My Take on Freezer Cooking

So Baby B #5 is just five weeks away from making his appearance!  And while my house cleaning nesting has yet to kick in, my cooking nesting is hitting full force!  So I am going to do my take on freezer meals, mainly just so I can have it written down somewhere so I can do it again!  Warning: this will be a long post, and I'm not going to put pictures on here so it will be boring LOL!

Here is a list of the meals I will be doing: (C=crock pot; O=Oven; S=Stovetop)

Taco Soup (C)
Red Beans and Rice (C)
Italian Wonderpot (S)
Potato Soup (C)
Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole (O)
Sour Cream Noodle Bake (O)

So there's 6 (well, technically 7, the Rice Casserole makes 2! And technically you can freeze the leftovers from the Red Beans and Rice for another meal too!) meals, in your freezer, ready to cook!  Let's get started!

To begin, you are going to need one 9x13 foil pan, two 8x8 foil pans (from the dollar store!) and 4 gallon ziploc bags.  That's it!

Next, get your ingredients.  Here is a master list, just to make it easy:

Meats
2 lbs ground beef (you will cook this)
1 lb Italian sausage (you will cook this)
1 pkg smoked sausage or kielbasa
3 cups cooked chicken (shredded or diced, your choice)
1 small bag bacon pieces

Veggies
2 Tbsp. minced garlic (or you can use 4 cloves minced)
1/4-1/2 cup chopped green onion (if you like alot, use 1/2 cup)
8-10 oz chopped fresh spinach
3 medium onions (two chopped, one thinly sliced)
2 medium bell peppers, chopped

Canned Goods
1 can corn
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
 2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 32 oz box vegetable broth
1 32 oz box chicken broth
2 cans chicken broth
1 can beef broth
4 cans red beans
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 small can green chiles

Pantry
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch seasoning
1.5 T Creole seasoning
Rice (at least 8 cups)
Basil
Oregano
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 box linguini
8 oz wide egg noodles

Fridge/Freezer
5 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 c sour cream
1 1/4 c cottage cheese
mozzarella cheese
1 bag frozen potatoes (the ones that are square shaped)
16 oz bag frozen broccoli
1 8 oz cream cheese

Now that you have the ingredients, prep your bags/pans with the directions.

TACO SOUP
Write on bag: Taco Soup (date) Cook on low 6-7 hours. Top with sour cream, green onions avocado, tortilla chips, if desired.

POTATO SOUP
Write on bag: Potato Soup (date) Cook on low 5 hours.  Add softened cream cheese, shredded cheese, and bacon pieces.  Cook for another 20-30 minutes.  Top with additional cheese, bacon, and green onions if desired.

RED BEANS AND RICE
Write on bag: Red Beans and Rice (date) Cook on low 6-8 hours.  Blend one can of red beans and add in last 30 minutes.  Serve over hot rice.

ITALIAN WONDERPOT
Write on bag: Italian Wonderpot (date) Dump half of bag in pot on stove, break pasta in half, put in pot, dump other half of bag on top.  Bring to a boil, covered.  Remove lid and turn to medium heat.  Cook for 10-15 minutes until pasta is cooked, stirring occasionally.  Top with mozzarella cheese.

CHICKEN BROCCOLI RICE CASSEROLE (do this twice)
Write on top of pan (I use aluminum foil to store it if there is no top): Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole (date) Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

SOUR CREAM NOODLE BAKE
Write on top of pan: Sour Cream Noodle Bake (date) Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Once your pans/bags are ready to go, now you assemble them!  Chop all the veggies that need chopped, open all of the cans and drain/rinse them, and cook all the meat that needs to be cooked. 

Here are the recipes, and assembly instructions.  Once you have a bag filled, get out all the air, seal, then lay flat to freeze:

TACO SOUP
In your bag, combine:

half of your ground beef
1 can of corn, drained
8 oz can tomato sauce
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 can beef broth
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch seasoning
1 can green chiles
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
 
POTATO SOUP
In your bag, combine:

1 bag frozen potatoes (square)
1 small-medium onion, chopped (your preference on how much)
2 cans chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup

Additional ingredients NOT in bag:
Cream cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon pieces

RED BEANS AND RICE
In your bag, combine:

smoked sausage or kielbasa, sliced
1-2 cups shredded or diced chicken
1 box chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp Creole seasoning
3 cans red beans, drained and rinsed

Additional ingredients NOT in bag: 1 can of red beans, rice (in last 30 minutes of cooking, blend this can of beans and add to pot.  Serve over hot rice)

ITALIAN WONDERPOT
In your bag, combine:

1 box vegetable broth
1 lb Italian sausage, cooked
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
8 oz chopped spinach
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp minced garlic (or 4 cloves minced if you don't use the jar kind)
1/2 Tbsp Basil
1/2 Tbsp oregano

Additional ingredients NOT in bag: 1 box linguini (add this when cooking), mozzarella cheese

CHICKEN BROCCOLI RICE CASSEROLE (remember, this make two!)

In a large bowl, combine:

5 cups cooked rice
2 cups cooked chicken (shredded or diced, your choice)
1 16 oz bag frozen broccoli, slightly cooked
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together, then divide between 2 8x8 foil pans.  Top, then freeze! You can either freeze one and eat one right away, or freeze both.

SOUR CREAM NOODLE BAKE
In a bowl, combine:

15 oz can tomato sauce
1 lb cooked ground beef.
1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of black pepper

Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine:
1/2 c sour cream
1 1/4 c cottage cheese.
Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.

To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese.  Top with lid, and freeze!


I think that is all the instructions!  PLEASE, I beg you, ask questions if there is something that is not clear!  This is my first time writing all of this down, and while this is clear in my mind, I want to make sure it is clear in yours!

Happy freezing!