(not) Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Guess what? I had one more container of Multi-Purpose Shredded Beef in my freezer and one more trick up my sleeve.

(please excuse my chewing, I'm eating one of these as I type... and it's sooo good.)

Why is it a (not) Philly Cheesesteak? Well, because it's really just a Philly Cheesesteak-esque sandwich made with slow cooked beef rather than thinly sliced steak. Different technique, but insanely delicious all the same.

This is by far one of the fastest and easiest recipes that I made with the Multi-Purposed Shredded Beef. All it takes is a quick re-heat of the beef, a super fast saute of the onions and bell peppers, and then a quick melt of the cheese in the oven and you'll be in cheesesteak heaven! Now I definitely need to restock my freezer with shredded beef.

I did much better with my produce prices for this one. Green bell peppers were on sale 2/$1 and I got a big 'ol 3 lb. bag of onions for only $1.29 (score!). I used two bell peppers and two onions and it was probably more than enough for four sandwiches. You might be able to get away with using one of each, or two bells and one onion (or vice versa).

Any way you slice it (har har har), I think you're gonna love this one!

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beef ragout with mashed cauliflower

This is the last installment in the shredded beef series. Although this recipe ended up being something quite different than I intended (thanks to my chronic absent mindedness), it still ended up super delicious!

I intended on making a classic ragout with lots of vegetables stewed into the sauce... but... somehow I forgot all of the vegetables (time to start taking ginko?). SO, if you want, you can finely dice a stalk or two of celery and shred a carrot in with the onion and garlic for the sauce. It will add tons of flavor, texture, and visual appeal. Not that it wasn't still delicious and gorgeous!

Wine adds quite a bit to the cost, but it has such an incredible flavor that I didn't want to skip it. If you'd rather not use wine, you can substitute with beef broth. While beef broth will also give you a nice deep flavor, it is a different deep flavor from the wine.

So, when I was brainstorming this recipe I got the idea to put the ragout over mashed cauliflower. Cauliflower isn't exactly cheap and I was hesitant to add to an already fairly pricy recipe, but I couldn't get it out of my head and had to try it. Was it delicious? Yep. Was it worth it? Eh, not unless you're trying to avoid carbs. My suggestion is to go the much more budget conscious route and serve this over mashed potatoes. Plus, one head of cauliflower didn't make very much mash. It yielded only 2-3 cups of mash, which doesn't give you much to spread out over the 6 servings of ragout. Go with mashed potatoes.

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hoisin beef tacos with sweet & sour slaw

One of the most important aspects of street food is that it has to be easy. Fast and easy.

This idea came from some of my friends who were gushing about a local food truck. I've never eaten at said food truck, but apparently they have a hoisin pork taco topped with an Asian slaw. Sounds easy enough! Since I already had the shredded beef on hand, I went ahead and made it with beef instead of pork (although pork would probably be less expensive and also super tasty).

I went with the most basic of basic Asian slaws out there to make it fast and easy. It's just a little shredded cabbage and carrot with a sweet and sour dressing. If you want to get a little more fancy, you could add green onions, chopped peanuts, and maybe some pineapple or fresh ginger. As it is, though, it's got all of the crunch, sweet, and sour that this taco needs to make you want that second, third... or fourth taco.

Speaking of, I priced these per taco because it's hard to estimate a serving with these. I could eat anywhere from one to three, depending on the situation. So, I'll just let you make that call.

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bbq beef stuffed potatoes

I'm crazy about BBQ sauce, so the first thing I wanted to make with my Multi-Purpose Shredded Beef was something drenched in that sweet, tangy sauce. Sure, I could have just piled the BBQ shredded meat on a bun and called it a day, but these stuffed potatoes are WAY better.

Once you've got the shredded beef made and waiting for you in the freezer, these potatoes are super easy to whip up. I took the long route and baked my potatoes in the oven so that I could have that nice, crispy skin. But, if you want a faster route, you could always microwave the potatoes or even have them cooking in your slow cooker while you're at work. That way, dinner is practically five minutes away once you get home!

These potatoes are absolutely huge, and honestly I'd probably only eat half of one and pair it with some steamed or roasted broccoli to round out the meal. Oh, and if you're not a beef person, this would be equally as amazing and delicious with shredded chicken or pork.

(I only made two potatoes because I knew that's all I'd be able to eat over the next few days, but this recipe easily doubles or triples if needed.)

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multi-purpose shredded beef

Today I made a big batch of shredded beef as a "base recipe" for which I'll provide various uses throughout the next week or two. This is a basic shredded beef with neutral, plain beef flavor, that will have other flavors added to it later on for each recipe. By keeping the flavor plain, I'll be able to use this is Asian recipes, Tex-Mex recipes, or with any other flavor profile.

This is super simple to make and you can do it while you're at work or even while you sleep. The shredded beef can then be frozen and quickly reheated for use in recipes any night of the week. Below I've provided cooking and freezing instructions. Shredded beef like this can be used for basic BBQ sandwiches, burritos, tacos, and more, but I'm going to post a few new ideas over the next week or two. Look for the first recipe using the shredded beef tomorrow!

Recipes Using Multi-Purpose Shredded Beef:

• BBQ Beef Stuffed Potatoes
• Hoisin Beef Tacos with Sweet & Sour Slaw
• Beef Ragout with Mashed Cauliflower
• (not) Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

One word on portions - as with most of my meat recipes, I use meat in small portions combined with vegetables and grains to stretch it out across many servings. I estimate that I'll use 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the shredded beef per serving in the future recipes. I'll be freezing the beef in 2 cup portions, so that I can thaw/reheat one recipe's worth at a time (or 4-6 servings of the beef).

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chunky beef stew

As I was sitting at work last night all hungry and tired, I read an email from Ashlee, a reader who had recently had some out of this world beef stew. She was writing to ask if I had a recipe, which I didn't, but her description of the beef stew that she had tasted made my mouth water, so I knew I had to make some ASAP.

This beef stew knocked my socks off. Okay, so maybe I was really hungry and really in the mood for red meat, but it is still undeniably good. Not to mention, it was seriously easy to make.

I'm a firm believer that any time beef and tomatoes come together, red wine should join the party, but I made this stew sans red wine just to make sure that it would still be delicious for those who didn't want to use wine. I have to say, it was surprisingly good even without the wine, but if you want to use wine, just sub one cup of the beef broth with whatever red wine you have on hand.

My pot made about 8 cups, which could be anywhere from 6-8 servings. In the south we put anything with any sort of gravy over rice, so I suggest stretching this beef stew even further by serving it over some inexpensive rice. You'll get 8 big servings that way.

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joe's special (my way)

This recipe comes courtesy of my dear friend, Ashley. She was looking for something to cook for dinner one night and decided to type the ingredients she had on hand into google (I think it was google) and Joe's Special popped up.

Joe's Special is a recipe created and made famous by a San Francisco restaurant, which basically consists of ground beef, spinach, and eggs. There have been hundreds of variations since, and this is one of them. What makes this version mine? Well, just that I added what I had in my fridge. Primarily feta cheese, which happens to go right along with the spinach and oregano already in the basic recipe. If you don't have feta, no worries, just use parmesan alone and it will still be delish.

I listed the serving size for this recipe as just one cup. Sure, that's kind of small, but I really see this dish as just one part of a breakfast (or lunch, or dinner). Serve it open face over whole grain toast, stuffed inside a pita, and with a piece of fresh fruit on the side for a well rounded meal.


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curry beef with peas

This recipe was born out of a craving for my mom's meat pies, which I haven't had in YEARS (like, 15 at least?). I don't have the recipe, I just remember that it was some sort of ground beef mixture seasoned with curry and stuffed inside of fluffy bread. They were so good that I couldn't pass them up, even on the day that I had my wisdom teeth surgically removed... "I'll just chew with my front teeth," I told myself. That didn't work so well.

So, I planned to create something similar except stuff the yummy beef filling inside of pie crust as sort of an empanada type thing, but then I realized that was way more work than I was willing to commit to today. Instead, I realized that this beef mixture would be great just served over rice or stuffed into a piece of naan, almost like an Indian taco. Yum. Anyway, I didn't include the rice in the price break down because you don't necessarily have to eat it that way. That's just one option.

To keep costs low, I "beefed up" the beef by adding potatoes and green peas. I always try to bulk up beef, which means not only cutting the cost but adding fiber and other nutrients. WIN.

Because I'm a spicy kinda person, I like this with a little chili garlic paste or sambal on top. But that's just me.


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taco stuffed shells

But Mom! Everyone else is doing it!

I don't know who the first person was to stuff pasta shells with taco fillings, but it's definitely a good idea. I kept seeing taco shells around the internet, so I had to make some, Budget Bytes style.

I made this recipe affordable by using homemade enchilada sauce (takes less than ten minutes), homemade taco seasoning (takes about two minutes), and beans cooked from dry in my slow cooker (cooked ahead of time and kept in the freezer until used). It took a little thinking ahead, but it definitely saved some bucks.

This recipe ended up being a little more work than I anticipated and I dirtied more dishes than I like to, but in the end it was well worth it. It made a HUGE batch of ten large servings, nearly all of which went into my freezer. I've been eating these amazing shells for almost a week now and have yet to get tired of them!

I didn't realize that the ground beef I bought was in a 1.5 lb. package instead of just one pound, so thats part of why it made so much. You could also do this with just beans and no meat if you want it even less expensive!

I paired this with some cilantro lime rice and I was a happy, happy girl.

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chili cheese beef n mac

WARNING: Comfort food ahead! This dish contains pasta, beef, and cheese. It's hearty and delicious. Proceed at your own risk! ;)

Say you grew up on Hamburger Helper (no shame), but now that you're an adult and all classy and stuff, you just can't bring yourself to buy one of those cardboard boxes with the mystery powdered cheese sauce. THIS recipe is your grown up "I actually know how to cook now" substitute!

This recipe is still really easy, really fast, and only requires one pot. Like Hamburger Helper, it's hearty and rich, so I would suggest serving it with a sizable side of something green. I'm going for some simple steamed broccoli with just a pinch of salt and pepper. Broccoli pairs famously with both beef and cheese, so it's a natural.

If this recipe is still too rich and cheesy for your tastes, stay tuned. I'm sure that by the weekend I'll be in the mood for something super light, fresh, and uber healthy! It's the yin and the yang y'all!

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balsamic beef kebabs

I love kebabs. They're fresh, filling, and super easy. ...and to me they say "SUMMER!"

The cost per serving for this recipe is almost double than most my recipes, but when I stop to think about how much this would cost in a restaurant, I'm very, very happy. It might not be an every night splurge, but it's very worth it for a Friday date night or lazy Sunday afternoon with the fam. Also, I served my kebabs over rice, but didn't include that in the price because you could serve these with any number of sides (pasta salad, garden salad, rice pilafs, fresh rolls... many options).

Kebabs are definitely best on the grill, but I, like many people, don't have a grill. So, I cooked these kebabs under my broiler. Broilers are very similar to grills in that they cook food via direct heat at a close range. I have a gas stove, so my broiler is even closer to a grill because there is an open flame. Every oven is different and when cooking hot and fast (as with a broiler), you'll really need to just test out the cook time with your particular oven. In other words: keep an eye on it! Mine took about 5-7 minutes on each side at a distance of about 4-5 inches from the heat source.

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shredded taco beef

So, my appetite has been pretty wonky lately and all I've wanted to eat is burritos. I love a good burrito. I mean I LOVE them... and it's all to easy to waltz right down to the nearest burrito joint and pay $6-$8 for a super fancy burrito... and then another couple bucks for some chips and salsa... and then, you might as well get a margarita while you're there... and so the story goes. Before you know it, you're out $20 for one meal and you've just eaten way, way too much. Not good.

So, this weekend I decided to stock my freezer with some freezer burritos. Except this time, I wanted some shredded beef in there. So, Friday night I filled my slow cooker with some pinto beans and turned them into (not) refried beans the next morning. Then, the next night I tossed a big beef roast into the slow cooker with some spices and the next morning I had some incredible shredded taco beef for the burritos!

This taco seasoned shredded beef is seriously easy and you can put it on tacos, burritos, nachos, or just eat it bowl style like the taco chicken bowls that we all love so much! Who can resist slow cooked meat seasoned with taco spices? Not me, not me.

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moroccan beef stew

Why am I making stews in the middle of summer? I don't know. It just sounded tasty... and making hot food in the middle of summer never really bothered me much. So, if it's just too hot for you to even utter the word "stew," you'll just have to keep this one bookmarked for later this year!

While perusing through some recipes the other day, I found this recipe and my mouth started watering. I hadn't cooked red meat in a while so I decided to give it a shot... with my alterations, of course! Despite making some budget/availability cuts to the ingredients list, this is still one of the most expensive dishes I've ever made for the blog. But, beef is expensive pretty much any way you cut it. Well, the dried fruit and wine didn't help the price either. Save this one for special occasions!

Oh, and I cooked it on the stove top rather than in a slow cooker. Read the original recipe for the slow cooker option.

If you're not familiar with Moroccan style flavors, this stew is slightly sweet, slightly spicy, and very savory. Most americans are used to cinnamon and allspice used in sweet dishes but they swing both ways. Really! You might be a little leery of the dried fruit with the beef, but it works. I promise. Traditionally this is probably served over couscous but I used jasmine rice. I've got another couscous recipe this week and I didn't want to over do it.

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sloppy joe's plus

"Plus? What is this "plus" business?" ... I can hear it now. Well, the "plus" is LENTILS! *crowd cheers* Yes, I added lentils to my sloppy joe's for added fiber and to bulk it up a bit without bulking up the price.

I know, the idea of adding lentils to sloppy joe's is going to frighten some of you to death... If you want regular old, American sloppy joe's, just make the recipe as directed but skip adding the lentils in the last step. Without the lentils this is a very good, classic sloppy joe recipe. ...but I gotta tell ya, it's yummy with lentils. They add a nice texture and almost disappear visually (see photos below). Live on the edge, give lentils a shot.

If you don't want to do lentils, you could try stirring in a can of red beans, kidney beans, or even pinto beans.

BTW, this recipe is super quick and easy so it's a real winner for beginners!


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beef fajitas

I really went through a lot to make these fajitas. Not because they're difficult but because I could NOT seem to get the ingredients that I wanted. Apparently, this is not fajita season.

My first choice for fajitas would have been flank steak, cooked on a grill 'till medium-rare then sliced nice and thin (oooh-yeah). Well, the first store that I went to was selling flank steak for $9/lb. and noo sir, that just won't work with my budget. The second store that I went to didn't even have flank steak. So, it was either make chicken fajitas or use some pre-sliced beef stir fry meat. I was really craving beef so I went with the stir fry meat. Get flank steak if you can.

The first store that I went to was also out of cilantro. Weird, huh? Well, the second store that I went to had cilantro (half wilted at that) but was out of limes!! I don't know what was going on but I really REALLY wanted fajitas so I just bought some lime juice instead. Get fresh limes if you can so that you can add the zest to the marinade and squeeze some fresh juice over your fajita just prior to eating.

Sometimes cooking on a budget means compromise.

Anyway, these fajitas are a super quick and delicious answer to week night dinners. Take five minutes out the night before to get the meat marinating then you can cook them up in about 30 minutes the next day.


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pasta bolognese

I can always tell when my body needs iron because I get some serious cravings for a big juicy hamburger. Of course, my body could just be craving some saturated fat, but we'll go with the iron thing.

Instead of running out to the closest burger joint, I decided to make a good, rich, meaty pasta bolognese. Bolognese sauce is often misinterpreted as a red sauce with meat when, in fact, meat is the star of the show in bolognese sauce. Tomatoes, on the other hand, are more like... well... the stage hand. A little bit of tomato paste is used, but usually not even enough to turn the sauce bright red. Instead, the tomato just helps build the incredible, beefy gravy. If you really like tomatoes, you can add a can of diced tomatoes to get that traditional "red sauce" feel. Plus it will stretch the meat further and give you more servings per recipe. I'm pretty tomato obsessed so, admittingly, I'll probably add some next time.

The recipe calls for red wine so if you don't have any reserved in your freezer, open up a bottle of vino and hang out with your sweetheart as you put the sauce together. It needs to simmer for an hour so that's just enough time to snack on some cheese and crackers and finish off that bottle! That, my friends, is how you do date night in.


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beef & barley soup $13.81 recipe / $1.73 serving

Ahhh... The perfect soul-warming soup. Hearty and delicious, this hodgepodge of meat, vegetables and grains will keep you going through those dark, dreary days of winter (does it really have to start getting dark at 3pm??).

I based this recipe off of Beef, Barley & Mushroom Soup from Hungry cravings but made some changes as usual. I reduced the amount of meat (beef is super expensive), barley and broth. My batch of soup was still huge so I can't imagine how much that recipe made with it's THREE QUARTS of broth... wow. Anyway, I also added some potatoes because I had them laying around.

In the future I'll make these changes:

1. leave out the wine - it didn't make the huge flavor impact like it does in the Goulash and it adds quite a bit to the recipe cost
2. cut my potatoes smaller - they barely fit on the spoon and were hardly bite-sized.
3. spring for a better quality beef broth. I used the cheap stuff but for about $1.50 more I could have gotten a much richer and flavorful end product.
4. Perhaps add a thickening agent to make this more of a stew than soup... just for mouthfeel, the soup is already super hearty.

Even the way it was, the soup was WAY better than what you can get in a can... and about the same price.


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goulash

I was all set and ready to make another lentil dish when I saw this recipe and was hit with a serious craving for Goulash. I know goulash is exactly the type of basic "recipe-rut" dish that a lot of you are trying to steer away from but you gotta give this one a chance. Goulash is one of those dishes that if it's done right, its really right but if it's done wrong (hamburger helper anyone?) then it's really really wrong. Well, Mehan's recipe is oh so right. The red wine sauce is deep and rich and the soy sauce adds an interesting twist. You won't be disappointed. It's delicious, satisfying and inexpensive. This goulash fits Budget Bytes to a T.

I made only a couple small alterations to the recipe this time because the original was just that good. I used two green bell peppers instead of one red and reduced the wine to 1/2 cup, both in the name of cost reduction. I upped the diced tomatoes and sauce because I'm a tomato fiend. The rest is just as it's written.

Oh, and here is my disclaimer: Goulash is one of those dishes that is different in just about every country that it's made even though they all use the same name. So, before you email me with disgust at how this is NOT goulash, just know that "goulash" takes many forms. Thank you, the end.

(but I really do love every single email that I get, good, bad or ugly!)

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cincinnati chili

Cincinnati Chili is one of those dishes that sparks great debates, great HEATED debates over what is authentic and what is not. I'm not from Cincinnati so I'm not going to claim that this recipe is authentic. All I know is that it's not regular chili because it has chocolate and cinnamon in it and it's served over pasta... but it's not just spaghetti and meat sauce because it has chili powder, beans and (again) chocolate and cinnamon.

Sounds like a strange combination, right? Well, it is. It seems like people either love it or hate it so if you're not sure, wait until you're in one of those adventurous cooking moods to try this one. I love it. I can't get enough of it, as a matter of fact. The chocolate gives the sauce such a rich, savory, earthy and utterly unique flavor profile. Pairing chocolate and chili is an old flavor combination that dates back to Mayan civilization and it makes another slam dunk in this recipe. Cincinnati Chili is traditionally served over thin spaghetti (which provides and amazingly satisfying texture/mouth feel) and topped with shredded cheddar cheese and diced yellow onion. It is only fair to say that this recipe is not even the same if not served with all three of those elements.

After doing recipe research for this dish, I finally settled on this one from allrecipes.com because it seemed most similar to what I had tasted before (and loved). Of course, I made a few changes to meet my taste buds and pantry inventory. Overall, this recipe came together quickly and effortlessly and there was plenty for me to freeze for later!


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taco soup

It's time for one of those quick-fix, week night dinner ideas that come together in about thirty minutes. It seems like I've been making a lot of complicated items lately, mostly due to my need for a challenge. But, sometimes even I get tired and just need something quick, delicious and (of course) inexpensive. I was first introduced to this recipe by my former roommate, Ashley waaaay back in 2005. Since becoming an avid "reader" of Tastespotting.com I realized that this is one of those tried and true recipes that has made its way around the country and into most American kitchens. Upon first glance this recipe may seem a little domestic with all of its canned ingredients but if you spruce it up with some fresh cilantro and add a couple garnishes it can end up looking fairly classy. I like to use tortilla chips with this soup as you would oyster crackers with other soups. Also try garnishing with a dollop of sour cream or a sprinkle of cheddar cheese!


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