What type of meals can be frozen?

[gshoemate]

I know this is a silly question but I am not that handy in the kitchen. I am leaving for a trip and will be gone for a week. I don't want to leave my DH with just canned soup all week so I thought I would make him up some meals and freeze them but have no idea what can be frozen or how to thaw them. Here is what I want to make him.

Turkey Breast, can this be frozen after cooked and sliced?

Shepard's Pie - cooked hamburger with gravy on the bottom of the pan, then a layer of green beans, a layer of corn and a layer of mashed potatoes. I was thinking of making this in individual bowls.

Chili

Trust me when I say I am not handy in the kitchen. These 3 things are my specialties.

Thanks!

 

[maleficent1959]

I freeze lasagna. We don't eat a 9x13 pan, so I split it between two 8-inch pans and freeze the second. I put it into the fridge to thaw the night before and I cook it an extra ten minutes or so. Always turns out great.

organizedhome.com has a good section on freezer meals that I've been using in preparation for a new baby.

 

[jlp651]

can be frozen-the question you want to ask is what is going to taste good-if not better the next day...if you are going to re-heat pasta...be sure to have extra sauce to top it off with...if you microwave pasta sauce has a tendency to get kind of gross

Shepards pie freezes very well and re-heats just as well...I love that the next day.

I cook up chicken and put it with some gravy...that can be freezed and re-heated as long as the chicken is cooked. Add Mashed taters or white rice put chicken and gravy on top and you're good to go...you can get heat and serve rolls too...pour mixture over that and you're good to go!

You might want to look into that food vacuum thing...which is great...it pretty much vacuum seals your meals...

Just some thoughts!

 

[SplshMtn99]

I make & freeze shephards pie in single serving cookware all the time. Go easy on the gravy....because the potatoes will release more water when thawing.

Also, stuffed peppers.

Any pasta - any sauce - any meat - any cheese combo freezes well. (Lasagna; spaghetti pie; american chop suey; mac & cheese; ziti bake.....)

Dynamites (similar to sloppy joes -- but different) Local French recipe I posted on this board sometime ago.

Breakfast burritos

Meatloaf --- cooked; sliced; frozen in portions

All above items are cooked completely -- cooled -- then frozen.

Just think about what frozen foods you can buy....and work from there. Those are the foods that hold up well in freeze.

 

[AJA55]

There are just two of us but we both LOVE turkey. I cook it on the Webber. We do freeze one of the breasts. What works the best is to wrap it up whole and then freeze it, as opposed to pre cutting and then freezing. Tends to be moister if you keep it whole Hope this helps.

 

[Tiggerkeeper]

We grill chicken in our favorite marinades then freeze them. Just microwave and eat. It is nice to get that grill taste on a rainy day!!

 

[piratesmate]

I've found that things with rice in them tend to need more water added when reheating after they've been frozen - or even after they sit in the frig. The rice just seems to keep absorbing all liquid in the dish...you may want to mention it to DH so he isn't surprised.

Mostly I freeze things as listed by other posters: meatloaf, lasagna, ziti, mac & cheese and a variety of soups. The one thing we don't like frozen here is any type of roasted meat slices - it always seems so dry . . . even if frozen in broth or gravy. Those vacuum/seal bag things work best for that type of food IMHO.

Something that we froze for DS last year (he only cooks in the microwave ) . . . I bought some Italian Sausage grillers, threw them in the crockpot with sauce & cooked them all day. Then I just frozen a couple per package with sauce & DS had sausage sandwiches - he LOVED them! You could do the same with meatball sandwiches, too. I've been throwing red pepper & onion slices in when I cook the sausage. They like those, too.