Freezer Meals 101

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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 flavors. Some of our favorites 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" #freezermeals101 #makeahead #beefbeanburritosI 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 favorite hot sauce and eat it the way they want to. beef and bean burritos wrapped individually in foil and placed in a freezer bagWhen 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 assemble 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 the 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.

collage of beef and bean burritos in foil and freezer bag, cut and served on a plate and topped with cheese while other fixings sit in bowls at the side like salsa and lettuceMicrowave 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.

close up of a beef and bean burrito cut open and sitting on lettuce with salsa and cheese on topSuggestions 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

beef and bean burritos cut in half and sitting on a bed of lettuce with salsa and cheese on top as well as bowls of toppings to the sideVariations to this burrito recipe:

  • Change the type of flour tortillas used to change the flavor 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.

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Beef and Bean Burritos
Course: Main Course, Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: beef, burritos
Servings: 8 burritos
Calories: 167 kcal
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 the 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 Joesclose up of taco sloppy Joe's with a bowl of salsa and sour cream on the side

Cilantro Lime Chicken with Corn and Black Beansclose up of cilantro lime chicken with corn and black beans, topped with a dollop of salsa, guacamole and sour cream

Ground Beef Stroganoffclose up of ground beef stroganoff with lots of noodles and garnished with parsley

Slow Cooker Ragu with Beef and Sausage

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This Ragu with beef and sausage can be made ahead and frozen. It’s full of powerful flavors. This is a hearty meal that includes both meat and vegetables. white Crock Pot with chunky sauce and a ladle lifting some up with text that reads "Slow Cooker Ragu with sausage and beef" #freezermeals101 #ragusausagebeef #makeahead #slowcookerThis Ragu recipe makes a large amount. If you are cooking for 2 or for a small family, I would suggest splitting it into 2 freezer bags.

What is the difference between Ragu and a Bolognese sauce?

Ragu has more meat in it than Bolognese does and usually includes pork as well as beef. It also usually includes red wine and beef broth and sometimes has a small amount of heavy cream or milk in it as well.

Essentially, Ragu is more of a meat sauce with tomatoes while Bolognese is more of a tomato sauce with meat.

Ragu with Beef and Sausage Recipe:

  • 1 lb. ground beef, browned
  • 450 g ground Italian sausage, browned*
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 a zucchini, chopped
  • red pepper, diced
  • 2x 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 1 tsp. basil
  • 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper

optional:

  • basil and shredded Parmesan cheese for serving

*If you like things with a kick, you can use spicy Italian sausage.

Ragu with tomatoes, beef and sausage served on pasta with cheese and parsley on topAssembly instructions:

  1. Brown the ground beef and the sausage.
  2. Allow them to cool. Add them into a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Chop the onion, zucchini, and red pepper. Mince the garlic.
  4. Add the chopped vegetables and all other ingredients to the bag. Squish to combine.
  5. Remove the extra air from the bag and seal before freezing.

collage of ragu with tomatoes, beef and sausage in the slow cooker, in a bowl and being lifted on a fork from a dish with pastaSlow Cooker Cooking Instructions:

  • Take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
  • Dump the bag contents into the crockpot.
  • Cook on high for 2-4 hours.
  • Serve over noodles or rice.
  • If you want, you can sprinkle fresh basil and shredded Parmesan cheese on the plates before serving.serving spoon lifting ragu beef and sausage out of a slow cooker

This recipe is gluten-free and keto-friendly. Of course, you’ll need to serve it over a pasta alternative such as spiralized vegetables for it to be fully gluten-free and keto!

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Ragu with Beef and Sausage Recipe
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: beef, Ragu, sausage
Servings: 6
Calories: 332 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. ground beef browned
  • 450 g ground Italian sausage browned*
  • 1 onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 zucchini chopped
  • red pepper diced
  • 2 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 1 tsp. basil
  • 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Brown the ground beef and the sausage.
  2. Let them cool. Add them into a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Chop the onion, zucchini, and red pepper. Mince the garlic.
  4. Add the chopped vegetables and all other ingredients to the bag. Squish to combine.
  5. Remove the extra air from the bag and seal before freezing.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.

  2. Dump the bag contents into the crockpot.

  3. Cook on high for 2-4 hours.
  4. Serve over noodles or rice.
Recipe Notes

*If you like things with a kick, you can use spicy Italian sausage.

Some of our other recipes you may enjoy:

Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce close up of Italian sausage pasta sauce served on spaghetti

Irresistible Chicken Pasta Bake close up of irresistible chicken pasta bake with lots of noodles and herb garnish

Ground Beef Stroganoff Freezer Meal

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Beef Stroganoff is comfort food in our family. It’s one of the first meals I learned to make after I got married. My husband and I both had moms who cooked this when we were growing up, but they made it very differently. My original version was a blend of their recipes and from that, I later created this ground beef stroganoff freezer meal recipe. creamy, chunky sauce on egg noodles with green garnish with text that reads "Beef Stroganoff freezer meal recipe" #freezermeals101 #beefstroganoff #makeahead #freezermealrecipeOur family loves this version of beef stroganoff. It’s a quick and easy meal to assemble and has that great hearty comforting taste. Beef stroganoff originates in Russia. We like the flavors of Eastern European comfort food such as our Cabbage Roll Casserole or Borscht.

I find it easiest when making freezer meals that call for ground beef to brown it in large batches ahead of time and then make many recipes all at once. This allows me to use time efficiently and get a lot done at once.

As with most freezer meals, it’s just as quick and easy once you’ve browned the beef and chopped the onions for this to make four of these recipes at once as it is to make one. When you open your freezer and see four meals made, you will feel so accomplished and glad that you quadrupled this recipe!close up of ground beef stroganoff garnished with parsley I want to mention something about the mushrooms in this recipe. You can substitute a can of mushrooms for the fresh mushrooms, particularly if you’re making this as a freezer meal, but please don’t. Fresh mushrooms taste so much better in this recipe than canned does. Trust me on this!

What do you serve with Beef Stroganoff?

Beef Stroganoff is usually served over egg noodles. It can also be served on rice, regular pasta, gluten-free pasta, or squash noodles. I always set out some extra sour cream when serving beef stroganoff so that those who want to can stir more in as desired. close up of egg noodles pouring from a bowl on the counterIf you’re looking for some side dishes to pair beef stroganoff with, here are a few suggestions:

  • apple slaw
  • coleslaw
  • green salad
  • steamed green beans
  • roasted brussels sprouts

Ground Beef Stroganoff Recipe:

  • 1 lb. ground beef, browned
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 tsp. parsley
  • dash pepper

collage of noodles and a skillet of ground beef stroganoff as well as someone lifting some with a fork from a plateAssembly instructions:

  1. Add the ground beef to a large resealable bag.
  2. Add all the other ingredients to the bag and squish them around to combine.
  3. Remove excess air and seal. Lay flat and freeze.

Skillet cooking instructions:

  1. On the day of cooking, thaw.
  2. Heat the beef stroganoff in a skillet on medium until heated through.
  3. Before serving, stir in another 1/4 cup of sour cream. This adds a bit of zip and freshness and livens the recipe up.
  4. Serve over cooked egg noodles or stir the cooked egg noodles into the skillet when the stroganoff has finished heating.

Crock-Pot® cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Empty the contents of the bag into the slow cooker and cook on low for 2-5 hours.
  3. Before serving, stir in 1/4 cup of sour cream.
  4. Serve over cooked egg noodles.

This Ground Beef Stroganoff recipe is included in our Family Favourites Freezer Meal Plan along with other recipes, printable shopping lists, prep lists, and printable labels.

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Ground Beef Stroganoff Freezer Meal

As with most freezer meals, it's just as quick and easy once you've browned the beef and chopped the onions for this to make four of these recipes at once than it is to make one. When you open your freezer and see four meals made, you will feel so accomplished and glad that you quadrupled this recipe!

Course: Main Course
Keyword: beef, stroganoff
Servings: 6
Calories: 255 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. ground beef browned
  • 1/2 cup onion chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/4 cup mushrooms sliced
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 tsp. parsley
  • dash pepper
Instructions

  1. To assemble this meal, add the ground beef to a large resealable bag.

  2. Add all the other ingredients to the bag and squish them around to combine.

  3. Remove excess air and seal.
  4. Lay flat and freeze.

  5. On the day of cooking, thaw and then cook in the slow cooker on low for 2-5 hours. If you prefer, you can instead heat the beef stroganoff in a skillet on medium until heated through.

  6. Before serving, stir in another 1/4 cup of sour cream. This adds a bit of zip and freshness and livens the recipe up.

Recipe Notes

I want to mention something about the mushrooms in this recipe. You can substitute a can of mushrooms for the fresh mushrooms, particularly if you're making this as a freezer meal, but please don't. Fresh mushrooms taste so much better in this recipe than canned does. Trust me on this!

Whenever I make this, I cook up a package of egg noodles and stir the stroganoff through the drained noodles. If I'm heating this in a skillet on the stovetop, I add the noodles into the skillet towards the end of cooking the mixture.

If I'm making this in the Crock-Pot, I stir the cooked egg noodles right into the Crock-Pot towards the end of the Beef Stroganoff cooking time.

Check out these other make-ahead recipes:

Tater Tot Casserole with Beef and Veggiesclose up of tater tot casserole in a slow cooker with ground beef and cheese on top

Homemade Hamburger Helperclose up of a bowl with lots of noodles, creamy tomato sauce and ground beef

Beefy Rice Crock Pot Casserolebowl of ground beef with rice and tomatoes

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 crockpot on cooking day. This is a 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" #freezermeals101 #tatertotcasserole #beefandvegcasserole Our original tater tot casserole is based on 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 of 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

collage of tater tot beef and veggie casserole in the crockpot and freezer bagAssembly 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.

Crockpot 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. close up of tater tot beef and veggie casserole in the crockpot

More family favourite freezer meals:

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Tater Tot Casserole with Beef and Veggies
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: tater tot casserole
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 569 kcal
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.

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 multi-colored polka dots. The text read "Bacon Beef Goulash freezer meal crock pot" #freezermeals101 #beefgoulash #crockpotmealThis 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 to your dinner arsenal.

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

close up of beef and bacon goulash in a freezer bagApparently, 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 labeled that, that’s what you and your family will call it all of the 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 the 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.collage of beef and bacon goulash in a freezer bag, in the crock-pot and finished in a bowl

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 Chickenclose up of lemon garlic chicken served with slices of lemon and rice

Instant Pot Pork or Chicken ShawarmaCollage of pork and chicken shawarma with an Instant Pot

Print
Beef and Bacon Goulash
Course: Main Course
Keyword: bacon, beef, goulash
Servings: 6
Calories: 394 kcal
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 the 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.