Ingredients
- 1lb 85% lean ground beef
- 1can (15oz per can) black beansdrained and rinsed
- 1can (15oz per can) light kidney beansdrained and rinsed
- 1jar (15oz per jar) salsa
- 1cup frozen corn
- 1tablespoon chili powder
- 1tablespoon parsley
- 2teaspoons garlic powder
- 2teaspoons onion powder
- 1teaspoon pepperdecrease to 1/2 teaspoon for a very mild dish
- 1teaspoon salt
- 3/4teaspoon dill
- 1/2teaspoon cumin
- 1/2teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2teaspoon paprika
- 1/2teaspoon oregano
- 32oz beef broth (not needed until day of cooking)4 cups
To Freeze and Cook Later
- Label your freezer bag (or circle container if freezing for Instant Pot) with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and “use-by” date.
- Add all ingredients to your freezer bag except beef broth.
- Remove as much air as possible, seal, and freeze.
To Cook
- Thaw freezer bag overnight in refrigerator or in water in the morning.
- Pour contents of freezer bag into your crockpot and add beef broth.
- Cook on “low” setting for 6-8 hours.
- Break apart ground beef and stir.
To Cook in Instant Pot
- Place frozen container in water to thaw enough to remove contents.
- Add contents of container to Instant Pot.
- Sauté 5 minutes. Flip over.
- Add broth.
- Pressure cook 45 minutes.
- Natural release.
- Break apart beef and stir.
I swapped out the beef broth with 32oz of mushroom broth, swapped the ground beef for 1 cup of quinoa and another cup of vegetable broth to make this a VEGETARIAN dish. and my kids all had seconds. it was a big hit.
Great idea! Thank you for sharing! I will give it a try myself. That would be a good new recipe to add to this site.
Do you think it would work to replace the ground beef with ground turkey meat?
Yes, definitely
So I am adding the ground beef in the bag raw? And in the crockpot raw?
Yes! All raw!
Question: Can I brown the beef first before adding to the freezer bag? How would that affect the end result?
I would like an answer to this question as well. The ground beef needs to be drained, or the recipe will turn out very greasy. Right?
Kelly-
I would like more information on putting in hamburger RAW. Concern with the amount of grease cooks out. Please share with us all. Thank you in advance
If you’re concerned, just use an extra lean beef.
Can you cook it on medium for a shorter time?
This is the first recipe I tried from the family freezer and it was absolutely delicious! I added the ground beef raw as suggested and did not find it greasy at all. Also, I had some left over cooked brown rice that I added to the last hour in the slow cooker. I didn’t want to waste the rice so I decided to add it to the soup. I am very impressed with this method of cooking and can’t wait to try another recipe.
Yay! Thanks for sharing!
Might I use picante sauce, rather than salsa, in this recipe? That’s all I have on hand, but I don’t want to change the taste or texture of the finished product too much. Thanks.
I’m curious, what do you mean by “circle container”
If you use an instant pot and are cooking from frozen, you would need to use a circle container to freeze the food so that would fit in the instant pot frozen.
What kind of dill? Fresh, dill weed, dill seed, freeze dried?
Hi Kelly
Can I freeze the recipe, then cook it and split in protions and refreeze?
Yes, definitely
This soup is delicious! I make it exactly as written and all my family loves it! Thanks for another great recipe Kelly!
These recipes have seriously changed my life. I wish I would’ve had them when my kids were still home! We spent so much on take out! Better late than never, though, and now I make them for their freezers
Love love love the Family Freezer!
Trying this recipe for the first time tonight. I have not finished cooking yet, but already tastes full of flavor and yummy. I modified to what I had, as I did not want to make a trip to the grocery store and was excited to try your recipes out. I switched salsa to a can of Rotelle and some left over green salsa. Then for beef broth I used two cans of consomme soup and one cup water as it has a richer taste if out of beef broth. I backed off a little on the chili powder and crushed red chilies and I like a little heat, but not too much. I figured I could add more if needed, but don’t think I will. I thought I had black beans, but was out, so substituting one can of Pinto Beans and one can of Cannellini beans. When using canned beans, typically you don’t want to add until later in the cooking, as the skin can become tough, but giving it a try.
I already have sour cream, sliced olives, onion, taco shells that I will crumble in at serving time. The other nice thing I have is “frozen avocado” from Grocery Outlet. It is much cheaper than buying fresh, you can make dip or use defrosted, so will add some to the top of the soup. Often I have fresh cilantro, but out.
Beans don’t go over well in our family… has anyone ever tried without beans? Could I add rice or small cut pasta instead?
Where do I find the labels for the bags?
Only the recipes from the e-books have labels. I hope the rest are coming soon!!!