Freezer Meals 101

Less time cooking, more time living

Slow Cooker Ragu with Beef and Sausage

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This Ragu with beef and sausage can be made ahead and frozen. It’s full of powerful flavours. This is a hearty meal that includes both meat and vegetables. white Crock Pot with chunky sauce and a ladle lifting some up with text that reads "Slow Cooker Ragu with sausage and beef"This Ragu recipe makes a large amount. If you are cooking for 2 or for a small family, I would suggest splitting it into 2 freezer bags.

What is the difference between Ragu and a Bolognese sauce?

Ragu has more meat in it than Bolognese does and usually includes pork as well as beef. It also usually includes red wine and beef broth and sometimes has a small amount of heavy cream or milk in it as well.

Essentially, Ragu is more of a meat sauce with tomatoes while Bolognese is more of a tomato sauce with meat.

Ragu with Beef and Sausage Recipe:

  • 1 lb. ground beef, browned
  • 450 g ground Italian sausage, browned*
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 a zucchini, chopped
  • red pepper, diced
  • 2x 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 1 tsp. basil
  • 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper

optional:

  • basil and shredded Parmesan cheese for serving

*If you like things with a kick, you can use spicy Italian sausage.

Assembly instructions:

  1. Brown the ground beef and the sausage.
  2. Allow them to cool. Add them into a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Chop the onion, zucchini, and red pepper. Mince the garlic.
  4. Add the chopped vegetables and all other ingredients to the bag. Squish to combine.
  5. Remove the extra air from the bag and seal before freezing.

Slow Cooker Cooking instructions:

  • Take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
  • Dump the bag contents into the crock pot.
  • Cook on high for 2-4 hours.
  • Serve over noodles or rice.
  • If you want, you can sprinkle fresh basil and shredded Parmesan cheese on the plates before serving.

This recipe is gluten free and keto friendly. Of course, you’ll need to serve it over a pasta alternative such as spiralized vegetables for it to be fully gluten free and keto!

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Ragu with Beef and Sausage Recipe
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. ground beef browned
  • 450 g ground Italian sausage browned*
  • 1 onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 zucchini chopped
  • red pepper diced
  • 2 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 1 tsp. basil
  • 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Brown the ground beef and the sausage.
  2. Let them cool. Add them into a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Chop the onion, zucchini, and red pepper. Mince the garlic.
  4. Add the chopped vegetables and all other ingredients to the bag. Squish to combine.
  5. Remove the extra air from the bag and seal before freezing.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
  2. Dump the bag contents into the crock pot.
  3. Cook on high for 2-4 hours.
  4. Serve over noodles or rice.
Recipe Notes

*If you like things with a kick, you can use spicy Italian sausage.

Some of our other recipes you may enjoy:

Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce 

Irresistible Chicken Pasta Bake 

Taco Sloppy Joes (freezer meal)

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Looking for a recipe that’s familiar yet new? Taco Sloppy Joes combines two comfort foods to create your family’s next favourite meal.

small bowls of lettuce, salsa, sour cream, tomatoes, green onions, seasoned meat, cheese, and buns with text that reads "Taco Sloppy Joes freezer meal"

Sloppy Joes is a meal that I’ve been eating since my childhood in the suburbs in Alberta, Canada. They remind me of wintery days when I could see big, fluffy snowflakes drifting down through our large square window in the kitchen.

And tacos? Well, aren’t tacos everyone’s favourite?!

My own kids like both tacos and sloppy joes, so I was pretty sure this meal would be a guaranteed winner. I was right.

Although we discovered after the first attempt that some of us preferred the texture with a toasted bun. The second time I made them and those of us who wanted to toasted our buns first, it was a glorious success!

Another great thing about this recipe is that everyone can customize it the way they want to by adding toppings of their choosing.

Taco Sloppy Joes Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
  • 1 cup salsa (I like to use the chunky kind)
  • 1/4 cup water

For serving:

  • buns
  • optional toppings such as shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

Assembly instructions:

  1. Brown the ground beef. Allow to cool slightly.
  2. Place cooked ground beef, chopped onions, minced garlic, taco seasoning, salsa, and water in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Stovetop cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Heat in a pot or skillet over medium heat until cooked through.
  3. Serve on bun halves with taco toppings.

Slow cooker cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Cook in Crock Pot on low for 2-3 hours.
  3. Serve on bun halves with taco toppings.

Note: I prefer the texture of this dish better if I toast the buns before adding the meat mixture, but it’s completely up to you.

Plant based option:

To make this plant based, use a veggie ground round beef substitute in place of the beef. My favourite one to use with this recipe is the Mexican ground round.

Taco Sloppy Joes Topping Suggestions:

  • shredded cheese (tex mex or taco blends work well)
  • shredded lettuce
  • diced tomato
  • sliced green onions
  • cubed avocado
  • salsa
  • hot sauce
  • black olives
  • sour cream
  • guacamole
  • cilantro

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Taco Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1 cup onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
  • 1 cup salsa your favourite variety
  • 1/4 cup water
For serving:
  • buns
  • optional toppings such as shredded cheese lettuce, tomatoes, etc.
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Brown the ground beef. Allow to cool slightly.
  2. Place cooked ground beef, chopped onions, minced garlic, taco seasoning, salsa, and water in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.
Stovetop cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Heat in a pot or skillet over medium heat until cooked through.
  3. Serve on bun halves with taco toppings.
Slow cooker cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Cook in Crock Pot on low for 2-3 hours.
  3. Serve on bun halves with taco toppings.
Recipe Notes

I prefer the texture of this dish better if I toast the buns, but it's completely up to you. 

Check out these other make ahead meal options:

Ground Beef Stroganoff

Easy Cheesy Tater Tot Chicken Casserole

Instant Pot Turkey Sloppy Joes

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

Easy Make Ahead Desserts for a Crowd

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When you’re hosting a large gathering, the more that you can do ahead, the better. Being able to just pull these make ahead desserts out of the freezer takes so much stress off the day of. These freezer desserts are great for serving at a party or for last minute guests.

It’s also nice to have a few of these in the freezer all the time for unexpected company. I love being able to pop something onto a plate to serve with tea. The guests can relax and enjoy a nice visit because you’re not rushing around the kitchen.

Easy make ahead desserts for a crowd:

Frozen Oreo Pie – These are so easy to make and delicious. I always make two at a time.

Frozen Peanut Butter Cup Pie – Peanut butter and chocolate were made for each other!

Gingerbread Cheesecake Bites – These have the holiday flavours all wrapped up in one little bite.

Tropical Carrot Cake – You can freeze the whole thing including the cream cheese frosting.

Freezer Friendly Apple Crisp – I know that holiday get togethers are usually a time for pie, but I always prefer crisp.

Make Ahead Holiday Baking:

Christmastime is so much easier when your baking is done ahead of time.

Double Caramel Stuffed White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Eggnog Snickerdoodles

Triple-Peanut and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ginger Molasses Cookies

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

Snickerdoodles

Christmas Ice Box Cookies

Nanaimo Bars can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Pumpkin freezer fudge

Peanut Butter Fudge

Pecan Pie Bars

Brownie Bites

Butterscotch Confetti Squares

Check out these other make ahead holiday helps:

Make Ahead Recipes for Christmas Morning Breakfast

Make Ahead Holiday Side Dishes

Cherry Muffins with Crunchy Topping

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I love grab and go breakfasts. For me, muffins totally count as breakfast as long as they have fruit in them! These cherry muffins can be used as a quick make ahead breakfast or after school snack.

It’s best to make these muffins when cherries are in season. We go for road trips each summer to British Columbia, Canada and they have the most delicious cherries sold at roadside stands. We usually come home with several bags of them. 7 muffins with text that reads "Cherry Muffins crispy topping"Muffins make good healthy school snacks. I prefer to send the kids homemade granola bars, corn dog mini muffins, English muffin pizzas, or other homemade snacks in their school lunch than store bought ones. That way, I know exactly what ingredients they’re eating.

Cherry Muffins Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cups white sugar
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/3 cup oil (canola or olive)
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. white sugar

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°,
  2. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
  3. Stir together the flour, the first amount of sugar, baking powder and salt until well combined.
  4. Add in the oil, milk and egg. Stir together until well combined. Don’t worry about the occasional lump or small dry patch if it looks mostly combined.
  5. Gently fold in the cherries. Scoop the dough into cupcake liners until they are 2/3 of the way full.
  6. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp. of sugar on top of each muffin for a crunchy topping.
  7. Bake the muffins for 20-24 minutes until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Note: You can substitute almond or soy milk for the milk in this recipe, so they can be made dairy free.

This recipe doubles well. The cherry muffins can be frozen in large resealable freezer bags and taken out to eat when needed. Ensure that you seal the bag well each time and take out as much air as you can to prevent freezer burn.

Pro tip: If you don’t want any streaks of colour in the muffin batter, coat the cherries in a dusting of flour before folding them in.

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Cherry Muffins with Crispy Topping
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cups white sugar
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/3 cup oil canola or olive
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup fresh cherries pitted and chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. white sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°,
  2. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
  3. Stir together the flour, the first amount of sugar, baking powder and salt until well combined.
  4. Add in the oil, milk and egg. Stir together until well combined. Don't worry about the occasional lump or small dry patch if it looks mostly combined.
  5. Gently fold in the cherries. Scoop the dough into cupcake liners until they are 2/3 of the way full.
  6. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp. of sugar on top of each muffin for a crunchy topping.
  7. Bake the muffins for 20-24 minutes until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Recipe Notes

You can substitute almond or soy milk for the milk in this recipe, so they can be made dairy free.

You’ll love these tasty recipes:

Caramel Stuffed White Chocolate Chip CookiesEasy Chocolate Chip CookiesMake Ahead Granola Bars