Welcome to our Nutritious Freezer Meal Carnival! So glad you could join us! Today we are joining forces in providing a selection of meals that are easily freezable to simplify your homemaking and time in the kitchen.
TO start off, here is a book recommendation if you are new to the world of freezer cooking, you may want to check out The Freezer Cooking Manual from 30 Day Gourmet: A Month of Meals Made Easy. This resource comes highly recommended by one of our readers with tips and ideas on making freezer meals.
Freezing Methods
There are several options for freezer containers.
1. One suggestion is to layer your baking pan with aluminum foil, and then fill with your contents. Once frozen, you can simply remove from the pan and slide the frozen contents into a freezer ziploc bag or another container of some sort (vacuumed sealed packages is an option here for extended freezer time). This will reduce the amount of space required for storage in the freezer.
2. Disposable aluminum pans are reasonably cheap, especially if you find them at your local dollar store. You can often find a pack of three for just $1. These are especially nice when you are making a meal as a gift for someone else (then they don’t have to worry about returning your pan). Cover your pan with aluminum foil followed by completely wrapping with freezer paper to avoid freezer burn. Freezer paper is necessary if you are planning on freezing for a longer length of time (more than a week), otherwise it can be skipped.
3. If you desire to avoid aluminum or disposable products, I would highly recommend investing in some glass pyrex containers with the plastic lids. These are very reasonably priced and are easy to freeze. They stack very easily as well. Costco sells a similar set for a great price as well.
4. At our house, I like to multiply pretty much every dish I make, but most commonly with casseroles. I will multiply the recipe to make one dish for the evening meal and freeze the other. This is a wonderful way to simplify and have a meal ready on hand for a busy day. I use pyrex glassware for these purposes or glass canning jars for such freezing purposes.
Now on to the recipes…
Here are our family favorite recipes that freeze extremely well. With each recipe, you will find basic instructions on how to freeze it. One requires pre-baking (as marked), but most freezer recipes can simply be assembled, frozen, and then removed from the freezer and baked. Overall, both methods work well.
Main Dishes
Chicken & Dumplings (requires pre-baking)
Homemade Pizza Crust & Spaghetti Sauce – I often make 4 pizza crusts at a time, using one for the evening meal and freezing the other three portions of dough. I also make a large batch of spaghetti sauce at a time and freeze in small glass jars for topping our pizzas. To keep things simple we don’t use a special pizza sauce, as the spaghetti sauce has a ton of flavor. I make a large batch not only for pizza but also to serve for spaghetti.
Chicken Curry- you can layer in a pan with brown rice or simply freeze the curry sauce on it’s own!
Shepherd’s Pie- one of my all time favorite freezer meals!
Soups
I have had great success freezing all my soup recipes. I simply cook as instructed in the recipe, allow to cool completely and then place in Ziploc bags or as I prefer, put into quart size or half gallon size glass jars. Make sure to allow at least 1 inch for breathing room.
Garden Chowder – despite the combination of multiple vegetables in this soup, it freezes just fine after being cooked.
Chili & Cornbread -I will often multiply and freeze both the prepared chili and baked cornbread for a future meal. We love chili topped with cheese on nitrate free hot dogs! A yummy high protein lunch!
Stocks
I like to make a large batch of chicken stock at a time and freeze in smaller quantities. I recommend freezing this in large Ziploc freezer bags. Glass jars just have not worked for me. They break too easily as the stock expands.
Desserts
I often like to prepare a batch of cookie dough for the freezer. This is a wonderful way to be prepared for last minute or unexpected guests. Simply pull the dough out of the freezer and bake! Yum! Our favorite recipe is the Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies….they are not healthy but are a delicious special treat, easy to make and great for company. Ice Cream is another dessert that can be made ahead and frozen. Try our Coconut Ice Cream or Peanut Butter Ice Cream.
Further Resources
30 Day Gourmet Online Cooking Resource
Now it is your turn…Please share your favorite freezer meal recipes and provide the link to your direct post with the recipe. Make sure to include a return link to this post! If you don’t have a blog, share your favorite recipe in the comments below!
Do you have any tips to share for freezer cooking?
I was wondering when you freeze the Pyrex containers can you put them straight in the oven or do they need to thaw out?
It really depends on the dish. Most of the time you can do either way. It will obviously take alot more time to bake if completely frozen.
Thanks for this post. Do you notice that the Pyrex glass containers freeze your meals well, without additonal wrapping of the food? For how long, would you say?
In general, I don’t believe it is best to keep a freeze meal in the freezer longer than a month or so…but I did find that Pyrex works great for freezing without additional wrapping. It preserves it well.
I freeze my stock and beans in silicone bakeware. I have a pan thats made to make mini square cakes (about 4 oz each) and I freeze in that…then move the frozen cubes into a ziplock bag. You can also just freeze stock in ice trays. Ice cube trays work great for pesto, baby food, and anything you may want in smaller quantities works great for baby food also.
http://cheftessbakeresse.blogspot.com/2009/03/french-onion-orange-chicken.html Just wanted to add this link. This one is my favorite as a chef and mom. I have really enjoyed reading your posts! Superb!
First time here. Googled freezer meals and what a wonderful find! To share something I’ve learned over the years- When you want to freeze cheese….I buy like 15 lb rolls and cut them into approx. 2 lb chunks; put them in bags and freeze them. When I want to use a chunk, I thaw it on the countertop until it is nice and soft and then refigerate it. Then it will slice nicely. If you don’t allow it to get to that soft stage, it will likely be crumbly.
I am so glad that you mentioned your jars breaking when you freeze stock! I had the same thing happen with several jars of chicken stock despite leaving plenty of head room. That made me hesitate to try freezing in jars again, even though I am trying to keep away from plastic as much as possible. I am going to try it again, but not with the stock (that was the first thing I tried freezing in jars).
Thanks so much for the tips and recipes. I made the chicken enchiladas for dinner tonight, and all six of us loved them. They will be a regular now!
I also have had mason jars full of homemade beans crack on me in the freezer. For some reason, the smaller containers are fine, but the larger containers always crack, even though I leave plenty of headroom. Do you have any recommendations for storing beans?
As you might be able to tell, Lindsay, I’m slowly reading through your archives. One thing that I was wondering whether you had or would consider is making the entire post available as you scroll instead of having to click to read the rest. Thanks for a great read and for your prompt, thoughtful replies!
I have not had problems with homemade beans in my glass jars breaking. I have only had this problem with stock. If you cool your ingredients completely before cooking and leave expanding space, you should not have any problems with them breaking. You may just need some solid canning jars for freezing (such as Kerr). Hope that helps!
I usually use Ball jars and never fill above the freeze line. The smaller mason jars do just fine, but the larger ones break (2 out of 2 times)…so weird. Do you cover your beans with water? Maybe that is my problem; could you explain exactly what you do with the cooked beans? I have been draining the cooking liquid, rinsing in a strainer, filling up jars and adding water. Are Kerr jars superior?
Thank you for answering all of my questions! What a nice surprise to wake up to!
Okay, that makes more sense. Your jars are definitely breaking because of the addition of water. Water/liquids expand more in the freezer thus causing breakage. I simply cook the beans, drain them, cool completely in the fridge in a quart size mason jar (either kerr or ball is fine) and then transfer to the freezer. I do not add anything to the jars beyond the drained beans. Eliminate the water and that should solve your problem!
Not all canning jars are freezer safe. If your jars have a curved top (rounded up to a smaller opening) the expanding food or stock will push against the glass and cause it to break. Freezer jars have straight sides – a cylinder shape. You still need to leave head room as with any freezing, but there isn’t a ledge for the food to push against to make the glass break.
I have what seems like a really dumb question: where does one find freezer paper?? I have freezer Ziploc bags, but I can’t recall ever seeing freezer paper at the commissary or other stores. I’m trying to get a batch of cooking done before the morning sickness hits with this (surprise) pregnancy, and I’d hate the effort to go down the drain!
Thanks for the tips!
You can find freezer paper in your standard grocery store in the aisle with the kitchen supplies (saran wrap, tin foil, etc.). It is a white paper that comes in the same container as tin foil. You can also use a layer of tin foil, followed by a layer of saran wrap. This works very well also.
I just discovered your site and we have much in common! I don’t have a separate freezer and don’t have tons of room for freezing ahead, but I do some. Thanks for these recipes!
Discovering this page has been a Godsend! I am currently cooking up freezer meals for my Church freezer so the recipes on here have been very helpful!
Thank you and God Bless!
I love visiting this blog. You are encouraging me in the Titus 2 manner, and I am an “older” woman. Keep up your good work!
Hi Lindsay, this is an invaluable resource! Thank you for hosting this! My post is here, in case Mr. Linky isn’t working: http://oreganicthrifty.blogspot.com/2009/01/nourishing-fast-frugal-freezer-friendly.html
Oh my goodness, this is such a wonderful idea! I have health issues and struggle *tremendously* with cooking-it absolutely overwhelms me, and usually we eat fast food, to be honest.
I pray these recipes and ideas will help me. For anyone reading this, will you please say a prayer for me? I’ve been trying to get well for going on 8 years and my spirits can get pretty low. Right now I’m at a particularly low point.
Thank you.
Thank you so much for hosting this! I’m definitely going to be marking some of these recipes for the summer.
Blessings,
Michele
Thanks for this carnival! I can’t wait to read all the posts. I think I’ll be filling up the freezer!Yay!
Great post! I do a lot of freezer cooking too (all gluten and dairy free). I do a “Gluten Free-zer Friday” post with a freezer recipe most weeks. Looking forward to checking out all the tastiness!
Thanks for hosting this! I added a friend’s yummy recipe for Macaroni Sicilian Style–delicious!
Thank you so much for putting these recipes and tips together. This was a very helpful and imaginative thing to do.
Thank you so much for hosting this!!! I am due w/ our fourth child in June and would really benefit from some meals already ready in the freezer. However, I have NO idea what would work frozen and what wouldn’t! This was so, so helpful for me. Thanks again!!!
Great post! I really appreciate the tips, and the recipes from others! I own a book called: “The Big Cook” (www.thebigcook.com), and here are some of my favourite freezable recipes from it:
Amazing Chicken (serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
-2 lbs. chicken (boneless, skinless breasts or cubes)
-1 pkg. onion soup mix
-1 tsp. paprika
-1/4 cup cider vinegar
-1/2 cup ketchup
-1/4 cup honey (or other natural sweetner)
-1 tbsp. lemon juice
-1/4 cup oil
-1/4 cup onion (minced)
-1/2 cup apricot jam
-large ziploc bag
Directions:
-Place chicken equally into ziploc bags.
-Combine remaining ingredients and pour an even amount into each bag of chicken. Remove excess air, seal bags and freeze.
Oven: Bake covered at 350F for 1 hr.
Slow Cooker: High for 4-6 hours or Low for 6-8 hours.
Bombay Chicken (serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
-2 lbs. chicken (boneless, skinless breasts)
-1 tbsp. oil (for cooking)
-1/4 cup mustard (prepared)
-1/4 cup honey (melted)
-2 tsp. seasoned salt
-1/2 tbsp. chili sauce
-1/2 tsp. onion powder
-1/2 tsp. curry powder (or tandori spice)
-1/4 tsp. black pepper
-large ziploc bags
Directions:
-Place chicken equally into ziploc bags.
-Combine remaining ingredients and pour an even amount into each bag of chicken. Remove excess air, seal bags and freeze.
Oven: 375F covered for 1 hour.
Quebecois Chicken (serves 4-6):
Ingredients:
-2 lbs. chicken pieces
-1/2 cup maple syrup
-3 tbsp. cider vinegar
-2 garlic cloves (minced)
-3 tbsp. soy sauce
-1 tbsp. ground ginger
-1 tsp. black pepper
-large ziploc bags
Directions:
-Place chicken equally into ziploc bags.
-Combine remainder of ingredients and pour an even amount of sauce into each bag of chicken. Toss to coat. Remove excess air, seal bags and freeze.
Oven: 350F covered for 1 hour, uncover last 15 mins.
Slow Cooker: 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.
These recipes are great because you don’t need to pre-cook your meat. You just need to ziploc them in their sauce to marinate in the freezer, and then thaw, and cook when needed. Most go well with typical side dishes like cooked vegetables, and rice or potatoes. Use your favourites! Enjoy!
This is great! I thought about participating, but just couldn’t get it together. I’m so glad for so many ideas, though, as I love to make extra meals here and there for busy days, and plan on thoroughly stocking my freezer before this baby comes in the summer!
I am SOOOOOOO excited for this! Thank you all for your recipes!
This is my first time checking out your website and, BOY, was it a good one! I’m 5 weeks away from my due date with my 4th child and I’ve been wanting to make some meals ahead and freeze them for when after the baby comes! I think I might try these. Thanks!
I clicked on that link for foods that don’t freeze well. And have to disagree to some.
Spaghetti, macaroni, and rice: I’ve frozen, no problems. Of course I don’t cook to “done”. Mine always come out al dente’.
Cheese: Never had a problem w/that. Of course it’s shredded/grated etc.
I just linked to that as a resource, but have also never had a problem with cheese or rice. Have not tried macaroni or spaghetti, but good to know that it worked for you.
I have many recipes that freeze well that I have gotten from the 30 Day Gourmet website, cooking on a budget, soups, lunches, etc… We have modified the original 30 day method for our family to cut down on some of the prep work or make nights where the schedule changes just a bit easier. When I do my monthly shopping, I always be sure to include 5 lbs of ground beef that I pre-cook and package in 4 bags for those nights when pasta, soup, maid-rites or something fast is needed. The same goes for 6 lbs of chicken breast that I bake in the oven and then slice and freeze in bags, about 3 to a bag. This can also be used for soup, sandwiches, pasta, or about any recipe where it requires you precook chicken. Another must is 2 deli chickens. May not seem like a money saver, although sometimes you can find them on sale. I pull the meat off and freeze in 4 bags, 1/2 chicken to a bag. I can make chicken pot pie, chicken salad, BBQ chicken, chicken soup and any number of other things for a family of 6 on only half of a bird. The fact that we are cooking at home saves us enough money to make a precooked bird cost effective. Just knowing that I have done a bit of work ahead gives me the peace of mind that we never have to eat out, even on the busiest of nights.
Kids favorite-Crunchy Chicken Strips from Cooking on a Budget
Servings-4 (20 strips, just increase to number you need)
chicken breast 4
corn flake cereal 15 oz
paprika 2 t.
garlic powder 2 t.
salt 1 t.
pepper 1 t.
milk 2 c.
Cut chicken into 1 inch strips lengthwise and soak in milk. Pour flakes in blender and blend 30 seconds 2 cups at a time. Mix flakes and spices in a bowl. Place chicken strips one at a time in flake mixture and coat well by pressing down. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake 350 for 15-18 minutes or until juice runs clear. Allow to cool and then flash freeze on a pan and place in bags. To reheat use oven not microwave for crunchy. Buy chicken on sale and use generic flakes, no one will know the difference anyway. I always make at least 2 batches, one to eat for lunch that day while I am making them, and one to freeze. Two meals, one mess!
Love the carnival!
God bless,
Okay, I don’t have a recipe for this. During the non-frozen months of the year, we have a local auction house that sells Amish produce. We get s lot of inexpensive yummy organic stuff. This fall, we bought 12 0o 13 pretty sugar pie pumpkins for 20 cents each! Gutted them, cut them up and cooked them–treated them just like when you can tomatoes for sauce. Then we filled plastic bags with two cups of the pumpkin puree and froze. It’s the perfect amount for pies or bread or whatever.
Hello: I would love to see some freezer meals, where all the ingredients can be thrown in a bag and frozen. Then later to be brought out to be thawed and cooked…….
I thought you might find this round-up I did on Freezer Cooking helpful:
http://orgjunkie.com/2008/11/freezer-cooking-links.html
Looking forward to checking out some of the recipes, thanks!
I couldn’t wait for this carnival to begin! I am going to try your Shepherd’s Pie recipe today – 1 for lunch and 1 to give to my in-laws.
I have adopted your chili recipe making some minor changes to please my picky eaters (no green pepper, but lots of garlic!). It does freeze well! Sometimes when we have leftover chili, I use it up on pizza : o ) When the pizza dough is ready for assembly, brush with olive oil, top with leftover chili, cut up hot dogs (we use organic, because the others make me terribly sick!) into bite-size pieces, sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake. This is delicious and very filling.
I am so glad you are hosting this series! Better meal planning is one of my goals for this year. I’m excited to try the recipes you listed. Thank you for such a great resource!
I added in my post to Mr. Linky..so sorry..don’t know why it added the smiley face on my link – I didn’t put it there, but it’s done that before.
I just came across your blog recently and am thrilled that I did…always fun to find kindred spirits.
Great idea for a carnival – I can’t wait to see everyone’s ideas!
Thanks for all the great recipes! I have to get cookin’!!!!