Freezer-Friendly Beef Keema with Peas

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A big pot of spiced ground beef simmered with tomatoes and green peas, built specifically to survive the freezer: no cream, no yogurt, nothing that can split or weep. Cook it once on Sunday, flatten it into bags, and you have four dinners that reheat straight from frozen in about 15 minutes. Serve over rice or scooped into warm naan.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 2 lb ground beef (85% lean)
• 1 14.5-oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 2 tsp salt

• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp garam masala

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, 8-10 minutes until soft and browned at the edges. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute more.
2. Add the ground beef and 1 tsp of the salt. Break it up with a wooden spoon and cook 8-10 minutes over medium-high, until no pink remains and the liquid the meat releases has fully cooked off and the beef starts to sizzle and brown.
3. Push the meat to one side and spoon off all but about 2 tablespoons of fat (excess fat separates unpleasantly after freezing). Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric and 1 tsp garam masala and stir into the meat for 45 seconds, until fragrant.
4. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and 3/4 cup water. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover partly, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and glossy with no watery pool at the edge of the pan.
5. Stir in the frozen peas, the remaining 1 tsp garam masala and the remaining 1 tsp salt. Cook uncovered 4 minutes, just until the peas are hot and bright. Taste and add salt if needed. Serve now with rice or naan, or cool for the freezer.
6. To freeze: spread the keema on a sheet pan and let it cool to room temperature within 1 hour, then divide into 2-cup portions in zip-top freezer bags. Press flat, seal out the air, label with the date, and freeze up to 3 months.
7. To reheat from frozen: drop the frozen block into a skillet with 3 tablespoons water, cover, and set over medium-low for 12-15 minutes, breaking it up and stirring every few minutes until steaming throughout. Or microwave a frozen portion covered on high for 6-8 minutes, stirring twice. Finish with a squeeze of lemon or a pinch of garam masala to wake it up.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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