Freezer Meals 101

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Freezer Skillet Meals

Seafood Curry Pasta Freezer Meal

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This seafood curry pasta recipe is one that I adapted into a freezer meal. It is so delicious. The flavours may not sound like they go together, but they create a beautiful medley.Delicious Seafood Curry pasta freezer meal

Seafood Curry Pasta Recipe:

5 oz. (150 g) scallops
7 oz. (200 g) deveined large shrimp
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
6 mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbsp. sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 cup pineapple juice
10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
370 mL can evaporated milk
350 g penne for day of serving

Method #1:

To begin assembling this meal, place the scallops and shrimp into a medium resealable bag and seal. It’s important to have these in a separate bag for two reasons. The first is that they require less cook time than the other ingredients and you don’t want to ruin this beautiful dish by having overcooked seafood in it. The second is because the acidity in the pineapple juice can begin to cook the seafood if it marinates together and that would be a culinary tragedy!

Place all the other ingredients except for the pasta in a large resealable bag and squish together to combine. Remove excess air and seal. Staple both bags together above the seal and freeze.

On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer. Thaw. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. While the pasta is cooking, heat the large bag of ingredients in a skillet over medium heat for 7 minutes. Add the seafood to the skillet and heat until cooked through. Serve over the pasta.

Method #2:

If you prefer to have less to do on the day of cooking, you can also assemble this meal in a different way. Place the scallops and shrimp in a medium resealable bag and seal. Cook the pasta to slightly under what the package directions suggest. You don’t want it to become too mushy which is why you want the pasta slightly undercooked. Drain.

Mix the pasta and the other ingredients together and add them all to a large resealable bag. Seal. Staple the two bags together above the seal and freeze.

On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer. Thaw. Heat the main bag of ingredients in a large skillet over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring often. Add the scallops and shrimp to the pasta in the skillet and heat until cooked through. 

Personally, I like to serve mine with red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese. This dish is chock full of flavour. 

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Seafood Curry Pasta Recipe
This seafood curry pasta recipe is one that I adapted into a freezer meal. It is so delicious. The flavours may not sound like they go together, but they create a beautiful medley.
Servings: 6
Calories: 921 kcal
Ingredients
  • 5 oz. 150 g scallops
  • 7 oz. 200 g deveined large shrimp
  • 1/2 onion thinly sliced
  • 6 mushrooms sliced
  • 3 Tbsp. sun dried tomatoes in oil drained
  • 1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
  • 1/2 cup pineapple juice
  • 10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
  • 370 mL can evaporated milk
  • 350 g penne for day of serving
Instructions
Method #1:
  1. Place the scallops and shrimp into a medium resealable bag and seal. 

    It's important to have these in a separate bag for two reasons. 

    The first is that they require less cook time than the other ingredients and you don't want to ruin this beautiful dish by having overcooked seafood in it. 

    The second is because the acidity in the pineapple juice can begin to cook the seafood if it marinates together and that would be a culinary tragedy!

  2. Place all the other ingredients except for the pasta in a large resealable bag.
  3. Squish together to combine.
  4. Remove excess air and seal.
  5. Staple both bags together above the seal and freeze.
  6. On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer.
  7. Thaw.
  8. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
  9. Drain and set aside.
  10. 10. While the pasta is cooking, heat the large bag of ingredients in a skillet over medium heat for 7 minutes.
  11. 11. Add the seafood to the skillet and heat until cooked through.
  12. 12. Serve over the pasta.
Method #2 (shorter version):
  1. Place the scallops and shrimp in a medium resealable bag and seal.
  2. Cook the pasta to slightly under what the package directions suggest. You don't want it to become too mushy which is why you want the pasta slightly undercooked.
  3. Drain.
  4. Mix the pasta and the other ingredients together and add them all to a large resealable bag.
  5. Seal.
  6. Staple the two bags together above the seal and freeze.
  7. On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer.
  8. Thaw.
  9. Heat the main bag of ingredients in a large skillet over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring often.
  10. 10. Add the scallops and shrimp to the pasta in the skillet and heat until cooked through.
Recipe Notes

Personally, I like to serve mine with red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese. This dish is chock full of flavour.

This Seafood Curry Pasta recipe is included in our More Family Favorites Freezer Meal Plan. The plan includes some of our other favorite recipes along with shopping lists and printable labels. 

Sausage and Peppers Skillet Freezer MealChicken and Vegetable Casserole with Crispy Onion Topping

Make Ahead Beef Fajitas Freezer Meal

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These make ahead beef fajitas are an easy freezer meal to put together. You can serve the fajitas with guacamole, salsa, shredded cheese, and sour cream.Make Ahead Beef Fajitas Freezer Meal

I buy the beef already sliced into stir fry strips to save time, but you can also buy any tender beef (such as sirloin, top loin, tenderloin, or rib eye) and slice it yourself to save money. The assembly of this recipe is so fast once you have the peppers and onions sliced that it makes the most sense to make two or four meals at a time. Just open the bags on the counter and dump the ingredients in.

Make Ahead Beef Fajitas Freezer Meal Recipe:

1 lb. beef stir fry strips
1 onion, sliced
2 cups red and yellow peppers, sliced
1 cup salsa
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

To assemble this freezer meal, add the raw beef stir fry strips, sliced onion, sliced red and yellow peppers, salsa, lime juice, and Worcestershire sauce to a large resealable freezer bag. Remove the excess air, seal and freeze.

On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer and thaw. Stir fry in skillet over high heat on stovetop until meat is cooked through. This really doesn’t take long at all especially if the beef strips are thin.

Serve in flour tortillas. If you want, you can top the fajitas with sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, cilantro, or guacamole.

If you like things spicy, you can add jalepenos or hot sauce either at the time of cooking or when serving.

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Make Ahead Beef Fajitas Freezer Meal Recipe
These make ahead beef fajitas are an easy freezer meal to put together. You can serve the fajitas with guacamole, salsa, shredded cheese, and sour cream.
Servings: 4
Calories: 290 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. beef stir fry strips
  • 1 onion sliced
  • 2 cups red and yellow peppers sliced
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 3 Tbsp. lime juice
  • 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
  1. Add the raw beef stir fry strips, sliced onion, sliced red and yellow peppers, salsa, lime juice, and Worcestershire sauce to a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Remove the excess air, seal and freeze.
  3. On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer and thaw.
  4. Stir fry in skillet over high heat on stovetop until meat is cooked through. This really doesn't take long at all especially if the beef strips are thin.
  5. Serve in flour tortillas.
  6. Top the fajitas with sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, cilantro, or guacamole.
Recipe Notes

If you like things spicy, you can add jalepenos or hot sauce either at the time of cooking or when serving.

This make ahead beef fajitas recipe is included in the Dinner in 20 Freezer Meal Plan along with other recipes, shopping lists, prep lists, and printable labels.

Sausage and Peppers Freezer Meal

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This sausage and peppers freezer meal recipe came about the same way some of our others have. We invented it using what we had left at the end of our freezer meal assembly day. We took some extra vegetables that were already prepped, onions and peppers and combined it with other ingredients we had on hand.

I had accidentally bought too much sausage because of a miscalculation on my part, so we actually invented three different recipes using sausage and what we had left of other ingredients. Sometimes the best freezer meal recipes come about that way! That day, our Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce and our Italian Wedding Soup were also born.

Sausage and Peppers Skillet Freezer Meal

This recipe can either be served over rice or it can be rolled in a flour or corn tortilla and eaten as a wrap.

Sausage and Peppers Freezer Meal Recipe:

  • 1 lb. of Italian sausage (see directions for preparing it below)
  • 1/2 a yellow pepper, sliced
  • 1/2 a red pepper, sliced
  • 1 onion, chopped or sliced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1-2 tsp. cajun seasoning
  • 14 oz. can diced tomatoes

You can use mild or spicy sausage depending on your family’s preference. Remove the sausage from the casing and slice. I prefer to actually squeeze out sausage meatballs and flatten them a bit with my fingers to slicing. It is a messier method, but it is easier to remove the casing this way.

Fry the sausage slices in a frying pan over medium-high heat until lightly browned on both sides. Alternately, you can place the raw sausage “meatballs” in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven.

Blot the cooked sausage slices on a paper towel to remove some of the grease.

To assemble this meal, place the cooked sausage pieces in a large resealable freezer bag. Add the sliced peppers, onion, minced garlic, cajun seasoning, and the can of diced tomatoes.

Remove the excess air from the bag, seal and freeze.

On the day of cooking, thaw the sausage and peppers freezer meal. Cook in a skillet over medium-high heat until heated through. Serve over rice or in a wrap.

This recipe is gluten free and keto friendly if served on cauliflower rice. You can even make cauliflower rice ahead and freeze.

Can you freeze cooked Italian sausage?

You can absolutely freeze Italian sausage. If you freeze raw Italian sausage, it has a tendency to get freezer burnt quite quickly even if it is packaged well. By cooking the sausage first, it will keep much longer in the freezer.

To freeze ground Italian sausage, brown it first in a skillet. Be sure to drain it to remove the extra grease. Measure out 1 or 2 cup portions into medium sized resealable freezer bags or add the cooked ground sausage to freezer meal recipes and freeze.

Make meatballs out of Italian sausage by squeezing chunks out of the casing and laying them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Cook at 350° until the outside is brown and they are no longer pink inside. Blot the excess grease before adding them to a resealable freezer bag or into a freezer meal recipe and freeze.

Print
Sausage and Peppers Freezer Meal
This recipe can either be served over rice or rolled in a flour or corn tortilla and eaten as a wrap.
Servings: 4
Calories: 353 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. of Italian sausage see directions for preparing it below
  • 1/2 a yellow pepper sliced
  • 1/2 a red pepper sliced
  • 1 onion chopped or sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1-2 tsp. cajun seasoning
  • 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
Instructions
  1. Remove the sausage from the casing and slice. 

    I prefer to actually squeeze out sausage meatballs and flatten them a bit with my fingers to slicing. It is a messier method, but it is easier to remove the casing this way.

  2. Fry the sausage slices in a frying pan over medium-high heat until lightly browned on both sides.
  3. Blot the cooked sausage slices on a paper towel to remove some of the grease.
  4. To assemble this meal, place the cooked sausage pieces in a large resealable freezer bag.
  5. Add the sliced peppers, onion, minced garlic, cajun seasoning, and the can of diced tomatoes.
  6. Remove the excess air from the bag, seal and freeze.
  7. On the day of cooking, thaw the sausage and peppers freezer meal.
  8. Cook in a skillet over medium-high heat until heated through.
  9. Serve over rice or in a wrap.
Recipe Notes

You can use mild or spicy sausage depending on your family's preference.

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

Pesto Chicken and Vegetables

Reggae Gumbo Recipe

Make Ahead Mac and Cheese