One day, on an absolute whim, I decided it was time to try my hand at freezer meals. I figured if I could learn to declutter the rest of my day, it was time to simplify supper time. It happened innocently enough: I was making chicken & dressing for dinner and realized I’d made way too much for us for one meal. I thought “why not put half in the freezer?” I’d done it before with lasagna, so I knew it would mean the meal would hold a pan hostage for a few weeks, so I decided to pop over to the dollar store and buy some aluminum pans to put the second batch of dressing into so I would have a ready made meal without losing a pan.
The trip to the dollar store led to me finding 15 different kinds of pans, which got my wheels to turning… I could buy a few (I think I bought $10 worth at 3/$1) and stock up on meals of all different kinds. I left with my pans, went straight to the grocery store, bought up a ton of stuff that I knew I could normally cook with (like chicken breast, hamburger, veggies, etc.) and then went home and started a four hour cooking marathon that ended up with 28 meals in my freezer.
When I was finished, I mentioned it on Facebook, and there were lots of questions about what I made, recipe requests, and even tips for what I did. So I thought I’d write a post to share with you how I made 28 freezer meals in about 4 hours.
Before I get started, I’m going to tell you this post will be long…. very long. I could have easily broken this into a dozen or so smaller posts, but this is a DIY blog, not a freezer meals blog, so I figured my regular (non-freezer-meal-loving) readers will hang with me for one post – if I started posting all of this separately you might think I was nutso and quit reading. Please don’t. Come back tomorrow and we’ll talk about lighting or sewing or something, m’kay? And also, know I’m not a professional cook – I’m a southern mom who’s raised four children and they’ve grown up on eating this food. I stuck to the basic recipes that we have eaten for years – so I knew what my family would actually eat. And when I originally wrote this post five years ago, I still had kids at home. But now we’re empty nesters and I’ve even figured out how to do them for only two people.
*this post contains affiliate links for your convenience*
Let’s get started with my Freezer Meals Tips:
1) Make sure your kitchen is clean to start your freezer meals. You don’t want to have to clean then cook, because you’re going to be washing dishes while cooking at a rapid fire pace. At least I was. I only have a few pots and pans, a few mixing bowls, a couple of whisks, etc. I don’t have a fully outfitted kitchen big enough for an army. On a regular basis I feed four people – so my kitchen reflects our needs.
2) Think about what you want to stock up on. I know we eat a lot of chicken meals, some with hamburger, and a lot of casserole type meals. You can start with what’s in your pantry and build from there. It’s a great way to make the most of what you have. Basically approach freezer meals the same way you would any meal plan.
3) Clean your freezer. I only have the freezer on my side by side refrigerator. I have had a couple of different deep freezers in the past, but they never got used properly, so I got rid of them. I thoroughly cleaned out my freezer and found that once it was all cleaned up, not only did I have enough room for all those freezer meals – I even had a leftover shelf to fill with my favorite ice cream (which I totally did.)
4) Stock up on freezer bags and aluminum pans. Those 3/$1 pans come in all shapes and sizes. I bought ones that hold about 2 pounds of food, because 4 people divided by 2 pounds is 8 ounces each. That’s plenty for the main dish for us. Buy good plastic baggies (I recommend Ziploc) in both gallon and quart size.
5) Wear comfortable shoes. I did it barefoot and my feet were killing me at the end of four hours.
6) Have help, if you can. I wish I had done it on a Sunday when my girls were home to help wash dishes, open cans, etc. I did the bulk of the work when they were at school, but by the last hour I had help and it made my life much easier.
7) Remember this isn’t a fairy tale. Half way through you’re going to start thinking “Why in the crap did I think this was a good idea?!?” Well, at least I did. When you’re up to your elbows in marinara and casseroles, putting freezer mealsinto pans over and over again, you’re going to question the whole mess. It’s worth it. Well, it was for me anyways.
8) Sharpies are your friend. You can mark every meal with the name and date, so if you have some rogue freezer meals hanging around in your freezer 2 years later (which may or may not happen here), then you don’t have to wonder when it was made or what in the Sam Hill is in that dish. Plus, with the lids on, they’re all going to look the same. Sharpie it up, baby.
9) Prep in batches. Need onion for 4 freezer meals recipes? Chop it all at once to make your life easier. Poach all your chicken in one pot (which will also give you some decent broth). Brown all of your hamburger together then divide it out for the different meals. If you’ve got to do a lot of it, do it all together.
10) Free pep talk. I think that’s all my tips, but wanted to throw in one more to just say if you really want to do this freezer meals thing you TOTALLY can. Once again, I have a basic set of pots and pans plus one large stock pot, a couple of mixing bowls (one large, one medium), a few wooden spoons and some whisks. Plus ten is a good stopping point, which my OCD brain appreciates.
HOW TO STORE FREEZER MEALS
Here are the things I recommend for storage:
ROUND & RECTANGLEpans (that’s enough for 4 people in each container) work great for freezer meals. Of course, if you want to use smaller sizes, then you can absolutely use smaller pans and the meals will stretch even further.
Ziploc in both QUART and in GALLON These days, since we’re now empty nesters, we typically use smaller containers (I’ll get more into freezer meals for two in a second). For chili, sauces, etc, we typically use a quart freezer bag with 2 cups of whatever recipe. It makes the meals stretch much further.
What I have found is to make sure you’re getting good quality storage containers. The better the bags, the longer the freezer meals will be able to remain frozen without sacrificing the quality of the test & texture of the foods.
If your freezer has enough storage, I highly recommend using baskets to organize them so you can see what’s inside easily and things don’t get lost in the back of the freezer. I also recommend using a calendar to plan out your freezer meals so you know you won’t end up with a ton of one kind left at the end.
HOW TO LABEL FREEZER MEALS
Before you store your freezer meals, you need to make sure that they are properly labeled. This includes:
- What the freezer meals are (example: Lasagna)
- Date made (so you aren’t guessing a few weeks later)
- Reheating instructions
- Any special notes (example: Veggie Lasagna vs. Meat Lasagna)
HOW LONG CAN FREEZER MEALS LAST
Honestly, that depends on the meal. We’ve never had them last more than 6 months, so I know that the ones that last that long are always good for us. BUT – according to the USDA, most of the ingredients have safety guidelines that state different times. Here’s a few of their guidelines (taken from foodsafety.gov):
Beef can be frozen for 3-4 months.
Chicken can stay frozen for 9-12 months.
Soups/stews can stay frozen for 2-3 months.
Cooked meat/poultry can stay frozen from 2-6 months.
So, according to them, there’s a huge range. So it’s honestly hard to give a truly accurate answer to the question of how long freezer meals can last. I try to side on the err of caution and stay in the 3-6 month range. Though, honestly, they never seem to last much longer than the guidelines. Just play it safe, m’kay?
HOW TO REHEAT FREEZER MEALS
There’s really two ways you can go about reheating the freezer meals from this Freezer Meals Plan. Either will work, but some meals will need more time in the oven than others.
1) Cook straight from frozen. All of the meals are basically just being reheated because everything is pre-cooked. All of the directions are listed, but most meals are reheated from frozen in a 375 degree oven for 35-45 minutes. I suggest using aluminum foil on the top for the first 30 minutes or so, then uncover at the end. For the meals in a bag (like marinara & chili) then you can just put it into a sauce pan on the stove top and cook on medium until it’s heated all the way through.
or 2) Thaw the meals first, then reheat. If you plan well enough that you know what you’re eating the next night, then pull it out the night before and put into the refrigerator. Once you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 375 degrees, then cook for 20-30 minutes or until heated all the way through. Letting them thaw over night in the refrigerator will help speed up the cooking time – so it’s a great way to save time if you’re organized enough to remember to do this step.
HOW TO MAKE FREEZER MEALS FOR TWO PEOPLE
Since I first made freezer meals five years ago, we’ve since become empty nesters. Yep, all our little ones have flown the coop, so we don’t have as many mouths to feed. At first, it was a huge challenge to figure out how to still do freezer meals for two people and yet I have found it is doable with a couple of minor tweaks – either in the way you prepare freezer meals for two, or in the way that you consume them.
First, you can store the freezer meals in smaller containers. They will go further, heat up easier and all around last you longer.
Second, you can package them as if you were planning for four people, but then save the leftovers for lunch the next day. We almost never take this approach, but it’s completely doable if you pack a lunch every day. Just reheat them in the microwave and you’re good to go.
Or lastly, just cut the recipes in half. Most of them can be turned into half recipes pretty easily. You’d need half the ingredients – so it would be at about half the cost of the full freezer meals recipe plan.
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I started by putting 5 packs of chicken breasts (15 pieces total) in a stock pot with water, to boil them all for the meals I needed. I used the biggest pot I had and boiled them all.
While the chicken was cooking, I used another pot and began to brown 12 pounds of ground beef (in a smaller stock pot.) Once all the ground beef was cooked, I drained it all and added 1/4 of it back to the pot to make my marinara.
Freezer Recipes
- Meat Marinara Recipe
3 pounds ground beef, cooked and strained - 1 medium onion, diced finely
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 large cans of crushed tomatoes
- 1 12 oz. can tomato paste
- 1 huge (the double size) jar of good store bought marinara
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
- Salt to taste (1 1/2 Tablespoons or so)
- Pepper to taste (3/4 of a tablespoon)
To the ground beef, add in the garlic and onions and let cook until onions are soft. Add in the rest of the ingredients and cook for 45 minutes or so on medium heat, until flavors are combined.
++ If you don’t want a ton of freezer recipes but want a big impact – start here. You can use this sauce for dozens of meals!
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I used the marinara to make 5 small lasagnas in 2.5 pound size aluminum pans.
FREEZER MEALS MADE WITH BEEF
Easy Lasagna (one of my family’s favorite freezer meals recipes!)
(makes 5 freezer meals)
- Meat Marinara
- Ricotta Cheese (largest tub)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 Tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- No bake lasagna noodles (2 boxes made all of mine)
Shredded mozzarella cheese (the bag kind totally works for me) – it’s hard to say how much, but I used about 10 cups total
In a small bowl mix together the ricotta, egg, pepper and Parmesan until thoroughly combined.
On the bottom of your pan, ladle in enough sauce to lightly coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer. Using a small spoon or tablespoon scoop, add in dollops of the ricotta mixture (I did 5 drops on each layer, one on each corner and one in the middle). Add more marinara onto and around the ricotta, sprinkle a thin layer of mozzarella, then add another layer of noodles. Do three layers, topping it off the final layer of noodles with sauce and good layer mozzarella cheese and cover with cardboard top. Set aside to cool before putting in freezer.
When you’re ready to cook, take off the top, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes at 375 degrees, take off aluminum and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until top is lightly browned and bubbly.
Add a salad and some garlic bread and you’ve got a meal in just a few minutes.
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After I made my lasagna, I put the rest of the marinara into gallon Ziploc bags, two cups in each, then squished all the air off and froze them flat in the freezer. When I want to make spaghetti, I cook the noodles, warm the sauce, add a salad and some bread and I’m done.
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Easy Chili Recipe
(makes 2-3 freezer meals)
- 2 pounds of ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cans of chili beans
- 1 can Rotel tomatoes
- 1 can of diced tomatoes (14 oz can)
- 2 packs of chili seasoning
- 1/2 table spoon salt
- 2 cups water
Put browned ground beef into a pan with onions and cook until onions are soft. Add in all the other ingredients (including the juice of the tomatoes) and cook for 30 minutes or so until flavors have combined.
It’s hard to measure, but I used two gallon bags to put in 1/3 of the mixture into each, and then split the rest up into a couple smaller quart bags for chili dogs or chili chips and cheese (things where chili is not the main meal.)
++ This is another of the freezer recipes that are perfect for beginners and can be used a ton of ways!
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Easy Cheeseburger Casserole
(makes 3 freezer meals)
For the topping:
- 2 pounds of ground beef (again, mine was pre-cooked)
- 1 onion, diced very finely
- Six cups Cheddar Cheese, grated
- For the crust:
- 5 cups of self rising flour
- 3/4 cup of sour cream
- 1 egg
- 1 cup (more or less) of water
In a saute pan, cook together the ground beef over medium high heat until onion is soft. Set aside to cool.
Make the crust first by combining the flour, egg, sour cream and enough water to bring it together into a thick, but spreadable consistency.
Spray the pans (I used three round pans) and spread a layer of the dough into each one. Sprinkle the cooled meat mixture over the dough, then top each one with about 2 cups of cheddar. Top with lid. To cook, bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.
For a variation, you could put some of the marinara on the dough, and have a cheeseburger pizza casserole. We sometimes use marinara for dipping – it’s the perfect finger food!
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For the rest of the ground beef, I divided it up into a couple of quart Ziploc bags for sloppy joes or tacos.
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FREEZER MEALS MADE WITH CHICKEN
Now let’s work on the chicken recipes. I shredded all of the chicken and used it in several of the recipes below. After they were all made, I put the rest of the shredded chicken into quart size Ziploc bags and froze them flat for Chicken Tacos, BBQ Chicken sandwiches, etc.
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Pasta Bake Recipe
(makes 3 freezer meals)
- 3 cooked, shredded chicken breasts
- 2 boxes of pasta (I used penne), cooked and draine
- 2 cans of Campbell’s cheddar soup
- 2 cups of chicken broth (I used the broth from cooking the chicken)
- 2 bags of frozen broccoli
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- 3 cups of shredded cheddar
Combine all ingredients except shredded cheddar into a bowl, divide out into three pans, the top with cheddar cheese. When ready to cook, bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until warm and bubbly. Because I’m getting carbs, veggies and protein all in one dish, I usually add another veggie and some garlic bread and that’s it. So yummy!
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Tex Mex Chicken Casserole
(makes 4 freezer meals)
- 4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- 8 cups of cooked rice
- 2 can of Rotel tomatoes
- 2 packs of taco seasoning
- 2 cans of whole kernel corn, drained
- 2 cans of black beans (undrained)
- 1 small can of black olives, drained
- 6 cups of cheddar cheese, grated
Mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl, except the cheese. Divide out into four pans, then top each with the cheddar cheese and top with cardboard topper. To cook, remove cardboard piece and bake at 350 until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted (all ingredients are already cooked, so it’s just a matter of heating it well.) I serve with sour cream and salsa on top and tortilla chips on the side.
Basic Chicken CasseroleFreezer Meals Recipe
(makes 3 freezer meals)
- 4 shredded, cooked chicken breasts
- 5 cups of cooked rice
- 2 cans of cream of chicken condensed soup
- 1 cup of chicken broth
- 2 bags of frozen peas and carrots (I used mixed, but you could use one bag of each)
- 1 Tablespoon of salt
- 1/2 Tablespoon of black pepper
- 3 cup of French’s onions
- 3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
In a small bowl, combine the cheese and onions together – set aside (for the topping)
In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients together, then separate into pans. Top each one with 1/3 of the topping mixture and freeze. When ready to cook, bake at 350 until thoroughly warm and cheese is melted (everything is already cooked in the casserole.)
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Edited to add:
Chicken & Dressing
(makes 3 freezer meals)
- A big pan of cornbread (use your own fave recipe) cooked and crumbled
- 2 cans of cream of chicken soup
- 1 can of chicken broth
- 1 medium onion, finely diced & sauteed in butter
- 2 Tablespoons of ground sage
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons of salt
- 3/4 of a Tablespoon of ground black pepper
- 2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken
*you can also add a couple of stalks of celery, however we don’t like it – so my dressing doesn’t have it.*
Mix all of the ingredients together, put into pans and freeze. When you’re ready to cook, bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. Make sure to have chilled cranberry sauce and basic chicken gravy for the side, because that’s what a good southerner would do 🙂
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My total freezer meals recipe stash:
5 lasagnas
2 bags of pre-made marinara (for spaghetti)
2 bags of chili (plus 2 additional small bags for chili dogs/nachos)
3 cheeseburger casseroles
3 broccoli cheddar chicken pasta bakes
4 Tex Mex chicken casseroles
3 basic chicken casseroles
2 bags of ground beef (ready for sloppy joes, etc.)
3 bags of shredded chicken breast (ready for tacos, etc.)
Plus the original Chicken & Dressing that started it all
Grand total – 28 meals (plus two small bags of chili)
ARE FREEZER MEALS WORTH IT?
Well, that’s honestly for you to decide. For me, YES. If you get going, you can really crank out a lot freezer recipes very easily. I spent an hour at the grocery store (and spent $300 to produce all those meals, plus all of my other essentials for two weeks – so maybe $200 of it went into this), and spent four hours cooking to get all those freezer meals.
Do we eat these every night. There are things my family likes that takes very little time to make and should really be made fresh (like potato soup.) These meals will probably last us two month total, if you take out a couple of nights a month to eat out, making fresh meals in between, etc. But those four hours basically gives me an easy meal every other night for two months. Totally worth it to me! I don’t know that I could force my family to eat lasagna five times in one month. But eating freezer meals five times in two months is pretty realistic. So these freezer recipes come in pretty handy!
Now that I know what’s for dinner, I think I’m gonna go sew something… or paint a chair… or rearrange furniture. Whatever it is, something that’s way more in my comfort zone than making freezer recipes!
