Diced Peppers And Onions Will Help You Stretch Ground Beef For More Uses

Let's face it, meat has gotten rather expensive these days, especially red meat like ground beef, which can make grocery shopping difficult for those on a tight budget — or those who need to feed a large family. You can always cook more meat-free meals, or you can use more affordable ingredients to stretch the beef out further. How? Cook the ground beef with diced peppers and onions so you have more mixture to use in a variety of dishes.

You can cook the diced peppers and onions in the same pan as the beef so the vegetables will retain some of that beefy flavor. You can also enhance the mixture with Worcestershire sauce, beef bouillon powder, or bouillon paste to infuse it with more meaty flavor without using a large amount of red meat.

To help more, you can use whatever peppers you have in the fridge to prevent food waste or snag what variety is on sale to save more on the grocery bill. Bell peppers are a delicious option that will enhance the dish's flavor and give it pops of color. For the onions, white and yellow are the best varieties for sautéing, but you can use red or shallots if that's what you have in the fridge. You can also use rice or quinoa to stretch out the beef even further.

To cook ground beef with peppers and onions, there are two good options. You can start by sautéing the peppers and onions in oil or butter until the peppers are soft and the onion is translucent, then add the ground beef and continue to cook together. Or, you could cook the ground beef for a couple of minutes, add the onions and peppers, then let it cook in the beef fat to give the vegetables more flavor.

After it's cooked, there are many ways to use ground beef and peppers directly in a variety of dishes to keep meal prep easy. We think a delicious pairing is taco salad with avocado, corn, and salsa because the ground beef and peppers will make it a complete meal. If you prefer rice over greens, make beef burrito bowls with cheese, guacamole, and sour cream. The mixture can also be combined with rice for our stuffed pepper skillet recipe, and it works as a filling for tacos or quesadillas. You can even use the beef, onion, and peppers as a base in dishes that will need a few extra ingredients added to the mixture like meatballs, burger patties, or shepherd's pie.