Freezer Meals 101

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Freezer Skillet Meals

Mongolian Beef Skillet Freezer Meal

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If you’re a fan of Mongolian beef, you’re going to love how easy it is to make from scratch. This Mongolian Beef freezer meal recipe is as delicious as it is simple.bag filled with beef strips and sauce and white bowl filled with rice, cooked rice strips, and green onions with chopsticksThis easy make ahead Mongolian beef is so fast to assemble and almost just as fast to cook up. There’s no need to order from an Asian restaurant when you can just pull this out of the freezer and have it at home!

We love asian flavours so they often make their way into our freezer meals such as in our Easy Kung Pao Chicken, Asian Rice Bowl, and Ginger Soy Salmon, and Asian Meatballs. white bowl filled with rice topped with beef strips and sliced green onions. Chopsticks rest of top.

Time saving tips:

  • I use the squeeze tubes of ginger because it still has that fresh taste but saves me having to grate the ginger myself.
  • Purchase the beef strips pre-sliced.
  • If you slice the steak yourself, putting it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes right before slicing makes it easier to cut.

Can you freeze Mongolian Beef?

Yes! You can absolutely freeze Mongolian beef. In fact, this recipe is designed for just that, although you can also eat this straight away if you prefer. You can double or triple the recipe to freeze several dinners at a time. Then, just pull out a bag on the day you have a craving for Asian take-out and instead, quickly cook up your own!bag full of beef strips and sauce

Mongolian Beef Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb. package beef strips*
  • 1/2 tsp. ginger 
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup carrots, cut into tiny matchsticks
  • 2 green onions, sliced

For day of cooking:

  • 1/3 cup cornstarch

beef strips, green onions, bowls of ingredientsAssembly instructions:

  1. Peel the carrots and cut into matchsticks.
  2. Slice the green onions.
  3. Add the beef strips to a large resealable freezer bag.
  4. Toss in the ginger, minced garlic, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, carrots, and green onions to the bag.
  5. Squish to combine.
  6. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Skillet cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Heat in skillet.
  3. Whisk 1/3 cup cornstarch into the sauce as it cooks.
  4. Cook until beef is cooked. This will be quick, 3-5 minutes.
  5. Serve over rice. Sprinkle with some sliced green onions if you like.

*If you can’t find the beef cut into strips already, you can ask the butcher at your grocer to slice some flank steak for you or you can slice it yourself against the grain. You can substitute sirloin steak for flank steak if you prefer.collage of photos of making Mongolian beef as a freezer meal

What to serve with Mongolian beef:

Rice is a natural choice to serve under or beside the Mongolian beef to soak up some of that delicious sauce. White rice, jasmine rice, sticky rice, or any rice will do. You can also add a side veggie.

Here are some suggestions for great side dishes for this meal:

white bowl with rice, beef strips, green onions, and chopsticks

white bowl with rice, beef strips, green onions, and chopsticks
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Mongolian Beef
Prep Time
8 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Keyword: beef, mongolian beef
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 lb. package beef strips*
  • 1/2 tsp. ginger
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1/4 cup carrots cut into matchsticks
  • 2 green onions sliced
For day of cooking:
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Peel the carrots and cut into small matchsticks.
  2. Slice the green onions.
  3. Add the beef strips to a large resealable freezer bag.
  4. Toss in the ginger, minced garlic, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, carrots, and green onions to the bag.
  5. Squish to combine.
  6. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.
Skillet cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Heat in skillet over medium.
  3. Whisk 1/3 cup cornstarch into the sauce as it cooks.

  4. Cook until beef is cooked. (about 5 minutes)

  5. Serve over rice. Sprinkle with some sliced green onions

Recipe Notes

*If you can't find the beef cut into strips already, you can ask the butcher at your grocer to slice some flank steak for you or you can slice it yourself against the grain. You can substitute sirloin steak for flank steak if you prefer.

Check out these other Asian inspired freezer meals:

Easiest Kung Pao ChickenAsian Rice Bowl

Asian Beef Noodle Soup for the Instant Pot

Ground Beef Stroganoff Freezer Meal

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Beef Stroganoff is a comfort food in our family. It’s one of the first meals I learned to make after I got married. My husband and I both had moms who cooked this when we were growing up, but they made it very differently. My original version was a blend of their recipes and from that, I later created this ground beef stroganoff freezer meal recipe. creamy, chunky sauce on egg noodles with green garnish with text that reads "Beef Stroganoff freezer meal recipe"Our family loves this version of beef stroganoff. It’s a quick and easy meal to assemble and has that great hearty comforting taste. Beef stroganoff originates in Russia. We like the flavours of Eastern European comfort food such as our Cabbage Roll Casserole or Borscht.

I find it easiest when making freezer meals that call for ground beef to brown it in large batches ahead of time and then make many recipes all at once. This allows me to use time efficiently and get a lot done at once.

As with most freezer meals, it’s just as quick and easy once you’ve browned the beef and chopped the onions for this to make four of these recipes at once than it is to make one. When you open your freezer and see four meals made, you will feel so accomplished and glad that you quadrupled this recipe!I want to mention something about the mushrooms in this recipe. You can substitute a can of mushrooms for the fresh mushrooms, particularly if you’re making this as a freezer meal, but please don’t. Fresh mushrooms taste so much better in this recipe than canned does. Trust me on this!

What do you serve with Beef Stroganoff?

Beef Stroganoff is usually served over egg noodles. It can also be served on rice, regular pasta, gluten free pasta, or squash noodles. I always set out some extra sour cream when serving beef stroganoff so that those who want to can stir more in as desired. If you’re looking for some side dishes to pair beef stroganoff with, here are a few suggestions:

  • apple slaw
  • coleslaw
  • green salad
  • steamed green beans
  • roasted brussels sprouts

Ground Beef Stroganoff Recipe:

  • 1 lb. ground beef, browned
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 tsp. parsley
  • dash pepper

Assembly instructions:

  1. Add the ground beef to a large resealable bag.
  2. Add all the other ingredients to the bag and squish them around to combine.
  3. Remove excess air and seal. Lay flat and freeze.

Skillet cooking instructions:

  1. On the day of cooking, thaw.
  2. Heat the beef stroganoff in a skillet on medium until heated through.
  3. Before serving, stir in another 1/4 cup of sour cream. This adds a bit of zip and freshness and livens the recipe up.
  4. Serve over cooked egg noodles or stir the cooked egg noodles into the skillet when the stroganoff has finished heating.

Crock pot cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Empty the contents of the bag into the slow cooker and cook on low for 2-5 hours.
  3. Before serving, stir in 1/4 cup of sour cream.
  4. Serve over cooked egg noodles.

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

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Ground Beef Stroganoff Freezer Meal
As with most freezer meals, it's just as quick and easy once you've browned the beef and chopped the onions for this to make four of these recipes at once than it is to make one. When you open your freezer and see four meals made, you will feel so accomplished and glad that you quadrupled this recipe!
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. ground beef browned
  • 1/2 cup onion chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/4 cup mushrooms sliced
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 tsp. parsley
  • dash pepper
Instructions
  1. To assemble this meal, add the ground beef to a large resealable bag.
  2. Add all the other ingredients to the bag and squish them around to combine.
  3. Remove excess air and seal.
  4. Lay flat and freeze.
  5. On the day of cooking, thaw and then cook in the slow cooker on low for 2-5 hours. If you prefer, you can instead heat the beef stroganoff in a skillet on medium until heated through.
  6. Before serving, stir in another 1/4 cup of sour cream. This adds a bit of zip and freshness and livens the recipe up.
Recipe Notes

I want to mention something about the mushrooms in this recipe. You can substitute a can of mushrooms for the fresh mushrooms, particularly if you're making this as a freezer meal, but please don't. Fresh mushrooms taste so much better in this recipe than canned does. Trust me on this!

Whenever I make this, I cook up a package of egg noodles and stir the stroganoff through the drained noodles. If I'm heating this in a skillet on the stovetop, I add the noodles into the skillet towards the end of cooking the mixture.

If I'm making this in the Crock Pot, I stir the cooked egg noodles right into the Crock Pot towards the end of the Beef Stroganoff cooking time.

Check out these other make ahead recipes:

Tater Tot Casserole with Beef and Veggies

Homemade Hamburger Helper

Beefy Rice Crock Pot Casserole

Unstuffed Pepper Skillet Meal

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I love meals that are like a one-stop shop. This Unstuffed Pepper Skillet meal has all your major food groups in one dish. It’s cheesy, tomatoey, deliciousness packed with flavour.

blue bowl with ground beef, peppers, and cheese a bottle of hot sauce in the background and a full skillet underneath with text that reads "Unstuffed Pepper Skillet freezer meal gluten free"We are fans around here of this type of dish. We make stuffed peppers, a stuffed pepper casserole, and this skillet version. Each has its own perks. Most of our kids prefer the unstuffed varieties, which is just fine with me since they are less work to make!

This ground beef unstuffed peppers skillet is an awesome weekday meal because it can be made ahead as a freezer meal AND it can be cooked all in one pan. This makes for an easy family meal and easy cleanup!

Unstuffed Pepper Skillet Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. lean ground beef, browned*
  • 3 tsp. cumin
  • 3 tsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 3 tsp. paprika
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 yellow pepper, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 14 oz. can tomatoes
  • 1 tsp. lime juice
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar or Tex Mex cheese

*If you want to make this meal vegetarian, you can substitute the ground beef for veggie ground round. It’s especially good with the Mexican flavoured one.

Assembly instructions:

  1. Cook the rice. Brown the beef. Chop the peppers and onion.
  2. Place all the ingredients except for the cheese in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Remove the excess air from the bag and seal.
  4. Place the shredded cheese in a medium freezer bag. Seal and staple it to the other bag above the seal.
  5. Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Place the large bag ingredients in a skillet. Cook over medium heat until cooked through, stirring occasionally.
  3. Top with the cheese the last few minutes of cooking.

For the rice, you can use whichever type you prefer. Sometimes I use Minute Rice if I’m in a hurry when assembling meals while other times, I use a long grain or Basmati rice. I prefer the texture of the long grain, but sometimes time is of the essence.

This recipe is pretty forgiving. If you would rather swap out the red and yellow peppers for green pepper, go ahead. If you want to experiment with topping it with different cheeses, give that a try. As long as you stick with the basic components, this dish will turn out.

I always serve this meal with hot sauce because we’re a hot sauce kind of family. Honestly, the flavours of this skillet meal hold their own without the hot sauce so it’s not a required pairing, but we add our favourite hot sauces to pretty much anything. This is no exception. Don’t judge it until you try it!

Print
Unstuffed Pepper Skillet
Course: Main Course
Keyword: skillet meal, stuffed pepper
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef browned*
  • 3 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 3 tsp. paprika
  • 3 tsp. chili powder
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 red pepper diced
  • 1 yellow pepper diced
  • 1 onion diced
  • 14 oz. can tomatoes
  • 1 tsp. lime juice
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar or Tex Mex cheese
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Cook the rice. Brown the beef. Chop the peppers and onion.
  2. Place all the ingredients except for the cheese in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Remove the excess air from the bag, seal.
  4. Place the shredded cheese in a medium freezer bag. Seal and staple it to the other bag above the seal. Freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Place the large bag ingredients in a skillet. Cook over medium heat until cooked through, stirring occasionally.
  3. Top with the cheese the last few minutes of cooking.
Recipe Notes

*If you want to make this meal vegetarian, you can substitute the ground beef for veggie ground round. It's especially good with the Mexican flavoured one.

 

Check out these other tasty make ahead meals:

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Spicy Crock Pot Poblano Chicken

Easy Kung Pao Chicken Recipe

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There’s no need to order takeout when you can make easy kung pao chicken this delicious at home! This make ahead meal is full of amazing flavours. You’ll be begging for seconds! a plastic bag filled with chicken, sauce, and vegetables is on top with a plate of rice covered in cubed chicken, red sauce, and vegetables is on the bottom with text that reads "Kung Pao Chicken freezer meal"Since this recipe is so simple to put together, I suggest making several at one time which takes only a minute or two longer than making just one. You’ll then be able to have this whenever you want to in less time than it would take to have food delivered. Or you can heat it in the slow cooker and have it ready when you get home from work. The Kung Pao sauce can be a bit hard to find. Neither of my usual grocery stores carry it. If you can’t find it near you, you can always order it online from Amazon. I buy mine at WalMart. Since WalMart isn’t usually where I get my groceries, it means an extra stop, but this recipe is so worth it!

I make several of these at once, so when I do go, I buy 4 or 6 bottles, so that makes the extra stop more worthwhile.

What’s the difference between kung pao chicken and General Tso’s chicken?

While there are a few similarities between kung pao chicken and General Tso’s chicken, they are far from the same dish. They both are usually served over rice and are an Asian inspired chicken dish, but the parallels pretty much  end there.

General Tso’s chicken is breaded, deep-fried chicken dish with hints of both sweet and spicy. Kung pao chicken is not breaded or deep fried and the flavours are sweet and sour, giving it a more tangy taste. Kung pao chicken also usually has other ingredients such as peppers, water chestnuts, and peanuts, whereas, General Tso’s is generally just the chicken.

Easy Kung Pao Chicken Recipe:

Kung Pao Chicken Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. chicken breast, boneless, skinless, cubed
  • 18.75 oz. (554 mL) bottle Kung Pao sauce
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 8 oz. can water chestnuts, drained
  • 1 bunch green onions, sliced

For serving:

  • peanuts (optional)

Assembly instructions:

  1. Cube the chicken breast.
  2. Chop the peppers and slice the green onions.
  3. Place the chopped chicken, peppers, green onions, and water chestnuts in a large resealable freezer bag. Pour the bottle of kung pao sauce over everything.
  4. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Slow cooker instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Place everything from the bag into the Crock Pot.
  3. Cook on low for 3-5 hours.
  4. Serve over rice.
  5. If desired, sprinkle some peanuts on top.

Skillet cooking instructions: 

  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump everything from the freezer bag into a skillet.
  3. Cook over medium-high heat until chicken is thoroughly cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly.
  4. Serve over rice.
  5. Sprinkle some peanuts on top if you like.

Note: If you want to make assembling this much faster, you can put the chicken breasts into the freezer bag whole and then cube them on the day of cooking either before or after cooking. I find that way is messier so I don’t like it, but if you’re wanting to assemble a lot of freezer meals at once and just going for speed, that is an option.

Check out these other asian inspired freezer meals:

Asian Rice Bowl

Easy Asian Meatballs

Mahjong Chicken

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Easy Kung Pao Chicken Freezer Meal
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. chicken breast boneless, skinless, cubed
  • 18.75 oz. 554 mL bottle Kung Pao sauce
  • 1 red pepper diced
  • 1 green pepper diced
  • 8 oz. can water chestnuts drained
  • 1 bunch green onions sliced
For serving:
  • peanuts optional
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Cube the chicken breast.
  2. Chop the peppers and slice the green onions.
  3. Place the chopped chicken, peppers, green onions, and water chestnuts in a large resealable freezer bag. Pour the bottle of kung pao sauce over everything.
  4. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.
Slow cooker instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Place everything from the bag into the Crock Pot.
  3. Cook on low for 3-5 hours.
  4. Serve over rice.
  5. If desired, sprinkle some peanuts on top.
Skillet cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump everything from the freezer bag into a skillet.
  3. Cook over medium-high heat until chicken is thoroughly cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly.
  4. Serve over rice.
  5. Sprinkle some peanuts on top if you like.
Recipe Notes

If you want to make assembling this much faster, you can put the chicken breasts into the freezer bag whole and then cube them on the day of cooking either before or after cooking.

Creamy Tomato Beef Skillet Meal

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This creamy tomato beef skillet meal is so easy to make. It can be on the table in a flash! This is a great dinner idea for when you’re in a hurry, but still want a healthy dinner. The best part is that this can be made as a freezer meal so that it’s ready to go whenever you need it.

a green skillet sits on a brown cutting board. The skillet is filled with noodles, beef, and tomato sauce. The text reads "Homemade Hamburger Helper"Once you’ve got the sauce for this made and in your freezer, it becomes like a healthier, more delicious homemade Hamburger Helper. This meal is a real family classic.

Creamy Tomato Beef Skillet Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. ground beef, browned
  • 1/2 an onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 15 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp. garlic salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar

For the day of cooking:

  • 16 oz. package of egg noodles
  • 2 Tbsp. flour
  • 2 cups of shredded cheddar jack cheese (or Parmesan if you prefer)

Assembly instructions:

  1. Brown the ground beef. Allow to cool slightly.
  2. Place the ground beef in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Add the chopped onion, minced garlic, tomato sauce, seasonings, heavy cream, brown sugar, and beef stock.

Skillet cooking instructions:

  1. Remove the bag from the freezer. Thaw.
  2. Cook the egg noodles according to the package directions. In the meantime, place the freezer bag contents in a large skillet on the stovetop.
  3. Cook on medium until the flavours and well blended. Stir in the flour and allow the sauce to thicken somewhat.
  4. Turn the heat to low and let the sauce simmer while you finish cooking the pasta. When noodles are cooked, drain well, and add them to the skillet.
  5. Stir all together so that the meat sauce and the egg noodles are well mixed. Sprinkle the skillet ingredients with the grated cheese and stir just until cheese melts. Serve immediately.

You may also enjoy these family friendly freezer meals:

Ground Beef Stroganoff

Shrimp Stir Fry Packs for the Freezer

Pizza Stuffed Chicken

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Creamy Tomato Beef Skillet
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. ground beef browned
  • 1/2 an onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 15 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp. garlic salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
For the day of cooking:
  • 16 oz. package of egg noodles
  • 2 Tbsp. flour
  • 2 cups of shredded cheddar jack cheese or Parmesan if you prefer
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Brown the ground beef. Allow to cool slightly.
  2. Place the ground beef in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Add the chopped onion, minced garlic, tomato sauce, seasonings, heavy cream, brown sugar, and beef stock.
Skillet cooking instructions:
  1. Remove the bag from the freezer. Thaw.
  2. Cook the egg noodles according to the package directions. In the meantime, place the freezer bag contents in a large skillet on the stovetop.
  3. Cook on medium until the flavours and well blended. Stir in the flour and allow the sauce to thicken somewhat.
  4. Turn the heat to low and let the sauce simmer while you finish cooking the pasta. When noodles are cooked, drain well, and add them to the skillet.
  5. Stir all together so that the meat sauce and the egg noodles are well mixed. Sprinkle the skillet ingredients with the grated cheese and stir just until cheese melts. Serve immediately.