Freezer Meals 101

Easy Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches

Breakfast sandwiches are a great option for make-ahead breakfasts. They’re simple to make and only take a few minutes to reheat. That means they’re a filling grab and go breakfast for those busy weekday mornings! And once you make a batch of these easy freezer breakfast sandwiches, you can enjoy them every day of the week without all the prep work.

How to Make Breakfast Sandwiches

Ingredients:

12 English muffins
12 sausage patties
12 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
12 slices of cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Assembly instructions:

Fry the breakfast sausage patties in a skillet until cooked through. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325° and grease a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper until well combined. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and bake for 24 minutes or until set.
Cut the eggs into 12 squares.
Layer a sausage patty, egg square, and one slice of cheese between two English muffin slices*. Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and place them in a resealable freezer bag.
Store the sandwiches in the freezer.

*If you prefer, you can toast the English muffins first.

Serving instructions:

When ready to serve, remove the sandwich from the plastic wrap and place it on a paper towel. Heat in the microwave until warmed through.

How Do You Reheat Frozen Breakfast Sandwiches?

Once your breakfast sandwiches are frozen, they can easily be heated and eaten using your microwave. To reheat your breakfast sandwich straight from the freezer, start by removing the plastic wrap. Place the sandwich on a paper towel and microwave it on defrost or 50 percent power for one minute. Then, flip the sandwich over and heat again on full power for 30 seconds. If the sandwich is still cold in the middle, heat it again for 30 more seconds.

Freezer Breakfast Sandwich Recipe Ideas

One of my favorite parts about this recipe is that you can adapt it to suit your family’s preferences! Try these recipe ideas to change up your freezer sandwiches every time you make your family a grab and go breakfast.

Use different meat. There are a variety of different meat options you can use to create your breakfast sandwiches. Instead of sausage patties, try slices of bacon, ham, or Canadian bacon.
Add veggies. Give your eggs a boost of flavor with the help of some added vegetables. Mix in spinach, peppers, or onions before cooking your eggs to create a flavorful addition to your sandwiches.
Use different bread. Instead of English muffins, why not try building your sandwich with a different bread? Biscuits and croissants make great bread options for your homemade breakfasts sandwiches.

Check out some of our other make ahead breakfast ideas:

Breakfast Sandwiches

Prep Time

27 mins

Cook Time

2 mins

Course: Breakfast

Servings: 12 sandwiches

Ingredients

12 English muffins
12 sausage patties
12 eggs
2 Tbsp. milk or heavy cream
12 slices cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Fry the breakfast sausage patties in a skillet until cooked through. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325° and grease a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper until well combined. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and bake for 24 minutes or until set.
Cut the eggs into 12 squares.
Layer a sausage patty, egg square, and one slice of cheese between two English muffin slices. Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and place them in a resealable freezer bag.
Store the sandwiches in the freezer.

Serving instructions:

When ready to serve, remove the sandwich from the plastic wrap and place it on a paper towel. Heat in the microwave until warmed through.

Honey Garlic Meatballs (Make Ahead)

By Sharla

When it comes to finding quick and easy freezer meals for dinner, it doesn’t get much better than meatballs. That’s because you can easily dress up frozen meatballs with a little bit of sauce to create a variety of new dishes. This recipe for honey garlic meatballs transforms plain freezer meatballs into a sweet and salty dish that everyone in the family will love.

Meatballs are a kid friendly meal in our house. One of our favourites is our easy Asian meatballs. We also enjoy these homemade Italian meatballs.

Honey Garlic Meatballs Recipe:

Ingredients:

3-4 cups store-bought or homemade frozen meatballs
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup water

Assembly Instructions:

Transfer the frozen meatballs to a large resealable freezer bag.
Pour in the olive oil, soy sauce, honey, garlic, and water. Squish the bag to combine the ingredients and coat the meatballs in sauce.
Remove excess air from the bag and seal. Freeze until ready to eat.

Cooking Instructions:

Thaw or cook from frozen in stovetop pot until heated through.

Slow Cooker Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Is It Better to Freeze Meatballs Cooked or Uncooked?

Using premade frozen meatballs is a quick and easy way to prepare this simple freezer meal. But if you plan on using homemade meatballs, it’s a good idea to cook the meatballs before freezing them. Prepare the meatball recipe as usual and bake the meatballs until they’re cooked through. The internal temperature of cooked meatballs should be 160 degrees. After that, allow the meatballs to cool completely. You can then transfer the cooled meatballs to a freezer bag and coat them in sauce.

Cooking the meatballs before freezing them will help prevent bacteria from forming in your honey garlic sauce as the ingredients freeze. That way, all you have to do is transfer the meatballs and sauce to your slow cooker or pan and cook!

How Long Are Meatballs Good in the Freezer?

When your frozen meatballs are stored properly, you can keep them in the freezer for up to four months. When preparing your honey garlic meatballs for freezing, follow these quick tips to ensure you properly store your freezer meal:

Remove the excess air. Allowing extra air inside your bag could cause freezer burn down the road, so it’s important to remove as much air as possible from the bag before sealing it. A vacuum sealer is a great way to help remove air from your freezer meals. But if you don’t have one at home, start by sealing the bag until there’s a one-inch opening on the end of the zipper. Squeeze the bag, pressing the air out of the opening. When it appears that the majority of the air has been removed, seal the bag the rest of the way closed.
Store the meatballs flat. After removing the air from the bag, place it flat on the countertop. Slide your hand along the top of the bag to flatten the ingredients out as much as possible, then transfer the flattened bag to the freezer. Freezing your meatballs flat will help save space in your freezer and cut down on the amount of time your ingredients need to thaw.

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Meatballs

Cooking these simple meatballs in your Crock Pot is a great way to reheat your freezer meal. That’s because all you have to do is dump the ingredients into the pot and let it do all the hard work for you!

Start by spraying your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray to keep the sauce from sticking. After that, you can transfer your frozen honey garlic meatballs directly to the slow cooker and reheat them on low for six hours or high for four hours.

How to Thaw Frozen Meatballs

While cooking your meatballs straight from the freezer using your slow cooker is a quick and easy way to prepare them, there are a couple of other cooking methods you can use. If you plan to cook your honey garlic meatballs on the stovetop or in the oven, it might be a good idea to thaw them first.

The best way to thaw your frozen meatballs is to transfer them to the refrigerator 24 hours before you plan to cook them. This will give the meat plenty of time to safely thaw out, ensuring that the beef stays chilled as it thaws.

After the meatballs are thawed, you can heat them in a saucepan over medium heat until the meatballs and sauce are heated through. Or place them in a casserole dish and bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, until the sauce is warm and the meatballs have reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

What to Serve with Honey Garlic Meatballs?

Honey garlic meatballs are a delicious main dish that pairs well with a variety of sides! We love eating these sweet and salty meatballs over a bed of white rice, but you can also serve them with some steamed vegetables, a side salad, or with pasta.

Honey Garlic Meatballs

Cook Time

15 mins

Course: Main Course

Ingredients

3-4 cups store-bought or homemade frozen meatballs
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
3 cloves garlic minced
1/3 cup water

Instructions

Assembly Instructions:

Transfer the frozen meatballs to a large resealable freezer bag.
Pour in the olive oil, soy sauce, honey, garlic, and water. Squish the bag to combine the ingredients and coat the meatballs in sauce.
Remove excess air from the bag and seal. Freeze until ready to eat.

Cooking Instructions:

Thaw or cook from frozen in stovetop pot until heated through.

Slow Cooker Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Baked Caesar Chicken Freezer Recipe

By Sharla

With just five ingredients, this baked Caesar chicken recipe is the perfect freezer dinner! You can prepare this quick and easy meal in a matter of minutes, then pop it in the freezer for a rainy day. And when you’re ready to reheat this delicious and flavourful chicken, simply thaw and bake for a main dish that’s ready in no time.

Baked Caesar Chicken Recipe:

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
pepper to taste
1 cup creamy Caesar dressing*
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

*I prefer to use the Caesar dressing in a jar rather than a bottle. These can usually be found in the produce aisle of the grocery store.

Assembly Instructions:

Place the chicken breasts on the bottom of a casserole dish or foil baking tray and sprinkle with pepper.
Mix together the Caesar dressing, sour cream, and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan in a bowl until well combined.
Spread the dressing mixture on top of the chicken, then sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese.
Cover the pan with foil and freeze until ready to eat.

Cooking Instructions:

Thaw the chicken, then preheat the oven to 375°.
Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes.
If desired, broil for 3 minutes at the end until the sauce and cheese on top is golden brown. Watch carefully so that it doesn’t burn.

How to Freeze Chicken

Properly storing your chicken in the freezer is essential to ensure your dinner tastes amazing and to keep your family safe from food poisoning. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to safely freeze your chicken if you follow these simple tips:

Try a vacuum sealer. The best way to store frozen chicken and prevent freezer burn is with a vacuum sealer. Simply place your chicken and sauce in your vacuum bag and seal.
Store the chicken in the pan. For a recipe like this, you can freeze chicken directly in the pan you’ll be baking it in. That makes it quick and easy to transfer the dish from the freezer to the oven without any extra steps. To store your chicken in the pan, start by making sure your dish is freezer safe. Glass or aluminum pans are perfect for freezer cooking. After that, prepare your chicken according to the recipe, then wrap the pan in foil. For an added layer of protection, wrap the entire dish in plastic wrap before placing it in the freezer.

How Long Can You Keep Chicken in the Freezer Before it Goes Bad?

Freezing your chicken is a great way to extend its life. But even frozen chicken has an expiration date, so it’s important to know how long you can keep your chicken in the freezer before it goes bad. Raw chicken can be kept in the freezer for up to nine months before it should be cooked.

To ensure you use your chicken before it goes bad, it’s a good idea to write down the date you freeze it on the top of the casserole dish. That way, you know exactly when you need to take it out of the freezer and cook it for dinner.

What is the Proper Way to Thaw Frozen Chicken?

Once your chicken is frozen, it will need to be thawed before you can cook it. That’s because your chicken won’t cook evenly if you place it directly into the oven from the freezer. On top of running the risk of burning your sauce, your chicken will probably still be raw in the middle when the cook time is up.

That means you’ll need to reserve a little bit of extra time before you plan to cook your dinner to allow for the chicken to thaw. Follow these simple steps for safely thawing your frozen chicken:

Thaw the chicken in the refrigerator. The safest way to thaw your frozen chicken is in the refrigerator. Since thawing the poultry in the fridge takes some time, you’ll need to transfer the chicken to the refrigerator at least 24 hours before you plan to cook it.
Place the frozen chicken at the bottom of the fridge. To prevent cross-contamination between the chicken and the other ingredients, it’s a good idea to thaw your chicken on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
Use the chicken within three days. After the chicken has been thoroughly thawed, it should be cooked within three days. If you wait any longer than that, you run the risk of bacteria forming on the meat, making it unusable.
Is it OK to defrost chicken on the counter? It’s not a good idea to place your frozen meat on the counter to thaw. When chicken and other poultry products get warmer than 40 degrees or are at room temperature for more than two hours, bacteria quickly begins to form. Allowing the chicken to thaw on the counter gives that bacteria plenty of opportunity to start building up, potentially making the chicken unsafe to eat.

What to Serve with Caesar Chicken:

This delicious main dish is so versatile! That means you can easily pair your chicken dinner with a variety of side dishes. Try these serving ideas if you’re wondering what to serve with your Caesar chicken:

over pasta, preferably a long noodle such as spaghetti
over rice
on top of a salad
with steamed vegetables
alongside baked or mashed potatoes
with toasted garlic bread

Baked Caesar Chicken

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baked chicken, chicken

Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
pepper to taste
1 cup creamy Caesar dressing*
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

Assembly Instructions:

Place the chicken breasts on the bottom of a casserole dish or foil baking tray and sprinkle with pepper.
Mix the Caesar dressing, sour cream, and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan together until well combined.
Spread the dressing mixture on top of the chicken, then sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
Cover the pan with foil and freeze.

Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Preheat the oven to 375°.
Bake for 45-50 minutes.
If desired, broil for 3 minutes at the end until the sauce and cheese on top is golden brown. Watch carefully to prevent burning.

Recipe Notes

*I prefer to use the Caesar dressing in a jar rather than a bottle. These can usually be found in the produce aisle of the grocery store.

Make Ahead Garlic Mashed Potatoes

By Sharla

Mashed potatoes are a classic side dish that everyone in the family is sure to love. That means they’re perfect for freezer cooking! And since you can easily freeze mashed potatoes, it’s a great idea to cook a big batch and toss them in the freezer so they’re ready for your next busy weeknight dinner.

With this flavourful recipe for garlic mashed potatoes, you’re going to want to reheat this make ahead side dish for dinner every night!

Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Ingredients:

12 large potatoes, cubed or peeled and cubed
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sour cream
3 garlic cloves, minced or finely chopped
chives or parsley
salt, pepper to taste

Assembly instructions:

Cook the potatoes until they’re soft.
Mash the softened potatoes, adding butter in bits as you mash.
Stir in the sour cream, garlic cloves, chives, salt and pepper.
Allow the mashed potatoes to cool, then scoop the potatoes into a freezer bag.
Flatten the bag and store it in the freezer until ready to eat.

Cooking instructions:

Thaw the potatoes.
Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Transfer the ingredients to the dish and cook until heated through, around 20 minutes.

(Find slow cooker and stovetop cooking instructions below.)

Can You Freeze Mashed Potatoes?

Freezing mashed potatoes is so easy, which means they make a great side for freezer cooking. Just prepare your favourite mashed potato recipe, then allow the potatoes to cool completely. After that, transfer the cooked and cooled potatoes to a freezer safe dish or freezer bag and pop them in the freezer.

How Long Can You Store Mashed Potatoes in the Freezer?

Frozen mashed potatoes will stay good for up to two months, so make sure to use them up before the expiration date comes. To ensure you enjoy all of your garlic mashed potatoes before they go bad, make sure to write the date you placed them in the freezer on top of the bag for easy reference.

How Do You Reheat Frozen Mashed Potatoes?

There are a few different ways to reheat your mashed potatoes. But in most instances, your frozen potatoes need to be thawed before they’re reheated.

To thaw your frozen potatoes, transfer them from the freezer to the refrigerator at least 12 hours before you plan to cook them. After that, you can use these different cooking methods for reheating your garlic mashed potatoes:

Oven. My favourite way to reheat these garlic mashed potatoes in the oven. Simply transfer the potatoes to a baking dish and reheat them at 350° until they’re warm.
Stovetop. Another quick way to warm up your potatoes is on the stovetop. Transfer the thawed potatoes to a medium saucepan and cook over low heat until they’re warmed through, stirring often.
Slow Cooker. While you need to thaw your potatoes before reheating them in the oven or on the stovetop, you can place your frozen potatoes directly in the slow cooker. Cook the frozen potatoes on low for two hours or until the potatoes are warmed through. Stir the potatoes well before serving.

An important note: If the reheated mashed potatoes seem too runny, it usually means they need to cook longer.

In the video below, see how to create homemade gravy for the freezer to serve on top of your mashed potatoes!

Other freezer side dishes:

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: mashed potatoes

Ingredients

12 large potatoes cubed or peeled and cubed
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sour cream
3 garlic cloves minced
chives or parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Cook the potatoes until soft.
Mash the softened potatoes, adding butter in bits as you mash.
Stir in the sour cream, garlic, chives, salt and pepper.
Allow the mashed potatoes to cool, then scoop the potatoes into a freezer bag.
Remove excess air and seal.
Flatten the bag and store it in the freezer until ready to eat.

Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Preheat oven to 350° and grease a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Transfer the ingredients to the dish and cook until heated through, around 20 minutes.

Slow Cooker Instructions

Cook from frozen in the slow cooker on low for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Stir well before serving.

Stovetop Cooking Instructions

Thaw.
Cook in a medium saucepan on low heat until they're warmed through, stirring often.

Pepperoni Pizza Rolls for Snacks or Lunches

By Sharla

Having a few quick and easy appetizer recipes in your back pocket is a great way to ensure you have something delicious to bring to those last-minute parties. With the help of crescent rolls, you can whip up an easy party snack in a matter of minutes! These pepperoni pizza pinwheels are packed with pizza flavour and look like they’re difficult to make. But since they’re made with crescent roll sheets, you easily whip up a yummy appetizer without any effort at all. Watch me in the video below make these pizza scrolls as well as some other great make ahead lunch recipes that are perfect for school lunches:

My kids love grabbing these scrolls out of the freezer to pack in their lunches or for a quick snack.

Pepperoni Pizza Pinwheels

Ingredients needed:

1 package refrigerated crescent roll sheet
½ cup marinara or pizza sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
10 pepperoni slices, finely chopped
optional: other pizza toppings such as finely chopped green pepper, sliced black olives, or sliced mushrooms

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375°.
Unroll the refrigerated crescent roll dough and spread the marinara or pizza sauce in an even layer over the top of the dough.
Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top of the sauce.
Add the pepperoni to the top of the cheese.
Roll the dough up into a long log, then use a sharp knife to cut the log into 10 1-inch slices.
Place the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the scrolls for 10 to 12 minutes, until the dough is golden brown.

Freezing instructions:

Once cool, transfer to a resealable freezer bag.
Take out the excess air and freeze.
Serve cold or heat on a paper towel in the microwave until warm.

Pizza Pinwheels Recipe Ideas

This simple recipe is perfect for a quick party snack. But what I love most about these easy appetizers is that they can be customized to suit your own tastes! Try these pizza pinwheels recipe ideas the next time you make your appetizers to create a new pizza snack every time you make them.

Add more toppings. Pepperoni is a classic pizza topping. But that doesn’t mean you need to stick to adding only pepperoni to your pizza pinwheels. You can add any type of pizza toppings you choose to your scrolls. Just make sure the toppings are finely chopped to ensure the dough rolls properly.
Try different cheeses. Enhance the flavour of your pizza pinwheels with the help of different cheese blends. In addition to mozzarella, you could sprinkle parmesan, Romano, asiago, or Monterrey jack cheese in your pinwheels.
Add some seasoning. With the help of flavourful marinara sauce and spicy pepperoni, your pizza crescent rolls don’t require added seasoning. But if you want to add even more taste, try adding some classing Italian seasonings to the dough before you start rolling. You could sprinkle Italian seasoning blend on the crust or add some basil, oregano, garlic, or red pepper flakes to the pizza pinwheels before you bake them.
Decorate with garnishes. The pinwheel design of these pizza crescent rolls makes them look amazing without the need for garnish. But if you really want to dress up your appetizers, try topping the pinwheels with a simple garnish. Before adding garnish to your pinwheels, melt a small amount of butter. Brush the butter over the top of the baked pinwheels, then sprinkle the top of the pinwheels with dried herbs to add a pop of green colour to the top of each appetizer.
Get the kids to help. If you’re going to be including these in your child’s lunches or offering them as an after school snack, get them to add the pizza toppings they love. This is such a fun, kid friendly recipe already, but getting them in on the preparation makes it even more fun!

Pepperoni Pizza Pinwheels

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: pizza pinwheels, pizza scrolls

Servings: 10 servings

Ingredients

1 package refrigerated crescent roll sheet
½ cup marinara or pizza sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
10 pepperoni slices finely sliced
other pizza toppings such as finely chopped green pepper, sliced black olives, or sliced mushrooms optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°.
Unroll the refrigerated crescent roll dough and spread the marinara or pizza sauce in an even layer over the top of the dough.
Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top of the sauce.
Add the pepperoni to the top of the cheese.
Roll the dough up into a long log, then use a sharp knife to cut the log into 10 1-inch slices.
Place the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the crescents for 10 to 12 minutes, until the dough is golden brown.

Freezing instructions:

Once cool, transfer to a resealable freezer bag.
Take out the excess air and freeze.
Serve cold or heat on a paper towel in the microwave until warm.

Other popular freezer snack and lunch ideas: