Freezer Meal Recipes

Hearty Sausage and Zucchini Soup

This hearty sausage and zucchini soup is the ultimate in warm winter comfort food. This make ahead meal is packed full of flavour.

This recipe is a spin-off of my Sausage and Spinach Soup. That soup is my son Josiah’s favourite. I loved the flavours in it as well. The problem was that the texture of the cooked spinach in it was weird. Pretty much all of my family (other than Josiah) complained about the texture.

I was left in a bit of a quandary. On the one hand, I loved the heartiness and the flavours of this soup. Josiah asked for it all the time and raved about it. On the other hand, the rest of my family wasn’t a fan because of the spinach. What’s a mom to do?!

This soup was the answer. By replacing the spinach with zucchini, I was able to please everybody. In fact, this sausage and zucchini soup is now our family’s most requested soup!

Hearty Sausage and Zucchini Soup Recipe:

1 lb. ground Italian sausage (I prefer the spicy variety to give it a bit of a kick)
24 oz. jar pasta sauce
19 oz. can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup diced zucchini
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup small pasta shells

Place the dry small pasta shells into a medium resealable bag.

Brown the ground sausage in a skillet. Blot it with a paper towel to get rid of some of the grease or drain it.

Once the sausage has cooled, put it in a large resealable freezer bag. Pour in the pasta sauce, the white kidney beans, diced zucchini, chopped carrots, diced onion, minced garlic, and chicken broth. Remove any excess air from the bag and seal. Staple the bags together above the seals and freeze.

On cooking day, take the bag out of the freezer and thaw. Separate the bags and add the contents of the large bag to a crock pot. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Add the pasta in the last 20 minutes.

Alternatively, you can simmer the soup in a large stovetop pot for about an hour and add the pasta for the last ten or fifteen minutes.

By using different types of jarred pasta sauce, you can change up the flavours of this soup and experiment until you find the one that you like best.

Check out these other awesome freezer soup recipes:

Corn Chowder with Bacon

Italian Wedding Soup with Sausage Meatballs

Chickpea and Vegetable Curry

By Sharla

You don’t have to be a Vegetarian to love this chickpea and vegetable curry recipe. It’s delicious. I usually make it as the main dish, but sometimes I use it as a side dish when I make Chicken Tikka Masala. This can be cooked on the stovetop if you prefer, but it makes a great freezer to crock pot meal.

I’ve been on a bit of a cauliflower kick lately and this meal just totally hits the spot. This chickpea and vegetable curry dish is a beautiful, colourful meal with vibrant flavours.

The curry flavours in this meal are not overpowering. They mix really nicely with the coconut milk. If you are not a fan of coconut milk (like a certain friend of mine who shall remain nameless but hates all things coconut!), then you can substitute heavy cream for the coconut milk.

Chickpea and Vegetable Curry Recipe:

1 onion, finely minced
1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 cups small cauliflower florets (about 1/2 a medium head of cauliflower)
1 cup frozen peas
2x 15 oz. cans chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans)
3 Tbsp. curry powder
4 cloves garlic, minced
2x 13.5 oz. cans coconut milk
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt

As with most freezer meals, it’s just as easy to make multiple recipes at one time. That is certainly true of this one and since making a single recipe calls for using half a head of cauliflower, there’s no sense in having the other half go to waste. You might as well make at least two of these meals to put in the freezer.

This recipe makes quite a large amount, so if you have a smaller family, you may want to divide it into two large freezer bags. Since it is such a substantial meal, it’s a great one to have when you have company over.

To assemble the meal, put all the ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag and squish together. Remove any excess air and seal the bag. Lay flat and freeze.

On the day of cooking, remove the bag from freezer and thaw.

Stovetop instructions: Place the bag contents into a large pot. Over medium heat, bring it to a slight bowl before reducing the heat to low. Simmer on the stovetop for one hour.

Slow cooker instructions: Dump the bag contents into the crock pot and cook for 3 hours on high or 5 hours on low.

Serve with jasmine or basmati rice. You can also top with a bit of fresh cilantro if you like.

This recipe is included in our Vegetarian Freezer Meal Menu Plan. The plan includes recipes, shopping lists, prep lists, and printable labels.

Other freezer meals to check out:

Chicken Tikka Masala for the Instant Pot

Butter Chicken Freezer Meal

Shrimp Stir Fry Pack for the Freezer

By Sharla

You’ll be so glad you have some of these shrimp stir fry freezer packs on hand for busy weeknights. Just pull one out and heat in a skillet for 8-10 minutes and dinner is served! These are so easy to make and fast to cook. These freezer meal bags make great gifts for expectant moms or those who are suffering an illness or moving.

It is just as fast to whip up two or four of these stir fry packs as it is to make one so I suggest that while you have the ingredients out, you make multiples. You can also experiment with adding different vegetables and find your favourite combination.

This dish is flavourful and colourful. The sauce is inspired by Asian influences and ingredients.

Shrimp Stir Fry Freezer Pack Recipe:

1 1/2 lbs. medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup zucchini, diced
1/2 cup sugar snap peas
3/4 cup carrots, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup frozen peas
14 oz. can baby corn, drained
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
2 Tbsp. orange juice
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Place the shrimp, zucchini, carrots, onions, snap peas, peas, and baby corn in a large resealable bag. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, orange juice, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, minced garlic, sesame oil, and pepper flakes. Pour the sauce into the bag with the shrimp and vegetables.

I use frozen shrimp that is already peeled and deveined. We rinse the shrimp under cold water in the sink to separate the shrimp and wash them. We do this quickly so that they don’t thaw before we get the shrimp stir fry packs into the freezer.

On the day of cooking, take the stir fry freezer bag out to thaw. Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add the bag of shrimp and veggies to the pan and stir fry for 8-10 minutes until the shrimp is pink and the vegetables are tender.

You can garnish with sliced green onions or cilantro. If you like things spicy, you can also stir in a bit of Sriracha sauce towards the end of cooking. Serve over rice.

Check out these other freezer skillet meals:

Seafood Curry Pasta

Garlic Butter Shrimp

Make Ahead Chicken and Spinach Penne Alfredo

By Sharla

You’re going to love this make ahead chicken and spinach penne Alfredo. It is perfect for giving a friend who is moving, expecting, adopting, or going through a difficult season. It is an all in one meal that packs a flavourful punch.

I know the pictures don’t make it look like the prettiest dish ever. It’s not. But it is loaded with flavour and it is an easy meal that will soon become a family staple. The combination of the pesto and Alfredo create a unique taste. Give it a try!

Chicken and Spinach Penne Alfredo Recipe:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
410 mL jar of Alfredo sauce
2 Tbsp. pesto
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. olive oil
1 227g bag of fresh spinach
4 cups dry penne pasta

Before assembling this freezer meal, cook and cube the chicken. I prepare many freezer meals at one time, so I find that the fastest way to cook large amounts of chicken breasts is to place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook them in the oven. Once they are cooked, I cube them. If you’re only making the chicken for this one recipe, you can instead cube the raw chicken and cook it in a skillet in a bit of oil on medium-high heat.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add pasta. Cook for 1 minute less than the box directions call for. This is because you want the pasta slightly undercooked so that it doesn’t become mushy after freezing and reheating. Drain the pasta.

In a skillet on the stovetop, heat the olive oil. Add the spinach and saute until wilted. Mix the Alfredo sauce, pesto, and garlic into the drained pasta.

Add the cooked, cubed chicken, pasta mixture and spinach to a large resealable freezer bag. Remove the extra air and seal before freezing.

On the day of cooking, thaw the bag before placing its contents into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Bake, covered in a preheated 350° oven for 45 minutes.

The chicken and spinach penne Alfredo has everything you need for a complete meal so you can serve it on its own or pair it with a salad and some bread.

Check out these other great casserole style freezer meals:

Chicken and Vegetable Casserole with Crispy Onion Topping Tex Mex Pasta Bake

Apple Maple Chicken Dump Recipe

By Sharla

Dump Recipe are the fastest way to make freezer meals. It’s so easy to make many at one time. This apple maple chicken dump recipe is delicious and can be cooked in the oven or the crock pot. It has an interesting blend of flavours that go so well together.This recipe calls for a fair bit of garlic. We are big fans of garlic as you may notice from the fact that most of our recipes call for garlic and that a lot of them even have the word “garlic” in the title! If you aren’t a fan, just reduce the amount the recipe calls for or eliminate it altogether. Personally, I think it tastes best with this amount, but you be the judge!

Apple Maple Chicken Dump Recipe:

3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 cloves of garlic, minced
12 1/2 oz. can frozen apple juice concentrate
3/4 cup dry white wine (you can use alcohol free if you prefer)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. pepper

To put together this freezer meal, place chicken pieces in a large resealable bag. Dump all the rest of the ingredients in the bag. Squish it to mix everything together. Remove the excess air, seal and freeze.

On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw. You can cook it in the oven or in the slow cooker.

Oven instructions: After thawing, place the chicken and sauce in a covered casserole dish. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for one hour, uncover during the last 10 minutes.

Crock pot instructions: Place thawed chicken and sauce into the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Serve the chicken with side dishes such as rice, potatoes, vegetables, or a salad. We ate ours with roasted root vegetables (yum!) and cabbage.

Looking for more chicken dump recipes? Check out our tried and true recipes that include printable labels and shopping lists.

Check out these other easy and delicious chicken freezer meals:

Lemon and Garlic Chicken Dump Recipe

Chicken and Vegetable Casserole with Crispy Onion Topping