Freezer Meals 101

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Freezer Garlic Bread Recipe

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It is so nice to have garlic bread in the freezer always ready to go. It’s so convenient. Having these loaves pre-made in your freezer means that you can pull them out to go with any meal or when company pops by unexpectedly. Make Ahead freezer garlic bread #sidedishes #freezermeals101 #garlicbread #makeaheadThis freezer garlic bread is a fraction of the cost of store-bought garlic bread. Making some loaves ahead means saving on time and money.

Freezer Garlic Bread Recipe:

  • a loaf of French bread*
  • 1 cup of butter, softened
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • parsley
  • optional: grated Parmesan cheese

*You can use store-bought French bread or use this foolproof, one-hour recipe to make your own. It’s the recipe I use when I make it homemade. When I’m short on time, I buy French bread to make this garlic bread.

Set out a loaf of French bread. Make cuts every inch or two (depending on how thick you want your garlic bread) down the loaf about 6/8ths of the way through. Don’t cut all the way down to the bottom.

Soften the butter and mix with minced garlic and the seasonings. Spread the butter mixture down between the bread slices. how to make freezer garlic breadIf you want, you can sprinkle shredded Parmesan cheese in between the slices on top of the butter mixture.

Wrap the loaf in two layers of tin foil. Freeze.

To serve, take it out of the freezer. Keep the aluminum foil on it and place it in the oven. Cook at 350° for 15 minutes. Open the foil to allow the steam to release.

Change the oven temperature to 450° and put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Serve with spaghetti, pasta with Italian sausage sauce, or any other pasta freezer meal. close up of sliced garlic breadHere are some freezer meals that pair perfectly with a side of garlic bread:

Make-Ahead Spaghetti Sauce

close up of noodles topped with red sauce and Parmesan cheese and bread

Chicken Cacciatore close up of chicken cacciatore on pasta

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Freezer Garlic Bread Recipe
Course: Side Dish
Keyword: bread, garlic
Servings: 12
Calories: 272 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 loaf of French bread
  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • parsley
  • optional: grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions

  1. Set out a loaf of French bread. Make cuts every inch or two (depending on how thick you want your garlic bread) down the loaf about 6/8ths of the way through. Don't cut all the way down to the bottom.

  2. Soften the butter and mix with minced garlic and the seasonings. Spread the butter mixture down between the bread slices.

  3. If you want, you can sprinkle shredded Parmesan cheese in between the slices on top of the butter mixture.

  4. Wrap the loaf in two layers of tin foil. Freeze.

  5. To serve, take it out of the freezer. Keep the aluminum foil on it and place in the oven. Cook at 350° for 15 minutes. Open the foil to allow the steam to release.

  6. Change the oven temperature to 450° and put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

Lemon Garlic Chicken Dump Recipe

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Supper doesn’t get easier than this Lemon Garlic Chicken Dump recipe. It’s a quick make-ahead meal that can be cooked in the slow cooker. Lemon Garlic Chicken Dump Slow Cooker Freezer Meal #freezermeals101 #freezermeals #crockpot #5ingredient

Dump recipes are probably my favorite type of freezer meal to make. You can easily make ten meals in half an hour to an hour using the dump recipe method. Watch this video with complete step-by-step instructions on how to save time by making dump meals:

The dump recipe method is basically using only one protein or main ingredient, setting up all of your resealable bags on the counter, filling them with that main ingredient, then dumping the other ingredients called for in the recipes into each bag.

Lemon Garlic Chicken Dump Recipe:

  • 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 4 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
  • 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper

Since this is a dump recipe, it is just as easy to make lots of these as it is to make one. Begin by opening a large resealable bag (or as many bags as the number of meals you are going to make) and adding the chicken.

Dump the other ingredients into the bag. Remove the excess air from the bag, seal, lay flat, and freeze.

On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 45-55 minutes or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.

If desired, you can sprinkle some parsley on top. Serve with rice or potatoes and your choice of veggies. This meal is one of the many simple, yet delicious recipes included in my Chicken Dump Recipes cookbook. 

Check out these other Dump Meal Recipes:

BBQ Shredded Chicken in the Crock Pot 

Freezer to Crock Pot Beef Stew

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Lemon Garlic Chicken Dump Recipe
The dump recipe method is basically using only one protein or main ingredient, setting up all of your resealable bags on the counter, filling them with that main ingredients and then dumping the other ingredients called for in the recipes into each bag.
Servings: 6
Calories: 271 kcal
Ingredients
  • 3-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 4 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
  • 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
Instructions

  1. Begin by opening a large resealable bag and adding the chicken.

  2. Dump the other ingredients into the bag.

  3. Remove the excess air from the bag, seal, lay flat, and freeze.

  4. On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.

  5. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 45-55 minutes or in the crock pot on low for 4-6 hours.

  6. Serve with rice or potatoes and your choice of veggies.

Droolworthy BBQ Shredded Chicken Freezer Meal with Garlic Mayo

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This BBQ Shredded Chicken Freezer Meal recipe has always been delicious, but when my friend Christie introduced me to serving it with garlic mayo, it leveled up to drool-worthy status! Seriously, this tastes amazing.

Droolworthy BBQ Shredded Chicken with garlic mayo freezer meal

Admittedly, this is messy to eat, but you won’t mind having drips of garlic mayo mixed with BBQ sauce and minced onions running down your wrists because it is so worth it! The garlic mayo also goes beautifully with our Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork and our Make Ahead Beef Dip.

We recently gave ourselves a challenge of making freezer meals with 5 ingredients or less and included this recipe. You can see this being put together as well as the other meals here:

 

BBQ Shredded Chicken Freezer Meal Recipe:

  • 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 3/4 cup finely minced onion
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 bottle of barbeque sauce or 425 mL of your own homemade BBQ sauce
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

To put this freezer meal together, place the chicken, minced onion, minced garlic, barbeque sauce, and apple cider vinegar in a large resealable bag. Remove excess air and seal.

On the day you want to serve this, take it out of the freezer and allow it to thaw. Cook it in the crockpot on low for 3-5 hours. Shred when done and serve in on buns on top of garlic mayo. You can also serve this shredded BBQ chicken on nachos or in tacos.

I’ve brought this with us camping and had it on a lazy Sunday afternoon and served it to company. You just really can’t go wrong when something tastes this good.

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Droolworthy BBQ Shredded Chicken Freezer Meal with Garlic
Admittedly, it is messy to eat, but you won't mind having drips of garlic mayo mixed with BBQ sauce and minced onions running down your wrists because it is so worth it!
Servings: 6
Calories: 509 kcal
Ingredients
  • 3-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 3/4 cup finely minced onion
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 bottle of barbeque sauce or 425 mL of your own homemade BBQ sauce
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
Instructions
  1. Place the chicken, minced onion, minced garlic, barbeque sauce, and apple cider vinegar in a large resealable bag.
  2. Remove excess air and seal.
  3. On the day you want to serve this, take it out of the freezer and allow it to thaw.
  4. Cook it in the crock pot on low for 3-5 hours.
  5. Shred.
  6. Serve in on buns on top of garlic mayo. You can also serve this shredded BBQ chicken on nachos or in tacos.

Garlic Mayo Recipe:

  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
  • dash of salt and pepper

Mix together all the ingredients and serve on buns before topping with the shredded BBQ chicken. If there’s any leftover, you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container. We never have any leftovers though because it is lick-the-bowl good (or so I’ve heard)!

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Garlic Mayo Recipe
Servings: 6
Calories: 126 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
  • dash of salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Mix together all the ingredients.
  2. Serve on buns before topping with the shredded BBQ chicken.
  3. If there's any leftover, you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container.

This drool-worthy BBQ Shredded Chicken recipe is included in the More Family Favourites Freezer Meal Plan along with other family-friendly recipes, shopping lists and printable labels.

Here are other “freeze ahead” recipes that may also interest you:

Chicken and Spinach Alfredo

BBQ Pulled Pork

Pizza Stuffed Chicken