Freezer Meal Side Dishes

Freezer Friendly Paneer Curry

The warm combination of spices found in Indian cuisine can’t be beat. But who has time to make a traditional Indian dinner from scratch on a busy weeknight? With the help of this make ahead paneer curry recipe, you can prep all the ingredients for your dinner ahead of time and freeze them until you’re ready to start cooking. That means you can enjoy a classic Indian dinner without all the extra work that comes along with preparing curry from scratch!

The flavors of Indian cuisine are perfect in freezer meals such as this Paneer Curry, Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken, and Chana Masala.

Paneer Curry Recipe

Ingredients:

400 grams paneer
14 ounces diced tomatoes
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon ginger
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons curry paste
cilantro
salt and pepper
1/2 cup Greek yogurt

For Day of Serving:

1/2 cup Greek yogurt
cilantro

Assembly Instructions:

Cut paneer into one inch pieces. Warm a skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, add butter to the pan and sauté the paneer, flipping to sear all sides, which should take around 6-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, as needed.
Continue searing the paneer in batches until all the pieces have been cooked. Pat the cooked paneer with a paper towel to remove excess grease, then allow the pieces to cool completely.
Place the seared pieces in a large resealable bag, along with the diced tomatoes, peas, chopped onion, ginger, minced garlic, curry paste, cilantro and Greek yogurt.
Squeeze the bag to mix the ingredients together. Remove excess air from the bag, then seal and freeze until you’re ready to start cooking.

Cooking Instructions:

Transfer the curry ingredients to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
Pour the contents of the bag in to a large skillet and cook over medium heat. Before serving, stir in 1/2 cup more Greek yogurt and top with fresh cilantro.

What Is Paneer?

Paneer is a popular northern Indian ingredient. But if you’ve never had curry made with this delicious addition before, you may be wondering what it is. Paneer is a fresh cheese often found in Indian cuisine. The cheese is typically made by combining curdled milk with acidic fruit or vegetable juice, like lemon.

With its mild, milky flavor, paneer helps balance out the spices in a variety of classic Indian dishes, including curry and masala.

Do You Cook Paneer Before Putting It in Curry?

To bring out the flavor in the paneer, it’s a good idea to cook it for a few minutes before adding it to the rest of your curry ingredients. To cook the cheese, start by draining it from any excess liquid in the packaging. Then, sauté the peer in oil or butter until it’s golden on all sides. After that, it’s ready to add to your recipe!

What to Serve with Paneer Curry?

This delicious curry recipe has everything you need for a complete meal. But if you want to round out your dinner with a few sides, try serving it with one of these traditional ideas:

Rice
Naan
Tandoori roti
Flatbread
Cucumber salad

Paneer Curry

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Course: Main Course

Keyword: vegetarian

Servings: 4

Ingredients

400 grams paneer
14 oz diced tomatoes
1/2 cup peas frozen
1/4 cup onion chopped
1 tsp. ginger
2 cloves garlic minced
2 Tbsp. curry paste
cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Greek yogurt

For Day of Serving:

1/2 cup Greek yogurt
cilantro for garnish

Instructions

Assembly Instructions:

Cut paneer into one inch pieces. Warm a skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, add butter to the pan and sauté the paneer, flipping to sear all sides, which should take around 6-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, as needed.
Continue searing the paneer in batches until all the pieces have been cooked. Pat the cooked paneer with a paper towel to remove excess grease, then allow the pieces to cool completely.
Place the seared pieces in a large resealable bag, along with the diced tomatoes, peas, chopped onion, ginger, minced garlic, curry paste, cilantro and Greek yogurt.
Squeeze the bag to mix the ingredients together. Remove excess air from the bag, seal, and freeze.

Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Pour the contents of the bag in to a large skillet and cook over medium heat. Before serving, stir in 1/2 cup more Greek yogurt and top with fresh cilantro.

Homemade Creamed Corn

By Sharla

Having a few delicious side dishes on hand is a great way to make meal prep a little easier. And when you combine corn with crispy bacon, you have a yummy side dish that’s sure to be a hit with the entire family. This homemade creamed corn recipe is so simple to prepare that it can be assembled and frozen in a matter of minutes. After that, all that’s left to do is reheat your creamy side dish when you’re ready to serve it for dinner.We especially love having this at the ready for holiday meals. We’ve served it at Easter, Thanksgiving, and with our Christmas dinner.

Other make ahead holiday side dishes:

Homemade Creamed Corn Recipe

Ingredients:

5 cups (750g bag) frozen kernel corn
2 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
3 tablespoons butter

For day of cooking:

½ cup milk
3 tablespoons flour

Assembly Instructions:

Combine the frozen corn, cooked bacon, whipping cream, sugar, salt, pepper, and butter in a large freezer bag. Squeeze the ingredients together to combine the ingredients together.
Remove excess air from the bag and seal to close.
In a separate quart sized bag, add ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese. Staple the small bag to the larger bag above the seal.
Freeze the ingredients until you’re ready to prepare the creamed corn casserole.

Cooking instructions:

Transfer the creamed corn ingredients to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
When the mixture is thawed, pour the contents of the bag into a large casserole dish.
Whisk together the milk and flour in a small bowl. Pour the mixture into the casserole dish and stir to mix.
Place the pan in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Top with the parmesan cheese and return the pan to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.

How Do You Store Homemade Creamed Corn?

This old-fashioned recipe makes a big batch of creamed, which means you may have a few leftovers when your dinner is over. To store your creamed corn, transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator. They’ll stay good for up to four days when refrigerated.

You can reheat your creamed corn in the microwave or cook them in the oven at 400° until they’re warmed through.

How Long is Frozen Corn Good For?

To ensure your southern style creamed corn stays fresh in the freezer, it’s a good idea to store the ingredients in a freezer bag or airtight container. Before sealing the bag, make sure to remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn.

Before you place the creamed corn ingredients in the freezer, write the name of the recipe, the date of freezing and the expected expiration date on the bag. Your frozen creamed corn will stay good for up to three months when stored properly.

How Do You Make Creamed Corn Less Watery?

Since this recipe is made with frozen corn, you may notice that the casserole becomes watery as it cooks. The flour and milk mixture will help thicken the cream as your casserole bakes. But if your corn still seems too watery, you can add more flour or cornstarch to the pan to help thicken the sauce. Make sure to mix your flour or cornstarch with a little bit of milk before adding it to the baking dish to prevent clumps from forming.

Baked Creamed Corn Recipe Ideas

This baked creamed corn casserole recipe is sure to be a hit with your family – no matter when you serve it. Whether you’re preparing it for a week night dinner or a holiday like Christmas or Thanksgiving, there are so many great reasons to whip up this dish! And with these variation and substitution ideas you can make your corn casserole even better.

Leave out the bacon. Mixing some bacon into your creamed corn is a great way to take the flavor up a notch. But if you’re looking for a more classic, old-fashioned recipe, the bacon can be left out. You may need to add a little bit more salt to the corn to help balance out the flavor of the other sweet ingredients. Omitting the bacon also makes this vegetarian.
Mix in more cheese. Add even more flavor to your corn casserole by mixing some cheese into the dish. Add shredded cheddar, Monterrey jack, or pepper jack cheese to the corn mixture to give it even more cheesy flavor.
Add some spice. Another easy way to enhance the flavor of your baked corn is with the help of some spiciness. You can give your casserole a little more spice by mixing in seasonings like ground cayenne or red pepper flakes. Or chop up some fresh jalapeno peppers to mix into the casserole with the corn.
Use canned corn. Since you’ll be freezing your creamy corn casserole before you bake it, using frozen corn make sense. But if you don’t have any on hand or prefer the flavor of canned corn, you can easily make the swap. In addition to using regular canned corn, you can also use a combination of corn kernels and canned creamed corn to give your casserole even more creamy texture.

Homemade Creamed Corn

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

35 mins

Course: Side Dish

Keyword: corn

Servings: 6

Ingredients

5 cups kernel corn frozen
2 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
3 Tbsp. butter

For Day of Cooking:

½ cup milk
3 Tbsp. flour

Instructions

Assembly Instructions:

Combine the frozen corn, cooked bacon, whipping cream, sugar, salt, pepper, and butter in a large freezer bag. Squeeze the ingredients together to combine.
Remove excess air and seal.
In a medium sized freezer bag, add ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese. Staple the small bag to the larger bag above the seal.
Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Preheat the oven to 400°.
When thawed, pour the contents of the large bag into a casserole dish.
Whisk together the milk and flour in a small bowl. Pour the mixture into the casserole dish and stir.
Place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Top with the parmesan cheese and return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Make Ahead Stuffing

By Sharla

The holidays are a busy time. Less time spent in the kitchen on those special occasions is definitely a win for everyone! This make ahead stuffing is one way to reduce your workload and be able to actually enjoy visiting with your company.

The more you can do ahead, the less stress there is on the day of. Whether you call this dressing or stuffing, it’s one thing you’ll be able to cross off your to-do list.

When you pair this with our make ahead garlic mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn casserole, you can make most of your holiday meal ahead of the big day.

Make Ahead Freezer Stuffing Recipe:

Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients:

half a loaf of white bread, sliced (approx. 8-10 slices)
1/2 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 Tbsp. butter
salt and pepper, divided
3/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 cup chicken broth/turkey broth

Assembly instructions:

Lay out bread slices the night before, so they dry out slightly.
Cube bread into half inch cubes and place in a large bowl.
In a large skillet, melt butter and sauté onion and celery over medium heat until just starting to soften, approx. 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour onion mixture into bread. Gently combine onion mixture and bread cubes.
In small sessions, pausing to gently mix, sprinkle poultry seasoning and more salt and pepper evenly throughout the bread and onion mixture.
Again, pausing to gently mix, slowly add chicken broth.
Place mixture in buttered 8×8 foil pan and top with plastic wrap and foil. Freeze. Alternatively, the mixture can be placed in a large freezer bag.
Gently remove excess air without flattening bread cubes. Seal and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Remove plastic wrap, and cover with foil.
Place in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Serve with or without gravy.This stuffing is perfect for Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, Easter, or just a nice family sit down meal. It goes well with:

turkey
mashed potatoes
sweet potato casserole
cauliflower
cranberry sauce
gravy
garden salad

Important Notes:

If your turkey is in the oven at 325°, the stuffing can also go in at that temperature, but increase the cooking time to 60 minutes.
If you want to stuff your turkey with this stuffing, omit the chicken broth. Follow directions for cooking a stuffed bird.

Variations to this freezer stuffing:

If you’re allergic to celery like I am, you can substitute roughly chopped water chestnuts.
Dry the bread cubes on a tray in a 200° oven for one hour instead of leaving them out overnight.
Use a combination of white or French bread and dark rye bread for a nice colour and flavour contrast.

Can you make stuffing ahead of time?

Yes! You can either make stuffing the night before and put in the fridge overnight and cook the day of serving or you can make it as directed above and keep in the freezer for weeks or months ahead.

Can you freeze stuffing?

You can freeze stuffing or dressing. It tastes best if it’s frozen before cooking and then thawed and baked. This stuffing will keep in the freezer for up to three months.

This makes it just what you need to make before the holiday season gets busy. This make ahead dressing for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter makes those days easier.

Can you freeze leftover stuffing?

You can freeze leftover stuffing. Allow it to fully cool before storing in a freezer bag or airtight container. Be sure to remove excess air before freezing.

We made this stuffing along with many other make ahead holiday side dishes in the video below:

Make Ahead Freezer Stuffing

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Course: Side Dish

Keyword: stuffing

Servings: 4

Ingredients

half loaf white bread sliced (approx. 8-10 slices)
1/2 onion diced
2 stalks celery chopped
3 Tbsp. butter
salt and pepper divided
3/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 cup chicken broth/turkey broth

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Lay out bread slices the night before so they dry out slightly.
Cube bread into half inch cubes and place in a large bowl.
In a large skillet, sauté onion and celery in butter over medium heat until just starting to soften, approx. 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour onion mixture into bread. Gently combine onion mixture and bread cubes.
In small sessions, pausing to gently mix, sprinkle poultry seasoning and more salt and pepper evenly throughout the bread and onion mixture.
Again, pausing to gently mix, slowly add chicken broth.
Place mixture in buttered 8x8 foil pan and top with plastic wrap and foil. Freeze. Alternatively, the mixture can be placed in a large freezer bag.
Gently remove excess air without flattening bread cubes. Seal and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Remove plastic wrap, and cover with foil.
Cook at 350° for 45 minutes.

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.

Cheesy Crock Pot Jalapeño Corn Casserole

By Sharla

When planning your freezer meals for the month, you probably put a lot of focus on your main dishes. But adding a few freezer side dishes to your menu is a great way to include a flavourful addition to your meal. This cheesy jalapeño corn casserole can be reheated in the slow cooker, making it a great choice for your next make ahead meal.

Crock Pot Jalapeño Corn Casserole Recipe:

Ingredients:

28 oz. frozen corn
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 jalapeño, finely diced
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt, pepper

Freezing instructions:

Add the frozen corn, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, jalapeño, butter, and heavy cream to a large freezer bag.
Remove excess air from the bag. Seal and freeze.

Serving instructions:

On day of cooking, dump all the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for three to four hours, stirring partway through to combine all the ingredients.
Serve.

How Do You Melt Cream Cheese in the Crock Pot?

You might be wondering how this freezer side dish will come together if all the ingredients are simply dumped into the crock pot to reheat. Since the slow cooker will melt the cream cheese as it warms, there’s no need to pre-mix your ingredients before adding them to your crock pot.

To be sure your corn casserole is thoroughly mixed before you serve it, you can remove the lid from the slow cooker to stir the ingredients together halfway through the cook time. Otherwise, just allow the casserole to cook for the time specified in the recipe, then stir the ingredients together until they’re smooth before you’re ready to serve your side.

How Do You Cut a Jalapeño?

Dicing a spicy pepper can be tricky! And since this recipe uses a finely diced jalapeño, it’s probably a good idea to learn the best way to cut your pepper. Follow these simple tips to learn the right way to dice a jalapeño:

Wear gloves if you have sensitive skin. Plastic gloves are the best way to keep the pepper’s juice from getting on your skin, which could cause a reaction if your skin is sensitive to the pepper’s capsaicin.
Cut off the stem to remove the seeds. The seeds of the jalapeño are what give it it’s spice. So, if you want your jalapeño corn to be spicy, you can leave some seeds intact. Otherwise, start by cutting off the stem of the pepper, then slice the pepper in half lengthwise. Use your finger or a small spoon to scrape the seeds off each side and discard.
Slice, then dice the pepper. Once the seeds are removed, slice the pepper into thin strips. Line up all the strips together into a bunch and dice them into small cubes to add to your casserole.

Check out some of our other make ahead side dishes:

Crock Pot Jalapeño Corn Casserole

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: corn, corn casserole

Ingredients

28 oz. frozen corn
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
1 jalapeño finely diced
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Freezing instructions:

Add the frozen corn, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, jalapeño, butter, and heavy cream to a large freezer bag.
Remove excess air from the bag. Seal and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

On day of cooking, dump all the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for three to four hours, stirring partway through.
Serve.