Meatloaf is probably my favorite meal that doesn’t have to thaw, It takes a little longer to cook, but not that much longer possibly because I make shallower loaves and bake them in square pans. My most used frozen make ahead is just cooked ground meat. I add it to chili, soup or pasta sauce as I am heating them and it thaws falls apart and heats fast. I cook it, cool it and freeze it in a zip bag. With canned beans and tomatoes, I can have a meal ready in very little time. I also buy mini wontons from Costco. I add them to broth and they cook in minutes. While a few in broth make soup, lots of them can be a good start on a light meal for supper. I’m sure you could make your own and freeze. I know I have seen instructions online, but I just buy the big bags on sale.
Jessica Fisher
Great strategies, Alice! Thank you for sharing!
Celia Jacobus
I’m in a freezer group that swaps a couple freezer meals a month with each other and I recently made this chicken spinach lasagna: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/white-chicken-and-spinach-lasagna/?cuid=d41db411359490837da7a667131b55a4
I’ve made it twice but immediately baked it instead of freezing; I now have one in my freezer that I plan to use for company. The directions don’t call for it to be thawed first, but now I’m wondering if I should. Do you think the use of no-boil noodles and perhaps fresh spinach would affect it negatively if you thawed it first?
Jessica Fisher
I’m not really sure. I’ve heard good things about her recipes, but I’ve never tried them myself. Her directions say to bake it for 2 hours from frozen, which is pretty much what you can expect from a frozen lasagna. Thawed will have a shorter cooking time. I imagine it will be fine since she’s allowing for that longer cooking time.
Jessie
My favorites are crock pot freezer meals! Yes, you have to think about it in the morning, but not days ahead like a casserole would.
Jessica Fisher
Due to safety and food texture issues, those aren’t my favorites. But, I’m working on some that eliminate those. What are your favorites?
annie
HA! This morning I went through your freezer cookbook to indentify some go-to recipes for the busy spring season ahead. Kind of like making my own freezer plan. One of the 9 meals I picked was the meatball recipie.
I didn’t know you could freeze mashed potatos. But then I realized the secret ingredient must be the substitution of cream cheese for milk. How does it taste?
Jessica Fisher
It’s super yummy with cream cheese. That’s my go-to way to prep potatoes when we don’t have to worry about making it dairy-free.
Andrea
I try to go dairy free whenever possible, (except butter), how do the mashed potatoes taste with a non-dairy milk. My go-to when making mashed potatoes in real time is almond milk and they are yummy…. thanks in advance.
Jessica Fisher
I have not made them with non-dairy milk, so I really can’t tell you. I would try freezing a small portion next time you make them and see how you like it after reheating. Let us know how it goes!
elizabeth
I like freezing bags of pasta, veggies and sauce for a skillet meal. You can freeze the sauce separately in little zip bags so you don’t initially have a huge block of frozen food sitting awkwardly in your skillet. If you have ever bought those bagged dinners in the store, then you know that dinner is on the table in 15 minutes!
Alice E
Meatloaf is probably my favorite meal that doesn’t have to thaw, It takes a little longer to cook, but not that much longer possibly because I make shallower loaves and bake them in square pans. My most used frozen make ahead is just cooked ground meat. I add it to chili, soup or pasta sauce as I am heating them and it thaws falls apart and heats fast. I cook it, cool it and freeze it in a zip bag. With canned beans and tomatoes, I can have a meal ready in very little time. I also buy mini wontons from Costco. I add them to broth and they cook in minutes. While a few in broth make soup, lots of them can be a good start on a light meal for supper. I’m sure you could make your own and freeze. I know I have seen instructions online, but I just buy the big bags on sale.
Jessica Fisher
Great strategies, Alice! Thank you for sharing!
Celia Jacobus
I’m in a freezer group that swaps a couple freezer meals a month with each other and I recently made this chicken spinach lasagna: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/white-chicken-and-spinach-lasagna/?cuid=d41db411359490837da7a667131b55a4
I’ve made it twice but immediately baked it instead of freezing; I now have one in my freezer that I plan to use for company. The directions don’t call for it to be thawed first, but now I’m wondering if I should. Do you think the use of no-boil noodles and perhaps fresh spinach would affect it negatively if you thawed it first?
Jessica Fisher
I’m not really sure. I’ve heard good things about her recipes, but I’ve never tried them myself. Her directions say to bake it for 2 hours from frozen, which is pretty much what you can expect from a frozen lasagna. Thawed will have a shorter cooking time. I imagine it will be fine since she’s allowing for that longer cooking time.
Jessie
My favorites are crock pot freezer meals! Yes, you have to think about it in the morning, but not days ahead like a casserole would.
Jessica Fisher
Due to safety and food texture issues, those aren’t my favorites. But, I’m working on some that eliminate those. What are your favorites?
annie
HA! This morning I went through your freezer cookbook to indentify some go-to recipes for the busy spring season ahead. Kind of like making my own freezer plan. One of the 9 meals I picked was the meatball recipie.
I didn’t know you could freeze mashed potatos. But then I realized the secret ingredient must be the substitution of cream cheese for milk. How does it taste?
Jessica Fisher
It’s super yummy with cream cheese. That’s my go-to way to prep potatoes when we don’t have to worry about making it dairy-free.
Andrea
I try to go dairy free whenever possible, (except butter), how do the mashed potatoes taste with a non-dairy milk. My go-to when making mashed potatoes in real time is almond milk and they are yummy…. thanks in advance.
Jessica Fisher
I have not made them with non-dairy milk, so I really can’t tell you. I would try freezing a small portion next time you make them and see how you like it after reheating. Let us know how it goes!
elizabeth
I like freezing bags of pasta, veggies and sauce for a skillet meal. You can freeze the sauce separately in little zip bags so you don’t initially have a huge block of frozen food sitting awkwardly in your skillet. If you have ever bought those bagged dinners in the store, then you know that dinner is on the table in 15 minutes!
Jessica Fisher
Excellent!