Freezer Meals 101

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Tater Tot Casserole with Beef and Veggies

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My kids will eat pretty much anything as long as it involves tater tots. This tater tot casserole with beef and veggies is an easy all in one meal that can be made ahead and then popped in the crock pot on cooking day. This is quick and easy comfort food. a black crock pot is filled with a cheesy casserole and a spoon scooping some of it out with text that reads "Tater Tot Casserole with beef and veggies"Our original tater tot casserole is based off the Duggar recipe except that we use ground sausage instead of turkey and don’t use the chicken soup (so I guess it’s totally different!) is most of our kids’ absolute favourite thing to eat, but it’s not all that healthy. We love our tater tot pizza casserole, but I wanted more variety. I’ve been trying different ideas for a new one and this one fits the bill.

This has meat and vegetables and my kids all love it. Healthy AND something my kids will actually eat gives this recipe major points!

I make this tater tot casserole as a freezer meal, but if you prefer, you can always cook it the same day instead. Better yet, make two. Eat one and freeze the other so you’ve got an easy weeknight meal for next week!

Tater Tot Casserole with Beef and Veggies:

Tater Tot Casserole Ingredients:

  • 750 g bag frozen tater tots
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef, browned
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
  • 10.5 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 tsp. dry mustard powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups of cheddar cheese, shredded

Assembly instructions:

  1. Brown ground beef and cool slightly.
  2. Place beef in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Add the chopped onion and mixed vegetables.
  4. In a mixing bowl, stir together soup, evaporated milk, garlic, and seasonings. Pour into the bag over the other ingredients.
  5. Place the shredded cheese in a medium freezer bag.
  6. Remove the excess air from both bags, seal, and staple together above the fold.
  7. Freeze.

Crock pot cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump the contents of the large bag into the slow cooker.* Cook on high for 3-4 hours or 6 hours on low.
  3. Top with cheese near the end of cooking.
  4. Serve.

*This casserole tends to stick to the sides of the slow cooker making it hard to clean afterwards, so I suggest using Crock Pot liners. They are food safe and can be thrown out after use making clean-up a breeze!

Oven cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Place contents of the large bag in a 9×13 casserole dish. Top with cheese. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes.
  3. Serve.

More family favourite freezer meals:

Print
Tater Tot Casserole with Beef and Veggies
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: tater tot casserole
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 750 g bag frozen tater tots
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef browned
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
  • 10.5 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1/4 tsp. dry mustard powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Brown ground beef and cool slightly.
  2. Place beef in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Add the chopped onion and mixed vegetables.
  4. In a mixing bowl, stir together soup, evaporated milk, garlic, and seasonings. Pour into the bag over the other ingredients.
  5. Place the shredded cheese in a medium freezer bag.
  6. Remove the excess air from both bags, seal, and staple together above the fold.
  7. Freeze.
Crock pot cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump the contents of the large bag into the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or 6 hours on low.
  3. Top with cheese near the end of cooking.
  4. Serve.
Oven cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Place contents of the large bag in a 9x13 casserole dish. Top with cheese. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes.
  3. Serve.

Corn Dog Mini Muffins for School Lunches (freezer friendly)

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Last Sunday, we hosted a BBQ for a few families. We ended up with three packs of hot dogs leftover. I didn’t want them to go to waste, but I also didn’t feel like it would be healthy to feed my kids hot dogs for breakfast, lunch, and supper every day. Thus, the corn dog mini muffins were born!

The timing could not have been more perfect because my kids start school on Tuesday. Now, I have bags of these in the freezer ready for them to pop them into their school lunches. I’ve been stocking the freezer with make ahead breakfasts, ready to go sandwiches, mini muffins, and homemade granola bars.
a clear plastic bag is filled with small yellow corn muffins with a chunk of hot dog visible in the middle. The text reads "perfect for school lunches! Corn Dog Mini Muffins"My kids and even my teens thought these were adorable. They are excited to take them in their lunch bags or to grab as an after school snack.

This recipe makes 10 dozen mini muffins, so if you have a smaller family or don’t have much space in your freezer, you may want to half the recipe.

Corn Dog Mini Muffins Recipe:

  • 1 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup softened butter
  • 8 eggs
  • 1 cup honey, melted or softened
  • 2 2/3 cup milk
  • 4 2/3 cup flour
  • 3 Tbsp. baking powder
  • 1 cup corn meal
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 24 hot dogs

Assembly instructions:

  1. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and softened butter with an electric beater on medium speed.
  2. Add the eggs, honey, and milk and mix.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, corn meal, and salt. Stir with a spoon.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and use the electric beater to combine well.
  5. Grease the mini muffin trays.
  6. Spoon batter to fill about half of each cup.
  7. Slice the hot dogs into chunks.
  8. Place a hot dog chunk into each muffin cup on top of the batter and press down slightly.
  9. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes.*
  10. Remove from the muffin tin after a few minutes and allow to cool before transferring to a large resealable freezer bag.
  11. Remove the excess air from the bags, seal, and freeze.

Serving instructions:

  1. Grab out as many as needed and reseal the bag.
  2. Eat cold or reheat in the microwave on a paper towel or paper napkin. If desired, you can serve with ketchup.

*If you make these into full sized muffins, you’ll need to adjust the cooking time.

Check out these other kid friendly make ahead recipes:

Breakfast Sausage Hand Pies

Tater Tot Pizza Casserole

Make Ahead English Muffin Pizzas

Pancake Mini Muffins

Print
Corn Dog Mini Muffins
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
 
Course: Main Course, Snack
Keyword: corn dog muffins
Servings: 10 dozen
Ingredients
  • 1 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup softened butter
  • 8 eggs
  • 1 cup honey melted or softened
  • 2 2/3 cup milk
  • 4 2/3 cup flour
  • 3 Tbsp. baking powder
  • 1 cup corn meal
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 24 hot dogs
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and softened butter with an electric beater on medium speed.
  2. Add the eggs, honey, and milk and mix.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, corn meal, and salt. Stir with a spoon.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and use the electric beater to combine well.
  5. Grease the mini muffin trays.
  6. Spoon batter to fill about half of each cup.
  7. Slice the hot dogs into chunks.
  8. Place a hot dog chunk into each muffin cup on top of the batter and press down slightly.
  9. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes.*
  10. Remove from the muffin tin after a few minutes and allow to cool before transferring to a large resealable freezer bag.
  11. Remove the excess air from the bags, seal, and freeze.
  12. Grab out as many as needed and reseal the bag.
  13. Eat cold or reheat in the microwave on a paper towel or paper napkin. If desired, you can serve with ketchup.
Recipe Notes

*If you make these into full sized muffins, you'll need to adjust the cooking time.

How to Freeze Rhubarb

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Fresh rhubarb is only available for a limited time each year. Once you know how to freeze rhubarb, you’ll be able to enjoy it later in the year. You can also use it in many delicious recipes. 5 bags of sliced rhubarb are stacked on top of each other at the top and a close up of sliced rhubarb on the bottom with text that reads "How to Freeze Rhubarb"Both my neighbour Christie and my friend Denise grow rhubarb in their gardens. Fortunately, this means that I am the lucky recipient of fresh rhubarb every year. I am super thankful for this as I’m a fan of this unusual vegetable.

If you aren’t fortunate enough to have a neighbour or friend that grows it and gifts it to you, you can find it at Farmer’s Markets and even sometimes in the produce section of the grocery store when it is in season.

If you’re a fan of this vegetable too, there’s great news. Rhubarb freezes beautifully. Freezing rhubarb is very easy as it doesn’t require blanching beforehand.

How to freeze rhubarb:

Method for if you’re wanting to be able to take out smaller amounts of rhubarb from the bag:

  1. Cut the leaves and the tails off the rhubarb stalks.
  2. Wash the stalks.
  3. Dry them well using a tea towel or paper towels.
  4. Using a sharp knife, slice into 1/4″ to 1/2″ pieces.
  5. Place the slices on a cookie sheet in a single layer and place the baking sheet in the freezer.
  6. Once frozen, transfer the rhubarb pieces into a large resealable freezer bag.
  7. Remove the excess air from the bag, seal, and freeze.
  8. For best results, close the bag almost all the way and then insert a straw in the opening to suck out whatever air is left. This will prevent freezer burn. Do this whenever you take some rhubarb out and are resealing the bag.

Method for how to freeze rhubarb for use in recipes:

  1. Cut the leaves and the tails off the rhubarb stalks.
  2. Wash the stalks.
  3. Dry them well using a tea towel or paper towels.
  4. Using a sharp knife, slice into 1/4″ to 1/2″ pieces.
  5. Measure into 1 or 2 cups and transfer to a medium sized resealable freezer bag.*
  6. Label the bag “1 cup” or “2 cups” so that you don’t need to re-measure.
  7. Remove the excess air, seal, and freeze. For best results and to prevent freezer burn, close the bag almost all the way shut and insert a straw in the opening and use that to suck out any air that is left.
  8. When needed, dump the contents of the bag into the recipe you need it for.

*I measure all of mine into 2 cups because if a recipe calls for one cup, I just double it as we have a large family.You don’t need to thaw the rhubarb before adding it into a recipe.

Once frozen, rhubarb keeps for up to one year as long as the air is removed from the bag.

Ideas for using your frozen rhubarb:

In case you have rhubarb sitting in your freezer and aren’t sure what to do with it, I’ve gathered some ideas and recipes for you.

You may also be interested in reading:

The Quick Start Guide to Freezer Meals

Saucy Sausage Pasta (Freezer Meal)

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When I first tried this recipe, I knew I had to find a way to create a make ahead version of it. I worked on a few variations to come up with the best one and here it is. This saucy sausage pasta sauce has such fresh flavours. a black bowl is overflowing with noodles covered in a chunky red sauce with chunks of white cheese and herbs on top. The text reads "Saucy Sausage Pasta Sauce freezer meal"Having this in my freezer makes it so easy to get supper on the table. I can just cook up whatever pasta I happen to have, heat up the sauce, and dinner is ready to go.

Saucy Sausage Pasta Sauce Recipe:

  • 500 g ground Italian or Chorizo sausage, browned
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 an onion, chopped
  • 56 g sun dried tomatoes
  • 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 tsp. parsley
  • salt and pepper to taste

For serving:

  • 500 g linguine, penne, or other pasta
  • 200 g bocconcini cheese
  • fresh basil
  • optional: red pepper flakes

Assembly instructions:

  1. Brown the sausage. If it is in the casing, uncase it first.
  2. Place the browned sausage, minced garlic, chopped onion, sun dried tomatoes, can of diced tomatoes, and seasonings in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Remove the excess air and seal. Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Remove the bag from the freezer to thaw.
  2. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain and rinse under hot water.
  3. While the pasta is cooking, heat the sauce over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
  4. Serve the sauce on top of the pasta. Top with fresh bocconcini cheese, torn into bite sized pieces, and fresh basil. I like to sprinkle mine with red pepper flakes as well.

Check out some of our other make ahead pasta sauces:

Chicken in a Mango Cream Sauce

The Best Freezer Spaghetti Sauce

Spicy Italian Sausage Sauce

Print
Saucy Sausage Pasta Sauce
Course: Main Course
Keyword: freezer meal, pasta, sausage
Ingredients
  • 500 g ground Italian or Chorizo sausage browned
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 an onion chopped
  • 56 g sun dried tomatoes
  • 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 tsp. parsley
  • salt and pepper to taste
For serving:
  • 500 g linguine penne, or other pasta
  • 200 g bocconcini cheese
  • fresh basil
  • optional: red pepper flakes
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Brown the sausage. If it is in the casing, uncase it first.
  2. Place the browned sausage, minced garlic, chopped onion, sun dried tomatoes, can of diced tomatoes, and seasonings in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Remove the excess air and seal. Freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Remove the bag from the freezer to thaw.
  2. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain and rinse under hot water.
  3. While the pasta is cooking, heat the sauce over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
  4. Serve the sauce on top of the pasta. Top with fresh bocconcini cheese, torn into bite sized pieces, and fresh basil. I like to sprinkle mine with red pepper flakes as well.

Beef and Bacon Goulash (Freezer Meal)

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My husband started doing Keto this year. It’s made freezer meals more of a challenge as I’ve had to find make ahead recipes that are keto friendly. This Beef and Bacon Goulash is one I made last time we did meal prep and he was very happy with the results. chunks of beef, bacon, mushrooms, and thin slices of onion in a brown sauce are in a white bowl with multicoloured polka dots. The text read "Bacon Beef Goulash freezer meal crock pot"This is an easy freezer to crock pot recipe with just 5 ingredients. And it’s healthy, using real food. So whether you’re on a low carb diet or not, this recipe can be one you add into your dinner arsenal.

It’s not the prettiest looking thing, but the taste is there!

Apparently, a goulash is supposed to be seasoned with paprika and this one isn’t, so technically, I guess I should be calling this a stew, but we named it Bacon and Beef Goulash. Once your bag is labelled that, that’s what you and your family will call it for all of time!

Beef and Bacon Goulash Recipe:

  • 2 lbs. beef stew meat, cubed
  • 1 1/4 cups mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 5 slices bacon, sliced into bite sized pieces*
  • 1 onion, sliced

Optional for day of serving:

  • 2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Note: *If you want crunchier bacon, you can fry it before adding it to the freezer bag.

Assembly instructions:

  1. Cube the beef. Slice the onion, mushrooms, and bacon.
  2. Add the beef, bacon slices, mushrooms, onion slices, and beef broth to a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Remove the excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Remove from freezer to thaw.
  2. Add the bag contents to the Crock Pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
  3. If you want to thicken up the gravy, mix together 2 Tbsp. of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and stir into the beef mixture in the slow cooker 20 minutes before serving.

You can serve this on mashed potatoes, rice, or cauliflower rice. Or if you’d rather, you can serve this beside vegetables or with buns. My husband likes to eat his with cauliflower rice fried up with lots of garlic. It’s actually pretty delicious.

Check out these other keto friendly freezer meals:

Instant Pot Keto Bone Brothketo bone broth made in the Instant Pot in a bowl

Lemon Garlic Chicken

Instant Pot Pork or Chicken Shawarma

Print
Beef and Bacon Goulash
Course: Main Course
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs. beef stew meat cubed
  • 1 1/4 cups mushrooms sliced
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 5 slices bacon sliced into bite sized pieces*
  • 1 onion sliced
Optional for day of serving:
  • 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Cube the beef. Slice the onion, mushrooms, and bacon.
  2. Add the beef, bacon slices, mushrooms, onion slices, and beef broth to a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Remove the excess air, seal, and freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Remove from freezer to thaw.
  2. Add the bag contents to the Crock Pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
  3. If you want to thicken up the gravy, mix together 2 Tbsp. of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and stir into the beef mixture in the slow cooker 20 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes

*If you want crunchier bacon, you can fry it before adding it to the freezer bag.