Quick Recipe: A Big Batch Ground Beef and Turkey Go-to Meal

Here's a big batch go-to meal that makes you wonder why you'd ever need takeout again.

Ground beef and turkey—half and half—cooked up with greens, onions, and other veggies, delivers a flavor that's hard to beat. It's a super-simple, high-protein, ridiculously delicious dish that hits the gastronomic spot every time.

Just remember to use grass-fed ground beef when you can - it has much healthier fats, and won't fire up that ol' inflammation response. The grain-fed stuff (i.e., regular ground beef) is an inflammation bomb.

You can even just do this with ground turkey if you're moving away from beef...or if the price of beef is insane to you as it is to me.

Here's the best part: You can have it ready in just 15 minutes. Eat it with brown rice or rice pilaf, quinoa, or potatoes, and a side of green beans (or any steamed/roasted veggie).

It's fast, easy, fulfilling...everything a weeknight dinner should be.

Tools You'll Want to Use

You CAN do this recipe just fine with traditional tools - a sharp knife, a cutting board, and a cast iron skillet. But you probably can't do it in 15 minutes...more like 30-45.

You can massively speed up the process and reduce your workload with a couple of tools...tools you'll use for all kinds of other recipes on the FUEL Body + Mind System...so you might as well go ahead and get them.

There are three: A veggie chopper, an 8-quart Instant Pot (don't get the 6 quart, unless it's your backup...too small long-term), and 1-cup sized silicone freezer molds.*

For all three, you're looking at about a $150 total investment...which is the equivalent of two people getting take-out maybe three times.

One batch of this will make enough food to pay back that investment...and you'll want a LOT more than one batch of this!

Big Batching It

This recipe freezes exceptionally well. If you're doing the work to make one meal, you might as well make five, right? So, make a lot of this, and then freeze serving-sized portions for later.

Souper Cubes are awesome...and no contamination of your food with plastic chemicals or microparticles.

Do yourself a favor and order a couple of these 1-cup-sized silicone freezer molds (plastic is bad, silicone is good), not just for this recipe, but for loads of others you'll be making on the FUEL System.

After you eat, load the leftovers into your molds. They'll last a couple of months in the freezer, and then you can pop one out and microwave it for a quick meal or to take for lunch, and leave the rest in the freezer.

The Prep: Using the Veggie Chopper

Get a large bowl ready. Get your knife and cutting board ready. Put your veggie chopper on the left side of the cutting board (if you're right-handed). This is the one we highly recommend, it's the best size and durability for the money.

I've tried'em all. This version of the Fullstar Veggie Chopper is the sturdiest, easiest to clean, and has the largest blade surface. It's the one you want!

Now: Take your veggies (wash them first), and cut them into strips that'll fit onto your veggie chopper blades. Run them through one strip at a time, emptying the chopper into the bowl when it's about half full.

Use two bowls if you're chopping veggies that need to be cooked for different lengths of time. For instance, if you're using mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, and carrots, you'll want to sauté the onions and mushrooms first, then add the peppers and carrots.

Using the Instant Pot

Put the Instant Pot on "Sauté" mode, and drizzle olive oil just enough to coat the bottom (if you're tracking calories, measure it out so you know how much oil is in each serving).

The Instant Pot Sauté mode gets hot...so make sure you stir your veggies regularly. Also, they finish quickly...probably faster than you're used to when you sauté on the stovetop. Make sure you don't burn them!

Get the 8-quart version of the Instant Pot - the 6-quart is just slightly too small to make enough leftovers.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 pound ground turkey

• 1 large onion, diced

• 4-6 cups mixed greens (spinach, kale, or whatever you've got on hand); NOTE: chop finely in the food processor if you don't want large chunks in the finished meal. You won't even know it's in there if you chop the greens. Both ways are good.

• 1 bell pepper, chopped

• 1 cup broccoli florets

• Literally any other veggie you want, sky's the limit. Try frozen peas, celery, cauliflower, etc.

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon onion powder

• Any herbs you might want:  Everything works here...just depends on your mood and what you like. About a tablespoon of dry herbs, but there's no "rule" on how much to add - just eyeball, taste, and adjust if you want more.

• You can also add things like curry, smoked paprika, or chili powders. Again, no rules on how much...add as much or as little as you like.

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Olive oil for cooking

Instructions (Instant Pot Version)

1. Set the Instant Pot to "Sauté" mode and add a drizzle of olive oil to coat the bottom.

2. Add the ground beef and turkey, breaking it apart as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper. You can start it from frozen - just scrape it down from the bottom as it thaws.

3. Once the meat is thawed, add in the diced onion, garlic, and any herbs or seasoning you want to use. If you're using defrosted meat, you can just add the meat and onion/bell pepper/garlic/herbs/spices all at once.

4. Cook until the meat is cooked through and the veggies start to soften, stirring regularly, about 5 minutes.

5. If you're going to chop your greens, run them through the food processor as the meat browns. Add in greens and optional broccoli florets, cooking until the greens wilt down and everything is well combined.

6. Taste it before adding any salt. As your tastes adjust, your tolerance for salt goes way down...so wait till the end to add salt! 

7. Serve hot with rice or quinoa, and a side of green beans for an easy, balanced meal.

Instructions (Stovetop Version)

1. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil.

2. Add the ground beef and turkey, breaking it apart as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Once the meat is browned, add in the diced onion, garlic, bell pepper, and herbs/spices. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the veggies start to soften.

4. Stir in the mixed greens and optional broccoli florets, cooking until the greens wilt down and everything is well combined. 

5. Taste and adjust for salt and seasonings.

6. Serve hot with rice or quinoa, and a side of green beans for an easy, balanced meal.

This quick stir-fry packs all the flavor without the fuss. It’s one of those meals you’ll keep coming back to, not just because it's so easy, but because it's just that good.

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