Beyond the burger: How else can I use pre-made beef patties?

I have a monthly meat CSA and I get a few pre-formed ground beef patties every so often. The don't make great burgers; they turn out dry and flavorless. What ideas do you have to use the beef other than in a burger?

Elizabeth
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13 Comments

Kristen W. October 15, 2015
I just made a Julie Sahni recipe that calls for 1 lb of lean ground beef (or lamb). You cook it with lots of onion, garlic, and ginger, sprinkle it with a little turmeric, add 1/4 cup water, then simmer it until all the liquid is cooked off. Take it off the heat add a tablespoon or two of garam masala, cilantro, and I think lemon juice (doing this from memory), use to stuff any veg you like to stuff. Or, if you use it as a main, leave it a little wet and serve with a vegetable side and naan or rice.
 
sexyLAMBCHOPx October 14, 2015
Feeling like playing with your beef. There is a restaurant in my town that serves a burger called PEREMECH. Here's the description:
Tut’s favorite spiced ground beef flavored with bouillon, sour cream, soy sauce, and sautéed onion all wrapped in pastry. There's an opening on the top to pour in the hot bouillon and sour cream. So good - a meat pie with its origin in Tatar. Recipes online.
 
Elizabeth October 14, 2015
Sounds good, thanks for the suggestion!
 
Michelle October 14, 2015
Maybe you could save up the patties in the freezer until you have enough to make a vat of sauce for lasagne bolognese. I would up the pork content by 50% to make up for the lean beef. Freeze the sauce into containers just the right size for each lasagne. Then all you have to do is make the noodles and the bechamel. I do so recommend Deborah Madison's bechamel in her "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone." Oh my...

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/lasagne-bolognese-51193620
 
Elizabeth October 14, 2015
Thanks! I also love Deborah Madison's béchamel... great way to use it!
 
Niknud October 14, 2015
We have this happen sometimes with the half a cow we get each year (although we don't get the pre-made patties). One thing we do that helps a lot is to incorporate bacon fat into the patties and if you don't have any laying about you can always cook up some bacon and then use it for topping. If you are looking to stray from the burger usage I second all the other ideas that folks mention here - I'd add on a taco casserole which could also help with the low fat content.
 
Elizabeth October 14, 2015
Thanks! This month I also received some pork belly so maybe I'll have to experiment with homemade bacon! :)
 
HalfPint October 14, 2015
Salisbury Steak: cook in a beef gravy?
 
702551 October 14, 2015
I suggest you purchase other ground meats (pork, lamb, etc.) from your favorite grocery store and mix them with your CSA patties to make meatballs or meatloaf.

Of course, you could simply crumble the pre-formed patties and use in any other preparation that calls for ground beef.

Good luck.
 
Elizabeth October 14, 2015
Great suggestion about adding other meats, thanks!
 
Susan W. October 14, 2015
Sounds like it's from grass fed beef. It's too lean to make a great burger. Add butter or ghee and reform the patties. I would go beyond the patties and use them for other fun recipes. Taco salads, bibimbap, banh mi burgers, Bolognese. With such high quality beef, the sky's the limit.
 
Nancy October 14, 2015
Following Susan W idea - most cuisines (except a few w/o grasslands or with religious restrictions) have great beef stews. Think both ground beef and diced or chunk beef called for in recipes, then cook the recipes. French daube with wine, Indian stew with curry paste or garam masala, Moroccan tagine with couscous, sauteed almonds & squash on the side. The world is your palate.
 
Elizabeth October 14, 2015
I didn't even think about the leanness of the meat, it makes perfect sense! These are great ideas, thanks for sharing.
 
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