Italian

Baked Italian Chicken (Freezer Meal)

Who doesn’t love a freezer meal that includes the protein AND the veggies?! This baked Italian chicken recipe has all that and more. It is especially delicious served over pasta. Sometimes when you bake the chicken in the oven, it can dry out, but this recipe has a sauce, so the chicken stays nice and juicy.

This dish can also be cooked in the Crock-Pot® (which I know then technically is no longer called “Baked” Italian Chicken, but it still tastes just as good. And the slow cooker option is nice for a day when you need to be out of the house and come back to dinner waiting.

What I like best about this meal is that it includes some fresh-tasting vegetables as well as the chicken so I know my kids are getting a balanced meal and yet it’s so easy to throw together. Plus, when you serve it over pasta, it gets that homemade comfort food aspect down as well.

Baked Italian Chicken Recipe:

8-12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup zucchini with peel, cubed
1/2 cup onion, diced
24 oz. jar pasta sauce

Assembly instructions:

Cut the zucchini and onion and slice the mushrooms.
Place the chicken thighs in a large resealable freezer bag.
Add the seasoning, vegetables, brown sugar, and pasta sauce.
Remove all the air you can from the bag, seal it, and freeze.

Oven Cooking Instructions:

Thaw. Put the contents of the bag in a casserole dish.
Bake in the oven at 375° for 50 minutes.

Crock Pot Cooking Instructions:

Thaw. Put the bag contents into the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Serve over pasta and sprinkle with shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese. If you are on a gluten-free diet, you can instead serve this over rice. You can also serve this with a side salad if you want more greens.

Variations on this recipe:

Substitute 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts for the chicken thighs.
Add some crushed chili flakes either before cooking or when serving if you like to spice things up a bit.
You can substitute a can of sliced mushrooms for the fresh mushrooms, but I really suggest you use fresh. It’s hardly any extra work to slice them up and it tastes so much fresher.
Use whichever red pasta sauce is your favorite. By experimenting and trying different types of pasta sauce, you can change up the flavors of this meal.

Other chicken freezer meals:

Baked Italian Chicken

Prep Time

7 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: baked chicken, chicken

Servings: 4

Calories: 428 kcal

Ingredients

8-12 chicken thighs boneless and skinless
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup zucchini cubed with peel
1/2 cup onion diced
24 oz. jar pasta sauce

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Cut the zucchini and onion and slice the mushrooms.
Place the chicken thighs in a large resealable freezer bag.
Add the seasoning, vegetables, brown sugar, and pasta sauce.
Remove all the air you can from the bag, seal it, and freeze.

Oven Cooking Instructions:

Thaw. Put the contents of the bag in a casserole dish.
Bake in the oven at 375° for 50 minutes.

Crock Pot Cooking Instructions:

Thaw. Put the bag contents into the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Recipe Notes

Serve over pasta and sprinkle with shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese.

Baked Tortellini Alfredo (Freezer Meal)

By Sharla

This recipe for Baked Tortellini Alfredo will change the way you think about freezer cooking! If you’re pasta fans, this is about to become one of your family’s new favorites. The first time we attempted a baked tortellini freezer meal, we didn’t get the flavors right and it was a bit of a miss, but we were not deterred. We could see right away the potential to create a delicious meal that was quick and easy to make.

Enter our experiment phase. We tried many variations of our original tortellini bake and finally found the winner.

This Baked Tortellini Alfredo can be made ahead as a freezer meal and doesn’t require you to pre-cook the noodles. (read that again if you missed the significance – no boiling water, cooking noodles, draining noodles, extra pot, and strainer to clean!)

There are also many variations you can make to this recipe so you’re able to choose the flavors you know your family will like best. Depending on what you decide to mix in, this can also be a vegetarian freezer meal.

Baked Tortellini Alfredo Recipe:

1 lb. cheese tortellini (we like the tri-color rainbow one)
2 jars Alfredo sauce (I use Classico because I like to use their jars like mason jars afterward!)
1/2 – 1 cup of your chosen mix-ins* (in these pictures, I used sliced mushrooms and frozen peas)
1 cup shredded Mozza cheese
1/4 cup shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese

*Examples of mix-ins:

cooked cubed chicken and 2 Tbsp. of pesto
sliced mushrooms and frozen peas
crumbled bacon and sundried tomatoes
sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts
browned Italian sausage

The nice thing about this recipe is that you don’t have to boil the pasta. It cooks right in the dish.

Assembly instructions:

Add everything except the Parmesan to a 9×13 baking dish or casserole dish. Stir. If you prefer to save space in your freezer, you can add it to a large resealable freezer bag and squish it to combine.
Top with the Parmesan.
Cover with two layers of aluminum foil, one that is directly on top of the pasta so there isn’t as much air in the container.
Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

Remove from freezer.
Bake at 375° for 30-40 minutes or one hour if still frozen. If frozen, remove foil for the last 10 minutes of bake time.

You can see me make this and two other tortellini freezer meals on video here.

Other pasta freezer meals you may like:

Baked Tortellini Alfredo

Prep Time

4 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Alfredo, pasta, tortellini

Servings: 6

Calories: 487 kcal

Ingredients

1 lb. cheese tortellini
2 jars Alfredo sauce
1/2 - 1 cup your choice of mix-ins*
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Add everything except the Parmesan to a 9x13 baking dish or casserole dish. Stir. If you prefer to save space in your freezer, you can add it to a large resealable freezer bag and squish it to combine.
Top with the Parmesan.
Cover with two layers of aluminum foil, one that is directly on top of the pasta so there isn't as much air in the container.
Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

Remove from freezer.
Bake at 375° for 30-40 minutes or one hour if still frozen. If frozen, remove foil for the last 10 minutes of bake time.

Recipe Notes

*examples of mix-in options: cooked cubed chicken and 2 Tbsp. of pesto, sliced mushrooms and frozen peas, crumbled bacon and sundried tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Bake

By Sharla

This Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Bake is a great make-ahead casserole for busy weeknights. I suggest you double the recipe. Serve one immediately and freeze the other for when you need it. This recipe includes everything needed for a balanced meal. It’s so nice to be able to have supper all ready to go. Just pull it out of the freezer and put it in the oven and it’s ready to go.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Bake Recipe:

2-3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cooked, and cubed
1 cup broccoli, steamed then coarsely chopped
1 lb. penne pasta
8 Tbsp. butter
16 oz. heavy whipping cream
1 cup + ½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded, divided
2 egg yolks

Assembly instructions:

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and whisk in the heavy cream.
Whisk in egg yolk and 1 cup cheese.
Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large pot, prepare pasta al dente as directed on the package.*
Drain and put back in the pot.
Pour ½ of sauce over pasta and toss to coat.
Gently mix in chicken and broccoli.
Dump into a 9×13 pan and top with the remaining Parmesan.
Cover with two layers of tin foil.
Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Bake for 30 minutes.*Note: If you’re making this ahead to freeze it, I suggest cooking the pasta to slightly underdone.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Bake

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Alfredo, baked chicken

Servings: 6

Calories: 861 kcal

Ingredients

2-3 chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cooked and cubed
1 cup broccoli steamed and coarsely chopped
1 lb. penne pasta
8 Tbsp. butter
16 oz. heavy whipping cream
1 cup + ½ cup Parmesan cheese shredded, divided
2 egg yolks

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and whisk in the heavy cream.
Whisk in egg yolk and 1 cup cheese.
Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large pot, prepare pasta al dente as directed on the package.*
Drain and put back in pot.
Pour ½ of sauce over pasta and toss to coat.
Gently mix in chicken and broccoli.
Dump into a 9x13 pan and top with remaining Parmesan.
Cover with two layers of tin foil.
Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

Remove from freezer. Thaw.
Bake for 30 minutes.

Recipe Notes

*Note: If you're making this ahead to freeze it, I suggest cooking the pasta to slightly underdone.

Check out these other freezer meal casserole dishes:

Tater Tot Pizza Casserole Irresistible Chicken Pasta Bake Chicken and Vegetable Casserole with Crispy Onion Topping

Easy Chicken Marsala

By Sharla

This easy Chicken Marsala can mostly be made ahead as a freezer meal. It is then heated on the stove in a skillet. This is such a quick recipe to make.

Chicken Marsala is named for its use of Marsala wine. This wine originates in Western Sicily. This dish is a variation of the traditional Italian Scaloppine.

Its bold flavors come from the reduction of the wine as it cooks.

Easy Chicken Marsala Recipe:

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup flour
1 cup mushrooms, sliced lengthwise
1/4 cup shallots, diced extremely fine
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped coarsely
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
¾ cup marsala wine
⅓ -½ cup heavy cream (1/3 cup if using 2 chicken breasts, 1/2 cup if using 3)

For the cooking day:

2 Tbsp. of olive oil
optional: more rosemary and parsley for garnish

Pound the chicken breasts with a meat tenderizer. Put the flour onto a plate and place each chicken breast into the flour, flipping it over so that both sides are covered. Place the dredged chicken into a large resealable freezer bag. Seal.

In another freezer bag, add the mushrooms, finely diced shallots, 1/2 of the rosemary, wine, and the heavy cream. Take out the excess air and seal. Staple the bags together above the seal and freeze.

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

Place 1 Tbsp. of oil into the skillet on medium heat and heat. Once the oil is heated up, place the floured chicken breast into the pan. Cook the chicken on each side for 5-8 minutes per side. Add the remaining oil to the skillet and add the contents of the other bag with the chicken.

Lower the heat. Cook for 7-10 minutes. Allow the wine to reduce slightly, cooking until it is nice and fragrant.

Keep a careful eye on the sauce because of the cream, making sure that it doesn’t break. If the sauce does break, add more cream.

Remove skillet from the heat. When you plate the chicken, cover it with the sauce. Garnish with leftover rosemary and parsley.

Serve over angel hair noodles or with rice and a side of vegetables. Asparagus goes beautifully with this meal.

Check out these delicious freezer meals:

Make-Ahead Apple Pork Chops Make-Ahead Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

Easy Chicken Marsala Recipe

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Chicken Marsala

Servings: 4

Calories: 409 kcal

Ingredients

2-3 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
½ cup flour
1 cup mushrooms sliced lengthwise
1/4 cup shallots diced extremely fine
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary chopped coarsely
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
¾ cup marsala wine
⅓ -½ cup heavy cream 1/3 cup if using 2 chicken breasts, 1/2 cup if using 3

For the cooking day:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
optional: more rosemary and parsley for garnish

Instructions

Pound the chicken breasts with a meat tenderizer. Put the flour onto a plate and place each chicken breast into the flour, flipping it over so that both sides are covered.
Place the dredged chicken into a large resealable freezer bag. Seal.
In another freezer bag, add the mushrooms, finely diced shallots, 1/2 of the rosemary, wine, and the heavy cream. Take out the excess air and seal. Staple the bags together above the seal and freeze.
On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
Place 1 Tbsp. of oil into the skillet on medium heat and heat. Once the oil is heated up, place the floured chicken breast into the pan. Cook the chicken on each side for 5-8 minutes per side. Add the remaining oil to the skillet and add the contents of the other bag with the chicken.
Lower the heat. Cook for 7-10 minutes. Allow the wine to reduce slightly, cooking until it is nice and fragrant.
Keep a careful eye on the sauce because of the cream, making sure that it doesn't break. If the sauce does break, add more cream.
Remove from the heat. When you plate the chicken, cover it with the sauce. Garnish with leftover rosemary and parsley.

Recipe Notes

Serve over angel hair noodles or with rice and a side of vegetables. Asparagus goes beautifully with this meal.

Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce

By Sharla

In the mood for hearty, rich, comfort food? This Italian sausage pasta sauce fits the bill. It has a delicious blend of flavors and you can easily adjust the spice level according to your tastes. This recipe is one that we invented after I accidentally miscalculated the amount of sausage for a freezer meal session. I bought double what I should have, so I had to come up with recipes to use the extra meat.

One of the recipes I came up with was a simple Sausage and Peppers Skillet Freezer Meal. Another was an Italian Wedding Soup. I still had sausage left after making a few bags of those, so I came up with this sauce.

It was so good that it has gone into our regular freezer meal rotation. The second time we made it, we experimented with throwing some capers into the sauce. Amazing! I only thought of it because we had extra capers leftover from another freezer meal we had made, but it was the perfect addition.

Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce Recipe:

1 lb. Italian sausage made into meatballs and cooked*
3 cups salsa
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced green pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp. capers, drained

Depending on your family’s preference, you can use mild or spicy sausage. We prefer the spicy variety! You can also adjust the spice level of this recipe by using mild, medium, or spicy salsa.

If you’re unsure about the capers, you can try making it without them and adding them to individual plates for those who like them. I was a bit nervous about how they would go over the first time I added them, but my family loved them. They give just the right amount of tang and saltiness to bring this sauce to the next level.

To put this meal together, put the cooked sausage meatballs (see instructions below) and all the other ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag. Remove all the excess air you can and seal the bag before freezing.

On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw and heat in a large skillet until heated through. Serve over your favorite type of pasta.

I also like to sprinkle with Parmesan or Asiago cheese and red pepper flakes. A simple salad and some garlic bread would round out this meal nicely.

Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce Recipe:

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: pasta sauce, sausage

Servings: 6

Calories: 322 kcal

Ingredients

1 lb Italian sausage made into meatballs and cooked
3 cups salsa
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced green pepper
2 cloves garlic minced
1-2 Tbsp capers drained

Instructions

Cooking the sausage:

Remove the sausage meat from the casing and cut into 1/2″ slices or squeeze out sausage meatballs and flatten them a bit with your fingers. The squeezing method is messier, but it is easier to remove the casing that way and I find it faster.
Place the sausage meatballs on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 350° oven for 20 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides. You may want to flip them once during baking. Blot the cooked sausage meatballs on a paper towel to remove some of the grease. Allow them to cool a bit before placing them in the freezer bags.

Freezer bag assembly:

put the cooked sausage meatballs and all the other ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag.
Remove all the excess air you can and seal the bag before freezing.

Cooking instructions:

On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
Heat in a large skillet until heated through.
Serve over your favorite type of pasta.
Sprinkle with Parmesan or Asiago cheese and red pepper flakes.

How do I make and cook the sausage meatballs?

*Remove the sausage meat from the casing and cut into 1/2″ slices or squeeze out sausage meatballs and flatten them a bit with your fingers. The squeezing method is messier, but it is easier to remove the casing that way and I find it faster.

Place the sausage meatballs on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 350° oven for 20 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides. You may want to flip them once during baking. Blot the cooked sausage meatballs on a paper towel to remove some of the grease. Allow it to cool a bit before placing them in the freezer bags.

You may also like these great freezer cooking recipes:

Freezer Spaghetti Sauce

Easy Ground Beef Stroganoff