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Today, I'm sharing some old favorites and new recipes in an all new freezer meal video: beef chili, bolognese sauce, chicken pot pie filling, beef stew, and zucchini lasagna.
We had completely run out of our freezer meals so it was time I re-stocked the freezer. I love freezer cooking because you can accomplish a lot of work in a little bit of time (You know how I like to be efficient!) :) . On the days when I am too busy or too tired to cook, I simply pull out a freezer meal and am able to feed my family a healthful meal for a wonderful price.
I have made the beef chili and bolognese sauce for you many times before, but for reference sake, am featuring the recipes here as well.
I start by browning 6lbs of ground beef with 2 large chopped onions and 4 stalks of chopped celery. Once the meat is browned, I drain it and then add 1 lb of chopped spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
I use this ground beef base for 5 of the freezer meals: 1 beef chili, 2 bologneses, and 2 zucchini lasagnas. I even had a little left over, which I simply stored in a freezer bag for future use.
Before we begin, these are the freezer cooking supplies that I reference in the recipes below (due to the redesign of my site, links are not currently showing up in different colors, so simply click on the word to be taken to the link): gallon ziploc freezer bags, aluminum 9x13 freezer pans (you can use regular casserole dishes too, but I use disposable pans when making a lot of meals), Instant Pot (6 qt), and slow cooker.
Beef Chili Freezer Meal
In a ziploc bag, combine 1 to 1 1/2 lbs of the cooked ground beef mixture, chopped onion, chopped bell pepper, and chopped celery. Add one can of white cannellini beans, one can of red kidney beans, one can of tomato sauce, and one can of stewed tomatoes, along with salt and pepper. Seal and label the bag and store in the freezer. When you are ready to eat the chili, pull it out the night before to thaw in the refrigerator. Cook the next day in a large stock pot, or in the slow cooker for 8 hours on low. You can also cook this in the Instant Pot on high pressure for 22 minutes.
Bolognese (makes 2 freezer meals)
Place 1 to 1 1/2 lbs of the ground beef mixture in each ziploc bag. Add your favorite jar of marinara sauce, or make your own. Add any additional vegetables you like. Seal and label the bag. Freeze. To eat, thaw the night before in the refrigerator. You can cook in a large stock pot, for 8 hours on low in the slow cooker, or 20 minutes in the Instant Pot. Serve over cooked spaghetti.
Zucchini Lasagna (makes 2)
Take one large zucchini, or 3 smaller zucchinis, and slice them into thick, steak-like pieces. (Our zucchini was a giant! We picked it from our garden.) Mix 1 1/2 lbs of the ground beef mixture with your favorite marinara sauce. Spray the bottom of each casserole pan or aluminum freezer pan with cooking spray. Ladle a small amount of the beef marinara sauce on the bottom of the pan. Place a layer of your zucchini "steaks" on top of the sauce. Top with mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Repeat the layers as you have room. Cover your casserole dish with foil, label and freeze. When you are ready to eat, thaw the night before in the refrigerator. Cook in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for one hour, or until your lasagna is nice and bubbly. Please note, there are many variations you can utilize with this recipe. You can fry the zucchini (soak them in an egg/milk mixture, dredge in breadcrumbs, and fry in oil). You can use ricotta cheese in addition to the mozzarella (our children don't like ricotta cheese, so I omit it). You can add more vegetables and make this vegetarian by not using the ground beef. This is a wonderful dish for people trying to avoid carbs.
Beef Stew Freezer Meal
Place 1 lb of beef stew meat in a ziploc freezer bag. Add 3 to 4 cups of stew vegetables (mine include onions, carrots, celery, and red potatoes, but you can use whatever stew vegetables you like). Place 1 quart of beef stock or beef broth. Seal, label, and freeze your bag. When you are ready to eat, defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Cook on low in the slow cooker, or for 20 minutes on high pressure in the instant pot. You can add fresh herbs and more vegetables (such as spinach or kale) on cooking day. You can also top with dumplings, which I like to do in the slow cooker. Feel free to modify the recipe as you need to. I reheated this from frozen for lunch one day in the Instant Pot and it was a hit! Served with large pieces of hot, crusty French bread with butter, it was delicious!
Chicken Pot Pie Filling
Brown 1 lb chopped chicken in oil. Create a béchamel sauce by melting 1/2 cup of butter and mixing it with 1/2 cup of flour. Add 2 cups of chicken stock. (Traditionally, you add milk here, but I like the flavor of the stock for this recipe.) Stir until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Cool. In a ziploc freezer bag, add the cooked chicken, stew vegetables (I use chopped onion, celery, carrot, and red potato- about 2 cups) and top with the béchamel sauce. Seal and massage the bag until the sauce coats all of the meat and vegetables. Freeze. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then cook in the slow cooker on low for 8 hours. You could also place the filling in a pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. You can top this with your own pie crust (in that case, you can place the top of the crust on the pie and bake for the duration of the hour. Brush with an egg wash to keep golden brown. You could also top this with puff pastry. For this method, you will likely need to cook the filling first, then follow directions on the puff pastry package to see how long you cook the pastry on top of the pie (usually 20 minutes). You could also top this with biscuits, dumplings, or even cornbread.
I reheated the chicken pot pie filling in the oven, then added a puff pastry crust for the last 20-minutes and it was delicious!
I normally don't cook with a recipe for meals like these, I just use what I have on hand or what was for sale at the store. Don't worry if you don't have certain ingredients. Each of these recipes can be modified and are so easy to make.
I hope today's video inspires you to try freezer cooking for your family. It's so nice to know that you have dinner prepared.
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Myrna writes, "Jennifer, I just now found your piano recitals! It has taken me down memory lane! I’m in my late 60’s and I grew up on a little farm in Missouri back in the 50’s. We had very little money. However, my father's family had lots of musical talent amongst themselves and played “bluegrass” and fiddle tunes...very country. I showed musical talent at a very young age (5) and my mother was determined I take piano lessons! She saved egg and cream money so she could pay for my lessons. Of course, as I matured, I began to be exposed to classical music and I really didn’t care for it! I would begrudgingly practice them and actually enjoyed the challenges! However, after 14 years of lessons and two different teachers, I learned every song you’ve played and developed a real love for classical music! Even my parents enjoyed my pieces! As I watched you play, it was like a glimpse into my past! I still enjoy sitting down and playing. It’s therapy for bad moods or sadness! I always get up and feel better after a practice session! Just wanted to share!"
Hi Myrna, I loved your comment. I'm thrilled that the mini-performances on my channel and the discussions about classical music have brought back such great memories for you. And I think it's wonderful that you still play. Thank you for writing to us!
I hope you enjoy today's video. I would love to know... do you make freezer meals? What are your favorite meals to make? Do you have any recipes to share with us? If you would like to share a recipe, I might be able to feature it in a future video on The Daily Connoisseur.
I'll see you tomorrow for a new Natural Home with Jennifer...
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