Freezer Meals 101

Less time cooking, more time living

BBQ Salmon (freezer meal)

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This BBQ Salmon recipe is great for summer. It’s the lightness of a salmon meal but has a rich, bold sauce. It’s so fast to make that it’s sure to become one of your new go-to recipes.bag with marinated salmon fillets sits in a skillet. Text reads "BBQ Salmon freezer meal"When people think of freezer meals, they usually imagine casseroles, soups, and stews, but they can be so much more than that. Salmon is one of our favourites. When we do our freezer meal marathons, we usually choose two salmon recipes such as this one and our Ginger Soy Salmon, Maple Dijon Salmon, or Dill Salmon.

BBQ Salmon Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. boneless salmon fillets
  • 1/2 cup BBQ sauce (your favourite kind)
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 green onion, sliced
  • salt and pepper to taste

Assembly instructions:

  1. Place the salmon fillets in a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Add the other ingredients and squish gently to combine.
  3. Remove the excess air, seal, and freeze.

Barbecue cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw. The sauce marinates the salmon as it thaws.
  2. Heat barbecue to medium heat.
  3. Grill fish 6 minutes on each side on greased barbecue rack or on cedar plant on grill. Turn the fish occasionally. The salmon should flake easily when done.

Oven cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw and the salmon will marinate in the sauce as it thaws.
  2. Place salmon on a foil lined baking sheet lined. Bake at 400° for about 20 minutes. Exact cooking time will vary depending on the salmon thickness. It will flake easily when done.

What to serve with the salmon:

These side dishes pair really nicely with this salmon or you can serve with your favourite sides.

Print
BBQ Salmon
Course: Main Course
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. boneless salmon fillets
  • 1/2 cup BBQ sauce your favourite
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 green onion sliced
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Place the salmon fillets in a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Add the other ingredients and squish gently to combine.
  3. Remove the excess air, seal, and freeze.
Barbecue cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw. The sauce marinates the salmon as it thaws.
  2. Heat barbecue to medium heat.
  3. Grill fish 6 minutes on each side on greased barbecue rack or on cedar plant on grill. Turn the fish occasionally. The salmon should flake easily when done.
Oven cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw and the salmon will marinate in the sauce as it thaws.
  2. Place salmon on a foil lined baking sheet lined. Bake at 400° for about 20 minutes. Exact cooking time will vary depending on the salmon thickness. It will flake easily when done.

Check out some of our other seafood freezer meals:

Chili Lime Tilapia

Ginger Soy Salmon

Make Ahead Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

Family Friendly Beef Hash (freezer meal)

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Looking for a family friendly easy recipe? This Beef Hash is so easy to make and a big hit with kids. It uses frozen hash browns, so it saves a step on prepping the potatoes and is so fast to throw together.

pot with ground beef and hash browns. Text reads Beef Hash freezer meal casserole"I know this recipe is super simple, but the best tasting recipes usually are. I think that’s what makes this such a big hit with kids.

Beef Hash Recipe:

  • 1 1/2 lbs. browned ground beef
  • 500 grams frozen hash browns*
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 Tbsp. dry onion soup mix
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • dash pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

*This amount is the equivalent of half of a 1 kg bag, so if you are making two of these recipes at once, just buy one large bag and split it between the two bags.

Assembly instructions:
  1. Brown beef.
  2. Place cooked beef in a large resealable freezer bag. Add the frozen hash browns, minced onions, dry onion soup mix, beef broth, and pepper.
  3. Squish to combine. Remove excess air and seal.
  4. Put the shredded cheese in a medium freezer bag. Seal. Staple the bags together above the seal and freeze.
Oven Cooking Instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Bake at 350° for one hour, topping with grated cheese the last 10 minutes.

Crock Pot Cooking Instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Cook in the slow cooker on low for 2-4 hours, topping with cheese in the last 20 minutes.

Most of my kids like to top their beef hash with ketchup. I prefer hot sauce or salsa. Either way, this is sure to be a family friendly meal everyone will enjoy.

This recipe is included in our More Family Favourites Freezer Meal Plan along with other recipes, prep lists, and printable shopping lists and labels.

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Beef Hash
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 lbs. browned ground beef
  • 500 grams frozen hash browns
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 3 Tbsp. dry onion soup mix
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • dash pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Brown beef.
  2. Place cooked beef in a large resealable freezer bag. Add the frozen hash browns, minced onions, dry onion soup mix, beef broth, and pepper.
  3. Squish to combine. Remove excess air and seal.
  4. Put the shredded cheese in a medium freezer bag. Seal. Staple the bags together above the seal and freeze.
Oven Cooking Instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Bake at 350° for one hour, topping with grated cheese the last 10 minutes.
Crock Pot Cooking Instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Cook in the slow cooker on low for 2-4 hours, topping with cheese in the last 20 minutes.

You may be interested in these other family friendly freezer to crock pot meals:

Tater Tot Casserole with Beef and Veggies

Easy Cheesy Tater Tot Chicken Casserole

Taco Sloppy Joes

Grilled Flank Steak (Make Ahead)

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On hot summer days, it’s so nice to be able to cook on the BBQ. It allows you to enjoy the nice weather without having your oven on and heating the house too much. This make ahead Grilled Flank Steak and Veggies is perfect for just that.white plate with sliced meat, yellow peppers, green zucchini, purple onions and text that reads "Grilled Flank Steak with veggies"

You can have a delicious weeknight dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes!

Having meals in the freezer that can be barbecued such as this flank steak meal, our Chili Lime Tilapia, or our Ginger Soy Salmon makes summer even better. You can relax more and still get your family fed.

Grilled Flank Steak and Veggies

Ingredients:

  • large flank steak
  • 6 oz. Ginger Ale
  • 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 zucchini, sliced
  • 1 purple onion, coarsely chopped
  • 2 red or yellow peppers, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. seasoning salt
  • 1/2 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

For the day of cooking:

  • 1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
  • aluminum foil

Assembly instructions:

  1. Combine the sugar, seasoning salt, chili powder, paprika, pepper and cayenne pepper in a medium resealable bag. Seal and give it a good shake. This will be the spice rub for the flank steak.
  2. Cut up the zucchini, onion and peppers. Place the vegetables with 1 tsp. of oil in another medium freezer bag. Seal and shake to combine.
  3. Trim the fat from the flank steak and place it in a large resealable freezer bag. Add the ginger ale and soy sauce. Remove the excess air from the bag. Seal.
  4. Staple the 3 bags together above the seals. Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Remove the flank steak from marinade and pat dry. Use the prepared spice rub and liberally coat the flank steak, shaking off the excess. Allow the meat to rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
  3. Wrap the vegetables in two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. of seasoning salt. Seal the packet tightly.
  4. Prepare the grill to a high heat. Oil.
  5. When the meat has rested and the grill is hot, place the steak on the oiled grill grate.
  6. Add the vegetable packet to the grill as well.
  7. After about 4 minutes, flip the steak and veggie packet. Cook for an additional 4-6 minutes to medium or to desired doneness.
  8. Allow the steak to rest after cooking for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve with the vegetables.

You can find other great family friendly make ahead recipes for the BBQ in our BBQ Freezer Meal Plan which includes printable shopping lists, prep list, and labels.

Print
Grilled Flank Steak and Veggies
Course: Main Course
Keyword: flank steak
Ingredients
  • large flank steak
  • 6 oz. Ginger Ale
  • 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 zucchini sliced
  • 1 purple onion coarsely chopped
  • 2 red or yellow peppers coarsely chopped
  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. seasoning salt
  • 1/2 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
For the day of cooking:
  • 1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
  • aluminum foil
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Combine the sugar, seasoning salt, chili powder, paprika, pepper and cayenne pepper in a medium resealable bag. Seal and give it a good shake. This will be the spice rub for the flank steak.
  2. Cut up the zucchini, onion and peppers. Place the vegetables with 1 tsp. of oil in another medium freezer bag. Seal and shake to combine.
  3. Trim the fat from the flank steak and place it in a large resealable freezer bag. Add the ginger ale and soy sauce. Remove the excess air from the bag. Seal.
  4. Staple the 3 bags together above the seals. Freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Remove the flank steak from marinade and pat dry. Use the prepared spice rub and liberally coat the flank steak, shaking off the excess. Allow the meat to rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
  3. Wrap the vegetables in two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. of seasoning salt. Seal the packet tightly.
  4. Prepare the grill to a high heat. Oil.
  5. When the meat has rested and the grill is hot, place the steak on the oiled grill grate.
  6. Add the vegetable packet to the grill as well.
  7. After about 4 minutes, flip the steak and veggie packet. Cook for an additional 4-6 minutes to medium or to desired doneness.
  8. Allow the steak to rest after cooking for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve with the vegetables.

Check out some of our other BBQ freezer meals:

Ginger Soy Salmon

Chili Lime Tilapia

Southern Style Ground Beef Casserole (freezer meal)

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Not only is this southern style ground beef casserole an all-in-one dish, it’s also a freezer meal so this is about as easy as dinner gets! It includes ground beef and vegetables and if you want, you can top it with cheese.large pot filled with food topped with melted cheese and white ladle. Text reads "Southern Style Ground Beef Casserole"I love a good all-in-one casserole. As a busy mom, it’s so nice for supper to be as easy as possible. One dish means less dishes! And I’m all about making clean-up as fast as possible.

Southern Style Ground Beef Casserole Recipe:

  • 1 lb. browned ground beef
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 3/4 cup green pepper, chopped
  • 15 oz. can kernel corn, drained
  • 14 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce*
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • optional: shredded cheese (cheddar or tex mex)

*Use gluten free Worcestershire sauce if you want to make this gluten free.

Assembly Instructions:

  1. Brown ground beef. Cool slightly and then add to a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Add the chopped onion, diced green pepper, corn, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings.
  3. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.
  4. If you want to serve with cheese, place shredded cheese in a medium freezer bag, seal, and staple above the seal to the larger bag.

Stovetop Cooking Instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Heat in pan until desired temperature is reached.cook on low in crock pot for 3-5 hours.
  3. If you want, you can top with shredded cheese before serving.

Crock Pot Cooking Instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Cook on low in Crock Pot for 3-5 hours.
  3. If desired, top with cheese before serving.

If you want, you can set out salsa, hot sauce, Thai Sweet Chili sauce, or ketchup. Some of us like to eat this plain while others (ahem…my kids!) like to slather it in the sauce of their choosing.

Print
Southern Style Ground Beef Casserole
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: casserole
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. ground beef browned
  • 1/2 cup onion chopped
  • 3/4 cup green pepper chopped
  • 15 oz. can kernel corn drained
  • 14 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • optional: shredded cheese cheddar or tex mex
Instructions
Assembly Instructions:
  1. Brown ground beef. Cool slightly and then add to a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Add the chopped onion, diced green pepper, corn, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings.
  3. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.
  4. If you want to serve with cheese, place shredded cheese in a medium freezer bag, seal, and staple above the seal to the larger bag.
Stovetop Cooking Instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Heat in pan until desired temperature is reached.cook on low in crock pot for 3-5 hours.
  3. If you want, you can top with shredded cheese before serving.
Crock Pot Cooking Instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Cook on low in Crock Pot for 3-5 hours.
  3. If desired, top with cheese before serving.

Check out some of our other make ahead casseroles:

Chicken Cordon Bleu Slow Cooker Casserole

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Beefy Rice Casserole

Gingery Salsa Chicken (freezer meal)

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This gingery salsa chicken is my neighbour’s recipe that I adapted into a freezer meal. It’s got great tangy flavours. Since this is a make ahead meal, it’s a great protein to serve on busy weeknights.saucy chicken on rice next to carrots and green beans and text that reads "Gingery Salsa Chicken freezer meal"

I love recipes where you can just dump everything in the bag and you’re good to go. Our lemon mustard chicken, apple maple chicken, BBQ pulled pork, and beef dip are other great examples of dump recipes. So fast and easy!

Gingery Salsa Chicken Recipe:

Ingredients: 

  • 10-12 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
  • 3/4 cup salsa
  • 1/3 cup liquid honey
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
  • 2 tsp. olive oil

For day of cooking:

  • 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 2 Tbsp. water

Assembly instructions:

  1. Place chicken thighs in a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Pour in the salsa, honey, orange juice, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, ginger, and olive oil.
  3. Squish together to combine.
  4. Remove excess air from the bag and seal. Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Bake chicken at 400° for 40-50 minutes.
  3. Pour the sauce into a stovetop pot. Mix together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce.
  4. Heat to boiling. Stir for a few minutes while the sauce thickens.
  5. Serve the sauce over the chicken.

What to serve with Gingery Salsa Chicken:

Print
Gingery Salsa Chicken
Course: Main Course
Keyword: chicken
Ingredients
  • 10-12 chicken thighs boneless, skinless
  • 3/4 cup salsa
  • 1/3 cup liquid honey
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
For day of cooking:
  • 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 2 Tbsp. water
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Place chicken thighs in a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Pour in the salsa, honey, orange juice, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, ginger, and olive oil.
  3. Squish together to combine.
  4. Remove excess air from the bag and seal. Freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. Bake chicken at 400° for 40-50 minutes.

  3. Pour the sauce into a stovetop pot. Mix together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce.
  4. Heat to boiling. Stir for a few minutes while the sauce thickens.
  5. Serve the sauce over the chicken.

You may also be interested in these make ahead chicken recipes:

Easy Kung Pao Chicken

Pesto Chicken and Veggies

Lemon Garlic Chicken