Freezer Meals 101

Less time cooking, more time living

Mongolian Beef Skillet Freezer Meal

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If you’re a fan of Mongolian beef, you’re going to love how easy it is to make from scratch. This Mongolian Beef freezer meal recipe is as delicious as it is simple.bag filled with beef strips and sauce and white bowl filled with rice, cooked rice strips, and green onions with chopsticks #freezermeals101 #mongolianbeef #beefdinner #beeffreezermeal #makeahead #AsianfreezermealThis easy make ahead Mongolian beef is so fast to assemble and almost just as fast to cook up. There’s no need to order from an Asian restaurant when you can just pull this out of the freezer and have it at home!

We love asian flavours so they often make their way into our freezer meals such as in our Easy Kung Pao Chicken, Asian Rice Bowl, and Ginger Soy Salmon, and Asian Meatballs. white bowl filled with rice topped with Mongolian beef strips and sliced green onions. Chopsticks rest of top.

Time saving tips:

  • I use the squeeze tubes of ginger because it still has that fresh taste but saves me having to grate the ginger myself.
  • Purchase the beef strips pre-sliced.
  • If you slice the steak yourself, putting it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes right before slicing makes it easier to cut.

Can you freeze Mongolian Beef?

Yes! You can absolutely freeze Mongolian beef. In fact, this recipe is designed for just that, although you can also eat this straight away if you prefer. You can double or triple the recipe to freeze several dinners at a time. Then, just pull out a bag on the day you have a craving for Asian take-out and instead, quickly cook up your own!bag full of Mongolian beef strips and sauce

Mongolian Beef Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb. package beef strips*
  • 1/2 tsp. ginger 
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup carrots, cut into tiny matchsticks
  • 2 green onions, sliced

For the day of cooking:

  • 1/3 cup cornstarch

beef strips, green onions, bowls of ingredientsAssembly instructions:

  1. Peel the carrots and cut them into matchsticks.
  2. Slice the green onions.
  3. Add the beef strips to a large resealable freezer bag.
  4. Toss in the ginger, minced garlic, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, carrots, and green onions to the bag.
  5. Squish to combine.
  6. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Skillet cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Heat in skillet.
  3. Whisk 1/3 cup cornstarch into the sauce as it cooks.
  4. Cook until beef is cooked. This will be quick, 3-5 minutes.
  5. Serve over rice. Sprinkle with some sliced green onions if you like.

*If you can’t find the beef cut into strips already, you can ask the butcher at your grocer to slice some flank steak for you or you can slice it yourself against the grain. You can substitute sirloin steak for flank steak if you prefer.collage of photos of making Mongolian beef as a freezer meal

What to serve with Mongolian beef:

Rice is a natural choice to serve under or beside the Mongolian beef to soak up some of that delicious sauce. White rice, jasmine rice, sticky rice, or any rice will do. You can also add a side veggie.

Here are some suggestions for great side dishes for this meal:

white bowl with rice, Mongolian beef strips, green onions, and chopsticks

white bowl with rice, beef strips, green onions, and chopsticks
Print
Mongolian Beef
Prep Time
8 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Keyword: beef, Mongolian
Servings: 6
Calories: 268 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 lb. package beef strips*
  • 1/2 tsp. ginger
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1/4 cup carrots cut into matchsticks
  • 2 green onions sliced
For the day of cooking:
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Peel the carrots and cut into small matchsticks.
  2. Slice the green onions.
  3. Add the beef strips to a large resealable freezer bag.

  4. Toss in the ginger, minced garlic, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, carrots, and green onions to the bag.

  5. Squish to combine.

  6. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Skillet cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. Heat in skillet over medium.

  3. Whisk 1/3 cup cornstarch into the sauce as it cooks.

  4. Cook until beef is cooked. (about 5 minutes)

  5. Serve over rice. Sprinkle with some sliced green onions

Recipe Notes

*If you can't find the beef cut into strips already, you can ask the butcher at your grocer to slice some flank steak for you or you can slice it yourself against the grain. You can substitute sirloin steak for flank steak if you prefer.

Check out these other Asian inspired freezer meals:

Easiest Kung Pao Chickenclose up of kung pau chicken on riceAsian Rice Bowlclose up of Asian rice bowl with vegetables and chopsticks

Asian Beef Noodle Soup for the Instant Potbowl of Asian beef noodle soup with sesame seeds

Complete Guide to Freezer Meal Prep

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Taking time ahead to prep your ingredients and your kitchen for freezer cooking will make assembling the meals go so much faster and more efficiently. This guide to freezer meal prep contains everything you need.

Preparing your kitchen

  1. Make room in your freezer.
  2. Wash the dishes and set out tools such as measuring spoons, measuring cups, spatulas, and large bowls so that you’ll have easy access. 
  3. Wipe down your counters.
  4. Print off recipes.
  5. Create stations by setting out what you’ll need for each meal including the recipe and freezer bags or containers. 

Brown the Ground Beef, Ground Turkey, and Sausage

Put 20 – 30 lbs of ground beef into a large counter top electric roaster and let it cook on 200/250° overnight. In the morning, it’s browned and ready to use. Use a ladle to take out the excess liquid or drain the meat. A big thank you to my friend Kimberly Walker, who is a mom of 10 and a freezer meal veteran for sharing this tip with me.

browning ground beef in electric roasterIf you don’t have a large counter top electric roaster, fry up your ground beef in a skillet, breaking it up with a Masher & Smasher as you go. Season it with a bit of salt and pepper. Drain the fat and store in a container with lid until ready to use. 

We typically use large pots with lids to store our cooked ground beef overnight in the fridge.two pots of browned hamburgerRemember: 2 1/3 cups of browned hamburger is 1 lb. This measurement will help you when you’re assembling your meals. You can keep a 1 cup measuring cup in the cooked beef and scoop out into the bags as needed.

Chopping, Mincing, and Slicing Onions

When you are chopping, mincing, and slicing dozens and dozens of onions, you need a better system than just using a knife and a cutting board. This is how we prep our onions for freezer cooking. It’s one of those things that’s better to show you, so watch the video below to see exactly how we do it. 

Know ahead how many onions you need to be minced, how many diced, and how many sliced. I make note of this while I’m compiling my shopping list.

  1. Set up a large cutting board and bring out your mandolin.
  2. Cut both ends off each onion.
  3. Peel the onions and discard the skins in the compost.
  4. For minced onions, use the julienne tool on a mandolin. For chopped onions, use the french fry tool on the mandolin.
  5. Be sure to use the safety guard.
  6. Run an onion down the mandolin repeatedly until it is all sliced.
  7. Use a knife to chop the sliced onion to complete the mincing or dicing.
  8. Place the onions in a bowl with a lid or plastic container with a lid for using when you assemble your freezer meals.

peeled onions, a mandolin, cutting board, and knife

Chopping Vegetables

You’ll want to cut everything ahead of assembling your freezer meals. This includes:

  • peeling and slicing carrots
  • chopping or slicing red, yellow, and green peppers
  • slicing mushrooms
  • dicing zucchini
  • getting broccoli or cauliflower into florets
  • slicing green onions

bowl of diced green peppers, bowl of diced zucchini, bag of sliced carrots, bowl of sliced mushroomsStore them in the fridge in bowls with lids, covered plastic containers, or freezer bags until you add them into your meals.

Shredding Cheese

Shredding cheese is usually pretty straightforward except when you have to shred 40 cups at a time! There are a few tricks that make shredding cheese easier and faster.

  1. Cut the cheese into blocks that will fit into your food processor. 
  2. Use the shredder attachment. 
  3. Add some corn starch so that it doesn’t clump and stays nice and loose in the container.
  4. Put the shredded cheese in a bowl. Add another tsp. or two of corn starch for every 4 cups or so of shredded cheese and give it a shake.
  5. Shred the next chunk of cheese and continue the process until all the cheese is shredded.

the process of shredding cheddar cheese using a food processorCooking Chicken Ahead

If you’re doing a variety of recipes for your freezer meals, you will likely have some that call for raw chicken and some that call for cooked chicken.  The cooked chicken is then cubed or shredded before adding into the meal.

I’ve found that the fastest way to cook chicken on prep day is to put chicken breasts or thighs in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350° or 375° oven for about 45 minutes. Cool slightly before chopping or shredding depending on what your recipes call for. 

Cooking Large Quantities of Bacon

Bacon is another thing that can be cooked in a large electric roaster if you have one. If you don’t or if you’re already using yours to cook your ground beef, you can cook your bacon in the oven on a cookie sheet.

The trick is in twisting the bacon so that you can fit more than twice as many slices on the cookie sheet!

Put the cookie sheet in the oven and bake at 375° until it’s reached the desired level of doneness. I would never dream of telling anyone how long to cook it for because there are two camps when it comes to bacon. Those who like it crispy and those who don’t!

Other Prep

Anything you can do ahead will save you time and energy on the day you assemble your meals. Take a look through your recipes and see what else can be done the day before. Cube the ham, roll the meatballs, cube or shred the cooked chicken, anything to save time the next day.

I know prep can be a big job, but you will reap the rewards on the day you go to assemble your freezer meals and most of the work is already done for you.

Vegan Chili (Freezer Meal)

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Whether your diet is entirely plant based or you are just looking for an occasional meatless dish, you’ll appreciate this vegan chili recipe. It can be made ahead as a freezer meal.metal bowls of chili with jalapenos on top sit on newspaper. Text reads "Vegan Chili freezer meal" #freezermeals101 #veganchili #makeaheadchili #makeaheadvegan #veganfreezermeal

This recipe combines three different beans, giving it lots of protein. It has a bit of a kick with the jalapeños and southwestern seasoning.

The medley of beans makes this vegetarian chili a hearty and filling meal.

Vegan Chili Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup black beans
  • 1 cup kidney beans
  • 1 cup pinto beans
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 jalapeños, diced (deseed if you don’t like spicy food)
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed and sliced
  • 2-3 Tbsp. southwestern seasoning
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 3-4 cups vegetable broth or water
  • 32 oz. can diced tomatoes

bowl of bean based chili topped with sliced green jalapenosNote: if desired, you can soak the beans overnight before assembling this recipe.

Assembly Instructions:

  1. Rinse the beans and combine them in a large stockpot. Cover with water and bring to a boil on the stovetop over high heat.
  2. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer the beans for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until beans are tender.
  3. Drain and rinse the beans.
  4. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
  5. Place cooled cooked beans in a large resealable freezer bag. Add diced onion, diced jalapeños, garlic, seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, vegetable broth or water, and diced tomatoes.
  6. Squish the bag to combine. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

collage of photos of vegan chili in a metal bowl on newspaper with greens in the backgroundCooking Instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Place in a large stovetop pot. Heat on medium-high and bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce to medium-low and cover, simmering for 1 hour until all liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally.

You might be interested in some of our other vegetarian freezer meals:

bowl of bean based chili topped with sliced green jalapenos
Print
Vegan Chili
Course: Main Course
Keyword: chili, vegan
Servings: 4
Calories: 320 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 cup black beans
  • 1 cup kidney beans
  • 1 cup pinto beans
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 jalapeños diced (deseed if you don't like spicy food)
  • 4 cloves garlic smashed and sliced
  • 2-3 Tbsp. southwestern seasoning
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 3-4 cups vegetable broth or water
  • 32 oz. can diced tomatoes
Instructions
Assembly Instructions:

  1. Rinse the beans and combine them in a large stockpot. Cover with water and bring to a boil on the stovetop over high heat.

  2. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer the beans for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until beans are tender.

  3. Drain and rinse the beans.

  4. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

  5. Place cooled cooked beans in a large resealable freezer bag. Add diced onion, diced jalapeños, garlic, seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, vegetable broth or water, and diced tomatoes.

  6. Squish the bag to combine. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking Instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. Place in a large stovetop pot. Heat on medium-high and bring to a boil.

  3. Reduce to medium-low and cover, simmering for 1 hour until all liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally.

Recipe Notes

Note: if desired, you can soak the beans overnight before assembling this recipe.

Make-Ahead Cranberry Sauce

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The holidays are such a busy time. Anything you can cross off your list by doing it ahead of time will take some of the stress out of things. This cranberry sauce can be made weeks or months ahead to serve at your holiday meal.

white bowl with red sauce on a blue and white tea towel. Text reads "Make Ahead Cranberry Sauce" #freezermeals101 #makeahead #christmasfreezermeals #cranberrysauce #makeaheadcranberrysauceNow you are of course welcome to just open up a can of cranberry sauce, but this is one side dish where you can taste the difference between store-bought and homemade. And it’s so worth the extra effort to make homemade cranberry sauce. 

Using just 4 ingredients, you can make your own cranberry sauce and freeze it until you’re ready to use it.

white bowl with red cranberry sauce, cranberries sprinkled nearbyThis freezes well for up to 3-6 months. Imagine making this one afternoon in late summer and knowing that you have one of your holiday side dishes already made and ready to go!

Make-Ahead Cranberry Sauce Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz. bag cranberries
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup apple cider

Assembly instructions:

  1. Add cranberries, sugar, water, and cider to a stovetop pot and heat on medium heat.
  2. Bring the mixture to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes. Continue stirring regularly until the cranberries fall apart and the mixture reduces to a thick, chunky sauce.
  4. Cool to room temperature.
  5. Pour into a medium-sized resealable freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

collage of photos of the process of making cranberry sauceServing instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Transfer to a bowl and serve with your turkey, pork, ham, or chicken. 

Ways to use any leftover cranberry sauce:

  • Glaze meats.
  • Spread it on toast or bagels like jam.
  • Pour over cream cheese or brie and serve with crackers.
  • Heat up and pour over cakes.
  • Bake into fruit muffins.
  • Combine with bbq sauce over chicken wings.
  • Mix it into oatmeal.
  • Spread on the bread or a croissant for a delicious turkey and brie sandwich. 
  • Make these tasty cranberry-brie bites as an appetizer.

Check out these other make-ahead side dishes for your holiday meal:

white bowl with red cranberry sauce, cranberries sprinkled nearby
Print
Make Ahead Cranberry Sauce
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cranberry sauce, holiday meal
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 124 kcal
Ingredients
  • 12 oz. bag cranberries
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup apple cider
Instructions
Assembly instructions:

  1. Add cranberries, sugar, water, and cider to a stovetop pot and heat on medium.

  2. Bring the mixture to a boil.

  3. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes. Continue stirring regularly until the cranberries fall apart and the mixture reduces to a thick, chunky sauce.

  4. Cool to room temperature.

  5. Pour into a medium-sized resealable freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Serving instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. Transfer to a bowl and serve with your turkey, pork, ham, or chicken.

Ranch Chicken Tenders (Make Ahead Freezer Meal)

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There is no need to buy frozen chicken tenders from the store when you have homemade ones right in your freezer ready to cook when you need them. These baked Ranch Chicken Tenders are easy to make ahead and taste so much better than the ones you’ll find in the frozen food aisle.

two strips of breaded chicken on top and one on the bottom being dipped into a white sauce. Text: "Baked Ranch Chicken Tenders" #freezermeals101 #chickentenders #ranchchicken #chickendinner #bakedchickenfingers #ranchchickenfingersIt’s nice to know what ingredients are in your chicken tenders. You’ll feel confident feeding these to your kids without any hidden fillers. With just 5 ingredients, this is as straightforward as it gets.

And chicken tenders aren’t just for kids. These babies are crispy on the outside yet tender on the inside making the kid inside all of us happy!collage of chicken tenders on a plate, pan, and dipped in sauce

Ranch Chicken Tenders Recipe:

Ingredients needed:

  • 3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into strips
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 Tbsp. dry Ranch seasoning
  • 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

Assembly instructions:

  1. Start by cutting the chicken into strips. You want to cut against the grain.
  2. Next, beat the eggs in a small bowl with a fork. 
  3. Stir the ranch seasoning into the flour in a medium bowl.
  4. Dredge the chicken strips in the beaten eggs, then in the flour mixture, back into the eggs, and finally, in the breadcrumbs.
  5. Place the breaded chicken in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and set the tray flat in the freezer.
  6. Leave for several hours or overnight and then transfer the strips to a large resealable freezer bag.
  7. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

collage of the stages of making chicken tendersCooking Instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Preheat oven to 375°.
  3. Place the breaded chicken tenders on a greased cookie sheet.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping at the halfway point. Be sure that the chicken has an internal temperature of 165° (use a meat thermometer to check).

By freezing the chicken flat on a cookie sheet first before putting them in a bag, you ensure that they don’t stick together. This also enables you to take just a few pieces out at a time to cook as needed.

Serve with Ranch dressing, honey mustard, or plum sauce for dipping.

a breaded chicken tender being dipped into a bowl of Ranch dressingVariations:

Sprinkle some shredded Parmesan cheese into your breadcrumb mixture.

Use Panko breadcrumbs mixed with the regular breadcrumbs (about half and half). This will increase crunch and texture. Add a minute or so of extra baking time. 

If you want to make the chicken tenders more golden, spray with cooking oil and set the oven to 450° or broil for the last 2 minutes of the cooking time.

What should I serve with baked chicken tenders?

Check out these other kid-friendly foods for your freezer:

Find more make-ahead lunch recipes along with printable shopping lists and labels in our Lunch Freezer Meal Plan.

a breaded chicken tender being dipped into a bowl of Ranch dressing
Print
Ranch Chicken Tenders
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken, chicken strips
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 291 kcal
Ingredients
  • 3 chicken breasts boneless and skinless, cut into strips
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 Tbsp. dry Ranch seasoning
  • 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
Instructions
Assembly instructions:

  1. Slice the chicken into strips.

  2. Beat the eggs in a small bowl.
  3. Stir the ranch seasoning into the flour in a medium bowl.

  4. Dredge the chicken strips in the beaten eggs, then in the flour mixture, back into the eggs, and finally, in the breadcrumbs.

  5. Place the breaded chicken in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and set into the freezer.

  6. Leave for several hours or overnight and then transfer the strips to a large resealable freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking Instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Preheat oven to 375°.

  3. Place the breaded chicken tenders on a greased cookie sheet.

  4. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping at the halfway point. Be sure that the chicken has an internal temperature of 165° (use a meat thermometer to check).

Recipe Notes

Tip: If you want to make the chicken tenders more golden, spray with cooking oil and set the oven to 450° or broil for the last 2 minutes of the cooking time.