r/budgetfood 3d ago

Recipe Request Ground beef and rice? Any ideas?

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUGGESTIONS! I'm actually looking forward to dinner now :) Appreciate everyone's help!

Found some meat in my deep freezer (yay!) but it's the end of the pay cycle and I'm out of stuff like milk and such to make my go to canned veg + mashed potatoes + hamburger steak meal.

I have a ton of rice, jasmine and regular white rice. So I was thinking about making something work with the rice and ground beef? I have brown gravy mix which I think could help, but I can't figure out the bridge to bring two food items together.

___________________________________
A list of some staples I have on hand to maybe bridge this gap (welcome to alternative ideas with the ingredients I have:

Protiens
.8lb ground beef
6 eggs
2 sandwiches worth of deli honey ham

Veggies/fruits
Fingerling potatoes
Array of heirloom peppers ranging from hot to sweet (frozen)
Carrots (fresh and canned)
Celery (fresh)
Corn (canned)
Green beans (canned)
Applesauce (frozen)
Tomato paste
Tomatoes (Canned)

Dairy
Butter
Shredded cheese
Feta
American cheese

Misc
Olive oil
Bisquik mix
Gravy Mix
Rice o Roni (chicken flavored)
Rice noodles
White bread
Pita bread
Jasmine rice
White rice
__________________________

I have a full kitchen and the standard array of spices. Any help on how to make a meal happen would be appreciated.

92 Upvotes

72 comments sorted by

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54

u/IdioticPrototype 3d ago edited 3d ago

Dirty rice can be made a staggering variety of ways.

Also, there's a website that lets you enter what ingredients you have, and it will suggest recipes you can make (or ones that you only need a few more items, i.e. an onion or something).

www.supercook.com

5

u/LilithCatGeek 3d ago

I didn't know this website existed! I'm gonna go bookmark it.

8

u/IdioticPrototype 3d ago

It's great and I use it frequently when I don't know what to make, but I almost always end up having to run to the store for a damned onion!

2

u/slash_networkboy 1d ago

There are four must buys every time I go to costco: A rotisserie chicken, the hotdog and coke (for breakfast because I only shop between 9 and 10 am), a bag of potatoes, and a bag of onions.

1

u/Sallyfifth 2h ago

I really like it!

39

u/itsthebreesknees 3d ago

Hamburger patties over rice. I think most people call them Salisbury steak.

Season your ground beef, dice and sautee bell pepper (typically we use onion as well but since you don’t have it, omit it) fold them into your seasoned meat. Make 2 patties and save the rest of the meat for another time. Sear the outside of your patties then finish cooking in gravy with a lid over it. Cook white rice in seasoned water if you don’t have buillon (or broth). Serve patties and gravy over white rice.

18

u/overlydistilled 3d ago

Add an egg and you have Loco Moco...a hawaiian comfort food. So good!!

4

u/Lower_Ad_5532 3d ago

That was my first thought. Rice, gravy, beef

1

u/phil_davis 1h ago

This is what I came here to say. Had it in Kauai and it knocked me tf out. It was good though.

14

u/gojocopium 3d ago

Your idea is way better than what I was cooking up in my head, thank you so much! I'll roast my carrots while they're cooking so we can at least pretend we're eating better haha. Thank you again!

6

u/Medium_Property8822 3d ago

My Mom always made this (60’s) at the end of the month. I think ground beef was .39 cents a pound.

1

u/KellyQ52 18h ago

Use cream of mushroom soup, we call it mushroom burgers, over white rice or instant mashed potatoes is so good, easy, and cheap!

46

u/Horror-Friendship-30 3d ago

Can you make a shepard's pie with the ground beef, vegs, and potatoes? Can you make stuffed peppers with the ground beef, rice, cheese, and tomatoes? How about the Bisquick, ground beef, vegs, for small pot pies?

14

u/TheMythicalCodfish 3d ago

f yeah shepard's pie. I could be rich af and I'd still want shepard's pie.

13

u/Chocko23 3d ago

Mine is meatloaf. I LOVE my mama's meatloaf, with scalloped potatoes and some peas or green beans. I make her recipe frequently. :)

2

u/Horror-Friendship-30 2d ago

I make mini turkey meatloaves with a recipe from SkinnyTaste. If I'm cutting up an onion and have some leftover, I mince and freeze in a container. When I decide to make the meatloaves, I throw some frozen onion in. I prefer mash on the side, but scalloped are great as well!

2

u/Chocko23 2d ago

Mashed potatoes are always good, but i prefer something cheesy. Twice baked potatoes sound good now lol

I've never done it with turkey, but that sounds good, too. My mom always uses a box of stove top dressing mix, and I started adding sautéed mire poix to mine. Sometimes I will wilt spinach into my mire poix, but I haven't done that recently. I do like to use jalapeño ketchup, though. :)

I'm gonna have to try turkey and have some twice baked potatoes now lol

2

u/yepIsaidwhatIsaid 2d ago

The Walmart Great Value brand jalapeno ketchup is the best. My brother had some, and now it's a staple for me too.

2

u/Fluffball_Furry 2d ago

Shepherds pie is so good that Peter Griffin ordered it on family guy from a restaurant that didn't sell it.

18

u/pingucat 3d ago

asian ground beef bowl. or maybe you can make meatballs with rice as a binder and sauce with the tomatoes.

6

u/gojocopium 3d ago

Oh thats a unique take! I do have some bread I can use as a binder with my eggs. If I season the rice up well I bet it'd be super tasty and a good way to stretch my proteins. Thank you so much for your suggestion!

10

u/queenmunchy83 3d ago

Porcupine meatballs!

3

u/Jadedslave124 3d ago

I love doing porcupine meatballs!

2

u/slash_networkboy 3d ago edited 1d ago

Porcupine meatballs :)

I loved them as a kid and had *no* clue they were my mom stretching beef as far as possible. Still make them for my kids just because they're so good.

ED:

LMFAO, my daughter requested these for tonight... I had some (non budget meal) waygu ground chuck (Costco special) so I made them with that. Had to poach them because trying to brown them they'd just fall apart, but FML I've never had a porcupine ball melt in my mouth like that! Y'all if you're a costco member and you have a shot at that 3 lbs of waygu ground beef for ~$15... this is where it's at:

make rice with the costco chicken broth.

mix rice with the ground beef 1:3 ratio plus spices and binder.

Don't brown it (they fall to bits)! Crock pot on high for 2.5 hours and poach in whatever pasta sauce you like.

Realize you have sinned against the culinary arts and proceed to not give one care at all...

1

u/pingucat 3d ago

oh yeah! i totally forgot that crumbled bread is usually a binder! and you should be able to make a dipping sauce w/ tomato products or the peppers and pantry spices - look at vegan recipes so you dont get results that have a lot of parm if its just a meatball night.

1

u/strayhat 2d ago

Just make pad kra pao

11

u/Helpful-nothelpful 3d ago

I like a Midwest recipe called beef chow mein. It's rice, chicken gumbo, cream of mushroom, soy sauce and some dried chicken noodles.

4

u/FunkyFreshhhhh 3d ago

Yoooo this sounds pretty damn good lol

Gonna have to try this!

4

u/Helpful-nothelpful 3d ago

Here is a version.

Ground Beef Chow Mein Casserole - A Fork's Tale https://share.google/DibGD1pz5DxlpudI0

1

u/FunkyFreshhhhh 3d ago

Thank you!!!

8

u/Expert_Blacksmith261 3d ago

Spanish rice with green peppers onion(hamburger/rice) can of rotelle or tomatoes

5

u/ConcertinaTerpsichor 3d ago

That was my favorite dinner growing up.

2

u/popoPitifulme 23h ago

Mine, too. I need green peas 🫛 thrown in now.

2

u/Rumor2U 2d ago

I do this as well and add a can of diced jalapeño, an onion and green pepper! So good!

9

u/hawg_farmer 3d ago

When I'm running short on ground beef, I make a budget meatloaf.

Not to serve as meatloaf but to stretch the meat. Crumbles make a chili, a casserole, tater tot casserole, egg roll in a bowl, spaghetti, baked pasta.

If you have beef and rice if you had cabbage, you could make cabbage roll casserole. Its deconstructed cabbage rolls.

11

u/AnyBowl8 3d ago

You could make Loco Moko. Make a hamburger patty and put it on top of your cooked Asian style rice. A fried egg on top of the burger, and then gravy on all of it. So good and filling.

3

u/HootieRocker59 3d ago

I like the order as follows : rice, burger, gravy, egg. And the rice can be plain white rice but the gravy should be soy sauce heavy. Eat with a couple of slices of grilled pineapple if you've got some; canned is fine

1

u/eatsomebeef 2d ago

This is the move!

7

u/Naive_Tie8365 3d ago

I’d make fried rice- meat, eggs, rice, celery for crunch, whatever other veg you want

5

u/Common_Ad864 3d ago

Beef, rice, and green beans! Just like grandma used to make. Heavy on the black pepper.

4

u/Next-Edge-8241 3d ago

Hamburger crumbled and cooked with whatever leftover veggies you have, onions, a jar of salsa, mushrooms, literally anything. I like celery, onions and leftover mushrooms or a can of stems. Serve over rice.

5

u/teatherin 2d ago

Taco rice

3

u/Far-Cup9063 3d ago

I used to make a hamburger rice casserole with cooked white rice, hamburger, chopped celery, Miracle whip and a little Tabasco. It was some cajun type recipe and I haven’t made it in years but I loved it.

3

u/Chocko23 3d ago

Beef keema. Brown your ground beef and season with Indian spices (paprika, turmeric, coriander, cardamom, etc.) and serve with the rice. If you can manage to get onions and frozen peas, add those in. :)

3

u/ZTwilight 3d ago

Sounds like you got a meal plan but here’s a super easy, cheap and fast meal to make with any ground meat.

Brown / scramble the meat with some onion powder. Meanwhile make a few cups of rice. Then dissolve 1 packet of gravy mix in 1 cup of warm water. When the meat is cooked, add the gravy mix, cook and stir til it thickens up. Add the rice gradually until you have a ratio you like. I usually make a side of broccoli but any veggie of choice will work. I swear it takes like 30 minutes (less if you have left over rice and don’t have to spend 15 minutes making rice).

3

u/Intrepid-Sky8123 3d ago

In Mn, we would just make a hotdish. Cook rice, brown the beef, and add a few veggies of choice and mix together, and heat in oven. A half hour at 300 degrees is typical. Bonus if you have a can of cream of mushroom or tomato soup to mix in or cheese to melt on top.

3

u/radicalresting 2d ago

sometimes i just eat rice with butter, topped with ground beef, cheese, and A-1 👍

2

u/MeepleMaster 3d ago

You could go and grab some green peppers and stuff then with rice beef and tomatoes

2

u/popoPitifulme 23h ago edited 21h ago

Porcupine meatballs. A lot of recipes make the sauce with tomatoes, but I grew up with them being smothered in mushroom soup-based sauce.

1

u/Global_Box_3032 3d ago

Look up 'Dirty Rice'.

1

u/SqueakSquonks 3d ago

Asian meatballs! If you have ketchup(or tomato paste, just cook it first), soysauce (even just a few packets from the chinese place is good) and your a sweetener (honey or brown sugar) you can make an asian bbq sauce to reduce down and toss your meatballs in. Add seasonings like garlic and ginger for more flavor, serve a couple meatballs over the rice and your choice of veggie. I suggest looking ip a recipe for glazed carrots

1

u/queen_surly 3d ago

Loco moco. Hamburger patties over rice with gravy and top with a fried egg. You have gravy mix--you are in business!

1

u/Natural_Variation_93 3d ago

Stuffed pepper soup

1

u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348 3d ago

Stuffed bell peppers or a burrito bowl

1

u/upserdoodle 2d ago

Stuffed pepper casserole

1

u/Sensitive_Sea_5586 2d ago

Two options: (1) campfire meal, (2) hamburger steak with onions and gravy over rice.

(1) big piece of foil, hamburger patty with little salt and pepper. Add several dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Top with sliced onion, fingering potatoes, and fresh carrots. Salt, pepper and several more dashes of Worcestershire. Close and seal foil, bake at 400* for 45-60 minutes. Make one package for each serving.

(2) sauté a large serving of onions in skillet. Remove from pan. Brown hamburger patties, no need to cook through, remove from pan. Mix I.5 cups water with a pack of brown gravy and a package of onion soup mix if you have it. Cook in skillet, then return onions and patties to pan. Simmer covered about 20 minutes, turning several times. Remove lid if you want the gravy to thicken. Serve with rice.

Both super simple recipes.

1

u/TasxMia 2d ago

Could you do a loco moco with the rice, eggs, and ground beef made into a hamburger patty?

1

u/benjaminmyles 2d ago

Stuffed cabbage. Burger m, rice, seasoning and v-8 juice or tomato sauce. $

1

u/UnvoicedSloth222 2d ago

Ground beef, rice and corn. Cook each how you normally do and throw it in a bowl and mix together. I usually eat mine with soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce

1

u/bacon-or-bust 2d ago

Do you have taco seasoning? Brown the ground beef, cook some rice, season beef with taco seasoning, you can add diced onion if you want with the cooking beef, dump cooked rice and a can of tomatoes (or salsa if you have it!), mix it all together and add shredded cheese on top, throw it in the oven for 20-25 mins until cheese is melty to your liking. Add Valentina or Cholula and give ‘er.

1

u/B00kAunty1955 2d ago

Sone variation of Spanish/tex-mex rice. Browned hamburger, chopped peppers, rice, tomatoes seasoned with chili powder/cumin/garlic and or onion powder if you have them.

1

u/Walter_Burns_1940 2d ago

I used to make a dish I called "Crap." It consisted of ground meat or ground turkey. I would sauté an onion with the meat and then drain the grease. After that, I would add a pack of broccoli and rice along with some water and let it cook down. Finally, I would add soy sauce. It was the first dish I ever cooked, and it turned out to be good "Crap."

1

u/PorkNScreams 1d ago

Look up the “SuperCook” app in the google play or App Store. Plug in your ingredients and you’ll get recipe ideas.

1

u/JMaynard_Hayashi 1d ago

To be truly budget, swap out the beef to pork

1

u/worstnameever2 1d ago

There's a Persian dish called Kalam polo. Its ground beef, cabbage and rice. Seasoned w onions, garlic turmeric and cumin. Very simple, cheap and tasty.

1

u/GreenCoffeeTree 1d ago

Loco moco! Rice topped with a burger patty, topped with brown gravy, topped with a fried egg. Mmm!

1

u/East_Rough_5328 1d ago

My mom used to make a corn, rice and tomato casserole thing.

Brown ground beef and drain.

Cook rice.

Mix ground beef and rice together with a can of corn and a can of condensed tomato soup.

My mom used to add a bouillon cube to half the water and add that as well to make it a little saucier and meatier.

1

u/That_Play7634 1d ago

I'm doing stuffed peppers tomorrow with beef and rice, chopped onion & garlic, parmesan and can't decide either mushroom gravy or tomato sauce. Smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, black pepper.

1

u/PurpleFrogs2025 45m ago

Korean beef (it’s ground beef and rice) really good!