Saturday, September 7, 2024

25 Make-Forward Freezer Meals from Beef Bourguignon to Empanadas

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I bear in mind when my mother and father determined to purchase a stand-alone freezer. They rolled the large ice field into our storage, and my sister and I promptly started itemizing the entire ice cream flavors we wished to stuff inside. My mother and father had different concepts. The brand new freezer was to be a savory-food-only zone—a spot to stash my mother’s large batches of crawfish étouffée and gumbo, my dad’s steaks and stews. No extra cramming containers into our fridge’s little drawer. It marked a brand new period, an Ice Age of freezer-friendly meals to tug out and thaw on busy weeknights.

Now, I don’t have area for an additional freezer in my tiny New York house (heck, I’m grateful my kitchen is sufficiently big for a dishwasher), however that hasn’t stopped me from following in my mother and father’ footsteps. I wish to make soups and sauces and trays of baked pastas every time I’ve time—it units me up for a scrumptious dinner every time I would like it, no cooking required.

Beneath, I’ve gathered 25 recipes that freeze tremendous effectively and make any-night dinners (whether or not you are feeding a complete household or simply your self) a cinch.

1. Beef Bourguignon

This warming beef stew tastes even higher because the flavors meld. Bonus, you possibly can simply make it in a stress cooker, sluggish cooker, or multi-function cooker.

2. Grandma DiLaura’s Italian Ricotta Gnocchi

This recipe is simple sufficient to whip up nearly any evening of the week, however make a number of batches without delay and you will not have to.

3. Mother’s New Orleans Crimson Beans & Rice

This comforting, creamy purple bean recipe will get an added zip from pickle juice and holds up within the freezer for as much as 4 months.

4. Celeriest Celery-Potato Soup

The tastiest, most satisfying manner to make use of up any recent celery nonetheless hanging out in your crisper drawer (particularly if it is on the point of spoiling).

5. Ethel Sellis’ Stuffed Cabbage

A burbling, tomatoey stew from meals author and recipe developer Ella Quittner’s household recipe field.

6. Baked Pasta with Hen Sausage

Bake this hearty sausage pasta straight from the freezer. Heat it up at 350°F (coated in foil) for half-hour or so, then flip up the warmth, uncover it, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes to brown the highest.

7. Crimson Lentil Soup With Beet Greens

This heat and hearty lentil soup is ideal for any evening if you’re cozy at house. Make an additional large batch as a result of it most likely will not final lengthy.

8. Aunt Alice’s Stromboli

Like a pizza pocket however higher, this meaty, tacky stromboli is nice for dinner or a snack. If you wish to save them for later, wrap and freeze them earlier than the dough rises, then bake straight from the freezer (simply add about 10 to fifteen minutes of cooking time).

9. Hen Fingers

Nothing beats crispy, do-it-yourself rooster fingers. After breading the rooster (however earlier than baking), place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and into the freezer. Freeze till frozen, then place right into a freezer bag. When able to cook dinner, prepare on a baking rack set on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil, and bake at 425°F for about 25 minutes, or till cooked by means of.

10. New Zealand-Fashion Beef & Cheddar Pies

These hand pies hail from New Zealand and freeze fantastically each baked or unbaked.

11. Boiled Pork Dumplings With Dad’s Superior Scorching Sauce

In keeping with resident Genius Kristen Miglore, “dumplings have a nasty repute of being time-consuming, however Tashie’s simplified model of her dad’s recipe is fast to place collectively and extremely flavorful—from the well-seasoned filling to the kicky however balanced dipping sauce.”

12. Spicy Turkey Meatloaf

A basic freezer-friendly dish will get a spicy Sriracha kick. Serve together with your favourite veggies (here is tips on how to cook dinner them from frozen) on the facet and also you’re good to go.

13. Grandma Clari’s Empanadas

For heat little pockets of love meat anytime, merely freeze additional unbaked empanadas on a parchment-lined baking sheet—they go straight from the freezer to the oven.

14. Jennie’s Selfmade Manicotti

For a freezer-friendly pasta dish the entire household will love, flip to manicotti. Freeze them unbaked, then thaw within the fridge the evening earlier than you need to eat.

15. Busy Weeknight Bean Chili

A number of pantry staples (assume: canned kidney beans, canned tomatoes, and chili powder) make up the majority of this super-satisfying bean chili that will comfortably hand around in the freezer till it is able to be reheated.

16. Turkey & Mushroom Burgers

Prep an enormous batch of those half-veggie, half-turkey burgers that decision for not more than seven substances (together with salt). Wrap and freeze the raw patties, and thaw them out within the fridge the evening earlier than you need to grill ’em up on the stovetop.

17. Our Finest Baked Ziti

This tacky baked ziti is the last word consolation meals and simply so occurs to freeze tremendous effectively (simply save a little bit of cheese to sprinkle on if you reheat it). Oh, and if you do not have time to make the tomato sauce from scratch, a jar of store-bought marinara makes a seamless swap.

18. Sheet-Pan Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole

A sheet-pan dinner that is tacky, can simply hand around in the freezer for weeks, and has a little bit of inexperienced (frozen broccoli!) for good measure? Signal us up.

19. On the spot Pot Vegetable Beef Soup

You may realize it as hamburger soup, however it doesn’t matter what you name it, it is inconceivable to disclaim that this speedy-as-heck soup is darn scrumptious (to not point out, simply the correct quantity of nostalgic).

20. Jim Lahey’s No-Knead Pizza Dough + Margherita Pie

Prep a few Margherita pies now (however do not bake ’em but), and have pizza evening at your fingertips anytime. It’s also possible to make the dough and freeze it for garlic knots, calzones, and the like.

21. Eggplant Parmesean

This longtime Food52 favourite forgoes the everyday egg batter within the breading, which lightens the basic dish. Go forward and bake it prematurely, after which, as one neighborhood member says, “use it within the winter for a decadent and comforting style of summer season.”

22. Hen Pot Pie

It is by no means a nasty thought to have rooster pot pie within the freezer, so double this recipe, and freeze one uncooked (however absolutely assembled). Place it frozen within the oven on the identical temperature within the recipe, add 15 to 25 minutes to the baking time, and take it out when the crust is browned and bubbly.

23. Andy Ward & Jenny Rosenstrach’s Pork Shoulder Ragu

Any braised meat frozen with its braising liquid or sauce will maintain up effectively within the freezer; simply defrost and you’ve got the bottom of the proper meal (or “instantaneous banquet” meals, as Andy and Jenny name it).

24. Vegan Lentil Shepherd’s Pie with Parsnip and and Potato Mash

This vegan consolation meals swaps out floor beef for lentils and provides parsnips to the mashed potato puree for a tangy twist. Bake it, then freeze and let defrost in a single day earlier than putting within the oven once more in keeping with the recipe directions.

25. Rao’s Meatballs

Meatballs are a freezer favourite, and this recipe from Rao’s comes collectively as rapidly as Marcella Hazan’s well-known sauce. After frying, let the meatballs come to room temperature, flash freeze for an hour on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, after which retailer them in a Ziploc bag. As soon as they’re defrosted, you possibly can reheat them straight in your sauce.

Extra from Food52

This text was up to date in August 2023 with extra meal concepts.

What are your favourite freezer-friendly dinners? Share ’em all within the feedback!

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