Sharla

Name: Tater Tot Pizza Casserole Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 cups frozen tater tots; 1/2 cup tomato sauce; 1 tsp. Italian seasoning; 1/2 tsp. basil; 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional); 1/4 cup pepperoni slices; 1/4 cup green pepper (chopped); 1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)

Tater Tot Pizza Casserole Freezer Meal

By Sharla

Freezer meals don’t get much more kid friendly than combining tater tots and pizza flavours. This Tater Tot Pizza Casserole can be made as a freezer meal or layered and cooked immediately.This recipe bakes in a square casserole dish, but can easily be doubled and made in a rectangular casserole dish.

In a family our size, we always double it. Our kids love tater tots and they love pizza. This one is always a hit!

Tater Tot Pizza Casserole Recipe:

2 cups frozen tater tots
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, optional
1/4 cup pepperoni slices
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Freezer meal instructions:

Place the frozen tater tots, tomato sauce, seasonings, pepperoni, and chopped green pepper in a large resealable bag. Remove the excess air and seal.

Measure out the shredded cheddar cheese into a medium sized freezer bag and seal. Staple the bags together above the seal. On the cooking day, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw. Dump the contents of the large bag into a square baking dish. Sprinkle the cheese on top.

Cover with tin foil. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes. If cheese is not fully melted, remove the tin foil and cook for another 5 minutes.

Cook immediately instructions:

Lay the frozen tater tots in an even layer on the bottom of your casserole dish.

In a small bowl, mix together the tomato sauce and seasonings. Spread the tomato sauce over the tater tots.

Sprinkle the cheese on in an even layer and finish with your choice of pizza toppings. Cover with tin foil. Heat oven. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes.

This recipe is so versatile. You can add sliced mushrooms, finely cubed ham, crumbled bacon, chopped onions, or diced tomatoes. Whichever flavours you like on your pizza you can add to the tater tot casserole.One of the greatest things about this recipes is that it’s so easy for little ones to help with it. They can dump the tots in the pan, spread the tomato sauce over the tater tots, and sprinkle on the toppings.

If you made it ahead as a freezer meal, they can pretty much assemble the whole thing. Depending on their age, they may need help putting it into the oven. This recipe is a great way to give kids a bit of independence in the kitchen.

Here are some other kid friendly make ahead meals:

Instant Pot Turkey Sloppy Joes Make Ahead Pancake Mini Muffins

Tater Tot Pizza Casserole Recipe

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

35 mins

Total Time

40 mins

Course: Main Course

Keyword: tater tot pizza casserole

Ingredients

2 cups frozen tater tots
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes optional
1/4 cup pepperoni slices
1/4 cup green pepper chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions

Freezer meal instructions:

Place the frozen tater tots, tomato sauce, seasonings, pepperoni, and chopped green pepper in a large resealable bag. Remove the excess air and seal.
Measure out the shredded cheddar cheese into a medium sized freezer bag and seal. Staple the bags together above the seal.
On the cooking day, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw. Dump the contents of the large bag into a square baking dish. Sprinkle the cheese on top.
Cover with tin foil. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes.

Cook immediately instructions:

Lay the frozen tater tots in an even layer on the bottom of your casserole dish.
In a small bowl, mix together the tomato sauce and seasonings.
Spread the tomato sauce over the tater tots.
Sprinkle the cheese on in an even layer and finish with your choice of pizza toppings.
Cover with tin foil. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes.

Recipe Notes

This recipe is so versatile. You can add sliced mushrooms, finely cubed ham, crumbled bacon, or diced tomatoes. Whichever flavours you like on your pizza you can add to the casserole.

Easy Chicken Marsala

By Sharla

This easy Chicken Marsala can mostly be made ahead as a freezer meal. It is then heated on the stove in a skillet. This is such a quick recipe to make.

Easy Chicken Marsala Freezer Meal #freezermeals101 #chickenmarsala #onceamonthcooking Chicken Marsala is named for its use of Marsala wine. This wine originates in Western Sicily. This dish is a variation of the traditional Italian Scaloppine.

It’s bold flavours come from the reducing of the wine as it cooks.

Easy Chicken Marsala Recipe:

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup flour
1 cup mushrooms, sliced lengthwise
1/4 cup shallots, diced extremely fine
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped coarsely
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
¾ cup marsala wine
⅓ -½ cup heavy cream (1/3 cup if using 2 chicken breasts, 1/2 cup if using 3)

For the cooking day:

2 Tbsp. of olive oil
optional: more rosemary and parsley for garnish

Pound the chicken breasts with a meat tenderizer. Put the flour onto a plate and place each chicken breast into the flour, flipping over so that both sides are covered. Place the dredged chicken into a large resealable freezer bag. Seal.

In another freezer bag, add the mushrooms, finely diced shallots, 1/2 of the rosemary, wine, and the heavy cream. Take out the excess air and seal. Staple the bags together above the seal and freeze.

On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.

Place 1 Tbsp. of oil into the skillet on medium heat and heat. Once the oil is heated up, place the floured chicken breast into the pan. Cook the chicken on each side for 5-8 minutes per side. Add the remaining oil to the skillet and add the contents of the other bag with the chicken.

Lower the heat. Cook for 7-10 minutes. Allow the wine to reduce slightly, cooking until it is nice and fragrant.

Keep a careful eye on the sauce because of the cream, making sure that it doesn’t break. If the sauce does break, add more cream.

Remove skillet from the heat. When you plate the chicken, cover it with the sauce. Garnish with leftover rosemary and parsley.

Serve over angel hair noodles or with rice and a side of vegetables. Asparagus goes beautifully with this meal.

Check out these delicious freezer meals:

Make Ahead Apple Pork Chops Make Ahead Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

Easy Chicken Marsala Recipe

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Chicken Marsala

Ingredients

2-3 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
½ cup flour
1 cup mushrooms sliced lengthwise
1/4 cup shallots diced extremely fine
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary chopped coarsely
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
¾ cup marsala wine
⅓ -½ cup heavy cream 1/3 cup if using 2 chicken breasts, 1/2 cup if using 3

For the cooking day:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
optional: more rosemary and parsley for garnish

Instructions

Pound the chicken breasts with a meat tenderizer. Put the flour onto a plate and place each chicken breast into the flour, flipping over so that both sides are covered.
Place the dredged chicken into a large resealable freezer bag. Seal.
In another freezer bag, add the mushrooms, finely diced shallots, 1/2 of the rosemary, wine, and the heavy cream. Take out the excess air and seal. Staple the bags together above the seal and freeze.
On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
Place 1 Tbsp. of oil into the skillet on medium heat and heat. Once the oil is heated up, place the floured chicken breast into the pan. Cook the chicken on each side for 5-8 minutes per side. Add the remaining oil to the skillet and add the contents of the other bag with the chicken.
Lower the heat. Cook for 7-10 minutes. Allow the wine to reduce slightly, cooking until it is nice and fragrant.
Keep a careful eye on the sauce because of the cream, making sure that it doesn't break. If the sauce does break, add more cream.
Remove from the heat. When you plate the chicken, cover it with the sauce. Garnish with leftover rosemary and parsley.

Recipe Notes

Serve over angel hair noodles or with rice and a side of vegetables. Asparagus goes beautifully with this meal.

Lemon Pesto Chicken Freezer Meal

By Sharla

It just does not get any easier than this 4 ingredient Lemon Pesto Chicken recipe! Not only is it fast and easy to make, it’s a freezer meal, saving you even more time.

This freezer meal recipe is gluten free. It’s a very easy meal to put together, but it is a bit different than chicken recipes with just a marinade.

The pictures are awful. I make this often, but I always forget to take a picture of it once it’s on the plate with sides. All I have are pictures of it in the freezer bag and in the casserole dish fresh out of the oven. I decided to put this recipe up here anyway so that others could benefit from the recipe even though the pictures are so ugly. You’ll just have to take my word that it looks better on a plate!

Lemon Pesto Chicken Recipe:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup jarred pesto sauce
1/8 cup lemon juice
pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
optional: 1 tsp. lemon rind

Put the shredded mozza cheese in a medium resealable bag and seal.

Place the chicken breasts in a large sized resealable bag. Add the pesto, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. If you want some extra zip, toss in some lemon rind. Remove the excess air from the bag and seal. Staple the medium bag to the large one above the seal to ensure there are no leaks. Lay flat in the freezer.

On the day of cooking, thaw. Put the chicken in a casserole dish. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes, covered. Uncover and top with the mozzarella cheese and bake for another 5 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

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

Check out these other delicious freezer meals:

Chicken and Vegetable Casserole with Crispy Onion Topping Chicken and Spinach Alfredo Bake

Lemon Pesto Chicken Recipe

Keyword: lemon pesto chicken

Ingredients

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup jarred pesto sauce
1/8 cup lemon juice
pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
optional: 1 tsp. lemon rind

Instructions

Put the shredded mozza cheese in a medium resealable bag and seal.
Place the chicken breasts in a large sized resealable bag. Add the pesto, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. If you want some extra zip, toss in some lemon rind. Remove the excess air from the bag and seal.
Staple the medium bag to the large one above the seal to ensure there are no leaks. Lay flat in the freezer.
On the day of cooking, thaw. Put the chicken in a casserole dish. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes, covered. Uncover and top with the mozzarella cheese and bake for another 5 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

Maple Dijon Salmon

By Sharla

We always like to include a few salmon recipes every time we make freezer meals. Salmon is high in Omega-3 fatty acids. It’s good for brain health. This maple dijon salmon takes just minutes to prepare. There are two salmon recipes that we alternate between and then we always try out one new one. We usually just invent something based on the ingredients we have on hand or what season it is.

That was the case with this recipe invention. We happened to have maple syrup and dijon mustard. We thought it sounded like a nice Fall meal.

Maple Dijon Salmon Recipe:

1 1/2 lbs. salmon fillets
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. pepper

Place the salmon in a large resealable freezer bag. Add the other ingredients. Give it a bit of a mix (squish or shake) before taking out the excess air and sealing. Freeze.

On cooking day, thaw.

BBQ Directions: Create a foil packet using enough tin foil to cover and seal. Cook in the barbeque on high for 7-10 minutes per side until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.

Oven Instructions: Place salmon on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes.

Serve with green beans, asparagus, or brussels sprouts and rice pilaf.

Maple Dijon Salmon Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. salmon fillets
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. pepper

Instructions

Place the salmon in a large resealable freezer bag. Add the other ingredients. Give it a bit of a mix (squish or shake) before taking out the excess air and sealing. Freeze.
On cooking day, thaw.

BBQ Directions:

Create a foil packet using enough tin foil to cover and seal. Cook in the barbeque on high for 7-10 minutes per side until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.

Oven Instructions:

Place salmon on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes.

Thick and Chunky Hearty Chili

By Sharla

There’s something so down-home about a good bowl of hearty chili. It’s nice to always have one in the freezer. Chili is great to pull out on a snowy day.

Thick and Chunky Hearty Chili Recipe:

1- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1- 28 oz. can diced Italian style tomatoes
2 ¼ lb. lean ground beef
2- 15 oz. cans small red kidney beans
1-2 medium onions, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. red pepper flakes (add more if you like it spicy)
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Brown the beef in a large skillet and drain the grease. Allow to cool. Put the browned ground beef in a large resealable freezer bag. Add the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and cilantro.

Add the chopped onions, garlic and green peppers. Pour in both cans of tomatoes. The bag will be quite full at this point. You may want to prop it up either by setting it in a tall juice container and folding the top of the bag over the edge, having someone hold it open, or using a “baggy rack” to hold the bag open for you.

Drain one of the cans of kidney beans and add it to the bag. Add the other can of beans with its juice. Remove the excess air from the bag and seal. Squish to combine. Freeze.

On the day you want to cook the hearty chili, take the bag out of the freezer. Thaw.

Stovetop instructions:

Cover with lid and cook on the stovetop over low-medium heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

When you notice that the chili is looking a bit watery, take the lid off. When it starts to look like it needs to be a bit more watery, add the lid. Repeat this process for the duration of the cooking time.

Don’t forget to stir it from time to time. Chili stuck to the bottom of the pot is no fun to clean off!

Crock pot instructions:

Cook on low for 5-7 hours.

Check out these other great family freezer to crock pot meals:

BBQ Pulled Pork

Chickpea and Vegetable Curry

Thick and Chunky Hearty Chili Recipe

Course: Main Course

Keyword: hearty chili

Ingredients

1- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1- 28 oz. can diced Italian style tomatoes
2 ¼ lb. ground beef
2- 15 oz. cans small red kidney beans
1-2 medium onions chopped
1 medium green pepper chopped
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. red pepper flakes add more if you like it spicy
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro roughly chopped

Instructions

Brown beef in a large skillet and drain the grease. Allow to cool. Put the browned ground beef in a large resealable freezer bag. Add the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and cilantro.
Add the chopped onions, garlic and green peppers. Pour in both cans of tomatoes.
The bag will be quite full at this point. You may want to prop it up either by setting it in a tall juice container and folding the top of the bag over the edge, having someone hold it open, or using a "baggy rack" to hold the bag open for you.
Drain one of the cans of kidney beans and add it to the bag. Add the other can of beans with its juice. Remove the excess air from the bag and seal. Squish to combine. Freeze.
On the day you want to cook the hearty chili, take the bag out of the freezer. Thaw.

Stovetop instructions:

Cover with lid and cook on the stovetop over low-medium heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
When you notice that the chili is looking a bit watery, take the lid off. When it starts to look like it needs to be a bit more watery, add the lid. Repeat this process for the duration of the cooking time.
Don't forget to stir it from time to time. Chili stuck to the bottom of the pot is no fun to clean off!

Crock pot instructions:

Cook on low for 5-7 hours.