Meals that freeze well

[ncarr]

I'm trying to cook more meals that I can freeze but I don't know what freezes well other than homemade chicken soup, chilli/taco meat, and my homemade Italian soups (pasta fagoli, tuscan white bean etc). I need ideas! My husband and I are getting sick of the same "back up" meals over and over. What else can I cook ahead of time and freeze for later?

[pat in east texas]

Meat loaf
Goulash, minus the noodles
Red beans and rice
"Dirty Rice"
Split pea soup
Some of what I freeze whenever I cook them - just double or triple the batch.

[Saule]

I freeze slices of meatloaf, so that I could just take out a couple of slices for dinner. When I make pulled pork, I will make sandwiches and freeze them - a minute in the microwave and you have an instant hot lunch.

Also, check out this thread for ideas about freezing, I Froze This! Community Forums - p1 - Food.com

[Contrary Housewife]

Lots of things in sauce or liquid freeze well. Pot pie filling, sloppy joe filling, chowder, pulled pork in bbq sauce, pot roast in gravy or cooking liquid, baked beans, tomato sauce, lasagne, mac-n-cheese...

[Saule]

Also, next time you make rice, make a lot, and let it cool completely. Then freeze it in the amount that you need for the two of you for meals. It's so great to be able to zap frozen rice for a meal rather than have to wait for it to cook.

[jodihernandez]

basiclly anything freezes well given you take some precaution. Air is what messes it up so soups work great. Meat works good because you can easily remove the air in a bag.

If you cover your baking dishes with aluminum with enough overhang to cover the top you can prep lasagna/ pasta/ mac and cheese casseroles ect. and freeze them in there container covered of course and when they are hard remove from container and put in a large freezer bag. That way you can reuse the bags and the pan. Pull them out of the freezer pop it out of bag and in your baking dish and heat in the oven. No need to buy those freezer containers

[Paws]

The possibilities are endless...

~Chicken pot pie filling
~beef pot pie filling
~meat loaf
~Chicken Tetrazzini
~Roasted chicken divided into 2 cup portions
~Rice-white, jasmine, basmati, or brown
~Fried rice
~egg rolls
~burritos
~mexican/spanish rice
~taco filling
~enchiladas
~chimichangas
~refried beans
~mashed potatoes
~cooked beans-(from dry)
~chicken casseroles
~beef casseroles
~lasagnas-veggie, cheese, or meat
~mac and cheese dishes
~Fajita mixes-chicken, beef, or shrimp
~marinated meats-(before freezing meats, pour favorite ~marinade in with meat, seal, and freeze.)
~muffins
~meatballs-different varieties
~meatballs and rice with gravy
~country casserole
~breaded chicken strips
~bolognese sauce for spaghetti
~baked ziti
~hamburger patties-for grilled hamburgers or hamburger
steaks in mushroom and onion gravy
~Salisbury Steak
~browned ground beef with onions and/or garlic-portioned into bags
~home french fries
~veggie soup
~chicken soup/stew
~beef soup/stew
~chili-meat or without
~goulash
~sloppy joe filling
~quesadilla fillings
~Ham-sliced and diced
~ cooked meats-beef, chicken, or pork

Hhmmmm...there's so many more meals that can be frozen...
I do this regularly so I have many on hand when needed.

[DJ1972]

Try this: A Beginner's Guide to Once a Month Cooking
and this: Learn Once a Month Cooking in 7 Easy Steps : Frugal Mom

[Libby]

Sheppards Pie.

[Paws]

The possibilities are endless...

~Chicken pot pie filling
~beef pot pie filling
~meat loaf
~Chicken Tetrazzini
~Roasted chicken divided into 2 cup portions
~Rice-white, jasmine, basmati, or brown
~Fried rice
~egg rolls
~burritos
~mexican/spanish rice
~taco filling
~enchiladas
~chimichangas
~refried beans
~mashed potatoes
~cooked beans-(from dry)
~chicken casseroles
~beef casseroles
~lasagnas-veggie, cheese, or meat
~mac and cheese dishes
~Fajita mixes-chicken, beef, or shrimp
~marinated meats-(before freezing meats, pour favorite ~marinade in with meat, seal, and freeze.)
~muffins
~meatballs-different varieties
~meatballs and rice with gravy
~country casserole
~breaded chicken strips
~bolognese sauce for spaghetti
~baked ziti
~hamburger patties-for grilled hamburgers or hamburger
steaks in mushroom and onion gravy
~Salisbury Steak
~browned ground beef with onions and/or garlic-portioned into bags
~home french fries
~veggie soup
~chicken soup/stew
~beef soup/stew
~chili-meat or without
~goulash
~sloppy joe filling
~quesadilla fillings
~Ham-sliced and diced
~ cooked meats-beef, chicken, or pork

Hhmmmm...there's so many more meals that can be frozen...
I do this regularly so I have many on hand when needed.

AND...

Lemon chicken with lemon rice
Chicken Cacciatore
Curry chicken
Asian chicken
Chicken Parmesan
Honey chicken over veggie rice
Stuffed peppers
Granola bars
snack bars
Beefy rice casserole
Pork chops
BBQ pork
Chicken Divan
Rosemary chicken
Tater Tot Casserole
Shepherd's Pie
Stuffed pasta shells
Chicken Piccata with pasta
various types Quiche

The list goes on and on...

There's so many excellent freezer cooking web sites...but my favorite is "30 day Gourmet"! I love the software they use for their recipes!
OR, you can just google freezer cooking recipes...

[shoiji]

In my world everything freezes well. lol

[mndtrp]

Pretty much anything will freeze, as long as you are aware that noodles will become mushy and veggies will lose any crispness.

[Saule]

I myself feel that potatoes do not freeze well. (Mashed potatoes are ok, but I never have any leftovers!) So if I am making stew and I know that some of it has to be frozen, I will usually cook potatoes separately and mix them in with the portion that is being served, and then freeze the rest.

Cheeses freeze ok, but are not good for slicing and serving when thawed - they are fine for cooking with.

[brenda67]

For Dessert so far that I personally made and frozen myself is.Strawberries cut up w/a sweet sryup.. Bread Pudding...Homemade pound cake...Banana bread..I would like to try freezing Cookie dough sometime in the near future..HTH..