Freezer meals don’t have to be boring, uncreative stews and simple chicken soups. They can be incredibly tasty, exciting, elegant, healthy dinners that are as impressive thawed as when they first came out of the pan!
Here are 10 of my favorite freezer meals and sides to impress your whole family and make enough to last you months!
During 2020, I took social distancing VERY seriously. I live in Brooklyn which was a very hard-hit part of the country in the beginning of the pandemic, so I decided to make enough freezer meals to last me from mid-March through May.
Even with my tiny freezer, I did it! In fact, I didn’t have to go shopping for a month and a half with the amount of food I made and froze! I don’t usually like to use plastic bags for freezing food (I prefer to use glass), but I made an exception for this situation so I could really stack everything more efficiently.
These are the recipes I made for myself and a bunch more. They’ll all stay frozen perfectly for months!
1. Curry Butternut Squash with Turkey, Spinach and Hominy
I doubled the recipe and made 12 servings of this tasty turkey stew. If you’ve never used hominy in your cooking before, you’ll love it! It’s a plump, chewy kernel of white corn that’s been dried and soaked in a mineral lime bath.
It has a mild flavor and is traditionally used in Mexican cooking, but I thought it would add the perfect texture to this Indian-spiced meal! Get the recipe for Curry Butternut Squash with Turkey, Spinach and Hominy!
2. Homemade French Onion Soup
Here’s a REAL easy one, especially if you’ve already made your own beef broth. All you need are some nice, big red onions, butter and a lovely bottle of port wine or sherry… and some gruyere of course. Get the recipe for Homemade French Onion Soup!
3. Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon
I doubled the beef in this recipe to make 2 extra servings. I also made a whole bunch of mashed potatoes and froze them too to serve along with it. Just because you’re in lock down doesn’t mean you can’t eat like a queen. Get the recipe for Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon!
4. Delicious Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken
This recipe is one of the easiest I know how to make, and feeds at least 6 happy cowboys! I added an extra chicken breast to stretch it to 8 servings and had almost all of the ingredients already in my kitchen! Get the recipe for Delicious Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken!
5. Loaded Instant Pot Chicken Enchiladas
You can make these enchiladas, freeze them and they’re almost as good as fresh! Simply cover them with plastic wrap or place them in a pyrex with a lid and freeze.
6. Red Curry Coconut Meatballs
These incredible coconut curry turkey meatballs freeze in their sauce and thaw perfectly! Made with red bell peppers, spinach, jalapeño and pre-made red-curry (to make it super simple), this meal can be made in under an hour and makes 6-7 servings! Get the Red Coconut Curry Meatballs recipe!
7. White Lasagna with Mushrooms, Spinach and Artichokes
Freeze this lasagna after it has been assembled, but before it’s been baked. It can be baked while still frozen for 90 minutes at 400 F. If it has been thawed, bake for just 60 minutes and be sure to cover it with tin foil before baking.
8. Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
You can freeze the leftovers in a sealed container for 3-4 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat in the microwave or cook in a saucepan for 10 minutes. You can also freeze uncooked teriyaki chicken, by adding all of the ingredients in a Ziplock bag, seal it and freeze for 3 months.
9. Creamy Curry Cauliflower Soup
I made a nice big batch of this to get me through the month. I even picked up a nice baguette and froze that too so I’ll have lots of fresh, crunchy homemade croutons to serve on the side. Get the recipe for Creamy Curry Cauliflower Soup!
10. The Very Best Swedish Meatballs
Ahh, Swedish meatballs! The highlight of every IKEA trip! Tender, creamy, deliciously spiced and so heartwarming!
Served over noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes, this recipe is “elegant comfort food” and dare I say, tops IKEA’s recipe any day. And contrary to what you may think, they actually do freeze and thaw nicely.
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