Freezer Meals 101

Freezer Friendly Johnny Marzetti Casserole Recipe

When it comes to freezer cooking, pasta dishes are always a great choice. In addition to being simple to prepare and reheat, noodle dishes are also filling and popular with everyone in the family. But the next time you’re planning your meals and looking for a simple pasta recipe to add the rotation, skip the plain spaghetti and try something new! This easy Johnny Marzetti casserole recipe is the perfect simple dinner idea that is sure to satisfy everyone in the family.

What is Johnny Marzetti Casserole?

This delicious dish is an Ohio recipe that was originally created in a Columbus restaurant owned by Italian immigrant Teresa Marzetti. The baked pasta dish, which was made with ground beef, cheese, tomato sauce, and noodles, is named after her brother-in-law, Johnny. The Marzetti Restaurant opened in the city, near The Ohio State University, in 1919 and by the 1940s, the namesake dish was a popular dinner option across the Midwest. In addition to ordering the classic pasta dish at restaurants around Ohio, many Midwesterners started whipping up this simple dish at home for their families.

Is Johnny Marzetti the Same as Goulash?

This casserole recipe has similar ingredients as goulash, which is why many people wonder if the two recipes are the same. Although the original Johnny Marzetti casserole is sometimes called American goulash, it isn’t the same as the traditional Hungarian dish.

The recipe that originated in Hungary is typically made with elbow macaroni and seasoned with paprika and other spices. Another notable difference between the two dishes is how they’re cooked. While goulash is usually prepared in a big pan on the stovetop, Johnny Marzetti is a baked casserole that is typically cooked in the oven.

Can You Freeze Johnny Marzetti Casserole?

This quick and easy recipe is so simple to freeze and reheat. All you need to do is prepare the casserole according to the recipe instructions, cover it with aluminum foil, and freeze it until you’re ready to eat. Before you start cooking, make sure to thaw the casserole, then bake it until it’s cooked through and enjoy.

How to Make Johnny Marzetti Casserole:

Ingredients:

2 cups dry penne pasta
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 lb. white mushrooms, sliced
15 oz. can diced tomatoes
15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
salt and black pepper to taste
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Assembly instructions:

Cook the pasta according to package directions. It’s important not to overcook as the pasta will continue cooking through in the oven. Drain well and return to the pasta pot.
While the pasta cooks, brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Add the onions, minced garlic, and chopped green pepper.
Toss in the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms begin to soften.
Drain the beef mixture and return to the skillet.
Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and seasonings.
Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Pour the meat sauce over the pasta in the pasta pot and give it a stir.
Stir in half of the cheese.
Transfer to a greased 9×13 baking dish or aluminum foil tray. Cover tightly with 2 layers of aluminum foil.
Put the rest of the cheese in a medium size freezer bag. Seal and set on top of the tray and place the tray and bag in the freezer.

Cooking instructions:

Thaw. Set the bag of cheese to the side.
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Bake the casserole for 30 minutes if thawed or one hour if frozen. Remove the aluminum foil and top with the cheese from the bag. Continue baking for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Recipe Substitutions and Ideas

This delicious recipe is perfect for a weeknight dinner. But that doesn’t mean you have to follow the recipe exactly! There are a few simple substitutions you can make to adjust your recipe to suit your tastes and dietary restrictions. Try making these recipe swaps to allow you to work with ingredients you already have on hand:

Use different pasta. You can easily swap out the penne pasta for a different noodle variety. Elbow macaroni noodles, rotini pasta, or egg noodles are simple substitutions you can make that won’t affect the taste or cook time of the dish.
Make it gluten free. Since this recipe uses pasta, you’ll need to make a substitution if you’re looking for a gluten free dinner idea. Use gluten free penne pasta (or any other gluten free noodle variety) instead of traditional pasta for a quick fix. Or try substituting rice for pasta for a different take on the recipe.
Use ground turkey. Lighten up the dish by swapping the ground beef with ground turkey. You’ll be able to significantly reduce the fat content of your dish without sacrificing the flavour.
Serve with a salad. Add some freshness to your freezer dinner by tossing together a quick salad while your casserole is cooking. A fresh salad is the perfect healthy side dish to go along with this hearty pasta dish.

Freezer Friendly Johnny Marzetti Casserole

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: casserole, pasta

Ingredients

2 cups penne pasta dry
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 green bell pepper seeded and diced
1 lb. white mushrooms sliced
15 oz. can diced tomatoes
15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
salt and black pepper to taste
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese grated

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Do not overcook. Drain well and return to pasta pot.
While the pasta cooks, brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Add the onions, minced garlic, and chopped green pepper.
Toss in the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms begin to soften.
Drain the beef mixture and return to the skillet.
Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and seasonings.
Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Pour the meat sauce over the pasta in the pasta pot and give it a stir.
Stir in half of the cheese.
Transfer to a greased 9x13 baking dish or aluminum foil tray. Cover tightly with 2 layers of aluminum foil.
Put the rest of the cheese in a medium size freezer bag. Seal and set on top of the tray and place the tray and bag in the freezer.

Cooking instructions:

Thaw. Set the bag of cheese to the side.
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Bake the casserole for 30 minutes if thawed or one hour if frozen. Remove the aluminum foil and top with the cheese from the bag. Continue baking for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Check out some of our other make ahead pastas:

Freezer Meals for One

By Sharla

Freezer cooking is a great solution for those who live alone or even for those in families who just want individual meals to take to work for lunches. One of the most common things I get asked about is how to make freezer meals for just one or two people.There are many of my readers who are interested in making freezer meals for seniors who live alone or for young adults just moving out on their own. Whether you’re wanting to make meals for yourself, a friend, your parent, or your child, I’ve got all the tips you need to make single serving freezer meals.

These ideas also work well for weekly or monthly meal prep for singles or couples.

I recently put together meals for my mother-in-law and for my dad. They were simple, easy to reheat, and perfect for one person. You can see how I made them step by step in the video below:

Containers for individual freezer meals:

Individual plastic containers – These containers are great for meal prep because they are freezable, microwaveable, and dishwasher safe.

Medium sized (quart size) freezer bags – Plastic freezer bags or reusable silicone bags are a versatile option for freezing meals in smaller portions.

Souper Cubes – These containers are designed for freezer cooking. They are particularly good for soups and stews. You can get them in 1/2 cup, 1 cup, and 2 cup sizes. The 2 cup trays are perfect for things such as individual lasagnas.

Mason Jars – If you use mason jars for soups or stews, be sure to leave space at the top because the liquid will expand as it freezes.

Small foil containers – Foil containers with lids are particularly handy for dishes that need to be cooked in the oven such as pasta bakes, enchiladas, or casseroles.

When it comes to containers, the important thing to remember is to ensure to get out all the extra air that you can. In freezer cooking, air is what causes freezer burn.

Freezer Meal Recipes for One or Two:

These are some of the best make ahead recipes I’ve found that adapt well to being made into individual dinners.

Beef and Bean Burritos – These are all individually wrapped so they can be pulled out one at a time.

Chicken Fried Rice – Make the full recipe and divide into individual containers. Since everything has already been cooked ahead, these dishes will only need to be reheated making them ideal for taking as a work lunch or for dinner.

Chili – I recently made individual keto meals for my husband and I used Souper Cubes to take his keto chili recipe and make 1 cup portions for him to take out as needed.

Simplest Butter Chicken – When I “make” this in single portions, I precook the chicken and I also cook up some basmati or jasmine rice. I then put the butter chicken on on side of the container, the cooked rice on the other, and some frozen peas in the middle. This creates a full balanced meal.

Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas – When I make these for my mother-in-law, I place three enchiladas in a small foil container and then pour the enchilada sauce and shredded cheese on top before adding the lid and freezing.

Mini Meatloaves – These meatloaf muffins are ideal for single servings!

Blue Cheese Hamburgers – Take out one patty at a time to cook up for a great summer meal.

Chicken Asparagus Bake – This is another recipe where all the ingredients are cooked ahead of time. Once you spoon this into individual containers and freeze, each will only need to be reheated.

Hamburger Soup – Simmer the soup on the stove before transferring cooled soup into mason jars or medium sized freezer bags. Pull out and reheat on a chilly day.

Make Ahead Mac and Cheese – Put in smaller containers that can be baked.

Stir Fry Packs – Simply pack these in several quart sized bags instead of one gallon one and then take out and fry up to serve with rice. Such an easy meal!

More freezer meals for one (or two):

Freezer Breakfast Recipes for One or Two People:

How to make single serving freezer meals:

Sit down and plan out which recipes you want to make.
Make a grocery list with the ingredients you’ll need.
Ensure that you have the containers you’ll need.
Make space in your freezer.
Shop for the ingredients (and containers if you don’t already have them).
Prep all similar ingredients together (brown the ground beef, cook and cube the chicken, cut the onions and other vegetables, shred the cheese, cook the rice, etc.)
Set aside a few hours or an entire day to assemble the meals. The time needed will depend on how many recipes you’re making and how involved the recipes are.
Clean up.
Enjoy not having to cook again for a long time!

It’s always more fun to do this with a friend or family member. Get some music playing to keep your energy up, drink plenty of water, and wear good running shoes to protect your feet and back from getting sore. It will be worth it!

With these tips, you will fill your freezer with meals to last you several weeks or even months.

You may also enjoy reading:

Homemade Freezer Sloppy Joes

By Sharla

Sloppy Joes are always a family favorite. On top of being quick and easy to make, everyone in the family loves them! And while this homemade sandwich recipe is pretty simple to make, did you know you can reduce your prep work even more by freezing it? This simple recipe for freezer sloppy Joes is a quick and easy dinner idea for a busy weeknight. Using a pre-made sauce is a great way to cut down on your prep work when you’re making sloppy Joe’s for dinner. But if you have a batch of meat and sauce already prepared, there’s no need to use the pre-made stuff! And since the homemade sauce in this simple recipe tastes so much better than the canned version, you’ll never go back to the store-bought sloppy Joe sauce again.

How do you make Sloppy Joe sauce from scratch?

Making your own sauce from scratch may seem intimidating – especially if you’ve always used the store-bought sauce for your sandwiches. But creating your own sauce at home is pretty simple. And the best part is that you can use items you probably already have in your kitchen right now.

Sloppy joe sauce is made by combining a few fresh vegetables, like onions, garlic, and green pepper, with a variety of seasonings. After that, you’ll stir in chili sauce, tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice.

How many pounds of meat do you need to make Sloppy Joes?

The amount of meat you need to make your sandwiches will depend on the number of people you’ll be serving. My recipe uses one and a half pounds of ground beef and feeds six people. If you’ll be feeding a crowd or want to make extra, it’s a good idea to double the recipe to ensure you have enough sauce to cover all the extra meat.

It’s just as fast to double or triple or quadruple the recipe and you can then have many of them in the freezer ready to go.

Can you freeze Sloppy Joes?

Of course! This simple recipe is so easy to freeze. Simply brown the ground beef, add the sauce, allow the meat to cool, then pour it into a freezer bag. Don’t forget to label your bag before you put it in the freezer so you know what’s inside! Flatten the bag for easy storage in your freezer and allow the meat to freeze. Sloppy Joe meat can be frozen for up to six months.

When you’re ready to reheat your meat, remove it from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator to thaw for at least 24 hours. After the meat has thawed, you can reheat it on the stovetop or in your slow cooker.If you have leftovers after reheating your sloppy joes, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.

You can also find freezer-friendly recipes for variations such as this Instant Pot Turkey Sloppy Joes or this Taco Sloppy Joes or Tater Tot Sloppy Joes Casserole.

How to Make Homemade Sloppy Joes:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 cup onion, chopped finely
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped finely
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dry mustard powder
1/2 cup chili sauce
14 oz. can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. lemon juice

For the day of serving:

buns

Assembly instructions:

Brown the ground beef.
Put the ground beef in a large resealable freezer bag.
Dump in all the other ingredients.
Squish to combine.
Remove the excess air and seal. Lay flat and freeze.

Slow Cooker Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Cook in a crockpot for 2-3 hours on low or cook in a pot on the stovetop until heated through.
Serve on regular or gluten-free sliced buns.

Stovetop Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Cook in a stovetop pot over medium-low until heated through.
Serve on regular or gluten-free sliced buns.

To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce and serve on gluten-free buns or baked potato.

How to Serve Sloppy Joe Meat

Once you have your sloppy joe meat prepared, you might be wondering what to do with it. There are a variety of ways you can use your meat, giving you a few different options for dinner. That means you can freeze up a few batches and make a new meal every time you reheat it!

On a bun. The traditional way to enjoy a sloppy joe is on a bun. Use a regular hamburger bun or grab your favorite gluten-free bun to keep this recipe gluten-free. Try toasting the bun before adding the meat to keep the bread from becoming soggy.
Over fries. Bake some crispy French fries, then top them with sloppy joe meat and shredded cheese to enjoy a messy dinner the kids will love.
On nachos. Make sloppy joe nachos by spreading the sloppy joe meat over the top of tortilla chips. Top the chips with lots of cheese and enjoy them as a snack or appetizer.
In a baked potato. Create a stuffed baked potato with your meat for a quick and filling dinner. Bake your potatoes as usual, then cut a slit in the potato. Add some butter to the potato and loosen the filling. Then, top your potato with cooked sloppy joe meat and cheese.

Sloppy Joes

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: sloppy Joes

Servings: 6

Calories: 284 kcal

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 cup onion chopped finely
2 garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup green pepper chopped finely
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dry mustard powder
1/2 cup chili sauce
14 oz. can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. lemon juice

For the day of serving:

buns

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Brown the ground beef.
Place the ground beef in a large resealable freezer bag.
Dump in all the other ingredients.
Squish to combine.
Remove the excess air and seal. Lay flat and freeze.

Slow Cooker Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Cook in a crockpot for 2-3 hours on low or cook in a pot on the stovetop until heated through.
Serve on regular or gluten-free sliced buns.

Stovetop Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Cook in a stovetop pot over medium-low until heated through.
Serve on regular or gluten-free sliced buns.

You may also enjoy these other recipes:

Taco Sloppy Joes

Turkey Sloppy Joes

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Hash Brown Casserole (freezer meal version)

By Sharla

Hash brown casserole makes such a nice dish for breakfast or brunch. This make-ahead version is also great for bringing to a potluck. It’s a go-to for our family for Christmas morning or nice Sunday brunches.

This easy breakfast casserole is nice and cheesy. In our house, if there are any leftovers, everyone tries to be the first one to the fridge the next morning to finish them up. That’s really the sign of a great recipe! I love a good make-ahead breakfast dish. Make a complete brunch with scrambled egg bites, French toast casserole, this potato side dish, and a fruit platter.

Hashbrown casserole is also sometimes called party potatoes (because it’s perfect for a crowd) or funeral potatoes (because this comfort food is often given to families who’ve lost a loved one).

Can you freeze hash brown casserole?

You can absolutely make hash brown casserole ahead of time and freeze it. In fact, that’s the way I make mine most of the time. You can freeze it before you bake it or after. I find it is best when you make it without baking, freeze it, and then cook it fresh on the day you want to serve it.

This recipe freezes beautifully. While potatoes don’t always freeze and reheat well, you can use pre-frozen potatoes such as frozen hash browns without issue.

How to Make Hash Brown Casserole:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted
10.5 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
pepper to taste
1 kg bag frozen hash browns (you can use cubed or shredded, but I prefer cubed)

Assembly instructions:

Melt butter in the microwave or a stovetop pot.
While butter is melting, chop the onion.
Mix everything together in a giant bowl starting with the butter and mushroom soup.
Dump it in a large resealable freezer bag.
Remove the excess air.
Seal.
Freeze.

Oven Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Bake at 350° in a greased casserole dish for an hour.

Top it with ketchup, salsa, or hot sauce if you want.

Crock Pot Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Dump bag contents into your slow cooker and cook on low for 3-5 hours.

Note that because of the potatoes and cheese, this casserole tends to stick to the crockpot, so I tend to use a Slow Cooker Liner when I make this dish.

If desired, you can serve with ketchup, salsa, or hot sauce.

Recipe Variations:

Brown Italian sausage or breakfast sausage and stir it in to add protein and flavor. This is one of our favorite versions. When I add sausage to mine, I also add a can of evaporated milk so that it’s not at all dry.
Change the type of cheese used. Sharp cheddar, jalapeño jack, or a tex mex blend are all nice options.
Add cubed ham or crumbled bacon.
Stir in some vegetables such as diced red or green peppers, jalapeños, or diced green chilies.
Top it with a mixture of butter and breadcrumbs or Cornflakes on the day of cooking.

Find make-ahead breakfast recipes, shopping lists, and printable labels in our Breakfast Freezer Meal Plan.

Hash Brown Casserole

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: casserole, hash brown

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 622 kcal

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter melted
10.5 oz. can Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
1 large onion chopped
1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
pepper to taste
1 kg bag frozen hash browns

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Melt butter.
Chop onion.
Mix everything together in a giant bowl starting with the butter and mushroom soup.
Dump it in a large resealable freezer bag.
Remove the excess air.
Seal.
Freeze.

Oven Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Bake at 350° in a casserole dish for an hour.

Crock Pot Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Dump bag contents into your slow cooker and cook on low for 3-5 hours.

Recipe Notes

Serve with ketchup, salsa, or hot sauce if you want.

Some of our other freezer cooking breakfast recipes:

Baked Italian Chicken (Freezer Meal)

By Sharla

Who doesn’t love a freezer meal that includes the protein AND the veggies?! This baked Italian chicken recipe has all that and more. It is especially delicious served over pasta. Sometimes when you bake the chicken in the oven, it can dry out, but this recipe has a sauce, so the chicken stays nice and juicy.

This dish can also be cooked in the Crock-Pot® (which I know then technically is no longer called “Baked” Italian Chicken, but it still tastes just as good. And the slow cooker option is nice for a day when you need to be out of the house and come back to dinner waiting.

What I like best about this meal is that it includes some fresh-tasting vegetables as well as the chicken so I know my kids are getting a balanced meal and yet it’s so easy to throw together. Plus, when you serve it over pasta, it gets that homemade comfort food aspect down as well.

Baked Italian Chicken Recipe:

8-12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup zucchini with peel, cubed
1/2 cup onion, diced
24 oz. jar pasta sauce

Assembly instructions:

Cut the zucchini and onion and slice the mushrooms.
Place the chicken thighs in a large resealable freezer bag.
Add the seasoning, vegetables, brown sugar, and pasta sauce.
Remove all the air you can from the bag, seal it, and freeze.

Oven Cooking Instructions:

Thaw. Put the contents of the bag in a casserole dish.
Bake in the oven at 375° for 50 minutes.

Crock Pot Cooking Instructions:

Thaw. Put the bag contents into the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Serve over pasta and sprinkle with shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese. If you are on a gluten-free diet, you can instead serve this over rice. You can also serve this with a side salad if you want more greens.

Variations on this recipe:

Substitute 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts for the chicken thighs.
Add some crushed chili flakes either before cooking or when serving if you like to spice things up a bit.
You can substitute a can of sliced mushrooms for the fresh mushrooms, but I really suggest you use fresh. It’s hardly any extra work to slice them up and it tastes so much fresher.
Use whichever red pasta sauce is your favorite. By experimenting and trying different types of pasta sauce, you can change up the flavors of this meal.

Other chicken freezer meals:

Baked Italian Chicken

Prep Time

7 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: baked chicken, chicken

Servings: 4

Calories: 428 kcal

Ingredients

8-12 chicken thighs boneless and skinless
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup zucchini cubed with peel
1/2 cup onion diced
24 oz. jar pasta sauce

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Cut the zucchini and onion and slice the mushrooms.
Place the chicken thighs in a large resealable freezer bag.
Add the seasoning, vegetables, brown sugar, and pasta sauce.
Remove all the air you can from the bag, seal it, and freeze.

Oven Cooking Instructions:

Thaw. Put the contents of the bag in a casserole dish.
Bake in the oven at 375° for 50 minutes.

Crock Pot Cooking Instructions:

Thaw. Put the bag contents into the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Recipe Notes

Serve over pasta and sprinkle with shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese.