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This Beef Taco Rice Meal in a Jar is a family favorite around our house!\u00a0 The kids love the flavor.\u00a0 I love that it is super easy to make!\u00a0 I also like that it is so versatile.\u00a0 It is great for a main course, but it also makes a great side dish, or a filling for burritos or enchiladas!\u00a0 And yes, you could make this up and use it in burritos or enchiladas as a freezer meal<\/em> – um, how cool is that?!?<\/p>\n The recipe is adapted from one that I got from Chef Tess Bakeresse<\/a>. \u00a0(The recipe used to be posted on her blog, but is no longer available.)\u00a0 I have modified it to\u00a0 fit my personal preferences and my family’s tastes.<\/p>\n As with other meal in a jar recipes, this Beef Taco Rice Meal in a Jar contains all the ingredients (except water, of course) needed for the meal in dried format.\u00a0 That means the meal is shelf stable for up to ten years.\u00a0 And it’s ready to go when needed.\u00a0 You just need to add water and cook.\u00a0 It makes a great addition to food storage, and can also work well for camping or hiking activities!\u00a0 It also makes a very thoughtful and useful neighbor gift!!<\/p>\n If you’d like to give this meal in a jar as a gift, be sure to grab the gift tag cut files from my friend Amy at The Happy Scraps<\/a> – she did such an amazing job designing the labels and gift tags for this project!<\/p>\n As long as they are stored properly and the seals stay holding, these jars are shelf-stable for up to 10 years!\u00a0 I’m hoping they won’t need to last that long because they’ll be irresistible and you’ll want to eat them long before that.\u00a0 But if not, and you do choose to leave them all lonely and unloved on the shelf, at least you know that they’ve got your back for several years.<\/p>\n Yes!\u00a0 Because it is real meat and due to the complicated nature of the freeze-drying process, freeze-dried meats are not cheap!\u00a0 If you are needing to stay on a budget for these, you can substitute a vegetarian meat substitute known as TVP, or “textured vegetable protein”.\u00a0 It is soy-based, and made to have a similar taste and texture to the “real” stuff.\u00a0 For this recipe, if you decide to use TVP, I recommend using Taco Flavored TVP<\/a> for better flavor.\u00a0 I have made the recipe with TVP before, and it tastes just fine.\u00a0 Unfortunately, I can no longer tolerate soy in my diet (thanks to an allergy), so I have to stick with the real (aka “expensive”) stuff.<\/p>\n Update for 2020:<\/strong> As the pandemic has progressed, it has become increasing more difficult to find freeze-dried items, especially freeze-dried meats.\u00a0 And if you are lucky enough to find some, it is often marked up beyond belief.\u00a0 SO, for right now, I DO NOT RECOMMEND using freeze-dried beef in this recipe unless you can find it at a reasonable price and have the budget for it.\u00a0 A great alternative is to use the TVP option above OR make the meal as written, but leave out the ground beef all together.\u00a0 Then, purchase some canned shredded beef<\/a><\/em> online or at a warehouse such as Costco (although I haven’t seen any at Costco for quite some time now)(, or even can your own, and store that or gift that together with the jarred meal.\u00a0 You can even make the meal without any meat and then add fresh browned ground beef when you make the meal.\u00a0 You could also easily swap out beef for chicken in this recipe, and use canned chicken from online<\/a>, or from Sam’s Club<\/a> or Costco<\/a>, or even chicken you can yourself<\/a>, to be stored together with the jarred meal and then added at the time of cooking.<\/em><\/p>\n Stovetop Instructions:<\/strong> To make the meal, remove the ring and gently pry off the sealed lid.\u00a0 In large pot or dutch oven, bring 5 1\/2 cups of water to boil.\u00a0 Carefully pour in contents of jar (minus oxygen packet if present).\u00a0 Cover, reduce heat, and simmer on low for 30 minutes until tender.<\/p>\n Instant Pot \/ Pressure Cooker Instructions:<\/strong> I have not attempted this meal in a pressure cooker – yet… Theoretically it is possible.\u00a0 I will do more testing and let you know what I find!\u00a0 But for right now, go with the stovetop instructions.<\/p>\n If you’re looking for other great meal in a jar recipes, be sure to check out these others from the blog:<\/p>\n![\"Shot](\"https:\/\/www.makeaheadmealmom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/BeffTacoRiceMealInAJar_Final_compressed.jpg\")
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<\/p>\nHow to Make Beef Taco Rice Meal in a Jar<\/h2>\n
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Labels and Tags<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nQuestions and Substitutions<\/h2>\n
How long are these Beef Taco Rice Meal in a Jar meals good for?<\/h3>\n
Freeze-dried meat is so expensive, can I substitute something else?<\/h3>\n
How do I make the Beef Taco Rice Meal in a Jar to eat?<\/h3>\n
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