/20 beef. Draining also helps it freeze and reheat cleanly.
How is the per-serving cost calculated?
Two pounds of beef, about $8, cooked down into eight portions. Spread across a week of dinners, each serving of the base lands near a dollar.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
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- 7-quart slow cooker. A large slow cooker batch-cooks cheap cuts, beans, and soups hands-off, so leftovers stretch across the week. Best for pot roast, chili, bean soups, and set-it-and-forget-it dinners.
- Chef's knife. One sharp chef's knife handles almost all the chopping, from onions to chicken, and replaces a drawer of gadgets. Best for all-purpose prep in essentially every recipe on the site.
- Cutting board. A large, stable cutting board makes prep faster and safer, which matters when you cook most nights. Best for everyday chopping of onion, garlic, and vegetables across nearly every recipe.
- Measuring cups and spoons set. A basic set of measuring cups and spoons keeps amounts consistent, which keeps budget recipes reliable. Best for rice, liquids, and any recipe where the ratio matters.
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