Freezer Meals 101

Sausage and Cheese Stuffed Shells (freezer meal)

Pasta is a classic comfort food that’s perfect for meal prep. That’s because most pasta dish ingredients are also freezer friendly! With this quick and easy sausage and cheese stuffed shells recipe, you can prepare your pasta casserole ahead of time and store it in the freezer until you’re ready to eat it. That makes this hearty meal perfect for a busy weeknight dinner!

Anytime you’re doing a stuffed pasta dish like these sausage and cheese stuffed shells, Mexican manicotti, or manicotti, I suggest doubling the recipe. It takes a bit of work to stuff the pasta, so you might as well make one for today and freeze one for later!

Freezer Sausage and Cheese Stuffed Shells Recipe

Ingredients:

21 jumbo shells
1 lb. ground Italian sausage, browned
1 jar pasta sauce
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
4 oz. (half an 8 oz. pack) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 Tbsp or more fresh basil
dash red pepper flakes

Assembly Instructions:

Cook the pasta shells according to package directions and drain.
Brown the sausage in a large skillet, then drain the excess fat from the pan.
Stir the pasta sauce into the skillet with the cooked sausage.
Spread half of the meat sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
Mix together the cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, mozzarella cheese, and basil in a large bowl.
Stuff the cooked shells with the cheese mixture and place each stuffed shell on top of the meat sauce in the dish. When all the shells are stuffed, use the remaining meat sauce to cover the shells.
Cover the pan with foil and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

Allow the frozen stuffed shells to thaw completely.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the cover from the pan and bake for 35 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese mixture is heated through.

Do Stuffed Shells Freeze Well?

Pasta, sauce, and cheese are all freezer-friendly, which means freezer stuffed shells are a great option for a make-ahead meal. The best part about this easy dinner is that you can prepare it ahead of time in two different ways:

Construct the entire casserole ahead of time. To make mealtime prep even easier, I love to prepare the entire stuffed shells casserole in advance. In addition to stuffing the shells, coat them in meat sauce and freeze the entire casserole dish. When you’re ready to cook your dinner, allow the casserole to thaw and pop it in the oven.
Freeze the stuffed shells individually. If you’re short on freezer space, you can also freeze your stuffed shells individual without topping them with sauce. To do this, prepare your shells according to the package instruction. Create the cheese mixture and stuff each shell. Place the stuffed shells in a freezer-safe dish and cover the dish tightly. When the shells are frozen solid, remove them from the dish and transfer them to a freezer bag for storage. When you’re ready to bake your stuffed shells, allow them to defrost, then place them in a baking dish and cover them with sauce.

No matter which method you use to freeze your stuffed shells, make sure to label your packaging. Label the package with the name of the recipe, the date you froze it, and reheating instructions. That way, you know exactly how to cook your dinner when you pull it out of the freezer.

How Do You Defrost Stuffed Shells?

Before cooking your freezer stuffed shells, it’s important that you give them time to thaw. This will help ensure even cooking as your shells bake. The safest way to defrost your shells is to transfer them from the freezer to the refrigerator 24 hours before you plan to cook them.

If you don’t have time to thaw your stuffed shells before cooking them, they can be cooked directly from the freezer. When cooking frozen shells, increase the cooking time to between 50 and 60 minutes. Bake the dish, covered, in the preheated oven. After baking the shells for 30 minutes, remove the cover and continue baking until the cheese mixture is cooked through.

How Do You Store Stuffed Shells?

You can store your stuffed shells in the freezer or refrigerator. When frozen, the shells will last up to three months. But if you think you’ll be ready to enjoy your pasta within the next few days, you can also keep your casserole in the refrigerator. You can keep your prepared casserole in the refrigerator for up to three days before baking.

After you’ve cooked your shells, you may be wondering what to do with the leftovers. Keep your pasta stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for best results. Leftover pasta can be enjoyed within five days if it’s properly stored.

When you’re ready to reheat your pasta, it can be warmed in the microwave or oven. If reheating in the microwave, top the shells with extra sauce to keep them from drying out as they cook. Cover the dish and cook on high for around one minute. To reheat the shells in the oven, place the leftovers in an oven-safe dish and cook at 350° until warmed through.

Sausage and Cheese Stuffed Shells

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

35 mins

Course: Main Course

Keyword: pasta

Servings: 6

Ingredients

21 jumbo pasta shells
1 lb. ground Italian sausage browned
20 oz. pasta sauce
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
4 oz. cream cheese softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
1 Tbsp+ fresh basil
dash red pepper flakes

Instructions

Assembly Instructions:

Cook the pasta shells according to package directions and drain.
Brown the sausage in a large skillet, then drain the excess fat from the pan.
Stir the pasta sauce into the skillet with the cooked sausage.
Spread half of the meat sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
Mix together the cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, mozzarella cheese, and basil in a large bowl.
Stuff the cooked shells with the cheese mixture and place each stuffed shell on top of the meat sauce in the dish. When all the shells are stuffed, use the remaining meat sauce to cover the shells.
Cover the pan with foil and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Preheat the oven to 375°. Remove the cover from the pan and bake for 35 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese mixture is heated through.

Hamburger Macaroni Skillet Meal

By Sharla

Whether you call it goulash or hamburger macaroni, this hearty dinner is a quick and easy way to fill up your family on a busy weeknight. The delicious combination of pasta, ground beef and tomatoes can’t be beat!

But the best part about this quick recipe idea is that it’s also easy to make ahead. Simply prep your ingredients and store them in the freezer until you’re ready to serve your pasta skillet. After that, all that’s left to do is heat it up and enjoy!

Pasta dishes are family friendly. When you can make them ahead as freezer meals, it’s even better. Some of our favourites include Baked Tortellini Alfredo, Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole (yep, you read that right!), and Baked Manicotti.

Hamburger Macaroni Skillet Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups macaroni, cooked slightly under package directions and drained
1 pound ground beef, browned
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
red pepper flakes to taste
28 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon parsley
salt, pepper

For Day of Cooking:

shredded cheese (optional)

Assembly Instructions:

Combine the macaroni, ground beef, onion, green pepper, seasoning salt, red pepper flakes, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large freezer bag.
Squeeze the contents of the bag together to mix the ingredients together.
Seal the bag and remove excess air. Place the bag in the freezer until you’re ready to eat.

Cooking instructions:

Transfer the frozen ingredients to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
When ready to cook, heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the contents of the bag and stir to mix the ingredients together.
Allow the mixture to simmer until heated through.
Top with shredded cheese before serving.

What Goes with Hamburger Macaroni?

This quick make ahead pasta dish is the perfect option for an easy main dish for dinner. But after you prepare your pasta in the skillet, you might also need some side dishes to add to your plate. Try these sides when you serve your sloppy joe dinner.

Side salads
Corn on the cob
Steamed broccoli or cauliflower
Garlic bread or breadsticks
Roasted vegetables
Green beans
Dinner rolls

Hamburger Macaroni Recipe Variation Ideas

See how simple it is to prepare your own hamburger macaroni skillet at home from scratch? That means you can skip the boxed pasta the next time you’re looking for a quick dinner and make this freezer-friendly recipe instead! And since this dish is so simple to make, you can easily adjust it by adding new ingredients to change up the flavor. Try these recipe additions to take the flavor of your macaroni skillet up a notch.

Add more cheese. Turn your hamburger macaroni into cheeseburger macaroni with the addition of some Velveeta cheese. On the day of cooking, add cubed Velveeta to the pan with the rest of the ingredients to make a quick and easy cheeseburger macaroni dinner.
Mix in some veggies. Make your macaroni dish a little healthier with the addition of some vegetables. Add some chopped carrots, zucchini, corn, or peas to the rest of the ingredients and cook according to the recipe instructions.
Make it gluten free. This recipe can easily be adjusted to be gluten free by swapping the regular macaroni noodles with gluten free macaroni. All the other ingredients are naturally gluten free. If you want to use gluten free noodles, it’s best to cook them up the day of serving to add because cooked gluten free noodles don’t tend to freeze well.
Substitute ground turkey or chicken. Reduce the fat content of your macaroni skillet by using ground turkey or chicken in place of beef. The recipe can be prepared as written with either substitution.

How Do You Store Hamburger Macaroni?

This make ahead meal is a great option for a busy weeknight because it’s quick and easy to prepare! And since it’s so delicious, I’d be surprised if you have any left after dinner is over. But if you do have a few leftovers to save, you can transfer them to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator. The pasta can be stored in the fridge for up to four days.

When you’re ready to reheat the hamburger macaroni, it can be warmed up in a skillet or in the microwave.

Does Macaroni Freeze Well?

Pasta is a great option for freezer cooking – especially macaroni! The key to properly freezing macaroni is to cook the pasta before putting in the freezer. This will help you cut down on the amount of prep work you need to do at dinner time and ensure your pasta is cooked through when you’re ready to start eating.

To get your macaroni ready for the freezer, start by boiling the pasta until just before it’s al dente. To give you an idea of how long to boil the pasta, check the box and reduce the cook time by two to three minutes. Slightly undercooking the macaroni noodles will keep them from overcooking when you’re ready to reheat them with the rest of your hamburger macaroni ingredients.

Once the pasta is cooked, strain the water and allow the noodles to cool slightly. Then, you can combine them with the rest of your pasta ingredients. After that, it’s important to allow all the ingredients to cool to room temperature before placing them in the freezer to prevent freezer burn.

When the pasta ingredients are cool, remove as much excess air from the bag or container as you can, then label it with the name of the recipe and the date of freezing. When stored properly, your hamburger macaroni will stay good for up to three months.

Hamburger Macaroni Skillet

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

12 mins

Course: Main Course

Keyword: pasta

Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 cups macaroni cooked slightly under package directions and drained
1 lb. ground beef browned
1 onion chopped
1/2 green pepper diced
1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
red pepper flakes to taste
28 oz. diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. parsley
salt to taste
pepper to taste

For Day of Cooking:

shredded cheese optional

Instructions

Assembly Instructions:

Combine the macaroni, ground beef, onion, green pepper, seasoning salt, red pepper flakes, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large freezer bag.
Squeeze the contents of the bag together to mix the ingredients together.
Seal the bag and remove excess air. Place the bag in the freezer until you’re ready to eat.

Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the contents of the bag and stir.
Allow the mixture to simmer until heated through.
Top with shredded cheese before serving if desired.

Asian Sticky Chicken

By Sharla

Dinners with Asian flavor are a great option for make-ahead meal prepping. And when it comes to delicious chicken dinner recipes, it doesn’t get much better than Asian sticky chicken. The delicious combination of sauce ingredients bake into a sticky glaze, adding a wonderful flavor and texture to each bite. And since you can prepare this chicken dinner ahead of time, this 5 ingredient meal is the perfect option for a busy weeknight meal.It’s the addition of peanut butter that makes this chicken one of my daughter’s favourites. Plus, all my kids think the name “Sticky Chicken” is pretty fun.

You can find this easy recipe along with many others in the Chicken Dump Recipe cookbook that also includes shopping lists and printable labels.

Asian Sticky Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

3 to 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8 to 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons peanut butter
3 tablespoons ketchup

Assembly Instructions:

Combine the chicken, olive oil, soy sauce, peanut butter, and ketchup in a large freezer bag. Squish the ingredients together to combine the chicken with the sauce.
Remove excess air from the bag and seal to close. Freeze the ingredients until you’re ready to cook.

Cooking instructions:

Transfer the sticky chicken ingredients to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Transfer the ingredients to a baking dish and cook for 45 to 55 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

How Do You Thicken Sticky Chicken Sauce?

Since this Asian sticky chicken recipe is prepared in the oven, you shouldn’t have an issue with the sauce being runny when you’re ready to serve your dinner. But if you’re worried that the sauce won’t be thick enough after baking, stir together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water. Pour the mixture into the sauce before cooking. The cornstarch will help the sauce thicken as it cooks.

Asian Sticky Chicken Recipe Ideas

Since this simple recipe can easily be customized, it’s the perfect easy dinner to serve your family! Try these recipe adjustments and ideas to create a delicious meal that your family is sure to love.

Make it gluten free. You can easily make this a gluten free dish by substituting the traditional soy sauce with gluten free soy sauce, tamari sauce, or coconut aminos.
Serve over rice. Round out your sticky chicken dinner by serving the chicken over white or brown rice. While your chicken is baking in the oven, prepare a batch of rice to serve with your dinner.
Try different cuts of chicken. While boneless breasts or thighs are a great option for quick cooking, you can use a variety of different chicken pieces with this sauce. Chicken wings and drumsticks are great options for bone-in chicken that cooks quickly and easily.

Easy chicken marinade meals are so nice to have in the freezer. Check out these other super fast to assemble chicken dump meals:

Asian Sticky Chicken

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

Course: Main Course

Keyword: chicken, chicken dump

Servings: 4

Ingredients

3 to 5 chicken breasts boneless, skinless or 8 to 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. peanut butter
3 Tbsp. ketchup

Instructions

Assembly Instructions:

Combine the chicken, olive oil, soy sauce, peanut butter, and ketchup in a large freezer bag. Squish the ingredients together to combine.
Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Transfer the ingredients to a baking dish and cook for 45 to 55 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Make Ahead Cowboy Baked Beans

By Sharla

Whether you’re looking for a flavorful main course for dinner or a hearty side dish for your next backyard barbeque, you’ll love this quick and easy make ahead recipe! This freezer friendly cowboy baked beans recipe is made with ground beef and bacon, making it perfect for any occasion. And since you can prepare all the ingredients ahead of time, it’s a great option for meal planning, too!

This past year, these became my go-to for bringing to potlucks. It’s easy because all I need to do is take the bag out of the freezer and heat in the slow cooker. And they are so popular because, well… bacon!

Cowboy Baked Beans Recipe

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef, browned
1 cup onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon onion powder
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 tablespoons brown sugar
56 ounce can baked beans
½ cup BBQ sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Assembly Instructions:

Combine the ground beef, onion, bell pepper, garlic, onion powder, bacon, brown sugar, baked beans, BBQ sauce, and Dijon mustard in a large freezer bag. Squeeze the ingredients together to combine the ground beef and beans with the sauce.
Remove excess air from the bag and seal to close. Freeze the ingredients until you’re ready to prepare the baked beans.

Cooking instructions:

Transfer the baked beans ingredients to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
To prepare in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Transfer the ingredients to a baking dish and bake for one hour.
To make in the crockpot, pour the ingredients from the freezer bag into your slow cooker and set the crockpot to cook on high for two to four hours and low for three to five hours.

How Do You Store Cowboy Baked Beans?

This flavorful recipe makes a big batch of baked beans, which means you may have some leftovers when the party is over. Simply transfer your beans to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator. They’ll stay good for up to four days when refrigerated.

You can reheat your beans in the microwave or cook them in a sauce pan over medium heat until warmed through.

How Long are Frozen Baked Beans Good For?

Combining the ingredients for your baked beans in a freezer friendly container is a great way to prep this side dish ahead of time. After adding all the ingredients to a freezer bag, make sure to remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn. Then, write the name of the recipe, date of freezing, and expected expiration date on the front of the bag. The beans will stay good for up to six months when stored properly.

What to Serve with Cowboy Baked Beans

Since this delicious recipe is packed with meat and beans, it makes a great main course. Or serve it as a side dish along with your favorite BBQ meats. Whether you’re serving your cowboy baked beans for dinner or at a party, it will taste amazing along with these other dishes:

Cornbread
Coleslaw
Southern Potato Salad
Grilled corn
Spicy Caesar Chicken Pasta Salad
Hot dogs
Hamburgers or cheeseburgers
BBQ chicken sandwiches
Grilled meat, like ribs, chicken, or pork chops

Recipe Variations and Ideas

This baked beans recipe really is the best. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be improved upon! Try these variation and substitution ideas to make your cowboy baked beans even better.

Adjust the sweetness. If you prefer your baked beans to be on the sweeter side, simply increase the amount of brown sugar in the sauce. Or if you want your beans to be less sweet, try reducing or leaving out the brown sugar all together.
Try different bean varieties. You can easily change up the flavor of your baked beans by using different types of beans in your recipe. While baked beans are typically made with navy beans, you can mix in a variety of different types of beans in this recipe. Mixing in some kidney, black, pinto, or cannellini beans will add different textures and flavors to your baked beans recipe.
Use different meats. Ground beef and bacon are great options for meal prepping because they’re quick and easy to prepare. But if you want to change up the recipe to include different flavors, you can substitute other meats in place of the beef or bacon. Try mixing in some pulled pork, ground or shredded chicken, ground turkey, or stew meat.

Can Baked Beans Be Frozen?

Freezing the ingredients for your cowboy beans is a great way to speed up the prep work of your dinner. But you can also freeze the cooked beans to enjoy later! After preparing your baked beans, allow them to cool completely. After that, you can transfer the cooked beans to a freezer bag or storage container and place them in the freezer for long term storage. The beans will stay good for up to six months.

When you’re ready to reheat your beans, transfer the frozen side dish to the refrigerator to thaw. Then reheat the beans in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Cowboy Baked Beans

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Course: Main Course

Keyword: baked beans, beans

Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef browned
1 cup onion diced
1 green bell pepper diced
1 clove garlic minced
½ tsp onion powder
8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
56 oz. baked beans
½ cup BBQ sauce
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

Instructions

Assembly Instructions:

Combine the ground beef, onion, bell pepper, garlic, onion powder, bacon, brown sugar, baked beans, BBQ sauce, and Dijon mustard in a large freezer bag. Squeeze the ingredients together to combine.
Remove excess air from the bag, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Transfer the ingredients to a baking dish and bake for one hour.

Slow Cooker Instructions:

Thaw.
Pour the ingredients from the freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on high for two to four hours and low for three to five hours.

5 Ingredient Teriyaki Chicken

By Sharla

Having a few quick and easy dinners in your recipe collection is a must when you’re a busy parent. And it doesn’t get much easier than this 5 ingredient baked teriyaki chicken breast freezer meal!

To prepare it ahead of time, all you have to do is combine the ingredients and pop them in the freezer. Then you can cook your flavorful chicken dinner in the oven or crockpot for a family-friendly meal that’s as easy to cook as it is to prepare.

To make this a complete meal, serve over rice or cauliflower rice with a side of a simple vegetable such as carrots, broccoli, or peas.

Chicken marinades are so fast to assemble especially if you make more than one of each meal at a time. Literally five minutes or less goes into assembling this meal. And then it’s into the freezer for the day you want to cook it.

Teriyaki Chicken Freezer Meal Recipe

Ingredients:

3-5 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1/3 cup honey, melted
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced

Assembly Instructions:

Dump the chicken breasts, honey, soy sauce, fresh ginger, and garlic in a large (gallon sized) resealable freezer bag.
Squish the bag to combine the ingredients. Remove excess air from the inside of the bag, seal the top, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

Transfer the frozen teriyaki chicken ingredients to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the ingredients from the bag into the dish and bake for one hour, until the chicken is cooked through.
To cook the teriyaki chicken in the crockpot, pour the contents of the bag into the bowl of the slow cooker. Place the lid on top and cook on low for four to six hours.
If desired, shred before serving. Serve over rice. Top with sesame seeds or sliced green onions if desired.

How Long Should I Cook Teriyaki Chicken in the Oven?

To get tender, flavorful chicken breasts while baking in the oven, it’s best to cook them at a low temperature for an extended time. After adding the chicken and sauce to the pan, bake your boneless chicken breasts at 350° for around one hour.

To ensure your chicken is cooked all the way through, it’s always a good idea to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of each chicken breast. Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165° to make it safe to eat.

Does Teriyaki Sauce Burn in the Oven?

Since this homemade teriyaki sauce is made with real honey, there is the possibility that it may burn in the oven. To keep your sauce from burning, make sure to keep the oven temperature low. Cooking the chicken in the sauce at 350° is a great way to ensure your chicken is cooked through without burning your sauce.

If you notice the sauce is beginning to burn around the edges of the pan or the top of your chicken breasts, simply cover the pan lightly with a piece of foil and continue cooking until the chicken is safely cooked.

Can you freeze cooked teriyaki chicken?

Since the original chicken in marinade was raw when it went into the freezer, it is safe to freeze the leftovers of the teriyaki chicken after it is cooked. It can even be divided into individual portions and frozen.

Do not however refreeze raw chicken after it’s been thawed.

More Easy Chicken Marinade Recipes:

Teriyaki Chicken

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Course: Main Course

Keyword: chicken

Servings: 4

Ingredients

3-5 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
1/3 cup honey melted
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp fresh ginger grated
2 cloves garlic minced

Instructions

Assembly Instructions:

Place the chicken breasts, honey, soy sauce, fresh ginger, and garlic in a large resealable freezer bag.
Squish the bag to combine. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Oven Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the ingredients from the bag into the dish and bake for one hour, until the chicken is cooked through.

Crock Pot Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Pour the contents of the bag into the slow cooker. Cook on low for four to six hours.
If desired, shred before serving.