Oh man, freezer meals are the best!
I got the tip to make them when I was pregnant with Henry and I was so incredibly grateful for them after he was born and I was trying to adjust to new mom life. I also whipped up a bunch when I was newly pregnant with Rose because once my morning sickness sets in I'm kind of useless for 3 months but still wanted to be able to feed my family. And then they came in handy again after she was born. So basically freezer meals have saved my family's lives multiple times so that we didn't die of starvation or a lack of nutrition. 😂
Before I get to the recipes, I wanted to share a few random tips in regard to freezer meals that I've learned as I've experimented with quite a few different recipes! If you don't care, skip right on down to the recipes! :)👇🏻
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1- Be wary of new or untried freezer recipes
Oh man, we've had a few odd ball freezer meals that thawed out and and had a whacked out consistency that made them hard to eat - mostly with certain soup recipes. I don't want to freak you out from trying new recipes of course, but I do suggest you make freezer meals that someone has actually tried and shared with you (like all of the ones I'll post here- they are tried and true!) or ones that have reviews on them.
2- Cook the same ingredient all at once
Assembling freezer meals goes much faster if you combine cooking meats/pastas etc. If you are cooking 5 different meals that all require 1 lb of ground beef, cook it all together! It's a big project at first but saves you time overall and you get more meals from your efforts. I cook my ground beef, chicken, pasta noodles and grilled onions all in one go and then it makes it SO easy to assemble. When you go to divide it all up for each separate recipe, don't over stress about it being the perfect amount of beef etc for each recipe. Eye ball it and figure it out as you go, it will work out I promise! The prep will feel like it's taking forever but then assembling is a matter of minutes and makes it so worth it. (By the way- when I prepare my shredded chicken, I plop all of the chicken breasts I'll need for however many different meals in the crock pot with some chicken broth and once it's cooked (like 6-8 hours later), I shred it all in one go and then separate it into different bags per the recipe it's needed for and refrigerate it to finish assembling the meals for the following day.)
3- Depending on how many you make, this will take a few days, and that's okay!
When I made freezer meals while pregnant with Henry, I really thought I could make all 20 meals in one day. I think I did finish them in one day, but it was like 10 hours of non stop being on my feet all day which was HARD at 36 weeks of pregnancy. I remember crying a lot at some point and felt like I had to finish because I had already started so many and didn't want to waste food. So, my advice is be realistic and don't overdue it. Split it up. Take breaks. I've had to realize I can do even less at a time if my kids are awake as well. All that matters is that you make a few steps of progress at a time! Rome wasn't built in a day! 😉
4- Make as many as you can, you will always wish you had more!
Pretty much every time we run out of freezer meals I feel this terrible dread of having to make dinner every day again, especially after having a new baby. With Henry I made 20, and with Rose I did 24 and remember being really happy with that amount overall. You definitely don't have to make that much, but if you can get through it, do it! Make as many as you have room for! (Of course keep in mind that each meal only lasts so long in the freezer. Here is a great site for reference.)
5- If doing multiple all-day-Freezer-Meal-making days feels overwhelming, do baby steps
My friend Megan is the freezer meal queen, and one of her tips is to just make double meals every time you make dinner, and then set aside one to freeze. Pretty ingenius and probably only adds 5-10 minutes to the time you're already giving to make dinner for the day!
6- Buy disposable casserole pans
You don't want your main cooking dishes to be out of commission for over a month, plus who wants to do dishes after dinner? No one! Disposable pans all the way- they are awesome.
7- Double wrap and double bag!
When it comes to packaging up the freezer dinners, don't be content with just one layer of tinfoil on top. Double or triple up! Wrap those babies super thoroughly. (Also PS, those plastic lids that come with the disposal pans are a joke. Don't use them, they just keep popping off and hardly add any protection to your food.) Same with meals that go in plastic freezer bags. Make sure you buy the heavy duty plastic bags for the freezer and then double or triple up! This helps protect your freezer from any leaking that might happen before they freeze as well as it keeps out the freezer burn for longer.
Double bagged beauties :)
8- Set aside ingredients in piles based on each recipe
I always order my freezer meal ingredients all together which can be a little crazy, but it's nice to get it done in one go. After I have them and am ready to start cooking, I move the ingredients for each recipe into their own little pile. It only adds 5 minutes and helps omit some of the confusion that can happen when trying to make 10 different meals at the same time.
9- Read the WHOLE recipe for every meal before you start cooking
Don't just skim. Read them well beforehand so you have a good general idea of what you need to do for each one. I made a lot of mistakes (mixing up ingredients, forgetting ingredients, leaving out important steps) when I made them with Henry but making them for this third baby was a much smoother experience because I knew the recipes fairly well at that point and knew what I was doing. It also helped that I took my time and made sure I was doing it right the first time (which actually saves you time in the end!)
10- Write the cooking directions on the meal before you freeze
I didn't do this step with Henry which just meant I had to look up each recipe when I went to cook it which was just a lame extra step. Some of them are pretty self explanatory but for some it's really helpful to write down the oven temp and time amount!
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Okay, phew! If you made it through that, you're awesome! Here are the recipes! You can find a bajillion others on Pinterest, but these are our family's favorites, divided up into several different categories. :) I'm posting them in full length here as well as the link to where I found them. (PS- you'll find that we really like chicken. ha!)
Recipes WITH Chicken
Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
Recipe found here.
Ingredients
3 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup green salsa
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
2 cup shredded cooked chicken (for extra yumminess, use grilled taco chicken!)
1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
small corn or flour tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray
Directions
Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.
You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.
If using corn tortillas place 6-8 at a time on a baking sheet and place in oven for a few minutes until soft. (Or microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel for 30 seconds.)
Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can.
Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.
Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.
Make Ahead: To make dinnertime assembly a breeze, prepare filling up to 2 days ahead of time and store in the fridge in an airtight container.
Freezer Instructions: Place unbaked taquitos in a single layer of a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 2 hours or until frozen enough to hold their shape. Pack in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. To bake, follow the same instructions, extending the baking time by 10 minutes.
*When I freeze these, I bake the taquitos, then freeze them so my husband can just warm it up at the microwave at work.
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Freezer Chicken Enchiladas
Recipe found here.
Makes enough for 20 enchiladas
Meat Mixture:
- 3 T. cooking oil
- 3 small onions — chopped
- 2 4oz. cans chopped green chilies
- 5 c. cooked & shredded chicken or turkey
- 3 pkg. taco seasoning mix
- 2 c. water
Cottage Cheese Mixture:
- 3 c. cottage cheese
- 1 c. sour cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Other Ingredients:
- 20 8″ tortillas
- 3 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese — divided
- 4 10 oz. cans red enchilada sauce (or you can make your own)
DIRECTIONS:
I make ALL the enchiladas up at one time.
For the Meat:
- In a large skillet, heat oil; saute onions and chilies until onions are cooked. {about 5 minutes}
- Add chicken, taco seasoning, and water; simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Set aside.
For the Cheese:
- In a medium bowl, mix cottage cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper.
- Set aside.
- Measure out 2 c. of the shredded cheese {you’ll use the other 1 c. for a topping}
Assembly:
- Heat tortillas until soft {I just wrap them in a damp paper towel and nuke them in the microwave for a few seconds}
- Spoon about 4 T. of the meat onto each tortilla.
- Spoon about 3 T. of the cottage cheese mixture onto the meat mixture.
- Top with 1 heaping Tablespoon of shredded cheese.
- Roll up the tortilla and place in a covered baking dish.
That’s it…you’re finished {for now}!
Simply cover your baking dishes, label them, and put them in the freezer.
I like using glass baking dishes with tight-fitting lids so my food doesn’t get freezer-burn or spill. I also like preparing several different size dishes so I can easily adapt our meal for large or small groups. {I often use these meals when I bring food to people from our church, new moms, or someone who is unable to cook — so it’s nice to have different sizes}
Directions for Baking Day:
Now comes the easy part!
- Pull out a pan of enchiladas in the morning {it doesn’t matter if they are completely defrosted}
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Pour a can of enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas.
- Sprinkle a generous amount of shredded cheese over the sauce.
- Bake, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes {depending on how frozen they still are}
- Enjoy!
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Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Recipe found here.
Ingredients
· 8 ounces of Pasta (use whatever you have on hand)
· 1 Jar of Alfredo Sauce
· 3 Baked and cup up Chicken Breasts
· 2 teaspoons Garlic Salt
· 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
· 1 Cup Shredded Cheese
Instructions
Step 1 – Bake your chicken breasts and cut into bite sized pieces
Step 2 – While the chicken is baking, boil a pot of water to cook the pasta until it is a little under done
Step 3 – Mix the chicken, pasta, Alfredo sauce, cheese, garlic salt and Italian seasoning together in a bowl
Step 4 – Spread the casserole out in a 9×13 pan or 2 9×9 cake pans if you want to make one now and freeze one for later.
Step 5 – Top with a handful of shredded cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or wrap with tinfoil and freeze.
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Cheesy Chicken Chalupas
Recipe found here:
2 10-3/4 oz. cans cream of chicken soup
16-oz. container sour cream
6reen onions, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
4 to 5 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
10 to 12 10-inch flour tortillas
2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Mix together soup, sour cream, vegetables and Cheddar cheese in a large bowl. Set aside 1 1/2 cups of soup mixture for topping; add chicken to remaining mixture. Spoon chicken mixture into tortillas; roll up and place into a 9×13 baking pan coated with non-stick spray. Spoon reserved soup mixture over tortillas; sprinkle with Monterey Jack Cheese. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for one hour.
Freeze & Serve Instructions: prepare as directed; do not add cheese. (Although I did..). Cover unbaked casserole tightly with aluminum foil; freeze. To serve, thaw overnight in refrigerator. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese and bake as directed.
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Recipes WITH Ground Beef
Mexican 3-Bean Soup
Find recipe here.
1 lb ground beef
1 diced onion
2 – 15 1/2 oz cans kidney beans
2 – 16 oz cans pinto beans
2 – 15 1/2 oz cans navy beans
15-oz can corn
14 1/2 oz can stewed tomatoes
14 1/2 oz can tomatoes with chilies
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 package ranch salad dressing mix
Start by browning your hamburger. In a soup pot, stir together the hamburger, a chopped up onion, kidney beans, pinto beans, navy beans, corn, stewed tomatoes, tomatoes with chilies, a package of taco seasoning, and a package of ranch salad dressing mix. Simmer and serve. That’s it!! How much easier can it be? Brown beef and onion over medium heat. Drain. And undrained beans, corn, tomatoes and seasoning mixes. Simmer and serve!
If freezing- brown meat and onions, mix the rest of ingredients up and then package to freeze.
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Freeze & Bake Lasagna
Recipe found here.
Ingredients
28 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 lb. ground beef, browned or I used 1 lb. Italian sausage, browned
8 oz. jar mushroom pieces, drained
16 oz. container ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 T. Italian seasoning
8 lasagna noodles, uncooked and divided
2 c. shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
Combine sauce, beef/sausage, and mushrooms; set aside.
Mix ricotta cheese, egg, and Italian seasoning together; set aside.
Layer as follows in each of 2 ungreased 9x5 loaf pans (I couldn't find disposable 9x5 loaf pans so I improvised with a 9x13 pan and doubled my ingredients when layering):
once cup meat sauce, 2 lasagna noodles, 1/2 cup ricotta cheese mixture, 1/2 cup ricotta cheese mixture, repeat layers. We then covered with Press 'n Seal and then aluminum foil as it is ready for the freezer.
When ready to prepare, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Remove Press 'n Seal, cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. (Maybe a little less time, make sure it doesn’t burn.) And then enjoy!
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Pizza Casserole
Recipe found here.
1 lbs ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
28 oz. jars spaghetti sauce
8 oz. package Rotini, cooked
8 oz. package shredded mozzarella cheese
5 oz. package sliced pepperoni
Brown beef and chopped onion;drain. Boil noodles until tender. Stir in spaghetti sauce and pasta. Place mixture in 2 greased 9"X13" pans. Sprinkle with cheese and pepperoni. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25- 30 minutes.
To freeze: Cover unbaked casserole tightly with aluminum foil. Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Uncover and bake as directed.
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Baked Ziti
Recipe found here:
· 1 pound dry ziti pasta (or really any kind of pasta would work- I actually used Penne pasta)
· 1 onion, chopped
· 1 pound lean ground beef (season with pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and minced garlic)
· 2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce (I added a zucchini to my sauce just for more veggies!)
· 8 slices provolone cheese
· 1 1/2 cups sour cream
· 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
· 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 7-8 minutes; drain.
2. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray 2 8x8 inch pans with non-stick cooking spray. Layer as follows in each pan: 1/4 of the ziti, 1/4 of the sauce, 4 slices of Provolone cheese, 1/2 of sour cream, 1/4 of ziti, 1/4 mozzarella cheese and 1/4 of sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and remaining mozzarella cheese.
4. Bake covered for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.
To freeze this meal: Follow the instructions above, except for the last step of cooking it. Cover the assembled ziti with foil and stick in the freezer (I usually use 2-3 layers of foil just to keep out the freezer burn). It will last in the freezer for about 30 days. When you are ready to eat it, remove from the freezer and place in the fridge to thaw 24 hours in advance. By allowing it to thaw in the fridge, you can cook it at the regular time and temperature (350 degrees for about 30 minutes). If you do not thaw it in advance, it will take much longer to cook. If you cook it completely frozen, it will take anywhere from 90 minutes - 2 hours to cook all the way through.
These fill the 8x8" pans to the top, so I cooked mine on a large cookie sheet just in case they bubbled over (which they did!).
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Recipes WITHOUT meat/chicken
Skinny 3 cheese Penne
Recipe found here.
Ingredients
· 1 (13.25-ounce) box whole wheat penne pasta (I like Barilla®)
· 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
· ½ small onion, diced
· 1 tablespoon minced garlic
· 1 (23.25-ounce) jar Prego® Light Smart Traditional pasta sauce
· ½ teaspoon dried basil
· ½ teaspoon dried oregano
· ¼ teaspoon salt
· ¼ teaspoon black pepper
· ½ cup low-fat cottage cheese
· ½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
· 1½ cups shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (I like Sargento®)
· 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions have softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat to low and pour in the pasta sauce. Stir in the basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Coat an 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
5. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine the cottage cheese, ricotta, and 1 cup of the mozzarella.
6. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the cooked pasta.
7. Transfer half of the pasta to baking dish. Evenly spread half of the cheese mixture on top. Then add the remaining pasta followed by the remaining cheese mixture. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup mozzarella on top.
8. Bake uncovered for until the cheese is melted, 18 to 20 minutes.Or if freezing, wrap up with tinfoil and freeze.
9. Serve garnished with the parsley.
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FUNERAL POTATOES
**Ah! I fail and can't find the original recipe link yet- will update once I do!**
6 c. frozen grated potatoes
½ c. margarine
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 ½ c grated cheddar cheese
¼ c very finely chopped onion
2 c sour cream
¾ c corn flakes
¼ c melted butter
TO FREEZE
Divide into 2 ziploc bags for 1 family
Each Ziploc Bag Contains:
3 c. frozen grated potatoes
1/4 c. margarine
1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 c grated cheddar cheese
1/8 c very finely chopped onion
1 c sour cream
It works really fast and easy to mix the item in a bag individually rather than using a few large bowls and having to disperse the mixture evenly.
Place cornflakes/ ritz crackers in a separate bag to place in pantry.
TO PREPARE AFTER FREEZING
Thaw and place ingredients in casserole dish. Mix cornflakes/crakers and melted butter, sprinkle over top. If still frozen, bake at 400 for 1 ½ hours, uncovering the last 15 min. If thawed, bake @ 350 for 45 min, uncovering last 15 min.
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Slow Cooker Recipes WITH chicken
(Serve these with either noodles, mashed potatoes or rice, depending on the dish!)
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Slow- Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken
Find recipe online here.
· 2 lbs boneless chicken breasts
· 1 t dried oregano
· 1/2 t Lawry's Seasoning Salt
· 1/4 t ground pepper
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 t dried parsley
· 3 T lemon juice
· 1/2 cup chicken broth
1. Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Place chicken breasts into slow cooker.
3. Add all remaining ingredients and cover.
4. Cook 6-8 hours on low depending on yourslow cooker.
5. Serve over rice or buttered egg noodles.
6. ***If freezing, place all ingredients in freezer bag***
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Slow Cooker Chicken Gravy
Find recipe online here.
· 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast
· 1 jar (12 oz) chicken gravy
· 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
· Salt & Pepper to taste
- Spray slow cooker with non stick cooking spray
- Add in chicken
- Mix gravy and soup together and pour over chicken
- Add salt/pepper to your taste
- Cook on low for 8 hours
- Server over noodles or with mashed potatoes
- If Freezing combine all ingredients in freezer bag
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Creamy Chicken Italian-O
Find recipe online here.
4-6 Chicken Breasts
8 oz Cream Cheese
1 Can of Cream of Chicken
1 Dry Packet of Italian Seasoning
Take softened Cream Cheese, Cream of Chicken and Italian Seasoning and mix together in a bowl. Take cleaned chicken and place in a Freezer Gallon Ziplock Bag and top with the mixture. After Ziplock bag is closed, take your hands and push wet mixture to cover chicken.
To cook: Take the Freezer Meal out of the Freezer and hour before starting OR run it under some room temperature water for about 30 seconds. Dump meal in the a Crockpot and cook on Low for 4-6 hours!
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Cafe Rio Crockpot Chicken
Find the recipe online here.
4-6 Chicken Breasts
1/2 a small bottle of Zesty Italian Dressing
1 Packet of Dry Ranch Dressing (3 TB)
1/2 Cup Water
1/2 TB of Minced Garlic
1/2 TB Chili Powder
1/2 TB Ground Cumin
Combine all ingredients in a Freezer Gallon Ziplock Bag. Once ziplock bag is closed, take your hands and combine all ingredients together well.
To cook: Take the Freezer Meal out of the Freezer and hour before starting OR run it under some room temperature water for about 30 seconds. Dump meal in the a Crockpot and cook on Low for 4-6 hours!
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Crockpot Ranch Chicken
Find the recipe online here.
Ingredients
· Chicken tenders or breasts (I used 1.76 LB chicken tenders)
· 1 Ranch Seasoning Dry Mix Packet
· 1 can Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom Soup (plus 1 can of water or milk)
Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients in crockpot and mix well.
2. Cook on low 4-6 hours.
If freezing- put ingredients in freezer bag. When ready to eat, thaw and cook accordingly.
