Goodbye, Stouffers and Swanson. Whenever you’re within the temper for frozen dinners, attain for these implausible meals. They freeze nicely, reheat superbly, and please everybody.

Rising up, I begged my mom to let me eat frozen dinners. All the children I knew at college devoured their tuna noodle casserole, meatloaf, or fried hen with the neat-o blueberry cake on a folding tray in entrance of the TV. Me? I needed to sit at our kitchen snack bar that my dad constructed, staring down at a plate of octopus stew.
The idea of frozen meals was overseas to my mother. She cooked day-after-day, and we ate what she made. Interval. And if it was an excessive amount of meals, tubs of Tupperware had been shuttled to aunts, uncles, cousins, or grandparents.
Even at this time, I can’t recall one meal she made and froze for later.
Then again, the One and I take advantage of our chest freezer a lot we now have to put dumbells from the never-used weight set on the duvet to maintain it closed.
Made further hen in pink wine? Freeze it. Saved a bundle on pork shoulder? Braise it with beans and sausage and Freeze it. Making a white chocolate cake? Make three and freeze two.
These 11 straightforward meals are giant sufficient and hearty sufficient to freeze so that you just and yours can have a lip-smackin’ dinner within the time it takes to so that you can combine a cocktail or three, watch an episode of “The White Lotus,” or choose the children up from soccer apply.
(No octopus included.)
xo,

These home made potato gnocchi are the very best model of this Italian basic we have ever had. They’re made with russet potatoes, flour, egg, and salt and are like little pillows of potato heaven. 4 elements. Ridiculously straightforward. Splendidly cheap.
The Pioneer Lady’s lasagna recipe highlights how straightforward it may be to make a crowd- (and kid-) pleasing lasagna. No uncommon elements, simply meat, cheese, noodles, and extra cheese. It is doggone scrumptious.
That is the lasagna I’ve been making for about 10 years. It’s, hands-down, my favourite lasagna! It’s all the time a success at household gatherings and potlucks.–Jennifer V.
This freezer tomato sauce is an easy home made spaghetti sauce made with that glut of backyard tomatoes. Stash it within the freezer now, and thank your self later.
This straightforward chili recipe is fast and makes an enormous batch you may stash within the freezer and thaw every time you might have a mad-crazy craving.
5 stars for this versatile chili recipe! I made a half batch and had three packages to freeze after serving it for dinner with candy potato cornbread. I stored it thick and used the masa as a result of I can all the time add liquid to skinny out leftovers. Trying ahead to future chili canines and nachos.–Deb L.
These straightforward hen enchiladas from America’s Check Kitchen are made proper in your toaster oven. Rotisserie hen, cheese, spices, and tomato sauce come collectively as shortly and irresistibly as attainable.
This butternut squash soup, made straightforward by mixing roasted winter squash with sage and drizzled with heavy cream or crème fraîche, is fast, straightforward, and wholesome. To not point out scrumptious. Contemplate your self warned.
This butternut squash soup is so easy to make that it looks like “dishonest” as a result of it’s so elegant. The roasting of the squash provides a mildly nutty taste that lightly offsets the sweetness of the flesh inside. A superb starter for fall menus.–Karis V.
This finest burger obtained its identify for excellent causes. It is made with a mixture of quick ribs, brisket, and chuck for an extremely juicy burger expertise that is wealthy and beautiful sufficient to serve bare. Though, you may gown it along with your favourite condiments for those who should.
These BBQ meatballs are tossed within the crockpot or oven (translation: no stovetop spattering to wash up) and slathered in a home made molasses barbecue sauce. This is how you can make them.
I made these final night time. They had been juicy and never dry! I’m so unhealthy at meatballs, however this turned out excellent, and I’m not an excellent prepare dinner. They had been really easy and attractive that everybody favored them, which is tough on this home! I’ll positively make them once more.–Kathryn T.
Pork tinga, an genuine Mexican dish, is a slowly simmered pork stew made with roasted tomatoes, chipotle chiles, chorizo, and onions. When topped with avocado, bitter cream, cilantro, queso fresco, and lime, it is consolation meals at its most interesting.
These hand pies are straightforward to make and fulfill your cravings by swapping in no matter you need for the filling. Apple. Peach. Cherry. Chocolate. Nutella. Shock us. Shock your self.
Simple-peasy! I do cheat a bit of with the filling, although . . . I take advantage of frozen peaches, cherries, and so on., as an alternative of recent ones as a result of it’s soooo a lot simpler to throw collectively. I make mine small (3-inch pies) so we don’t really feel so responsible. I additionally use the drained peach (or cherry) juice to make the skinny icing to high them, together with a 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract. They’re sooo good and freeze exceptionally nicely.–Grammasue
This frozen chocolate-chip cookie dough ensures you may have one or a dozen heat cookies everytime you like. The freezing solely provides a couple of minutes to the unique bake time, so it is nearly prompt gratification.
FAQs
What’s one of the best ways to freeze meals for long-term storage?
To keep away from freezer burn, we suggest storing your meals in hermetic containers. If this isn’t an possibility, wrap the meals in freezer wrap after which once more in foil, ensuring not one of the meals is uncovered to air. Resealable luggage are additionally a superb possibility for home made soups.
How ought to I thaw my frozen meals?
Many freezer meals should be thawed earlier than cooking. For finest outcomes, thaw your meal within the fridge in a single day. Keep away from thawing meals on the counter because it may end up in spoilage or micro organism development.
How lengthy do frozen meals final within the freezer?
Most meals will be safely frozen with out creating freezer burn for 3 to six months if saved in an hermetic container or bag.
What are your favourite meals to maintain stashed within the freezer for these busy weeknights or lazy weekends? Tell us in a remark under.
© 2023 Leite’s Culinaria. All rights reserved. All supplies used with permission.
>