Finding new things to make with ground beef is becoming tougher and tougher.  I am substituting it in as many dishes as I can.  I found a great sale this week on lean ground beef for $2.87 a pound.  I bought every package I could find.  I hate paying over $3.00 a pound for meat so we eat quite a bit of pork and chicken.  But when I see beef, even ground beef, on sale like this I buy it in bulk.

My freezer in the basement is my saving grace.  I buy 10-20 pounds of meat when it is on sale.  When chicken breasts are below $1.99 a pound or pork steaks are $2.49 or below I buy in bulk.  Those Easter Hams or Thanksgiving Turkeys that are on sale?  I buy 2 or 3 to use during the year.  It is possible to save money but it takes planning.  Also, you need to commit to using what you buy or else it is just money wasted.

We only eat dinner out once or twice a month because we have found most of the dishes are better at home.  Except pizza.  Just can’t get that one down, yet…

But, I digress….

Verdict:

We LOVED this dish.  It was spicy and sweet.  It was delicious.  There was not a bite left at the end of dinner.  I made this extra saucy as that is what my family prefers.  If you do not like as much sauce cut all ingredients except the meat in half.

For my mostly gluten-free son I use gluten-free soy sauce regularly for all of us so I made the meat mixture for everyone and I serve his over rice noodles instead of soba noodles.

I served this with a side of broccoli and carrots.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 5 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger (or to taste)
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 4 TBSP sesame oil
• black pepper
• red pepper flakes
• chow mein or rice noodles, cooked according to package directions

Directions:

1. Add 2 TBSP of sesame oil to a large skillet over medium heat.  Brown ground beef in the sesame oil.  Break the ground beef up into small pieces with the side of the spoon as it browns.
2. Drain off excess fat from the pan and add the onion and garlic to the pan with the meat.  Cook until onions start to turn translucent.
3. Add 2 TBSP sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, black pepper and red pepper to pan except noodles.  Taste and adjust levels of ginger, red pepper flakes and black pepper to your liking.
4. Heat through.  Serve over noodles.