Freezer meals any new ideas, or something that is your favorite. Updated post 43

[LovesTimone]

It's that time of year for me, when I start getting together some ideas and cooking up a storm to fill the freezer. DH and I were looking ahead to what we have going on from now till the end of the year.. Wow we are going to be busy. I also watch my DGS who is 6 months old so I will keep even busier. Even though we are empty nesters, we are super busy from about last week of August, till the end of the year.

I am really looking for some yummy things to put up, that can be thrown in the crock pot and warmed up all day, or heat quickly on the stove top. With casserole something that I can take out the night before, throw in the frig. and then bake in around a hour. Last year I did some casseroles, that were not that great warmed up. I did have some success with 1 though, which I will be repeating again this year. It was a lasagna roll up which worked great and was really tasty.

I really don't put up volume of one thing I go more with selections of different things.
I do a couple of different soups, red sauce, lots of meatballs, a couple of meatloaf's, chili, beef stew.

So please share your favorites, or ways to change up old favorites.

 

[ajwolfe]

I've found some really good recipes on the below sites and also invested in a freezer meal cookbook to help keep from doing the same thing over and over. We don't like to have the same meal multiple times a month so that helps with that issue.

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/08/50-easy-freezer-meals.html
http://www.mommysfabulousfinds.com/2014/03/crockpot-freezer-meal-recipes.html

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I made this recipe for the first time about a month ago and we loved it. The recipe is for two batches. The other one can be frozen for later
It can be made in a crookpot or baked for 30 minute in the oven
http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2014/05/07/crockpot-italian-chicken-recipe/

 

[barkley]

It's that time of year for me, when I start getting together some ideas and cooking up a storm to fill the freezer. DH and I were looking ahead to what we have going on from now till the end of the year.. Wow we are going to be busy. I also watch my DGS who is 6 months old so I will keep even busier. Even though we are empty nesters, we are super busy from about last week of August, till the end of the year.

I am really looking for some yummy things to put up, that can be thrown in the crock pot and warmed up all day, or heat quickly on the stove top. With casserole something that I can take out the night before, throw in the frig. and then bake in around a hour. Last year I did some casseroles, that were not that great warmed up. I did have some success with 1 though, which I will be repeating again this year. It was a lasagna roll up which worked great and was really tasty.

I really don't put up volume of one thing I go more with selections of different things.
I do a couple of different soups, red sauce, lots of meatballs, a couple of meatloaf's, chili, beef stew.

So please share your favorites, or ways to change up old favorites.

if it's something that you want to be done (including prep time) w/in an hour-

I make batches of shredding beef in enchilada and tomatillo sauce-bag them and freeze them. take them out the night before to defrost in the fridge. takes me less than an hour to put some into tortillas, cover them w/ small separate containers of extra sauce I've also frozen/defrosted, top w/cheese and bake in the oven.

make batches of pulled pork or shredded beef in bbq sauce-again defrost over night for bbq sandwiches.

LOVE MEATLOAF AND MEATBALLS-kinda combined them for this. made meatloafs but used my meatball recipie instead. precooked-so I defrost overnight and reheat the next day but we top it with marinara (often using sour dough rolls for a sandwich dinner). ds HATES meatloaf-but loves meatballs-he will eat my 'meatball loaf'.

when I was working I would mass cook ground beef and after it cooled freeze it up (unseasoned) into 1# bags. I could take them out and add taco seasoning or Italian seasoning to make quick tacos (or add to a container of marinara).

we used to do lots of croc pot beans-I love black beans so I would soak the night before, add some cilantro and whatever jarred salsa I had on hand. came home to it being done once we garnished it w/some sour cream. same thing w/ham and beans-soak um the night before, toss in celery, carrots, seasoning and ham (ham is from leftovers that are pre-chopped and frozen in bags). good stuff esp. on a cold winter night.

you know that green bean casserole recipe people make for the holidays? we like it once in a while w/pre-cooked shredded turkey or chicken in it. I make them up, freeze them (absent the durkey onions cuz they sog out in the freezer) and once defrosted overnight take way less than an hour to cook.


you are making me yearn for colder weather and all the comfort foods that go along with it.

 

[sets14]

I have made most everything from this site:

http://joelandkitty.com/4o-freezer-meals-in-about-4-hours/

I LOVE the bbq pork- i make 2 big batches and freeze in quart bags- makes quick sandwiches with some coleslaw on top, or I throw a bag into some baked beans to spice them up. I have even heated it up and served with with eggs for breakfast. I also make big batches of the pioneer woman's sloppy joes, chili, and pasta sauce. My favorite thaw and bake meal is chicken enchiladas.

 

[aprilchem]

I don't make things specifically for the freezer, but will often make a double recipe of whatever when I'm cooking dinner and freeze for another meal. For example, I made lasagna for dinner last night - one pan for my family, and a second pan that went into the freezer.

 

[LovesTimone]

if it's something that you want to be done (including prep time) w/in an hour-

I make batches of shredding beef in enchilada and tomatillo sauce-bag them and freeze them. take them out the night before to defrost in the fridge. takes me less than an hour to put some into tortillas, cover them w/ small separate containers of extra sauce I've also frozen/defrosted, top w/cheese and bake in the oven.

make batches of pulled pork or shredded beef in bbq sauce-again defrost over night for bbq sandwiches.

LOVE MEATLOAF AND MEATBALLS-kinda combined them for this. made meatloafs but used my meatball recipie instead. precooked-so I defrost overnight and reheat the next day but we top it with marinara (often using sour dough rolls for a sandwich dinner). ds HATES meatloaf-but loves meatballs-he will eat my 'meatball loaf'.

when I was working I would mass cook ground beef and after it cooled freeze it up (unseasoned) into 1# bags. I could take them out and add taco seasoning or Italian seasoning to make quick tacos (or add to a container of marinara).

we used to do lots of croc pot beans-I love black beans so I would soak the night before, add some cilantro and whatever jarred salsa I had on hand. came home to it being done once we garnished it w/some sour cream. same thing w/ham and beans-soak um the night before, toss in celery, carrots, seasoning and ham (ham is from leftovers that are pre-chopped and frozen in bags). good stuff esp. on a cold winter night.

you know that green bean casserole recipe people make for the holidays? we like it once in a while w/pre-cooked shredded turkey or chicken in it. I make them up, freeze them (absent the durkey onions cuz they sog out in the freezer) and once defrosted overnight take way less than an hour to cook.


you are making me yearn for colder weather and all the comfort foods that go along with it.

make batches of pulled pork or shredded beef in bbq sauce-again defrost over night for bbq sandwiches. This is going on my list, do you go ahead and add the bbq sauce or once it's warmed up a bit then add it in?

I make batches of shredding beef in enchilada and tomatillo sauce-bag them and freeze them. take them out the night before to defrost in the fridge. takes me less than an hour to put some into tortillas, cover them w/ small separate containers of extra sauce I've also frozen/defrosted, top w/cheese and bake in the oven. - I have a question could you make them in like a casserole then freeze, thaw and then hit the oven?

I have tried the pre cook the ground beef and it did not work out so well for me, it was really dry. Any secret's for success?

 

[lisaross]

I made this recipe for the first time about a month ago and we loved it. The recipe is for two batches. The other one can be frozen for later
It can be made in a crookpot or baked for 30 minute in the oven
http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2014/05/07/crockpot-italian-chicken-recipe/

this looks yummy, do you freeze the chicken in the same bag as the sauce? and in the crockpot fresh and frozen both cook only 4 hours?

 

[NJlauren]

Following along would love to add this to my routine as I feel we eat pasta and order in to often when we can't grill in the winter!

 

[branv]

The "in oven" time for this is way longer than you requested (two hours!), but it's so good I had to post anyway. This is quite honestly one of the best rice/chicken dishes I've ever had, and hands down the best Freezer meal I've ever had. Good enough to serve guests. Biggest bonus: it's all whole ingredients, not canned junk. The baking time is long, but the prep time is tiny. I can't vouch for the vinaigrette as I used my own (and used bottled once when in a hurry, which tasted just as good). I can't stress this last part enough: DO NOT try to use skinless chicken. The recipes awesomeness is largely reliant on those lovely drippings. I wouldn't even try to use chicken breasts as I can only imagine it's not nearly as tender due to the long cooking time, but since I've not tried it can't say for sure. Warning: makes a TON of rice.

http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-chi...reezerfriendly-recipes-from-the-kitchn-216431

Edited to add: you will never know this is brown rice. DH hates the stuff, but he drooled over this.

 

[bababear_50]

Barbecue glazed meatballs.
Just add rice or pasta and a veggie.
They freeze well and I make them ahead of time and freeze for family get togethers.

recipe here:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/barbecue-glazed-meatballs

Hugs Mel

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I just got the Taste of Home Freezer Pleasers cookbook (343 make-ahead dishes). Haven't tried any recipes yet. I'm a big fan of the crockpot. My two favorites for the crockpot are angel chicken (I serve it with angel hair pasta) and fajitas. You can just google angel hair chicken crockpot for that recipe but if you want the fajita recipe, just let me know!

 

[LovesTimone]

I just got the Taste of Home Freezer Pleasers cookbook (343 make-ahead dishes). Haven't tried any recipes yet. I'm a big fan of the crockpot. My two favorites for the crockpot are angel chicken (I serve it with angel hair pasta) and fajitas. You can just google angel hair chicken crockpot for that recipe but if you want the fajita recipe, just let me know!

I would like the fajita recipe, I really am trying to make different things to put in the freezer. Thanks so much in advance.

 

[LovesTimone]

OP here,

Thanks so much for all the input.

I am going to be making quite a few soups, stoups, other one bowl meals.. here's what I was thinking. I am still sorting out the other meals, I will post once I have decided.

Tomato Basil - Ina Garten recipe - I have never made homemade tomato soup before so this will be a 1st, any suggestions or tricks on making "mato" soup as my DD called it when she was little. We like smooth tomato soup, no chunks.

Chicken Noodle - this will be a large quantity as I am going to give some to my mom & dad and some for my 96 year old Grandmother. This will be the traditional style, chicken, carrots, celery, egg noodles.

Chicken Orzo Spinach soup - This is really good, I add a bit of lemon zest and it gives it a really fresh flavor. I also have traded out the spinach for kale it worked out great.

Chili - I start with a big pot of chili ( sauce and meat) with no beans - then I divide in half and make traditional chili with beans, and the other half I break up into small container, for chili for hot dogs, to use on nachos, or pasta, to make con queso.

I would like at least 2 more.. any suggestions..... would be soooo appreciated.

 

[JessM]

This is hands down my favorite tomato soup recipe and it freezes wonderfully http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/11/12/recipe-tomato-bisque/
I freeze the leftovers in mason/canning jars for individual portions.

This recipe is also delicious and freezes really well http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/03/28/recipe-tortilla-soup/ plus it's all veggies so it's a soup to feel good about : )

I always make a batch of homemade chicken stock in my crockpot before I make homemade soups, it's so eeasy and soooo amazing. http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/01/24/recipe-overnight-chicken-stock-in-the-crock-pot/

 

[Monykalyn]

http://www.ayearofslowcooking.com/2008/10/crockpot-rotisserie-style-chicken.html

My go-to rotisserie chicken recipe-all in the crockpot. I will add carrots and onions to put around the chicken in the crockpot and dinner is complete when I get home from work. bonus recipe for chicken stock on same site - since crockpot is already full of yummy drippings and seasonings just throw carcass/bones back into crock with water and odds/ends from onions/carrots (stuff you would normally toss) and cook overnight-homemade stock without any extra effort!
I use organic good quality whole chicken for this recipe as I do make the stock-it is then used for homemade chicken soup when someone is sick.

What a great thread-Have several recipes I want to try already from other's suggestions!

 

[LovesTimone]

This is hands down my favorite tomato soup recipe and it freezes wonderfully http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/11/12/recipe-tomato-bisque/
I freeze the leftovers in mason/canning jars for individual portions.

This recipe is also delicious and freezes really well http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/03/28/recipe-tortilla-soup/ plus it's all veggies so it's a soup to feel good about : )

I always make a batch of homemade chicken stock in my crockpot before I make homemade soups, it's so eeasy and soooo amazing. http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/01/24/recipe-overnight-chicken-stock-in-the-crock-pot/

I just check out the tomato soup recipe , this site looks really neat, Thanks for the link to it.

 

[LovesTimone]

Following along would love to add this to my routine as I feel we eat pasta and order in to often when we can't grill in the winter!

I started doing this when my DD was elementary school, we started ordering in and drive thru's, with all the school stuff, and extra after school activities, church functions. I just could not keep up, a friend suggest this and it has worked really well for us. One thing I did splurge on was a good crock pot, not expensive, just one that had the settings that I needed, I also have 2 different sizes for different portion size's.

 

[barkley]

make batches of pulled pork or shredded beef in bbq sauce-again defrost over night for bbq sandwiches. This is going on my list, do you go ahead and add the bbq sauce or once it's warmed up a bit then add it in?

I make batches of shredding beef in enchilada and tomatillo sauce-bag them and freeze them. take them out the night before to defrost in the fridge. takes me less than an hour to put some into tortillas, cover them w/ small separate containers of extra sauce I've also frozen/defrosted, top w/cheese and bake in the oven. - I have a question could you make them in like a casserole then freeze, thaw and then hit the oven?

I have tried the pre cook the ground beef and it did not work out so well for me, it was really dry. Any secret's for success?

on the bbq-I put the bbq sauce in before freezing. the enchiladas can be made in batches ahead of time and frozen but sometimes it sogs out the tortillas and since they are fast to throw together I just make them at the time we'll be eating them. not seen any real issues with dry ground beef, but when i turn it into taco meat i put a little bit of water into the container along with Lawry's taco seasoning (those mutantly large containers from Costco are a great savings) b/c we prefer taco meat moist (along the lines of taco bell consistency).

 

[hearts8701]

I found a little trick for marking my freezer bags that really helps