Freezer Meals 101

Delicious Enchilada Soup (freezer meal)

This delicious enchilada soup can be made either in the Instant Pot or the slow cooker. It’s hearty and healthy. I’ve been on a bit of an enchilada kick lately and this is a nice recipe for keeping that same flavour profile, but changing things up a bit.

I love having soups made ahead in the freezer. Whether it’s our vegetarian taco soup, homestyle chicken noodle, or Italian wedding soup, they hit the spot on a cold winter day, but they are also a great meal to cook on hot summer days without needing to turn the oven on.

This recipe is gluten free. It can fit into a variety of diets.

Soups are also a great way to stretch a dollar as they can feed many and still keep you on budget.

Enchilada Soup Recipe:

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. hot sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
19 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
12 oz. can kernel corn (not drained)
2 cups enchilada sauce
4 cups chicken broth
salt
pepper

for cooking day:

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Assembly instructions:

Put everything except for the cream, sour cream, and cheddar cheese in a freezer bag.
Remove excess air. Seal and freeze.

Slow Cooker Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Cook for 4-6 hours on low in the Crock Pot.
Shred the chicken.
Add the cream, sour cream, and shredded cheese in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
If you want, you can serve with tortilla strips and cilantro.

Instant Pot Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Dump bag ingredients in the Instant Pot. Seal.
Cook on manual for 20 minutes.
Use quick release.
Stir in the cream, sour cream, and shredded cheese.
Serve with tortilla strips and cilantro if desired.

If you want, you can top this with shredded cheddar cheese or cubed avocado. Personally, I’m partial to avocado. Serve this soup with a side of bread or buns to create a complete meal.

Enchilada Soup

Course: Main Course, Soup

Keyword: enchilada soup, soup

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts boneless and skinless
2 tsp. garlic minced
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. hot sauce
1 onion chopped
1 red pepper chopped
19 oz. can black beans rinsed and drained
12 oz. can kernel corn not drained
2 cups enchilada sauce
4 cups chicken broth
salt
pepper

for cooking day:

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Put everything except for the cream, sour cream, and cheddar cheese in a freezer bag.
Remove excess air. Seal and freeze.

Slow Cooker Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Cook for 4-6 hours on low in the Crock Pot.
Shred the chicken.
Add the cream, sour cream, and shredded cheese in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Serve with tortilla strips and cilantro (optional).

Instant Pot Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Dump bag ingredients in the Instant Pot. Seal.
Cook on manual for 20 minutes.
Use quick release.
Stir in the cream, sour cream, and shredded cheese.
Serve with tortilla strips and cilantro (optional).

Check out some of our other make ahead soup recipes:

Vegetarian Taco Soup

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Spinach and Sausage White Bean Soup

Ham and Cream Cheese Roll Ups (make ahead lunch)

By Sharla

For years, I homeschooled all my kids so I didn’t fully realize the struggle of school lunches. Now that most of my kids are in school, trying to pack lunches is a pain. Especially for a certain child who refuses to take sandwiches! Thus the need for these ham and cheese roll ups. Out of complete desperation, I’ve come up with some recipes over the years that can be made ahead and frozen. That way, they can pack their own lunches by pulling things out of the freezer. I keep it stocked with Beef and Bean Burritos, Corn Dog Mini Muffins, English Muffin Pizzas, Granola Bars, and these ham and cheese tortilla roll ups.

Ham and Cheese Roll Ups Recipe:

Ingredients:

flour tortillas (burrito size)
8 oz. pack cream cheese
slices of deli ham (2 or 3 per tortilla)

Assembly instructions:

Spread a layer of cream cheese on each flour tortilla.
Place two or three pieces of deli ham on top.
Roll the tortilla up tightly.
Slice in thirds.
Place in a resealable freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.
Take out as many as needed and reseal the bag again to keep the others frozen. Thaw before eating cold.

Variations:

You can use deli turkey slices in place of the ham. If adding turkey instead of ham, you can also mix some dried cranberries in with the cream cheese.

Use white flour tortillas or change things up by making these on whole wheat, spinach, multi-grain, sundried tomato, cheese, pesto, or rye tortillas. We have found that rice flour and corn tortillas do not roll nicely enough to make these.

Ham and Cheese Roll Ups

Course: Snack

Keyword: lunch, snack

Ingredients

8-12 flour tortillas burrito size
8 oz. pack cream cheese
slices deli ham 2 or 3 per tortilla

Instructions

Spread a layer of cream cheese on each flour tortilla.
Place two or three pieces of deli ham on top.
Roll the tortilla up tightly.
Slice in thirds.
Place in a resealable freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.
Take out as many as needed and reseal the bag again to keep the others frozen. Thaw before eating cold.

You may also be interested in some of these other make ahead snacks:

Corn Dog Mini Muffins

Homemade Granola Bars

Scrambled Egg Bites

The Best Freezer Chili

By Sharla

When we do our big freezer meal assembly days, we always try some new recipes and rotate through some of our favourites, but this Chili is one of the recipes that we make every single time. Because it really is the best freezer chili recipe of all time. I would venture to say that it may in fact be the best chili recipe ever.My neighbour Christie and I get together to do our marathon freezer meal prep sessions. I was telling her how good my chili was the first time we got together for meal assembly and I could tell that she was skeptical, but she texted me after her family tried the chili and let me know that this would be the only chili recipe we would use from now on.

I occasionally make other chilis for the freezer such as White Chicken Chili, Taco Chili, and Thick and Chunky Beef Chili, but always in addition to this one, never instead of. It’s just that good!

While I haven’t entered the recipe in a chili contest, over the years, friends and family have all asked me to share the secret to this meal and told me that it’s the best chili they’ve ever had. I often set out a Crock Pot of it for birthday parties and family gatherings. I sometimes use vegetarian Mexican Ground Round in place of the beef. The recipe is one that is almost as old as my marriage. It’s the first meal I attempted to make for my new husband. I used a cookbook we had gotten as a wedding gift. Over the years, I’ve adapted it and tweaked it and this is the result.

The Best Freezer Chili Recipe:

1 1/2 lbs. browned ground beef
1 onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
19 oz. can kidney beans with liquid
14 oz. can Heinz chili style beans with liquid*
28 oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid
5 1/2 oz. can tomato paste
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
dash pepper
1 Tbsp. maple syrup (this is my secret ingredient!)

*Note: The chili style beans can be hard to find. If your grocery store doesn’t carry them, you can substitute pinto beans instead.

Assembly instructions:

Put all ingredients in a large resealable bag and squish together to combine. Remove excess air, seal and freeze.

Stovetop Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Heat in a large pot over medium heat until desired temperature is reached.
Allow to simmer so that the flavours meld.

Slow Cooker Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Cook in the slow cooker on low for 3-5 hours.

This Chili recipe is one of the meals featured in our Soups and Stews Freezer Meal Plan. The Menu Plans include recipes, prep lists, shopping lists, and printable labels.

Recipe notes and suggestions:

To make this dish vegetarian/vegan, substitute Mexican Ground Round for the beef.

This chili is gluten free and dairy free.

If you want, you can top it with sour cream, shredded cheese, or cubed avocado.

The Best Freezer Chili

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chili

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef browned
1 onion coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
19 oz. can kidney beans with liquid
14 oz. can Heinz chili style beans with liquid*
28 oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid
5 1/2 oz. can tomato paste
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
dash pepper
1 Tbsp. maple syrup

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Put all ingredients in a large resealable bag and squish together to combine. Remove excess air, seal and freeze.

Stovetop Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Heat in a large pot over medium heat until desired temperature is reached.
Allow to simmer so that the flavours meld.

Slow Cooker Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Cook in the slow cooker on low for 3-5 hours.

Recipe Notes

The chili style beans can be hard to find. If your grocery store doesn't carry them, you can substitute pinto beans instead.

Check out some of our other make ahead chili recipes:

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Taco Chili Freezer Meal

Thick and Chunky Beef Chili

Scrambled Egg Bites (freezer breakfast idea)

By Sharla

It’s so nice to have breakfast foods in the freezer ready to go. These scrambled egg bites are great for busy weekday mornings. You can grab them on your way out the door for work or you can heat them up for the kids before school.

The other thing I really like about this particular recipe is how many variations you can make of it. You can try different combinations until you find your favourite. You can also customize them for each person in the family.

This is a great recipe to have kids help with. It’s super easy and older kids can even make them on their own. They can add in the mix ins they like best. Inviting the kids to participate in making the egg bites really allows them to explore their culinary creativity. It also makes them more likely to be willing to try new foods.

Scrambled Egg Bites Recipe:

Ingredients:

12 eggs
salt and pepper
whatever you want to add in such as vegetables, meat, and shredded cheese

Assembly instructions:

Grease muffin tins.
Break one egg into each muffin tin.*
Lightly whisk each to break the yolk.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Drop in your choice of mix-ins.
Press the mix-ins down with a fork or spoon.
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes.
Cool.
Place in large, resealable freezer bag. Seal. Freeze.

*You can substitute egg whites if desired.

Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Reheat in the microwave on a paper towel or napkin. Cooking times vary depending on the microwave oven but approximately 1 1/2 to 2 minutes if frozen or 30 seconds if thawed.
If you want, you can top the egg bites with salsa, some hot sauce, guacamole, or cottage cheese.

Suggestions for what to put in egg bites:

diced green or purple onions
chopped red or green pepper
pre-cooked deli ham
pre-cooked sausage
crumbled cooked bacon
cooked diced turkey
shredded cheese (cheddar, Gruyere, Swiss, jalapeño jack, or a blend)
diced jalapeños
spinach
broccoli

My husband loves the egg bites at Starbucks but finds them a bit small. Also, Starbucks is a farther drive than our freezer! He’s loving having these handy whenever he wants to grab a quick breakfast.

Scrambled Egg Bites

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: egg bites, scrambled egg bites

Servings: 12

Ingredients

12 eggs *You can substitute egg whites if desired.
salt and pepper
whatever you want to add in such as vegetables, meat, and shredded cheese

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Grease muffin tins.
Break one egg into each muffin tin.*
Lightly whisk each to break the yolk.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Drop in your choice of mix-ins.
Press the mix-ins down with a fork or spoon.
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes.
Cool.
Place in large, resealable freezer bag. Seal. Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Reheat in the microwave on a paper towel or napkin. Cooking times vary depending on your microwave oven, but approximately 1 1/2 to 2 minutes if frozen or 30 seconds if thawed.
If you want, you can top the egg bites with salsa, some hot sauce, guacamole, or cottage cheese.

Recipe Notes

Suggestions for what to put in egg bites:
diced green or purple onions, chopped red or green pepper, pre-cooked deli ham, pre-cooked sausage, crumbled cooked bacon, cooked diced turkey, shredded cheese (cheddar, Gruyere, Swiss, jalapeño jack, or a blend), diced jalapeños, spinach, broccoli

Check out some of our other make ahead breakfasts:

Everything Bagels Breakfast Muffins

French Toast Casserole

Pancake Mini Muffins

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (freezer meal)

By Sharla

As I write this, we are just coming out of a deep freeze in our town. It’s been six days of -40° temperatures and I can tell you that it has been a comfort soup kind of week! This homemade Chicken Noodle Soup recipe is exactly that. There isn’t much more comforting whether it be on a cold day or nursing a cold than good old fashioned chicken noodle soup. If you have this made ahead and in the freezer, you can eat it whenever you need it.

Having it made as a freezer meal also makes it nice to give as a gift to someone you know who is sick or going through a hard time.

How can I spice up Chicken Noodle Soup?

If you like a bit of kick to your chicken noodle soup or just want to try something new, there are a few routes I can suggest.

Italian flavour twist: add seasonings such as oregano, basil, and thyme or Italian blend seasoning
Thai flavour twist: add some coconut milk (1/2 cup), lime juice (1-2 Tbsp.), lemongrass, and top with fresh cilantro
Tex mex flavour twist: replace the carrots with cube green or red bell peppers, add a small can of diced green chilies, and top with shredded cheese when serving. You can also serve with hot sauce.

Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
1 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
3 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Day of cooking:

2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles for day of cooking

Assembly instructions:

Place all ingredients except for the egg noodles in a large resealable freezer bag.
Remove excess air. Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

Thaw. Cook in crock pot on low for 4-5 hours.
Take out chicken and cube or shred it.
Put it back in the crock pot.
Add the noodles.
Cook another 10 minutes until noodles are tender.If you want, you can serve the soup with soda crackers and an extra sprinkle of pepper.