What's For Dinner?--Three Cheap and Easy Ground Beef/Turkey Recipes

Our family has a number of food allergies and sensitivities, so, unfortunately, most meal planning programs do not work for us. Primarily, we cannot have milk and egg, but dh has a number of foods that he dislikes, and would not appreciate me serving for dinner either (most pork, broccoli, tomatoes in most forms--although tomato sauces, pastes, and juice in small quantities are OK, peppers, spinach, turnips, radishes, and most vegetables really). Many of our recipes do not contain wheat either, as our youngest just got over her wheat allergy.

First, I buy ground beef or ground chuck (dh prefers chuck) on sale (usually $1.99 per pound or less) in large quantities. You can also substitute ground turkey in these recipes which is usually cheaper and healthier for you. When I get home I get my food processor and chop up a bunch of onions and saute them in the skillet. Then, I fry up the meat in large batches, allow it to cool, place it in labeled freezer bags, and send it to the deep freeze. I usually do this when dh is home and can keep the littles outside and out from under foot (plus, the onions make them all cry ). When I am ready to prepare dinner, I pull out one of these premade bags, and dinner is pretty easy. With these packets, even my 8-year old can pull out all of the ingredients, combine them in the crockpot and get these dinner recipes started for our family.



Crockpot Taco Soup

This is dh's favorite recipe and he raves about it for several days when I make it . I like this recipe, because I can even wait until lunchtime to start it, and it is still ready in time for dinner. It can easily be doubled or tripled for larger families, and freezes well.

Makes 6-8 servings


1 lb. or more of ground beef

1/2 onion (or more depending on taste)

1 envelope of taco seasoning (We like Old El Paso Original--not Mild flavor)

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/8 tsp. red cayenne pepper

15-oz. can kidney beans, drained (generic brand)

2 cans 15-oz. can whole kernel corn, drained (generic)

2 15-oz. cans of pork and beans (either generic or Van Camps brand)

46-oz. can tomato juice (We get this through WIC)

If desired: taco chips, crushed; shredded cheese (from WIC), or sour cream.
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1. Optional: Place crockpot liner in crockpot, for easy clean-up

2. Saute onion and brown ground beef together in skillet (or use pre-made packets of the mixture from freezer--thawed or partially thawed). Drain and place mixture in crockpot.

3. Stir in taco seasoning, brown sugar, cayenne, beans, corn, pork & beans, and tomato juice.

4. Cover and cook on Low 4-6 hours, or until heated through

5. If desired, you can serve with crushed taco chips, cheese and sour cream (although in our case, we omit the cheese and sour cream ).



Crockpot Vegetable Beef Soup

This is a simple and easy recipe that can be ready in half a day. Can be doubled or tripled for larger batches. Freezes well.

Makes 4-5 servings


1 lb. or more of ground beef

1/2 onion (or more, depending on taste)

2 cups tomato juice (WIC)

1 quart of beef broth

1 lb. of frozen mixed vegetables (generic)
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1. Optional: Place crockpot liner in crockpot for easy clean-up.

2. Saute onion and brown ground beef together in skillet (or use pre-made packets of the mixture from the freezer--thawed or partially thawed). Drain and place mixture in crockpot.

3. Combine the rest of the ingredients together in the crockpot.

4. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours, and then on low 3-4 hours.



Crockpot Chili
Makes 6-8 servings. Can be doubled easily and freezes well.


1 lb. or more of ground beef

1/2 onion (or more to taste)

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. chili powder (or more, to taste)

6-oz. can tomato paste (generic)

3 cans Ranch-style beans w/ liquid

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained (generic)

If desired: rice or crushed corn chips, shredded cheese (WIC) or sour cream
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1. Optional: Place crockpot liner in crockpot for easy clean-up.

2. Saute onion and brown ground beef together in skillet (or use pre-made packets of the mixture from the freezer--thawed or partially thawed). Drain and place mixture in crockpot.

3. Combine all ingredients in crockpot and mix well.

4. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours.

5. If desired, serve over rice or crushed corn chips, topped with shredded cheese (WIC) or sour cream.



For our family, many times I increase these recipes and freeze the extra batch. On busy days, I can just pull out the frozen meal, and reheat to serve. I also freeze leftovers in individual portions (in Gladware containers) for dh to take to work for lunches.