I will purposely buy double the ingredients for soups, gumbos, stews ,etc. Then I will make a HUGE batch and freeze extras in quart glass jars or large plastic containers. Make sure you don't freeze soups containing rice or pasta. It comes out mushy and absorbs all the liquid. Some things I always make extra to put in the freezer are brown rice, spaghetti meat sauce, casseroles and chilis or stews.
When I make brown rice for dinner, I make the real kind. You can follow the package directions to cook the rice on the stove. Do 2 cups brown rice to 5 cups of water. Simmer 50 minutes. Take off the heat and let sit 10 minutes. To make it easier or to free up the stove, I spray an 8x8 casserole dish with cooking spray. Throw in the rice and water (with usually a minced garlic clove and a 1/2 tsp salt) cover with foil and bake at 375 for 1 hour. Viola, makes 7 servings of rice. Use what you need for dinner then freeze the rest in freezer quart size bags. Lay flat in the freezer for easy stacking. Will warm up in the microwave in about 2 minutes. Pick up or roast your own chicken and heat up a green veggie for a great healthy dinner.
Sometimes I make my own spaghetti sauce, but lately I have been buying jars of it. I like to use light bulk sausage in my spaghetti instead of hamburger. It has sooo much more flavor. My grandma likes half hamburger, half sausage in hers, but if you haven't tried spaghetti with sausage, please do so! I will brown up a few pounds of meat (sausage, hamburger, turkey or even ground chicken) with a diced onion. Sometimes I throw in a grated carrot or grated zucchini, diced bell pepper, sliced mushrooms, black olives, or baby spinach. I've even stirred in 1/2 cup pumpkin puree without anyone even noticing. Pour in about 28 oz sauce, whether its crushed tomatoes or jarred spaghetti sauce, per pound of meat. I usually drain one can (per pound of meat) of diced tomatoes and throw that in too. Let simmer 10-20 minutes. Add a teaspoon or two of dried Italian seasoning per pound of meat if using crushed tomatoes. Pour into glass quart jars. Cool and then freeze. These can be thawed overnight in the refrigerator and warmed up for dinner or cooked in the microwave on 50% power for about 8 minutes until you can pour it into a sauce pan and warm thoroughly. Boil noodles and open a bag of salad for a very fast dinner.
Another good idea is to freeze pesto. We have nut allergies in my house, so I have to make my own. I will make a huge batch and freeze the leftovers in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, I pop out the cubes and store in a quart size freezer bag ready to top a variety of things.
Nut-free Pesto
4 cups fresh basil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, roast if you want a milder flavor
few pinches of salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Combine basil, cheese, garlic and a few pinches of salt in food processor. While running, pour in the olive oil. Pulse until a smooth paste forms.
Serving Ideas for pesto:
- Spread on a sandwich instead of mayo.
- Spread it on any thin cut of meat or fish, then coat with bread crumbs and bake or saute.
- Mix with extra olive oil or mayonnaise to make a salad dressing. It is especially good on pasta salads.
- Stir into rice, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes or hot vegetables.
- Toss with hot cooked pasta and the heat will bring out the flavours of the basil, garlic, and cheese. To make a vegetarian meal, add a drained can of white or cannelini beans to the pasta.
- Drizzle over grilled meats or vegetables.
-put a spoonful over tomato soup, potato soup, or vegetable soup like minestrone for extra flavor.
Grilled Flank Steak courtesy of The Frozen Gourmet cookbook by Kathi Lipp
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 lb flank steak
1. Prepare: Mix all the above ingredients and pour over the flank steak in a gallon freezer bag.
2. Freeze: Double bag the flank steak. Freeze lying down.
3. Serve: Defrost in refrigerator overnight. Grill steak on hot grill 5-10 minutes per side. Slice thinly across the grain. Serves 4.
Flank steak is an affordable, very lean cut, which benefits from quick cooking. Since it does not have extensive marbling, cooking to medium rare or medium, and slicing thinly against the grain, will result in the most tender texture.
Serve on top of rice and steamed broccoli for a fast dinner. This also can be used as fajita meat or sliced and put on top of a salad. Or try these smothered steak sandwiches from Clean Eating.Chicken Manicotti courtesy of The Frozen Gourmet cookbook by Kathi Lipp
3 cups cooked chicken breasts, shredded
2 cups low fat Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping.
1 tsp dried Parsley
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups tomato or pasta sauce
14 Manicotti shells, par boiled, still slightly firm
1. Prepare: Mix chicken, both cheese, spices and eggs. Cover the bottom of your pan with tomato sauce. Stuff the manicotti shells with the chicken mixture and place in pan, sides touching. Cover with remaining sauce.
2. Freeze: cover pan with foil and freeze
3. Serve: thaw overnight in refrigerator. Sprinkle Manicotti with extra parmesan. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes.
I would double this and make 2 at a time. Use one the day you make it, and freeze the other for later use.
Paula Deen's Taco Soup- the BEST taco soup I have found by a mile. This makes sooo much and its one of our favorite freezer meals. I have made it with ground turkey and its just as good. Usually I add an extra can of beans. I've even used only 1 lb of meat with 2 extra cans of beans.
Please feel free to leave any of your freezer tips by clicking on comments below.
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