Freezer Meals 101 // Eating Well

 

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

  • 5-7 lb. pork shoulder or butt
  • 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 can (11 oz.) chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
  • 2 cans Dr. Pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper

Assembly instructions:

  1. Place the pork in a large resealable bag.
  2. Toss in the chopped onion, can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.
  3. Pour in 2 cans of Dr. Pepper soda pop, holding the bag up to prevent spills.
  4. Remove the excess air, seal the bag, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Place in the crockpot. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
  3. Shred and serve on buns.

Moist Meatloaf Muffins (freezer meal)

  • 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
  • 1/2 onion, minced
  • 1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
  • 3/4 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. ketchup
  • 1 Tbsp. chili sauce
  • 1 egg
  • salt, pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. parsley

Assembly instructions:

  1. Mix everything together in a bowl. I find using my hands works best. This is a great step to have the kids help out with.
  2. Grease muffin cups.
  3. Put the meat mixture into the muffin tin tray.
  4. Bake at 425° for 23-25 minutes.
  5. Cool the mini meatloaves completely before placing them in a freezer bag.
  6. Remove excess air. Seal and freeze.

Reheating instructions:

  1. Thaw. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven.
  2. You can serve it with ketchup if you want.
Recipe Notes

Suggestions for hiding extra veggies in this meatloaf:

grated carrots
grated zucchini
vegetables such as broccoli, green pepper, red pepper, and/or spinach blended in the food processor 


Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: mashed potatoes
Ingredients
  • 12 large potatoes cubed or peeled and cubed
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • chives or parsley
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Cook the potatoes until soft.

  2. Mash the softened potatoes, adding butter in bits as you mash.
  3. Stir in the sour cream, garlic, chives, salt and pepper.

  4. Allow the mashed potatoes to cool, then scoop the potatoes into a freezer bag.
  5. Remove excess air and seal.

  6. Flatten the bag and store it in the freezer until ready to eat.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. Preheat oven to 350° and grease a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

  3. Transfer the ingredients to the dish and cook until heated through, around 20 minutes.
Slow Cooker Instructions
  1. Cook from frozen in the slow cooker on low for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

  2. Stir well before serving.

Stovetop Cooking Instructions
  1. Thaw.

  2. Cook in a medium saucepan on low heat until they're warmed through, stirring often.


Madras Curry
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Keyword: chicken
Servings6
Ingredients
  • 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cooked and cubed
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tsp. ginger we use the squeeze tube kind
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 4 tsp. Madras curry paste
  • ½ cup mincemeat
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Place the cooked cubed chicken in a large freezer bag. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, chicken broth, Madras curry paste, and mincemeat to the bag.

  2. Squish the ingredients in the bag together to combine and coat the chicken.

  3. Seal, remove excess air from the bag and freeze.

Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the contents of the bag to the skillet and sauteé until the sauce is warmed through and the onion has softened.

  3. Serve over jasmine or basmati rice topped with fresh cilantro, if desired.


Egg Roll In a Bowl
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 lbs. ground pork or ground Italian sausage browned
  • 1 cup onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 16 oz. bag coleslaw mix
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1-2 tsp. ginger
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil or vegetable oil
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Add all ingredients to a large freezer bag.

  2. Remove excess air. Seal and freeze.

Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Add bag contents to a large skillet. Cook for 5-10 minutes over medium heat.
Recipe Notes

If desired, sprinkle with some sliced green onions before serving.


Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas
Course: Lunch, Main Course, Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: black bean, Enchiladas
Servings12
Calories398 kcal
Ingredients
  • 15 oz. can black beans drained
  • 15 oz. can kernel corn drained
  • 4 oz. green chilies
  • red pepper diced
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. lime juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 12 oz. cans of enchilada sauce
  • 4 cups shredded Tex Mex cheese
  • 24 corn  tortillas
  • 2 9x13 baking trays you can use glass or foil trays
  • aluminum foil
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the black beans, corn, green chilies, diced red pepper, lime juice, and seasoning.

  2. Spoon some of the mixture into a corn tortilla. Wrap.

  3. Place the tortilla seam side down in the baking tray. There will be 12 tortilla rolls in each tray when they are done.

  4. Pour one can of enchilada sauce over top of the enchiladas in each tray.

  5. Sprinkle 2 cups of cheese over each of the dishes.

  6. Cover with two layers of foil. Freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Remove the tray from the freezer. Thaw.
  2. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.
  3. Take out of the oven. Remove the foil. Bake for another few minutes until the cheese on top is melted.

Recipe Notes

Note that this recipe makes two trays of enchiladas. If you would like to make just one tray, half the ingredients. 

 

Beef and Bean Burritos 

Beef and Bean Burritos Recipe:

  • 1 lb. browned ground beef
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 15 oz. can refried beans
  • 1/2 red pepper, finely diced
  • 1/2 green pepper, finely diced
  • 1/2 onion, finely diced
  • 8 burrito size flour tortillas

Assembly instructions:

  1. Brown ground beef. Add the taco seasoning and water and let simmer until the mixture is slightly thickened.
  2. Spread 3 Tbsp. of the seasoned ground beef and 1/4 cup refried beans on each tortilla.
  3. Sprinkle with some of the diced peppers and onions.
  4. Wrap burrito style and then wrap each one individually in tin foil.
  5. Place burritos in large resealable freezer bags and freeze.

Microwave Cooking Instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Remove foil, place one burrito on a plate and reheat.
  3. Serve with toppings of your choice.

Oven cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Place burritos in a baking dish. Bake in 350° oven for 30 minutes.
  3. If desired, top with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and/or salsa.

Mongolian Beef Skillet

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb. package beef strips*
  • 1/2 tsp. ginger 
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup carrots, cut into tiny matchsticks
  • 2 green onions, sliced

For the day of cooking:

  • 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
Assembly instructions:
  1. Peel the carrots and cut them into matchsticks.
  2. Slice the green onions.
  3. Add the beef strips to a large resealable freezer bag.
  4. Toss in the ginger, minced garlic, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, carrots, and green onions to the bag.
  5. Squish to combine.
  6. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Skillet cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Heat in skillet.
  3. Whisk 1 Tbsp. cornstarch into the sauce as it cooks.
  4. Cook until beef is cooked. This will be quick, 3-5 minutes.
  5. Serve over rice. Sprinkle with some sliced green onions if you like.

*If you can’t find the beef cut into strips already, you can ask the butcher at your grocer to slice some flank steak for you or you can slice it yourself against the grain. You can substitute sirloin steak for flank steak if you prefer.

Baked Caesar Chicken
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
50 mins
Total Time
55 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: baked chicken, chicken
Servings4
Ingredients
  • 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
  • pepper to taste
  • 1 cup creamy Caesar dressing*
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
Assembly Instructions:
  1. Place the chicken breasts on the bottom of a casserole dish or foil baking tray and sprinkle with pepper.
  2. Mix the Caesar dressing, sour cream, and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan together until well combined.

  3. Spread the dressing mixture on top of the chicken, then sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.

  4. Cover the pan with foil and freeze.

  5. Alternatively, you can place all ingredients except the cheese into a large freezer bag. Squish around to coat the chicken evenly.

  6. Place the cheese in a medium freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal and staple both bags together above the seal line.

Cooking Instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. Preheat the oven to 375°.

  3. If using the bag method, place chicken and sauce on a baking sheet and sprinkle the cheese on top.

  4. Bake for 45-50 minutes.

  5. If desired, broil for 3 minutes at the end until the sauce and cheese on top is golden brown. Watch carefully to prevent burning.

Recipe Notes

*I prefer to use the Caesar dressing in a jar rather than a bottle. These can usually be found in the produce aisle of the grocery store.

Chili Lime Tilapia
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Keyword: chili lime, fish
Servings4
Calories172 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. tilapia filets you can substitute cod or snapper if you prefer
  • 2 Tbsp. lime juice
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1-2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 Tbsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 3/4 tsp. seasoning salt
For the day of cooking:
  • aluminum foil
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Place 1 lb. of fish in a large resealable freezer bag.

  2. Combine the other ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the fish.

  3. Remove the excess air from the bag, seal, and freeze.

BBQ cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw. Preheat oven to 375°.

  2. Place foil on a baking tray. Place the fish and sauce on the foil and create a foil packet, sealing well.

  3. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Oven cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Preheat the BBQ to medium-high heat. Make a foil packet with the fish and sauce inside.

  3. Place foil packet on the grill for 4 minutes per side until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Ground Chicken Sloppy Joes
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Keyword: sloppy Joes
Servings4
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. ground chicken cooked
  • 3/4 cup onion diced
  • 1 green pepper chopped
  • 3/4 cup BBQ sauce
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
Instructions
Assembly Instructions:
  1. Cook the ground chicken in a large skillet, crumbling the meat as it cooks. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pan and allow it to cool completely.
  2. Place the chicken in a large resealable bag with the onion, green pepper, BBQ sauce, and tomato sauce.
  3. Squeeze the contents of the bag together to combine.

  4. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the contents of the bag and stir.

  3. Bring the sauce to a simmer and allow the mixture to cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the ingredients are heated through.
  4. Serve on hamburger buns.


Pizza Casserole
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Instant Pot Pizza Casserole, pasta, pizza
Servings6 people
Calories283 kcal
Ingredients
  • 2 cups ham cubed
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
  • 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup green pepper chopped
  • 28 oz. tomato sauce
  • 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 2 cups small pasta
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Cube ham, grate cheeses, chop vegetables.

  2. Put the pasta in a medium-sized resealable bag.

  3. Put ham and cheeses into a large resealable freezer bag.

  4. Mix together the other ingredients and pour over the ham and cheese.

  5. Seal the bag and staple the pasta bag to it.

  6. Freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Put the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on low.

  3. Cook the pasta on the stovetop according to the package direction.

  4. Drain pasta and stir into the casserole before serving.


Chicken Fried Rice
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken, rice
Servings6
Calories204 kcal
Ingredients
  • 4 cups cooked rice
  • 1.5 cups chicken breast cooked and diced
  • 1/2 cup celery diced
  • 1 cup onion diced
  • 1 cup carrots diced
  • 1 small jar water chestnuts sliced
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
  • 4 Tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
  1. Cook the rice and add it into a large resealable freezer bag. 

  2. Add the chopped onion, celery, carrots, water chestnuts, and peas, then the cooked chicken.

  3. Pour garlic cloves, oyster sauce, and soy sauce into the bag. 

  4. Squish everything together to combine. Remove excess air and seal. Lay flat and freeze.

Cooking instructions:
  1. On the day you want to cook the Chicken Fried Rice, take it out of the freezer and thaw.

  2. Heat in a covered casserole dish in the oven until warm or fry up in a skillet or wok.

Chicken Asparagus Bake
Cook Time
20 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Keyword: asparagus, casserole, chicken
Servings6 people
Calories265 kcal
Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups rice cooked
  • 1 cup chicken cooked and diced
  • 1 cup asparagus chopped, fresh or frozen
  • 1/2 can cream of mushroom soup* (5 oz.)
  • 1/2 can cream of chicken soup* (5 oz.)
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
  • salt and pepper
  • optional: 2 slices of cooked bacon crumbled
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Cook the rice according to package directions.

  2. Cook and cube the chicken. Mix them along with the other ingredients together in a large bowl.

  3. Put it into a large resealable bag and seal it. Lay flat and freeze.

Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes.

Recipe Notes

*As this recipe calls for 1/2 cans of soup, it's smarter to double it (or quadruple it) so that you can use the full cans plus have additional meals in your freezer.


Asian Sticky Chicken
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
50 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Keyword: chicken, chicken dump
Servings4
Ingredients
  • 3 to 5 chicken breasts boneless, skinless or 8 to 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 3 Tbsp. peanut butter
  • 3 Tbsp. ketchup
Instructions
Assembly Instructions:
  1. Combine the chicken, olive oil, soy sauce, peanut butter, and ketchup in a large freezer bag. Squish the ingredients together to combine.

  2. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. Preheat the oven to 350°.

  3. Transfer the ingredients to a baking dish and cook for 45 to 55 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Make-Ahead Tuna Casserole
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: tuna, tuna casserole
Servings6
Calories651 kcal
Ingredients
  • 2 6 oz. cans flaked tuna drained
  • 1/4 cup onion chopped
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
  • 2 10 oz. cans cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup red pepper chopped
  • 1 tsp. pepper
For cooking day:
  • 1 package of egg noodles
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Mix everything together in a large bowl.
  2. Put the mixture into a large resealable bag.

  3. Remove the excess air and seal. Lay flat and freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Cook egg noodles according to package directions.

  3. Mix the noodles with the contents of the freezer bag.

  4. Put in a casserole dish.

  5. Bake at 425° for 20-30 minutes.


Lemon Pesto Chicken Recipe
Course: Main Course
Keyword: lemon pesto chicken
Servings6
Calories275 kcal
Ingredients
  • 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup jarred pesto sauce
  • 1/8 cup lemon juice
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • optional: 1 tsp. lemon rind
Instructions
  1. Put the shredded mozza cheese in a medium resealable bag and seal.

  2. Place the chicken breasts in a large sized resealable bag. Add the pesto, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. If you want some extra zip, toss in some lemon rind. Remove the excess air from the bag and seal.

  3. Staple the medium bag to the large one above the seal to ensure there are no leaks. Lay flat in the freezer.

  4. On the day of cooking, thaw. Put the chicken in a casserole dish. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes, covered. Uncover and top with the mozzarella cheese and bake for another 5 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

Ginger Beef
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
3 hrs
 
Course: Main Course
Keyword: ginger beef
Servings4
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs. beef stir fry strips
  • ½ cup onion thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tsp. ginger minced
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
Instructions
Assembly Instructions:
  1. Combine the beef strips, onion, garlic, ginger, beef broth, and soy sauce in a large freezer bag. Squish to combine.

  2. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. Pour the ingredients into your slow cooker and cook on low for three to four hours.


Ground Chicken Stroganoff
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Keyword: ground chicken
Servings6
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. ground chicken cooked
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 cup white mushrooms sliced
  • 10 oz. cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
  • 2 tsp. thyme
  • 2 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • pinch salt
For day of serving:
  • 12 oz. egg noodles
  • 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
  • parsley
Instructions
Assembly Instructions:
  1. Cook the ground chicken in a large skillet, crumbling the meat as it cooks. Once the chicken is cooked, allow it to cool completely.

  2. Place the chicken in a large resealable bag with the garlic, mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, thyme, paprika, pepper, and salt.

  3. Squeeze the contents of the bag together to combine.

  4. Remove the excess air, seal, and freeze.

Skillet Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the contents of the bag and stir.

  3. Bring the sauce to a simmer and allow the mixture to cook until the ingredients are heated through. Stir in the additional sour cream or Greek yogurt before serving. Serve over cooked egg noodles topped with parsley.

Slow Cooker Instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. Cook on low for two to five hours. When ready to serve, stir in the additional sour cream or Greek yogurt. Serve over cooked egg noodles topped with parsley.

Ham and Potato Casserole
Course: Main Course
Keyword: casserole, ham, potato
Servings4
Calories391 kcal
Ingredients
  • 4 cups frozen hash browns cubes
  • 1 1/2 cups cubed ham
  • 1/2 cup onions chopped
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
  • 10 oz. can cream of chicken soup
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Cube the ham. Chop the onions. Grate the cheese.

  2. Add all ingredients to a large resealable freezer bag. Squish to combine the ingredients well.

  3. Remove excess air and seal. Freeze.

Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.

  3. Dump the bag ingredients in. Bake at 375° for 50-55 minutes.


Droolworthy BBQ Shredded Chicken Freezer Meal with Garlic
Admittedly, it is messy to eat, but you won't mind having drips of garlic mayo mixed with BBQ sauce and minced onions running down your wrists because it is so worth it!
Servings6
Calories509 kcal
Ingredients
  • 3-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 3/4 cup finely minced onion
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 bottle of barbeque sauce or 425 mL of your own homemade BBQ sauce
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
Instructions
  1. Place the chicken, minced onion, minced garlic, barbeque sauce, and apple cider vinegar in a large resealable bag.
  2. Remove excess air and seal.
  3. On the day you want to serve this, take it out of the freezer and allow it to thaw.
  4. Cook it in the crock pot on low for 3-5 hours.
  5. Shred.
  6. Serve in on buns on top of garlic mayo. You can also serve this shredded BBQ chicken on nachos or in tacos.

Garlic Mayo Recipe:

  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
  • dash of salt and pepper

Mix together all the ingredients and serve on buns before topping with the shredded BBQ chicken. If there’s any leftover, you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container. We never have any leftovers though because it is lick-the-bowl good (or so I’ve heard)!

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