Easy Freezer Meal Recipes

Easy Freezer Meal Recipes!

I often make freezer meals to pull out and pop into the oven or my crock pot.

(Tonight is actually one of those nights….and we are having the sweet pulled pork using the recipe below with lettuce, black beans, rice and hot sauce as a salad.)

Awhile back I wrote a post how to make freezer meals…and it is full of tips and tricks…but one of our most frequently asked questions from that post are those asking if we are going to share some easy freezer meal recipes that we use.

(You can find that post HERE)

So today I finally pulled together a handful of easy freezer meal recipes!

The following recipes are ones that I use all the time.  They are great as stand alone recipes but also work well when frozen and reheated!

So here we go! Easy Freezer Meal Recipes:

Sweet Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

Small Pork Roast (2-3 pounds)

3 cans of Dr. Pepper

1 and ¼ Cup of Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon Garlic Salt

¼ Cup of Water

1 Can of Sliced Green Chilies (4.5 oz)

1 Can of Red Enchilada Sauce (12 oz)

Instructions:

1.  Put the pork roast, 1 can of Dr. Pepper, and ¼ cup of brown sugar in a ziplock bag to marinade overnight.
2. Drain the marinade then put the pork, 1 can of Dr. Pepper, and 1 Tablespoon of Garlic Salt into a crockpot and cook on high for 3-4 hours (or until the roast sheds easily).
3. Take the roast out of the crock pot and drain the crockpot.
4. Shred the pork.
5. Return the pork to the crock pot.  Add the remaining ingredients (brown sugar, water, green chilies, enchilada sauce, and 1 can of Dr. Pepper) to the crock pot and stir.
6. Cook on low for 2 more hours.

NOTE:  I often will by an entire pack of 4-5 pork roasts and before putting them away in the fridge or freezer when returning home from the grocery store I will take them out of the packaging and put them in individual ziplock bags with the Dr. Pepper and brown sugar marinade so they will be ready to go as soon as I am ready to cook them.

Taco Meat

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning

½ yellow onion diced

1 can tomato sauce (8 oz.)

Instructions:

1.  Brown ground beef along with the diced onion in a skillet.
2. Add tomato sauce and taco seasoning and cook for another 5-10 minutes until meat is cooked thoroughly.  

NOTE: When cooking taco meat I always make 2 or 3 times as much taco meat as we are going to eat that night for dinner and then freeze the rest. Then it can be heated up quickly when we need a meal in a hurry.

Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

¼ cup dry bread crumbs

¼ cup minced onions

1 egg slightly beaten

¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1.  Mix all ingredients together.  You can use a large spoon but it works best to mix it together by hand.
2. Shape into 16 individual meatballs.
3. In a skillet brown the meatballs, pour off fat.
4. Cook an additional 15 minutes (or until cooked completely) covered in whatever sauce they will be served in.  (Barbeque, Cream of mushroom, spaghetti sauce, etc.)

NOTE: I freeze the meatballs plain…without any sauce…not all sauces are great to freeze….especially cream sauces.

Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

2-4 diced chicken breasts (or 2 cans of chicken drained…or any leftover chicken diced)

1 large can of diced tomatoes

1 can of Rotel Original canned tomatoes with chilis

1small can of green chilis (drained)

1 can corn (drained)

1 can pinto beans (drained)

1 can kidney beans (drained)

1 package dried Ranch salad dressing

1 package taco seasoning mix

Instructions:

#1. Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Stir.

#2. Cook on low all day.  (About 6 hours)

#3. Serve alone or with shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, corn bread, or tamales.

NOTE:  I usually make a double batch of this. One to eat for dinner as a family and then one to portion out into individual servings before freezing…it can be heated up quickly in the microwave for a hot lunch. Also note do not freeze with cheese, sour cream, or corn chips on top…they do not reheat well.

Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef

16 oz box of lasagna noodles

16 oz package of Colby Jack cheese

½ yellow onion diced

1 can of diced tomatoes (16 oz.)

1 can of tomato sauce (8 oz.)

2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

Instructions:

1.  Brown ground beef along with diced onion in a large skillet.
2. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian Seasoning, and minced garlic and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
3. Grate the entire block of Colby Jack cheese.
4. Using an oven safe baking dish you are going to begin to stack your ingredients.  (I use a 3 quart clear baking dish that is about 13” x 10”.)  Start with the meat and tomato mixture…cover the bottom of the baking dish with 1-2” of the mixture.  Place a layer of lasagna noodles on top of the mixture.  (You may have to break the noodles into the correct size pieces to fit in your baking dish.) Sprinkle the top of the noodles generously with cheese.  Repeat until you have used all of your meat mixture and cheese.
5. NOTE:  on the top layer I will put a layer of the meat mixture both on top and underneath that last layer of noodles…the moisture will soften the noodles as they cook in the oven…then I add a generous layer of cheese across the top.
6. Cover the baking dish with a lid or aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Meat Loaf

Ingredients for the Loaf:

2 pounds hamburger

1 pound sausage

3 slices of bread crumbled

1 egg

1 Tablespoon oregano

Ingredients for the Sauce:

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

¼ Cup ketchup

1 Teaspoon dry mustard

¼ Teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions:

1.  Combine all the ingredients for the loaf.  You can use a spoon but kneading it together by hand works best.
2. Shape into a loaf and place into an oven safe dish with a lid or cover with foil.
3. Cook at 350 degrees for 2 hours.
4. Combine the ingredients for the sauce.
5. Take the meatloaf out of the oven, pour the sauce over the meatloaf and place it back into the oven uncovered.
6. Cook for 10 more minutes.
7. Serve and enjoy.

NOTE:  I usually make 2 meatloaves at once…one to eat that night and one to freeze and serve on another night…however, I do not freeze the meatloaf with the sauce on top.  I freeze it without and then make the sauce the night we are heating up and eating the meatloaf that had been frozen.

Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:

1 bag split peas (16 oz)

½ cup diced carrots

1 small yellow onion diced

1 cup of ham diced

Salt and Pepper

Water

Instructions:

1.  Rinse dried peas in a colander…get them nice and clean.
2. Put the peas into a pot.  Add water until there is about an inch of water on top of the peas.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Add carrots and onions.  Reduce heat to a simmer…add water as needed (Keeping about an inch of water above your peas.)
5. Simmer until peas are mashable.  (I use my potato masher but you can also use an immersion blender.)
6. Mash your peas.  (Your carrots and onions will get mashed in this process as well.)
7. Add your ham and salt and pepper to taste.
8. Stir and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add water as desired.  For thinner soup add more water.  For a thicker consistency simmer longer.
9. Serve hot with the toppings of your choice.  (Cheese, croutons, crumbled bacon, chives, etc.)

NOTE:  I usually make this and then portion it out into individual servings before freezing…it can be heated up quickly in the microwave for a hot lunch.

Taco Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

½ yellow onion chopped

1 can kidney beans (16 oz.)

1 can black beans (16 oz.)

2 cans whole kernel corn (16 oz.)

1 can diced tomatoes (16 oz.)

1 can tomato sauce (8 oz.)

1 packet Taco Seasoning (1 oz.)

Instructions:

1.  In a large pot brown the ground beef along with the chopped onion.
2. Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil.
3. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Top with cheddar cheese or sour cream and along with tamales and corn bread.

NOTE:  I usually make a double batch of this. One to eat for dinner as a family and then one to portion out into individual servings before freezing…it can be heated up quickly in the microwave for a hot lunch. Also note do not freeze with cheese or sour cream on top…it does not reheat well.

So there you have it some easy freezer meal recipes!

Happy cooking and happy freezing!