Freezer Meals 101

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casserole

Hash Brown Casserole (freezer meal version)

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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!clear bag filled with cubed hash browns on top image. Cheesy hash browns on white plate topped with ketchup at bottom. Text reads "Hash Brown Casserole freezer meal" #freezermeals101 #hashbrowncasserole #freezercasserole #makeahead 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.plate of bacon, scrambled eggs, and ketchup topped hash browns

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:

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

collage of photos showing making freezer to oven hash brown casseroleOven Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. 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:

  1. Thaw.
  2. 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.plate of hash browns topped with ketchup. A bowl of strawberries are nearby.

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.

plate of hash browns topped with ketchup. A bowl of strawberries are nearby.
Print
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:
  1. Melt butter.

  2. Chop onion.

  3. Mix everything together in a giant bowl starting with the butter and mushroom soup.

  4. Dump it in a large resealable freezer bag.

  5. Remove the excess air.
  6. Seal.
  7. Freeze.
Oven Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.

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

Crock Pot Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. 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:

Spanish Rice Casserole (freezer meal)

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I love it when a meal doesn’t need side dishes. This cheesy all-in-one Spanish Rice casserole freezer meal is so easy to make. Everything is cooked ahead so it can be on the table quickly. multi colored plate heaped with cheesy rice casserole. Text reads "Spanish Rice freezer meal" #freezermeals101 #spanishrice #makeahead #freezerrice #spanishsidesWe’ve been making this recipe for many years. It makes it into about every second freezer meal rotation because it’s just a solidly good recipe. And it’s on the table in 30 or 40 minutes so it’s great for busy weeknights. 

Spanish Rice Recipe:

  • 1 lb. ground beef, cooked
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups pasta sauce
  • 2 cups cooked white or brown rice, cooked and cooled
  • 1/2 cup onion, diced
  • 1/2 green pepper, diced
  • 2 1/4 oz. can sliced black olives (or half the can)
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

close up of Spanish rice casserole on a plate, topped with cheeseAssembly instructions:

  1. Brown the beef.
  2. Cook and cool the rice.
  3. Chop the vegetables.
  4. Place the grated cheddar cheese in a medium resealable bag.
  5. Put all the other ingredients in a large resealable bag and squish to mix together. Remove excess air and seal. Staple the bags together above the seal.
  6. Freeze.

freezer bag with ingredients for Spanish rice casserole insideCooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Put the contents of the large bag in a large casserole dish and top with cheese.
  3. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350°.

collage of Spanish rice casserole in a freezer bag, in a pot topped with cheese and being lifted with a spoon to serve

Variations of the Spanish Rice Casserole:

  • Use veggie ground round in place of the ground beef to make this meal vegetarian.
  • Omit the olives if you’re not a fan of black olives or add the full can if you can’t get enough.
  • Use red or orange peppers in place of the green peppers if you want a milder flavor. 
  • Serve with hot sauce if you like things spicy.
  • You can change up the flavors a bit by trying this recipe with different pasta sauces. Use whichever your favorites are.

close up of Spanish rice casserole in a pot topped with cheeseYou can find this easy freezer meal recipe in our Gluten Free Freezer Meal Menu Plan. It also contains other recipes, prep lists, shopping lists, and printable labels.

Print
Spanish Rice
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: casserole, rice, Spanish
Servings: 6
Calories: 570 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. ground beef cooked
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 cups pasta sauce
  • 2 cups (cooked) white or brown rice cooked and cooled
  • 1/2 cup onion diced
  • 1/2 green pepper diced
  • 2 1/4 oz. can sliced black olives or half the can
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Brown the beef.
  2. Cook and cool the rice.
  3. Chop the vegetables.

  4. Place the grated cheddar cheese in a medium resealable bag.

  5. Put all the other ingredients in a large resealable bag and squish to mix together. Remove excess air and seal. Staple the bags together above the seal.

  6. Freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. Put the contents of the large bag in a large casserole dish and top with cheese.

  3. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350°.

Check out these other freezer meal casseroles:

Chicken Asparagus Casseroleclose up of chicken asparagus casserole with rice

Chicken Wild Rice Casseroleclose up of chicken and wild rice casserole with carrots and celery

Southern Style Ground Beef Casseroleclose up of southern-style ground beef casserole topped with cheese

 

Easy Tuna Casserole Freezer Meal

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I know that tuna isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for me, a good tuna casserole with noodles is totally comforting food. This make-ahead recipe is so easy. steaming hot noodles, sauce, green peas in a baking dish. Text reads "Make Ahead Tuna Casserole"

I know canned tuna sometimes gets a bad rap, but this dish is actually really tasty. And it’s super economical so it’s a great budget meal. I always make several at one time to freeze as that way, I can buy cans of tuna in bulk when they are on sale. This saves even more time and money.

Can you freeze tuna casserole?

Yes, tuna casserole freezes beautifully! Tuna noodle casserole can be frozen 3 ways. 

  1. Freeze the mixture WITHOUT the noodles and then cook the noodles on the day of serving and add them together before baking. This is my preferred method because it ensures the best texture consistency of the noodles.
  2. Cook the noodles to slightly under where you want them cooked, drain and mix into the rest of the mixture before freezing. Then thaw and bake.
  3. Make the full recipe including the noodles and bake and then freeze. Then thaw and reheat. This is my least favorite method as there is the risk of the finished casserole being overcooked or being somewhat dried out. 

Make-Ahead Tuna Casserole Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 2x 6 oz. cans flaked tuna, drained
  • 1/4 cup onion, chopped
  • 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
  • 2x 10 oz. cans cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
  • 1 tsp. pepper

For cooking day:

  • package of egg noodles

Assembly instructions:

  1. Mix everything together in a large bowl.
  2. Put mixture into a large resealable bag.
  3. Remove the excess air and seal. Lay flat and freeze.

freezer bag filled with tuna casseroleCooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Cook egg noodles according to package directions.
  3. Mix the noodles with the contents of the freezer bag.
  4. Put in a casserole dish and bake at 425° for 20-30 minutes.

collage of tuna casserole in a freezer bag and in a casserole dishThis recipe is included in our Family Favourites Freezer Meal Plan along with other easy recipes, prep lists, shopping lists, and printable labels.

Print
Make-Ahead Tuna Casserole
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: tuna, tuna casserole
Servings: 6
Calories: 651 kcal
Ingredients
  • 2 6 oz. cans flaked tuna drained
  • 1/4 cup onion chopped
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
  • 2 10 oz. cans cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup red pepper chopped
  • 1 tsp. pepper
For cooking day:
  • 1 package of egg noodles
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Mix everything together in a large bowl.

  2. Put the mixture into a large resealable bag.

  3. Remove the excess air and seal. Lay flat and freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. Cook egg noodles according to package directions.

  3. Mix the noodles with the contents of the freezer bag.

  4. Put in a casserole dish.

  5. Bake at 425° for 20-30 minutes.

Some of our other family-friendly freezer meals:

Chicken Asparagus Bakeclose up of chicken asparagus bake with riceCrock Pot Pizza Casseroleclose up of crockpot pizza casserole with pasta

Easy Beef Hashscoop of beef hash casserole with cheese on top

Ham and Potato Casserole (freezer meal)

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Looking for a way to use up a leftover ham? This casserole works beautifully for that. It is a simple and inexpensive ham and potato casserole that’s very family-friendly. And it can be made as a freezer meal. white plate with cheesy potato cubes topped with red ketchup. Text reads "Ham and Potato freezer meal casserole" #freezermeals101 #freezermealcasserole #hamandpotato Tossing this into a freezer bag is so quick. If you have a lot of leftover ham after Thanksgiving or Easter, you can make several of these casseroles to freeze. 

Using frozen hash browns is a much faster way to throw together a meal with potatoes and they work better in a freezer meal. This is a trick I also use in our Beef Hash.

Ham and Potato Casserole Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups frozen hash browns (cubes)
  • 1 1/2 cups cubed ham (I use black forest ham, but you can also use leftover ham from a holiday meal if you have it)
  • 1/2 cup onions, chopped
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 10 oz. can cream of chicken soup
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • salt and pepper to taste

Assembly instructions:

  1. Cube the ham. Chop the onions. Grate the cheese.
  2. Add all ingredients to a large resealable freezer bag. Squish to combine the ingredients well.
  3. Remove excess air and seal. Freeze.

close up of freezer bag with ham and potato casserole Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.
  3. Dump the bag ingredients in. Bake at 375° for 50-55 minutes.

collage of ham and potato casserole in a freezer bag and in bowlsMost of my kids like to squeeze some ketchup on top of theirs. You can eat it plain, with ketchup, or with hot sauce. 

This is one of those recipes where you can’t really go wrong. You can change it up by adding a different type of cheese, topping it with breading or adding your favorite seasonings.close up of ham and potato casserole with a drizzle of ketchup

Print
Ham and Potato Casserole
Course: Main Course
Keyword: casserole, ham, potato
Servings: 4
Calories: 391 kcal
Ingredients
  • 4 cups frozen hash browns cubes
  • 1 1/2 cups cubed ham
  • 1/2 cup onions chopped
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
  • 10 oz. can cream of chicken soup
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Assembly instructions:

  1. Cube the ham. Chop the onions. Grate the cheese.

  2. Add all ingredients to a large resealable freezer bag. Squish to combine the ingredients well.

  3. Remove excess air and seal. Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.

  2. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.

  3. Dump the bag ingredients in. Bake at 375° for 50-55 minutes.

You might want to try these other family-friendly freezer meals:

Easy Beef Hashclose up of a spoon scooping out some easy beef hash with cheese melted on top

Chicken Asparagus Bakeclose up of chicken asparagus bake with rice

Cheesy Tater Tot Chicken Casseroleclose up of a scoop of tater tot chicken casserole with strings of cheese

Tater Tot Sloppy Joes Casserole

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It may not be Instagram-pretty, but this is a meal your kids will be asking for again and again. This tater tot sloppy joes casserole is about as easy a recipe as they come. With just four ingredients, you’ve got a fully kid-approved dinner. white casserole dish with tater tots on top, plate and fork nearby. Text reads "Tatertot Sloppy Joes Casserole" #freezermeals101 #tatertot #freezercasserole #tatertotsloppyjoes #sloppyjoes #sloppyjoescasserole

I make this as a freezer meal, but if you prefer, you can bake it and eat it right after you assemble it. 

In my house, if it has tater tots, the kids will eat it. Whether it’s our Cheesy Slow Cooker Chicken Tater Tot Casserole, our Pizza Tater Tot Casserole, Beef and Veggie Tater Tot dish, or this one, it’s a hit. 

Tater Tot Sloppy Joes Casserole Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 32 oz. bag tater tots
  • 2 lbs. ground beef, browned
  • 15 oz. can Sloppy Joes sauce
  • 8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

Assembly instructions:

  1. Brown the ground beef.
  2. Place the browned ground beef at the bottom of a casserole dish or aluminum tray. (If I’m freezing it, I use an aluminum tray. If I’m baking it to serve right then, I use a casserole dish.)
  3. Pour the sloppy joe sauce on top of the beef and mix well.
  4. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of the ground beef mixture.
  5. Take the tater tots and lay them in a single layer on top of the cheese.
  6. Cover tightly with two layers of aluminum foil. 
  7. Freeze.

collage of steps to make tater tot sloppy joes casseroleCooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Bake for 25 minutes at 400°.close up of casserole dish with tater tot sloppy joes and a plate with some on it ready to serve
Print
Tater Tot Sloppy Joes Casserole
Course: Main Course
Keyword: casserole, sloppy Joes, tater tot
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 470 kcal
Ingredients
  • 32 oz. bag tater tots
  • 2 lbs. ground beef browned
  • 15 oz. can Sloppy Joes sauce
  • 8 oz. cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Brown the ground beef.

  2. Place browned ground beef at the bottom of a casserole dish or aluminum tray.

  3. Pour the sloppy joe sauce on top of the beef and mix well.

  4. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of the ground beef mixture.

  5. Take the tater tots and lay them in a single layer on top of the cheese.

  6. Cover tightly with two layers of aluminum foil.

  7. Freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. Bake for 25 minutes at 400°.

You might also want to check out these other freezer meal tater tot casseroles:

Easy Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casseroleclose up of easy cheesy tater tot chicken casserole with cheese

Tater Tot Pizza Casserole fork lifting some tater tot pizza casserole from a dish

Crock Pot Tater Tot Casserole with Beef and Veggiescrockpot with tater tot beef and veggie casserole that has cheese on top