In today's fast-paced world, finding the time to prepare healthy and delicious meals can be a challenge. Between work, family, and other commitments, it's easy to fall into the trap of relying on takeout or processed foods. However, with a little planning and preparation, you can enjoy home-cooked meals every night of the week, even on your busiest days. The secret? Freezer meals!
The Beauty of Freezer Meals
Freezer meals are pre-made dishes that you can store in your freezer and reheat whenever you're short on time. They're a fantastic way to ensure you always have a healthy and satisfying meal option available, without the stress of last-minute cooking. These aren’t your store-bought frozen dinners: think homemade soups, stews, casseroles, and more, packed with flavor and nutrients.
Benefits of Freezer Meals
- Convenience: On busy weeknights, freezer meals provide a quick and easy way to get a healthy dinner on the table without a lot of fuss. When you have a stash of them on hand, making a delicious, healthy dinner is as simple as heating one up!
- Healthier Eating: Freezer meals allow you to control the ingredients and portion sizes, ensuring you're eating nutritious and balanced meals.
- Cost-Effective: Cooking in bulk and freezing individual portions can save you money compared to eating out or buying pre-made meals.
- Reduced Food Waste: By freezing leftovers, you can prevent food from spoiling and reduce waste.
- Stress Relief: Knowing you have a freezer full of ready-to-go meals can alleviate the stress of meal planning and preparation, especially during hectic times.
Essential Freezer Meal Recipes
Here's a collection of healthy and delicious freezer meal recipes to get you started:
Baked Pastas and Enchiladas
Baked pasta dishes and enchiladas are comforting, satisfying, and crowd-pleasing options for freezer meals. Assemble them fully, but stop before baking. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, bake, covered, at 350°F (175°C) for one hour, or until heated through. If there's cheese on top, uncover and bake until browned and bubbling.
- Best Vegetarian Lasagna: Load it up with as many veggies as you like!
- Easy Enchiladas: A family favorite with homemade enchilada sauce, black beans, spinach, and cheddar cheese.
- Easy Baked Ziti: Creamy and delicious with dollops of lemony ricotta in the center.
- Stuffed Shells: Assemble before freezing, then thaw overnight in the fridge before baking, covered, for 30 minutes.
Veggie Burgers, Patties, and Meatballs
Make a double batch of veggie burgers or meatballs and freeze half for later. Stash the cooked, cooled patties or balls in a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag for up to 3 months.
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- Easy Black Bean Burger: Simple and flavorful bean burgers.
- Falafel: A crispy, herb-flecked delight to discover in your freezer.
- Best Vegan Meatballs: Serve over pasta or in subs with arugula and tomato sauce.
Saucy, "Meaty" Freezer Meal Recipes
Green jackfruit's mild flavor and meaty texture make it a great plant-based substitute for pulled pork or shredded chicken. Freeze it in saucy BBQ sandwiches and spicy vegan tacos. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove or defrost in the microwave. Hamburger buns and tortillas freeze well too.
- BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches: A plant-based version of pulled pork.
- Vegan Tacos: Sweet and spicy with a refreshing mango salsa. Keep the jackfruit warm in a slow cooker for entertaining.
Freezer-Friendly Soups and Stews
Soups are excellent freezer meals, perfect for lunch or dinner. Cool completely after cooking, then transfer to airtight containers, leaving room for expansion.
- Butternut Squash Soup: A fall and winter favorite.
- Black Bean Soup: Thick and creamy with a kick from chipotles.
- Many-Veggie Vegetable Soup: Use up leftover veggie odds and ends.
- Corn Chowder: Made with summer sweet corn.
- Easy Vegetarian Chili: Smoky and spicy for a cold night. Pair with cornbread or jalapeño cornbread.
- Black Bean Chili: Hearty and great with all the fixings.
Other Delicious Freezer Meal Ideas
- Homemade Taquitos: Packed with jackfruit, refried beans, and green chiles.
- Coconut Cauliflower Curry: Aromatic and packed with veggies like cauliflower, butternut squash, peas, and spinach.
- Butternut Squash Ravioli: Freeze uncooked ravioli in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for two hours, then transfer to an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months. Cook in boiling water until they float, about 6 minutes.
- Freezer Meals for Breakfast: Start your morning right with make-ahead options.
- Breakfast Sandwich: Loaded with eggs, vegetables, and goat cheese. Assemble, wrap in foil, and microwave for 2 minutes in a towel.
- Vegan Breakfast Burrito: Tofu and veggie burritos that also work for lunch or dinner. Assemble, wrap in foil, and thaw overnight before microwaving.
Make-Ahead Components
These freezer-friendly components can give you a head start on making a full meal later.
- Sauces:
- Basil Pesto: Or vegan pesto or kale pesto!
- Marinara Sauce: Always have marinara handy.
- Homemade Pizza Dough: Double the dough when you make homemade pizza and freeze half. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Cooked Grains: Batch-cook and freeze grains like rice, quinoa, and farro. Thaw in the microwave to make cilantro lime rice or a grain bowl. Spread cooked grains in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for two hours.
- Beans:
- Black Beans or Instant Pot Black Beans: Freeze home-cooked beans for more flavor than canned. Add them to chili, salads, or soups, or serve them as a side dish.
Freezer-Friendly Veggie Soup Recipe
This healthy veggie soup is a great freezer meal to make ahead.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
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Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1 small sweet potato, diced
- ¼ cup dry white wine, optional
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped green beans
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons balsamic or white wine vinegar
- 1½ cups chopped kale
Instructions:
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and several grinds of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. Add the carrot and sweet potato, stir, and cook 2 more minutes.
- Add the wine, if using, and cook for about 30 seconds to reduce by half, then add the canned tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the cherry tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, and chickpeas. Cover and cook for 10 to 15 more minutes, or until the green beans are tender.
- Stir in the vinegar, kale, an additional ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste), and more pepper.
Tips and Tricks for Freezer Meal Success
- Storage Containers:
- Reusable Containers (Pyrex):
- Pros: Fits perfectly inside the Instant Pot or slow cooker. Pretty to look at. No plastic waste! No awkward square shaped frozen blocks of food! Wash and use for leftovers!
- Cons: More expensive. Many recipes will require leaving the liquids out in order to fit. The food expands a little bit as it freezes, so you want to leave a little space at the top.
- Tip: To loosen the frozen food before cooking, just run the containers under hot water for a minute until loosened, and then dump them into the slow cooker or Instant Pot.
- Glass Pans:
- Pros: Freezer, oven, and dishwasher safe. Pretty to look at.
- Cons: More expensive.
- Use for lasagna, enchiladas, or stuffed peppers.
- Stasher Bags:
- Pros: Happy for the environment! Can use for other small-batch leftovers (perfect for energy bites or smoothies, for example).
- Cons: Not huge.
- Freezer Bags:
- Pros: Convenient. Cheap.
- Cons: Not environmentally friendly. Takes up a little more space in the freezer.
- Reusable Containers (Pyrex):
- Freezing Time:
- Meals can keep for at least 6 months in the freezer if stored properly.
- Thawing:
- You generally do NOT need to thaw freezer meals before cooking. Take them straight out of the freezer and put them in the Instant Pot, slow cooker, or oven.
- Exception: Meats in the slow cooker should always be thawed in the fridge for 24 hours first for food safety.
- Refreezing:
- Use freshly purchased, unfrozen meat to assemble the freezer meals.
- Once a recipe has been frozen, don’t thaw it out and re-freeze it.
- Once a recipe has been cooked, don’t freeze it again.
- Glass Bakeware:
- When using glass bakeware, you can put them straight from freezer to oven (wiping off the extra water or frost on the outside of the container first).
- If you want to be 100% safe:
- Thaw your oven-bound recipes in advance.
- Use aluminum pans which will not shatter.
- Line your frozen glass containers with parchment so you can pull your lasagnas out and transfer them into a room-temperature pan for baking.
- Avoiding Freezer Burn:
- Get all the air out of your storage containers before freezing. Plastic bags might be a better choice so you can really squeeze the air out.
- Liquids:
- You can include the liquids (broth, water, tomato sauce, etc.) or NOT include the liquids.
- Generally, DO NOT include the liquids because it’s harder for them to fit in the freezer and then in the slow cooker or Instant Pot. Just add them right before cooking.
- If you do include the liquids in your freezer containers, the nice thing is they’ll be COMPLETELY ready to go when you pull them out.
- Fresh Vegetables:
- Use fresh OR frozen produce.
- These recipes have been tested using fresh AND frozen produce, including onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, mushrooms, and squash.
- If you want to go with frozen produce, use:
- Frozen potatoes (pre-cooked)
- Frozen mushrooms
- Frozen squash
- Frozen mirepoix (usually a little heavier on the onions, so add a little extra chopped carrots or celery if you prefer less onion).
- Fast and Easy Process:
- Buy pre-chopped fresh or frozen veggies.
- Use pre-chopped garlic and onions.
- Skip the measuring cups and spoons and just eyeball it.
- Don’t do too many at a time. Aim for 4-6 per prep session.
- Instant Pot:
- An Instant Pot is recommended for freezer meals because you decide what you’re having for dinner at 4pm, pop it out of the freezer and into the Instant Pot, and have it done before 6pm with no advance thawing and minimal stress.
Key Terms for Freezer Meal Cooking
- Mirepoix: a trio of chopped onions, carrots, and celery.
- Instant Pot: an electric pressure cooker.
- High pressure: the setting for the pressure cooker.
- Natural release: letting everything sit in the pressure cooker before opening the valve, rather than opening the valve immediately.
A Month of Freezer Meals: A Sample Plan
Creating a month-long freezer meal plan can seem daunting, but it's achievable with a bit of organization. Here's a sample plan to inspire you:
Week 1
- Monday: Easy Enchiladas
- Tuesday: Black Bean Soup
- Wednesday: BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches
- Thursday: Best Vegan Meatballs with Pasta
- Friday: Homemade Pizza (using frozen dough)
- Saturday: Coconut Cauliflower Curry
- Sunday: Easy Vegetarian Chili
Week 2
- Monday: Best Vegetarian Lasagna
- Tuesday: Many-Veggie Vegetable Soup
- Wednesday: Vegan Tacos
- Thursday: Easy Black Bean Burgers
- Friday: Taquitos
- Saturday: Corn Chowder
- Sunday: Stuffed Shells
Week 3
- Monday: Butternut Squash Soup
- Tuesday: Black Bean Chili
- Wednesday: Breakfast Burritos (for dinner)
- Thursday: Falafel
- Friday: Leftover Night
- Saturday: Butternut Squash Ravioli
- Sunday: Freezer-Friendly Veggie Soup
Week 4
- Monday: Easy Baked Ziti
- Tuesday: Lentil Soup
- Wednesday: Chicken Tinga Tacos
- Thursday: Quinoa Black Bean Stuffed Peppers
- Friday: Sheet Pan Chicken Pitas
- Saturday: Chicken Pot Pie
- Sunday: Baked Spaghetti
This is just a sample plan, feel free to customize it based on your dietary preferences, family size, and available ingredients.
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