Using canned roast beef: 10 recipe ideas to make meals quick!
Canned beef may not be the most appetizing jar on your pantry shelves, but rest assured– canned beef is the most essential quick protein in the pantry! While sticking a roast in your crock pot in the morning and coming home to a warm dinner is a wonderful way to eat from home, sometimes the day just escapes us– and we can’t be left without a nourishing meal! Que in home canned roast beef! The most versatile protein in your pantry– and it’s ready in a matter of minutes with these ten recipes. From a stove top medium heat simmer, to a 5 minute microwave nuke, or a quick toss in the oven, dinner will be on the table in no time!
Using Canned Beef (or other meat) to make quick meals
First, it’s important to note that if your meat is home canned, and assuming it was pressure canned safely, there is a difference in how it was canned. Both of these methods described below are safe, but they are used differently.
Raw packed: The meat was put into the jar raw and then pressure canned. It is fully cooked and ready to eat, but it will shred up very easily since it was not browned. This makes for a perfect meal that involves shredding the beef for quick tacos, beef stroganoff or mixed with some flour for beef gravy to pour over potatoes.
Hot packed: The meat was put into the jar halfway to fully cooked in cubes and then pressure canned. This meat will not shred as easily, but will make a mighty delicious quick beef stew or if there’s time for a pie crust you’d have a delicious beef pot pie! Meat’s that are hot packed will typically have more in the jar, as they have already shrunk a bit!
In our recipe ideas below, it’s apparent that your shelves should be lined with both types of canned meat! We are covering using canned beef chunks* specifically, but there are delicious ways to use canned ground beef for quick meals as well! In all of these meals, make them how you normally would, only your meat is already cooked so if you didn’t have time to fill the crockpot before work, you’ve just made meal time simple!
Keep in mind, “A pint’s a pound, the world around,” meaning pint jars are about one pound of meat. If your family normally eats 2 pounds in a meal, can your meat in quarts jars! There’s no right way– just make sure you follow the accurate processing time for your meat and jar size to fit your families needs!
If you are feeling overwhelmed thinking about canning fresh beef, enroll in our canning course and we will walk you through the step-by-step process. Otherwise, grocery stores and food pantries often have canned meat available, and it’s the best thing since sliced bread to have in your pantry!
*feel free to substitute canned pork, canned venison or other game meat in any of these recipes– moose stew, anyone?
10 Meal Ideas using Canned Beef!
1. Beef Stroganoff
Sauté some mushrooms and dump in some raw packed meat (though hot packed works fine for a chunky version). Top with a dollop of sour cream and some garlic, salt and pepper if your fancy and call it a dish! Serve on top of noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes alongside a veggie. Don’t have mushrooms? Eat it anyways!
2. Beef Stew
This one is super flexible if you’ve got other home or store canned goodies on your shelf. Our most basic recipe is one jar of each: hot packed beef, potatoes, carrots, peas and tomatoes or tomato sauce. Obviously, the beef stew recipe could use some onions and celery if you got it in your pantry but seasoning works well here! Add some Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer on medium. It’s got veggies and a starch already, but you whipped it up so quick, there’s time for some biscuits or a grilled cheese sandwich! Woila, homemade beef stew in minutes!
3. Cottage Pie or Shepard’s Pie
Dump a jar of beef in the bottom of a pie tin. Mix in some veggies if you’d like. Top it with leftover mashed potatoes, add some shredded cheese and throw it in the oven until it’s warm! Without getting technical here, cottage pie is made with beef and Sheppard’s pie is made with lamb– but whatever you are using, it’s delicious!
4. Beef Pot Pie
The only difference between a Shepherd’s pie and a beef pot pie is the crust! if you have a crust in your fridge/freezer or the time to whip one up, you’ve got a beef pot pie! Toss it in the oven at 425 for about 30 minutes while you kick back and relax!
5. Quesadillas or Tacos, Enchiladas or Beef Burritos
Add some taco seasoning, cheese, sour cream, salsa– toss it into a taco shell and call it dinner!
6. Beef Hash
While corned beef hash is more popular than this version, it is unsafe to canned corned beef so we will stick to the basics for this delicious meal. Toss some canned potatoes in a cash iron, until they are a bit fried. Some will suggest olive oil, but we only cook in animal fats. Drain your beef and throw it in with the taters until it’s all warm. We top this with sour cream, cheddar cheese, olives, sauerkraut or any other pantry staple! This beef hash recipe is so basic and versatile, you can toss any spare veggies near spoiling in the fridge. It’s delicious with onion, green onion, bell peppers, cabbage. Literally there’s no such thing as a bad way to throw this together!
7. Beef Sandwiches
Technically the meat is fully cooked, so there is no risk eating it right out of the jar if it’s been canned properly! Slap on some cheese and spread some mayo, slap it between some slices of bread and it’s good to go!
8. Beef Sliders
Beef sliders make delicious hearty sandwiches’ for meal! While the traditional way involves ground beef, adding some provolone cheese, peppers and onions and shredded beef on top of a slider bun, topping the buns with a little butter and baking until golden brown is a wonderful way to spice up meal time!
9. Stir Fried Beef
Paired with a savory sauce or a spicy sauce, make a stir fry however you see fit! Using the hot packed beef will give you large chunks for stir fry, but you could also can the meat in strips if you know you make a lot of stir fry dishes!
10. Garlic Steak Bites
Using the hot packed beef and sautéing in garlic and butter until warm is a delicious way to eat beef! Slowly stir in some raw cream from a beautiful jersey cow and you’ve got a great way to top some mashed potatoes or rice.
Are you feeling inspired by these roast beef recipes? Be sure to share this post or pin it to your boards to give the gift of a ten minute meal to your friends!
Other Resources:
- Find other bulk ingredients for your canned beef!
- Learn how to pressure can in our course: Yes, you Can!
See something you love? Feel free to contact us to let us know!
