Freezer Meals 101

Less time cooking, more time living

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (freezer meal)

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As I write this, we are just coming out of a deep freeze in our town. It’s been six days of -40° temperatures and I can tell you that it has been a comfort soup kind of week! This homemade Chicken Noodle Soup recipe is exactly that. bag with chopped vegetables, broth, and raw chicken on top and black crock pot of noodle soup on the bottom with text "Chicken Noodle Soup freezer meal"There isn’t much more comforting whether it be on a cold day or nursing a cold than good old fashioned chicken noodle soup. If you have this made ahead and in the freezer, you can eat it whenever you need it.

Having it made as a freezer meal also makes it nice to give as a gift to someone you know who is sick or going through a hard time.

How can I spice up Chicken Noodle Soup?

If you like a bit of kick to your chicken noodle soup or just want to try something new, there are a few routes I can suggest.

  • Italian flavour twist: add seasonings such as oregano, basil, and thyme or Italian blend seasoning
  • Thai flavour twist: add some coconut milk  (1/2 cup), lime juice (1-2 Tbsp.), lemongrass, and top with fresh cilantro
  • Tex mex flavour twist: replace the carrots with cube green or red bell peppers, add a small can of diced green chilies, and top with shredded cheese when serving. You can also serve with hot sauce.

Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 tsp. parsley
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper

Day of cooking:

  • 2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles for day of cooking

Assembly instructions:

  1. Place all ingredients except for the egg noodles in a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Remove excess air. Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw. Cook in crock pot on low for 4-5 hours.
  2. Take out chicken and cube or shred it.
  3. Put it back in the crock pot.
  4. Add the noodles.
  5. Cook another 10 minutes until noodles are tender.If you want, you can serve the soup with soda crackers and an extra sprinkle of pepper.
Print
Chicken Noodle Soup
Prep Time
5 mins
 
Course: Soup
Keyword: chicken noodle soup, soup
Ingredients
  • 2 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
  • 2 cups carrots peeled and chopped
  • 1 onion diced
  • 3 stalks celery chopped
  • 3-4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 tsp. parsley
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
Day of cooking:
  • 2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles for day of cooking
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Place all ingredients except for the egg noodles in a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Remove excess air. Freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw. Cook in crock pot on low for 4-5 hours.
  2. Take out chicken and cube or shred it.
  3. Put it back in the crock pot.
  4. Add the noodles.
  5. Cook another 10 minutes until noodles are tender.

You may also like these other make ahead soup recipes:

Vegetarian Taco Soup

Hearty Sausage and Zucchini Soup

Instant Pot Tomato Soup

Ginger Soy Salmon (freezer meal)

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This is about to become your go-to salmon recipe. Ginger Soy Salmon is easy to make as a freezer meal, yet tastes like it came from a fancy restaurant. If you’ve been nervous to try cooking salmon at home, this recipe will put your fears at ease.marinated salmon in freezer bag on top and white plate with cooked salmon, green beans, and salad on bottom with text that reads "Ginger Soy Salmon freezer meal"

When we would go out to eat, I would often order salmon because I didn’t feel that I could make it at home. It’s actually this recipe that convinced me otherwise. It tastes better than any salmon I’ve ever ordered in a restaurant.

This recipe is company worthy and no one will believe it was a freezer meal. Seafood freezer meals such as our Simple Dill Salmon, Seafood Curry, Red Curry Shrimp, Fish Tacos, and Maple Dill Salmon.

I often serve this salmon for Easter dinner. It goes perfectly for a holiday meal and has the added bonus of creating less work on that day because all you need to do is pull it out of the freezer to thaw and cook it.

The salmon marinates in the sauce as it thaws, deepening the flavours.

Ginger Soy Salmon Recipe:

  • 1 1/2 lbs. salmon fillets
  • 2/3 cup orange juice
  • 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon pepper seasoning
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. minced ginger or ground ginger

Assembly instructions:

  1. Place the salmon fillets in a large resealable bag.
  2. Mix the orange juice and cornstarch together in a bowl.
  3. Add the other ingredients and mix.
  4. Pour over the salmon. Remove excess air and seal the bag. Freeze.

BBQ cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Preheat BBQ to medium.
  3. Create a tin foil packet for the salmon, place it inside and seal.
  4. BBQ 10-15 minutes or until it flakes fairly easily.

Oven cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Place on a baking sheet lined with tin foil and bake at 400° for about 20 minutes. Exact cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the salmon thickness. It will flake easily when done.

What can I serve Ginger Soy Salmon with?

This salmon goes beautifully with Mango Avocado Salsa. Here are some ideas for side dishes that go well with salmon:

  • wild rice
  • green beans
  • green salad with pomegranate seeds
  • broccoli
  • asparagus
  • sautéed spinach
  • edamame beans

This recipe as well as others are included in our BBQ Freezer Meal Plan. Our menu plans include shopping lists, prep lists, recipes, and printable labels.

Print
Ginger Soy Salmon
Course: Main Course
Keyword: salmon
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 lbs. salmon fillets
  • 2/3 cup orange juice
  • 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon pepper seasoning
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp. minced ginger or ground ginger
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Place the salmon fillets in a large resealable bag.
  2. Mix the orange juice and cornstarch together in a bowl.
  3. Add the other ingredients and mix.
  4. Pour over the salmon. Remove excess air and seal the bag. Freeze.
BBQ cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Preheat BBQ to medium.
  3. Create a tin foil packet for the salmon, place it inside and seal.
  4. BBQ 10-15 minutes or until it flakes fairly easily.
Oven cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Place on a baking sheet lined with tin foil and bake at 400° for about 20 minutes. Exact cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the salmon thickness. It will flake easily when done.

Check out these other make ahead meals:

Asian Rice Bowl

Chicken in Mango Cream Sauce

Honey Sesame Chicken Dump Recipe

Philly Chicken Sandwiches (Freezer Meal)

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These Philly Chicken Sandwiches can be cooked in the Crock Pot or Instant Pot and are an easy make ahead lunch idea. They are a nice change from the usual PB&J.

chicken and vegetables in a bag on top with shredded chicken filling and cheese on top of a bun and text that reads "Philly Chicken Sandwiches"

I find it especially helpful to have things in the freezer for the kids to take for school lunches. You can meal prep the week of lunches by cooking the filling for these sandwiches on the weekend and then putting the sandwiches together on weekdays. Then you can add in snacks from the freezer such as homemade granola bars and muffins to round out the lunch.

Philly Chicken Sandwiches Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 green pepper, sliced
  • 1 red pepper, sliced
  • 1/2 an onion, sliced
  • 2 tsp. seasoning salt
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 8 slices provolone cheese

For cooking day:

  • 8 hoagie buns

Assembly instructions:

  1. Place the slices of provolone in a medium freezer bag.
  2. Place chicken and all the other ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Remove excess air and seal. Staple the medium and large bags together above the seal and freeze.

Slow Cooker Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Put the ingredients from the large bag in the crock pot and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
  3. Shred the meat. Place the filling on the hoagie rolls and top each one with a slice of cheese. If you want, you can microwave or place in the oven for a short time just to melt the cheese.

Instant Pot Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump the contents of the large bag in the Instant Pot and seal.
  3. Cook for 12 minutes on manual and do a natural release.
  4. Shred the meat. I find it’s easiest to do this right in the Instant Pot. I use my meat masher for this.
  5. Place the filling on the hoagie rolls and top each with a slice of the Provolone.

Notes about this recipe:

You can substitute hot dog buns in place of the hoagie buns if that’s what you have on hand.

Sliced provolone is traditionally the type of cheese used on Philly Cheesesteaks but if you’d prefer, you can substitute cheddar or mozzarella.

This recipe and others are included in our Lunch Freezer Meal Plan. Each menu plan has recipes, prep lists, shopping lists, and printable labels to make meal planning simple.

Print
Philly Chicken Sandwiches
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: sandwich
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 green pepper sliced
  • 1 red pepper sliced
  • 1/2 an onion sliced
  • 2 tsp. seasoning salt
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 8 slices provolone cheese
For cooking day:
  • 8 hoagie buns
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Place the slices of provolone in a medium freezer bag.
  2. Place chicken and all the other ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Remove excess air and seal. Staple the medium and large bags together above the seal and freeze.
Slow Cooker instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Put the ingredients from the large bag in the crock pot and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
  3. Shred the meat. Place the filling on the hoagie rolls and top each one with a slice of cheese. If you want, you can microwave or place in the oven for a short time just to melt the cheese.
Instant Pot instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump the contents of the large bag in the Instant Pot and seal.
  3. Cook for 12 minutes on manual and do a natural release.

  4. Shred the meat. Do this right in the Instant Pot with a meat masher.

  5. Place the filling on the hoagie rolls and top each with a slice of the Provolone cheese.

Be sure to take a look at these other make ahead lunch ideas:

Corn Dog Mini Muffins

Beef and Bean Burritos

Make Ahead Mac and Cheese

African Thai Stew Freezer Meal

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I know this recipe sounds strange. The name alone is unusual. When I first discovered this combination of flavours in a Sandi Richard cookbook, I was skeptical too. But the tastes meld together into this beautiful autumn dish that soon won our whole family over. I’ve adapted the African Thai Stew recipe into a freezer meal that is just as flavourful.

freezer bag with many colours of cubed and chopped food on top, stew in blue bowl on bottom with text that reads "African Thai Stew freezer meal"This hearty stew has the most gorgeous fall colours. It is vegetarian, gluten free, and dairy free, making it a versatile meal for many types of diets.

Although this is a plant based meal, you won’t miss the meat. It has glorious blends of interesting flavours. Yes, I just called food “glorious”! Once you taste it, you’ll understand why I’m raving.

And being able to make this as a freezer meal and then cook it in the Crock Pot or on the stovetop enables you to easily make a healthy meal even when you’re in a rush.

African Thai Stew Recipe:

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 large sweet potato, cubed
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 1/2 green pepper, diced
  • 2 tsp garlic, minced
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 19 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 19 oz. can chickpeas
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. curry powder
  • 2 tsp. fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp. ground coriander
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. lime juice

For cooking day: 

  • 3 Tbsp. peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • optional: cilantro

Assembly instructions:

  1. Put all ingredients in a large resealable bag and squish together.
  2. Seal. Remove excess air. Lay flat and freeze.

Stovetop Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Heat on stovetop in a large pot for 25 minutes.
  3. Stir in 3 Tbsp. peanut butter and if desired, 1⁄4 cup dried cranberries and cook for another few minutes.
  4. Top with cilantro if desired.

Slow Cooker Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Cook in the Crock Pot on low for 3-4 hours.
  3. Stir in the peanut butter and if you want, the dried cranberries, stir, and cook for another 10 minutes.
  4. Top with cilantro if desired.

This recipe is included in our Vegetarian Freezer Meal Plan. The menu plans include tried and true recipes, prep lists, shopping lists, and printable labels.

Print
African Thai Stew
Course: Main Course
Keyword: stew, vegetarian
Ingredients
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 large sweet potato cubed
  • 2 celery stalks diced
  • 1/2 green pepper diced
  • 2 tsp garlic minced
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 19 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 19 oz. can chickpeas
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. curry powder
  • 2 tsp. fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp. ground coriander
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. lime juice
For cooking day:
  • 3 Tbsp. peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • optional: cilantro
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Put all ingredients in a large resealable bag and squish together.
  2. Seal. Remove excess air. Lay flat and freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Heat on stovetop in a large pot for 25 minutes or in the Crock Pot on low for 4-5 hours.
  3. Stir in 3 Tbsp. peanut butter and if desired, 1⁄4 cup dried cranberries and cook for another few minutes.
  4. Top with cilantro if desired.

Check out these other plant based freezer meals:

Vegetarian Taco Soup

Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas

Chickpea and Vegetable Curry

Beef and Bean Burritos (freezer meal)

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These make ahead Beef and Bean Burritos are easy and inexpensive. Because they are individually wrapped, they can be served as a full meal or can be taken out individually for lunches or snacks.

Our family are fans of Mexican inspired flavours. Some of our favourites are our Taco Sloppy Joes, Tex Mex Pasta Bake, Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa, and Make Ahead Mexican Manicotti Bake.
tin foil wrapped burritos on top and burrito topped with tomatoes and cheese on a bed of lettuce on bottom with text that reads "Make Ahead Beef and Bean Burritos"I currently have five teenagers. If you’ve ever heard that teenagers eat non-stop, you heard right! That’s why I love having things that they can pull out and make themselves.

These burritos are just that. They can pull one out (or two!) and warm it up themselves in the microwave or pack it in their school lunch. I like that it’s healthy and they like the independence of being able to add their own toppings or favourite hot sauce and eat it the way they want to. When I make these, I like to double or triple the recipe and set things up like an assembly line. The kids and I take a “station” and we work together to assembly and wrap the burritos.

Beef and Bean Burritos Recipe:

  • 1 lb. browned ground beef
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 15 oz. can refried beans
  • 1/2 red pepper, finely diced
  • 1/2 green pepper, finely diced
  • 1/2 onion, finely diced
  • 8 burrito size flour tortillas

Assembly instructions:

  1. Brown ground beef. Add the taco seasoning and water and let simmer until mixture is slightly thickened.
  2. Spread 3 Tbsp. of the seasoned ground beef and 1/4 cup refried beans on each tortilla.
  3. Sprinkle with some of the diced peppers and onions.
  4. Wrap burrito style and then wrap each one individually in tin foil.
  5. Place burritos in large resealable freezer bags and freeze.

Microwave Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Remove foil, place one burrito on a plate and reheat.
  3. Serve with toppings of your choice.

Oven cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Place burritos in a baking dish. Bake in 350° oven for 30 minutes.
  3. If desired, top with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and/or salsa.

Suggestions for toppings or sides for burritos:

  • shredded lettuce
  • diced tomatoes
  • diced green onions
  • sour cream
  • salsa
  • guacamole
  • shredded cheese (cheddar, tex mex, jalapeño jack, or marble)
  • hot sauce
  • rice
  • corn

Variations to this burrito recipe:

  • Change the type of flour tortillas used to change the flavour or better suit your dietary needs. Whole wheat, white, pesto, sundried tomato, and spinach wraps all work well. However, in my experience, the gluten free tortillas and corn tortillas don’t hold up well in this recipe, easily breaking and leaking.
  • These can easily be made vegetarian by substituting a plant based soy beef for the meat. Follow the recipe exactly other than this. I prefer to use the Mexican Ground Round.
  • For a more complete meal, add cooked rice to the inside of the burritos before rolling them.

This recipe along with others can be found in our Lunch Freezer Meal Plan. Our menu plans include recipes, prep lists, shopping lists, and printable labels.

Print
Beef and Bean Burritos
Course: Main Course, Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: beef, burritos
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. browned ground beef
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 15 oz. can refried beans
  • 1/2 red pepper finely diced
  • 1/2 green pepper finely diced
  • 1/2 onion finely diced
  • 8 burrito size flour tortillas
  • optional burrito toppings
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Brown ground beef. Add the taco seasoning and water and let simmer until mixture is slightly thickened.
  2. Spread 3 Tbsp. of the seasoned ground beef and 1/4 cup refried beans on each tortilla.
  3. Sprinkle with some of the diced peppers and onions.
  4. Wrap burrito style and then wrap each one individually in tin foil.
  5. Place burritos in large resealable freezer bags and freeze.
Microwave Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Remove foil, place one burrito on a plate and reheat.
  3. Serve with toppings of your choice.
Oven cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Place burritos in a baking dish. Bake in 350° oven for 30 minutes.
  3. If desired, top with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and/or salsa.

Be sure to check out these easy freezer meals:

Taco Sloppy Joes

Cilantro Lime Chicken with Corn and Black Beans

Ground Beef Stroganoff