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    Home » Kitchen Tips » Freezer Cooking

    Tips & Recipes for Summer Freezer Meals

    Published: Jul 5, 2015 · Modified: Apr 24, 2021 by Jessica Fisher

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    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more details, please see our disclosure policy.

    Cooking for the freezer can make your summer meals delicious and easy. Check out these tips and recipes for summer freezer meals.

    spinach salad with chicken and avocado this …

    Freezer meals are the way to go any time of year, but particularly in the summertime. I mean, who wants to stand around in the kitchen cooking over a hot stove when you could be reading a book or splashing at the beach?

    Not I, says the woman sitting in the hammock.

    Filling the freezer is, of course, another matter. It’s easy to say, “I want easy meals this summer.” It’s another thing to make it happen. Lucky for you, it’s not so hard! In fact, these tips and recipes will make your summer freezer meals quick and easy.

    1. Choose simple recipes.

    Summer meal plans should not be complicated. It’s not expected, nor is it necessary. Think about things you can throw on the  grill, dump in the crockpot, or reheat in the microwave. Avoid heating the oven or standing over the cookstove for any length of time.

    Check out these recipes for great summer freezer meals:

    Salad proteins

    Cook up a bunch of chicken to use to top salads throughout the coming weeks. It’s so easy to open a bag of baby spinach, if you’ve got the protein already to go, it couldn’t be simpler! Just cook and cool the chicken or steak, package in meal-sized portions, and freeze. Thaw overnight before assembling the rest of the salad recipe.

    • Spinach Salad with Chicken and Strawberries
    • Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad
    • Buffalo Chicken Salad
    • Chicken and Prosciutto Salad
    • Mediterranean Steak Salad

    bag holder and tomato cans on counter

    Grilling

    Assemble several bags of each recipe. Thaw overnight on a tray to catch the drips.

    • Hamburger Patties for the Freezer
    • Marinated Chicken (try these 3 different marinades)
    • Salsa Verde Chicken
    • Dijon Pork Tenderloin
    • Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

    Crockpot

    Either cook and cool and store in the freezer or prepare a bag of the meats and seasonings to dump into the Crockpot on the day of serving.

    • Chihuahua Chili
    • Best Ever Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
    • Slow Cooked Sweet and Sour Meatballs
    • Sweet and Sour Pulled Chicken
    • Taco Soup
    • Easy Slow Cooker Chili
    • Chicken Chili with White Beans

    a plate with a pulled pork sandwich

    Sandwiches or Sandwich Fillings

    My family loves meaty sandwiches. The beauty is that I can make the fillings or even the sandwiches themselves and reheat quickly, even in the slow cooker.

    • Pizzawiches
    • Best Ever Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
    • Cheesy Italian Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches
    • Hot Italian Beef Sandwich
    • Chicken Bacon Subs

    Burritos, Tamales, or Taco Fillings

    Make the filling to freeze and then serve with fresh tortillas or taco shells, or go ahead and wrap the yummy meat mixture in a tortilla or tamale to freeze all prepared.

    • Shredded Beef Filling
    • Salsa Verde Beef
    • Chicken, Bean, and Cheese Burritos
    • Green Chile Burritos
    • Cheesy Corn and Chile Tamales
    • Carnitas

    Hungry for more? Buy my book: Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook.

    soup pot and chopped vegetables on cutting board

    2. Create an easy cooking plan.

    Choose a few recipes that share some common ingredients to create your own freezer cooking plan.

    1. Limit yourself to three recipes so you won’t spend a whole day. See here for more on power cooking sessions.
    2. Tally the ingredients.
    3. Check what you already have on hand.
    4. Shop for groceries.
    5. Do the chopping and dicing first to make assembly easy later. See my tips for prep.
    6. Get cooking.

    Check out all the freezer cooking plans I’ve already created if you really want to take a load off.

    3. Assemble in the cool of the day.

    You want to be chill this summer, right? Do your freezer cooking early in the morning or after it’s cooled off at night so you don’t have to sweat it.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Marie

      May 30, 2016 at 3:41 am

      I have used freezer cooking all winter, the recipes are wonderfull I have even used them when we had company and everybody was amazed by the taste and even more when I explained about freezer cooking. It has given me such peace of mind and extra time with my kids husband and friends. I can’t wait to start freezer cooking for the summer. It will be great to manage the heat in the kitchen.
      Thank you for your great posts and all your freezer cookbooks

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        May 30, 2016 at 9:05 am

        So glad to hear it!

        Reply
    2. Leigh Anne

      July 07, 2015 at 7:46 am

      Great ideas!! Love the salad proteins one – so quick and easy!

      Reply

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