I admit it; I’m guilty of wasting food. Sometimes when I go grocery shopping, I pick up packages of meat and vegetables with no thought about how I will prepare them. I know there’s nothing in the house to eat, and I know that we need meat and vegetables, so I try to grab as much food as possible for the week’s meals.
It saddens me to say that I often throw out rotting vegetables that had no real place in my meal plan. I push meat to the back of the freezer so I don’t have to think about how I’ll fix it. Every now and then, I let defrosted or freshly purchased meat sit in the frig and rot along with the vegetables, because I’m too tired to think about unplanned meals when I get home in the evening (definitely a takeout night). Then, when I open the frig, I’m haunted by the ghastly images of decaying food. This is what happens when I get so busy that I don’t give much thought to the next week’s meals.
Mini beef patties is a simple, quick, and satisfying meal that you can make with that package of ground beef in your freezer. Pair the mini patties with a salad (use the vegetables too) and serve over rice or noodles for a complete meal.
Mini Beef Patties
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ tablespoons corn starch
- 1¼ cups beef broth
- Garlic powder
Instructions
For the Beef Patties
- Pour the olive oil onto a baking sheet; use a paper towel and spread evenly over the pan. Set oven to broil.
- In a large bowl, add ground beef, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Take about 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture and form a small ball. Flatten the ball until it is about 1½-inch round. Patties will be very thin.
- Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with garlic powder. Place under the broiler and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side.
For The Gravy
- Pour the drippings from the meat pan into a small skillet. Add the cornstarch to the beef broth and add this to the pan drippings. Bring to a boil and cook for about 1 minute. Serve over rice or noodles.
Nutrition
Oh i agree. I am a sucker for vegetables and so sad to have to toss them. Usually best to stick to a meal plan, but sometimes I feel them call to me…
And i shudder to imagine what is at the bottom of my freezer
Thanks for sharing
Dave at eRecipeCards.com
Absolutely not! In today’s world, we can’t afford to be that wasteful. It costs too much. Just a few minutes of prior planning can make a world of difference in both individual meal planning and grocery shopping.
Keeping it basic, like this dish–which has plenty of possibilities–is the best route to go. This can be dressed up or dressed down. It can be cooked ahead and frozen then thawed quickly in hot water (or even cooked like a “boiling bag”).
Check out some of “Cheap Bastid’s” recipes.
And, I’m going to see if I can “piggy back” on this recipe idea and come up with some other variations on the theme.