Well hello there! I’m Karrie. It’s nice to meet ya!
If you are curious about freezer meals… well then, you’ve come to the right place.
Because freezer meals are my thang. My total passion.
You see, as a busy mom of four kids, I am always juggling so much, from meal planning, to grocery shopping, sports, carpooling, to making costumes for school plays and making sure someone fed the pets. Then after all that, there is still making dinner just before collapsing on my bed for a couple of hours just to wake up and do it again.
That is, until I discovered freezer meals! I learned all the freezer meals tips for beginners that I will be sharing with you in this post, then I actually made some! And my life was forever changed. I realized that my family could have healthy, delicious and beautiful meals, without me being exhausted, if I made them up in advance. It not only saved me time but money too.
So because I get asked all the time by beginners I made a youtube video all about Freezer Meals for Beginners and How to get Started. There are 6 amazing tips you need for success so watch the video below!
Also, I want to tell you that there is no right or wrong way to do freezer meal cooking. You don’t have to spend a whole day in the kitchen cooking if you don’t want to. You can just double a few meals you make each night and within a week you will have a nice stash of meals built up. I of course LOVE to make a whole bunch of meals in a day as one day of hard work equals many days of me not cooking. And that makes me very very happy. Hee hee.
So without further ado, here are even more of my favorite tips for beginners getting started with freezer meal cooking.
Supplies
The first thing you’ll want to do is have the right supplies for freezer meal cooking so when you feel the urge, you can begin right away. This will include:.
- Freezer storage bags: I use gallon sized and quart sized bags the most
- Foil baking pans. My favorite place to buy them is Cash n’ Carry (or restaurant supply stores if your area has them). The next best thing would be your local dollar store.
- Plastic storage containers. For these, check at your local bulk store or look for cheap storage containers at the grocery store or online which are made for freezing, are only about $0.50 each and you can get free shipping if you have a Prime membership.
- Permanent markers
Kitchen Supplies
- A 5-quart Slow Cooker – this one is what I use (works great!)
- A few large mixing bowls – 4 qt or higher for mixing together multiple batches of meals
- Measuring cups and teaspoons – a few sets if possible
- It’s nice to use a food processor or blender to save time chopping, but not necessary
- several cutting boards if you plan on doing a big freezer meal cooking day
Start Slow
To prevent being completely overwhelmed, start slow. Pick one or two freezer meal recipes that you know your family would like and try them out.
One great way to do this is when you’re cooking dinner, just cook twice as much and freeze one. If you’re not sure of what things freeze well, start with recipes that are recommended for freezing. As you consider meals that will freeze well, remember to avoid recipes with these ingredients:
- Fried foods
- Recipes with fruits and veggies with high water content (cucumber, melon and lettuce)
- Anything with mayo, fresh whipping cream, or yogurt
- Raw potatoes
If you’re not sure if a meal will freeze well, just Google it and see whether others have had success with freezing that type of recipe.
Freeze Individual Ingredients
Another great way to ease into freezer cooking is just freezing individual ingredients. So many things can be frozen including browned meat, raw hamburger patties, marinated and grilled chicken, many fruits and vegetables, cooked beans, rice, and more. By freezing individual ingredients, you can add them to many recipes quickly and easily.
For example, if you were to brown ground beef and freeze, it can then be quickly and easily added to many recipes including tacos, pizza, soups/stews, spaghetti sauce and more. By browning a few pounds of ground beef all at once, you can freeze the meat in individual portions and then quickly add it to recipes to save a step.
Freezing ingredients also saves you money. If your bananas are getting a little brown, flash freeze the bananas in slices and they can be stored for months till you use them in anything from smoothies to banana bread. To flash freeze food, just stick on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (so each piece is not touching any other piece) and freeze for 30 to 60 minutes till hard. Then transfer into freezer bags.
By freezing fresh produce you’ll save money in the long run by not throwing this food away if you have too much, and so many things can be frozen. Just take a look at the grocery store in the frozen section. You can freeze berries, bananas, peppers, spinach, cherries, herbs, beets, onions, pumpkin, zucchini, and more. If you’re not sure, just try freezing a small portion and see if it works.
Freezer Burn
One of the best ways to avoid freezer burn is to get all the air out of the bag before freezing. Air is the enemy friends. So press all the air of the bags, then seal for the freshest tasting meals possible.
That’s just ONE way to avoid freezer burn. Just that one tip won’t save you 100%. Read all the 13 Ways to Prevent Freezer Burn here.
Making Multiple Freezer Meals in a Day
After you have tested out some freezer meals with success go ahead and push yourself to make more at once. Maybe try 5 or 6 meals at once. You will save time in the long run by making a bunch of meals in advance. I have even made up to 50 Freezer Meals in a day, can you believe it? But I’m cray cray like that.
There are so many possibilities when it comes to freezer cooking! It is the absolute BEST feeling to have some freezer meals made ahead in your freezer that you can just pull out on nights you don’t feel like cooking. I hope you give it a try and love that free time as much as I do!
P.S. I have tons of beginner information on getting started and even tips for advanced freezer meal cooking in my new cookbook called Seriously Good Freezer Meals. Please head on over and order yourself a copy! Inside there are menu plans and 150 of the BEST ever tasting freezer meals I’ve ever created. For reals.
Any questions? I’d love to hear about your attempts at freezer meals. Have you had any major flops? What about wonderful successes? Tell me about them! And if you love freezer meals consider joining my private facebook group called THE FREEZER MEAL CLUB. I’d love to have you join us!
—> See some of my delicious Freezer Meals recipes here.
LEARN MORE FREEZER MEALS TIPS
- The 5 BEST Reusable Freezer Bags of 2020
- 13 Simple Tips to Prevent Freezer Burn
- What is Freezer Burn & How to Prevent It
- 10 Awesome Ideas for Organizing Your Freezer Meals
- The Best Food Freezer Containers for Freezer Meals
- My Favorite & Must Have Freezer Meal Supplies
About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
Allie says
I grew up watching my mom and then stepmom freeze corn, berries, peaches, etc, and pot pies, so freezing foods is not new to me. However, they never did meals like this, except maybe lasagna frozen for grieving families. Families who recently lost someone are ao inundated with food that we like to give them something that they can cook a while down te road.
Anyways. I have branched out a bit on my own. I started by freezing chicken breast(uncooked) with different marinades. It works well enough. I then started making burritos because I love them so much. I have the makings for them and am going to do some more tonight. My biggest mishap is with breakfast burritos. It took so log and was so exhausting for me. But I didn’t mix the cheese in and when we nuked it in te microwave it ended up making the tortilla super hard. Tonight I’m experimenting again. I am making chicken fajita burritos, chicken to toss into pasta dishes, and breakfast sandwiches. Wish me luck!
A. Stevens says
After we cook our previously prepared frozen meals, can we re-freeze any leftovers that we cook to reheat again when we want to eat it again at a later date? If so, do we just microwave it the second time to reheat or re-cook?
Thanks for all of this info. This is month number one for me and my cooking once a month freezer meals experiment. I am trying to learn everything I can. Your site is incredibly helpful for a newbie.
Happy.MoneySaver says
I usually don’t refreeze frozen meals. We usually just eat the rest for lunch or dinner the next night. But if I were to do it I would probably make sure they were packaged up properly (maybe even in individual portions) and that they did not sit for a long time out before refreezing again. So glad you are getting into freezer meals! Hope you love it as much as I do!
Kaylynn says
I did not freeze the recipe that you have on here but I did cook the Creamy Cheesy Broccoli soup and it was a hit with my family so I will be making it and putting it in my meal plans. Thank you for taking the time to do this blog I appreciate it.
Happy.MoneySaver says
Yeah! So glad you liked it!
Jasmine says
I absolutely love this! I have been reluctant to try this for my family of four. This puts me at ease and I feel confident we can benefit from doing this despite my two picky eaters. Thank you so much for sharing, I will be glad to let you know how the freezer meals make it easier for us!!
Jenn says
I have done some of this in the past… For example, 2 weeks before my 2nd some was born I spent a week cooking and had 25 meals in the freezer and ready to go.
The one thing I always wonder is if I should cook these before I freeze them, and then just thaw and reheat? Or freeze them uncooked so I am only cooking them once.
Examples would be: Tuna casserole – nothing raw in it. So do I just mix it up and freeze?
How about like chicken cordon bleu. Do I make them and freeze them on a cookie sheet and bake later? Or do I cook them thru and then reheat later?
Please help with tips on knowing when to bake and when to just freeze.
thanks!
David says
Chicken always cook to a tender pink NEVER put a dish with chicken together raw and NOT cook immediately you WILL get sick. Beef cook to what would be a medium rare this is a safe temp that has killed all bac and when you continue the cooking you cut the cooking time in half. When I was in the restaurant industry we did this all the time we would spend Tuesday and Wednesday doing pre-cooking for Friday thru Sunday. Cook all meat to a bright red this is right before you get the Medium well color of pink
Another freezer tip is keep baking soda in your freezer if you are like most people who stuff your freezer full replace it every 4 months. do NOT put it on the top 2 shelfs or the bottom 2 it needs to go into the MIDDLE of your freezer and NOT on the back wall side wall in the middle of the rack is a prime placing as the air current of your freezer circulates in this area the best and will spread this through out your freezer. Putting on the top or bottom or back wall means only a small area of your freezer OR frig is actually being treated by the soda.
bec says
Can you cook everything, freeze it the same and just defrost in the microwave??
Happy.MoneySaver says
Cooking it in the oven I think tastes better and fresher but I think it is up to you. If you like it in the microwave do it! 🙂
Loralee says
Just wondering about how long are freezer meals good for? I just made a few to start with and would love to start making more. My family is a gluten free family and I would love to start to save money by doing this with their meals. Thanks for all the great advise!
Happy.MoneySaver says
I would say at least six months if not more.
David says
Also depends on the temp of your freezer. IF your freezer is set to a higher freeze then less time as the chemicals of the coolant do suck out moisture. Also frost free freezers will suck out the moisture of the food which can been a issue better rule of thumb is 4 weeks 6 at max. Also on your freezer dial generally most models are a 0 to 10 0 being 32 degs 10 being 0 degs you want your freezer to be at a steady 25 degs this temp is what they consider the goldielocks zone. higher temp allows for moisture to be created and you will get ice crystals. Ice crystals are the water being pulled from your foods but not evaporating remove this ice and your food is DRY do not remove it and you take the risk of it not being soaked back into the food and the food becoming runny.
20 degs or colder and you run into over freezing and freezer burning. Best way to describe it is frost bite go play in the snow and watch your hands over time they get colder and colder til they literally start to get burned from the cold same thing happens to your food.
Many chefs including myself have a FLASH freezer this is my freezer I have set to 10 so it runs at 0 degs I will put my meals into it for 3 hours or anything I bring home from the store and am going to freeze this quickly seals in all the liquid and builds a great crust to freezing. Then you put it into your regular freezer the food does not continue to freeze it is already at the frozen state and will now hold to the desired temp. Most people do not have this option this is why it is very important to have a freezer with a digital temp control. IF you do not have this kind of freezer go to either a Cash and Carry or a Ace True Value and buy a simple frig thermometer and then play with your temp control til you get it to the deserved temp. You can not do this in a hour you need to make your changes a day at a time for true readings. 12 hours will work 18 min is much better.
katy says
I know you’re not supposed to put hot left overs in the fridge as it will bring down the temp of the entire fridge. Is this the same for the freezer? If I cook something, do I need to let it cool on the counter before placing it in the freezer?
Teresa says
Awesome collection of tips and tricks. I want to try some of the recipes and get a routine going. I just haven’t found good info on the actual Day Of… Recently I made a chicken enchilada casserole (a fam. fave), I made an extra one, didn’t bake it, just prepared it with lightly fried (and cooled) corn tortillas, chicken, sauce, cheese… I put it in freezer and on the “Day Of”… which was just a few weeks later, I put it in the oven (frozen) and baked it for what seemed like hours and still wound up cutting and microwaving individual slices for fam., only to find the results quite mushy, eatable but not at all like I’d hoped. I would love tips on how to actually heat the meals, bake time, ideal temperate for baking, etc.; thank you for all the help thus far!
Happy.MoneySaver says
If I think about it ahead of time I will take it out of the freezer the night before to cut down on the cooking time the day of cooking. Sorry it didn’t turn out.
Christi says
Hey there!
Okay so I’m very new to this whole thing, but I’ve been reading blogs about it for a while. I’ve been reading occasional conflicting information and I was wondering if you’d be willing to answer a few questions for me…? Sorry, I’m a bit long winded:
1) You mentioned avoiding dairy in the freezer meals, yet I see tons of freezer meals of things like Lasagna. I already freeze cheese all the time (shreds and blocks) and haven’t had any issues other than the blocks getting super crumbly (note: actually kind of like it, no need to grate). Should I avoid ALL dairy then in frozen meals or just things like sour cream, cream cheese, etc? I’ve also seen freezer meals including those so I’m just not sure how it all works >_<
2) I've seen some people who throw one-pot meal ingredients all in one bag including the raw meat before freezing. Others brown it. Is there any cross contamination issue? It may be common knowledge, however until a few months ago I was a vegetarian for 15 years so this is all quite new for me all around!!
3) Do you freeze pasta in the dishes? Like do you throw in uncooked or cooked pasta? Or do you cook the day of? Obviously with things like lasagna it would have to be in there, but with things like a spaghetti bakes or idk…I don't have a specific example haha.
Anyway hope those all made sense 🙂
Karrie says
Hello Christi!
So as for the dairy, you just have to be careful. For example fetucchini alfredo using fresh cream, butter and parmesan would not be the same texture after frozen. I have used cheese (especially shredded) for lots of meals and have no problems with that. The cheese blocks do get crumbly but that is okay for me too. I use sour cream in freezer meals if it’s blended into a casserole or potatoes. But I don’t like freezing it as is in the container because it looks a bit strange/texture changes a bit. Cream cheese is a bit trickier I find..sometimes it works and other times it doesnt.
As for the one pot meal ingredients – if they are going to be in a crockpot slow cooker all day it’s totally fine! If it’s a stirfry I put my meat into a separate bag than the frozen veggies.
Yes I freeze pasta in dishes, depending on the recipe I usually cook the pasta first. In baked Ziti or lasagne the pasta is pre cooked. In a slowcooker that one is probably better uncooked.
Have fun making freezer meals!
tracy says
Hi Karrie,
I hate to be a pest, but in your 50 Frozen Meals blog post, you have an Alfredo recipe in there! Why would you say not to make an a chicken Alfredo here and then have a recipe for a freezer Alfredo? I’m just super new to this and really confuse! 🙂
Thanks,
Tracy
Happy.MoneySaver says
You are not a pest at all! It’s a general rule to watch dairy in freezer meals. In the Chicken Alfredo freezer meal I use a jarred alfredo sauce and it freezes well. I have not been able to find a homemade alfredo sauce that freezes and warms up like new. Knowing the general rules of freezer meal cooking I just watch for those ingredients and make sure I test it out before making multiple batches for the freezer. There are definitely exceptions! Hope this helps! 🙂
Sherri says
Not that dairy can’t be used successfully, but can separate and be a but runny once thawed. I just stir it up a bit once cooked and it works fine.
Jennifer says
what about freezer burn? those lids don’t look too tight.
Happy.MoneySaver says
Go here for more on how I prevent freezer burn! 🙂
https://happymoneysaver.com/avoid-freezer-burn/
Barb says
I’ve just recently started doing freezer meals with another family. We get together, cook once a week, and split costs. Its been amazing so far! I love having homemade food to come home to after a day at work. My problem is finding new recipes for both families. Their family has four…mine has two…so they go through a lot more than I do. I have lasagna, manicotti, ravioli, and peroghies like it’s nobodies business. Tomorrow is my cooking day, I’ll be sharing this with my cooking partner. I love any and all new recipes, especially if they freeze well!!
Karen says
I have been enjoying the economy, freshness and ease of freezer cooking for a little over a year now. It’s great. Simple thing I wanted to mention about the supplies. We use Sharpie Rub-a-Dub laundry markers instead of the regular Sharpies. Reason is… the regular Sharpies rub off onto your fingers when used on the freezer bags.
This is a great site for getting people started on freezer cooking! Have fun everyone!
Melinda says
Same here! We found that the laundry markers work much better! ☺
Mary says
Your freezer meal ideas are wonderful, but I am having a tough time finding the aluminum pans shown in your pictures. We live up in the mountains, several hours from the closest town with good supplies, so we order everything online. Can’t find anything that is square and of a smallish size (we don’t need steamer pan sizes for just the two of us). Any help on online sources would be appreciated!
Happy.MoneySaver says
Mary, I pulled up a couple links from different stores that might help you find what you are looking for! You can also look around for bigger or smaller containers on these sites! Good luck! Freezer meals are the best!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001UBHJI4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001UBHJI4&linkCode=as2&tag=hmslove-20
http://www.walmart.com/c/kp/disposable-aluminum-foil-pans
http://www.kitchendance.com/8squarecakepan.html
elle says
Hi. Love your site. Just a thought. I make a lot of spaghetti sauce and lasagna. Tell your folks that the sausage loses flavor in the freezer. I am sure there are other meats that also lose flavor. Thanks
David says
There is something wrong in your prep of the sausage if you are losing flavor when freezing. Sausage if cooked properly will never lose flavor when frozen.
Angeke says
Disagree, freezer always takes flavor out, let’s not sell lies.
Carla says
Can you use frozen meat? Ie thaw meat cook it and then refreeze it?
Happy.MoneySaver says
If you defrost raw meat and then cook it thoroughly, you can freeze it again, but remember never to reheat foods more than once. Here are some more guidelines if you would like them.
https://www.safefood.eu/Publications/Consumer-information/Cooking-meat-safely.aspx
Carrie says
If you are really wanting to commit to this as a lifestyle (not just one time and done) you can order the foil pans for .37 from a resturant supply house. There are like 100 in a box and they come with the lids for around 18-19$. It is cheaper than the dollar store if you are really wanting to do this or if you are having a lot of friends do this with you. My daughter in law and I are are going in together on the whole freezer meals things and we are goingn to get a few different cases and just split them down the middle.
Aly says
Hey Carrie!
Do you have a link or name of the restaurant supply you mentioned for the foil pans?
Thanks a bunch!
Karrie says
I use Cash n Carry 🙂
Betty819 says
Can I put my two cents worth in this conversation? I used to work for a large name Food Brokerage Co. It serviced restaurants and institutional businesses..they have 3 levels of pricing. Yes, the public can go to the restaurant supply co. or a food brokerage but you aren’t likely to get the lowest price, unless you know somebody that works into that company well. Restaurants get a better price based on the amount of their sales. The Sales rep that services the accounts and calls on the chef or purchasing officer of the business is working on commission and bonus bucks paid by the manufacturers to promote their product or help introduce a new line of product.
Amy says
We have a rice cooker and it’s a must have in the kitchen. We make the rice that we need, walk away and it’s ready in 15 minutes. If we make too much rice we just portion it into freezer bags. When we want to use it we just add water and cook for a couple minute in the microwave. It is something you have to experiment though.
Sherri says
That method is great for making fried rice too.
Jen Letourneau says
This is definitely great information – I am just getting started in this “freezer meal” phenomenom and hope I can get up and running for nights when soccer practice is from 5-6:30pm. (Who schedules those, anyways?!?!) Quick question that sounds silly: if I make a freezer meal, let’s say a casserole or lasagna or something in one of those foil pans, do I just pop it in the oven frozen? Do I need to defrost it during the day while I’m at work before it goes in the oven?
Karrie says
Hello Jen, It’s best to pop it in the fridge the night before so it will be totally thawed by the time you need to bake it. But I have also just added the meals to the oven frozen, but it takes a LOT more time..sometimes double the time and you will want to watch it closely. Good luck!! Freezer meals are so awesome and save so much time.
Savannah Sloan says
What about things going into the crock pot? Do they need/have to be completely thawed. As an example, something with chicken. If I put it in the crock pot would it be dry if it didn’t fully thaw?
Karrie says
According to the health regulations they say you should thaw first before adding to a slow cooker, just in case as it’s warming up in temperature it becomes the temp for breeding bacteria. But it wouldn’t be dry if you did that, most chicken has a hard time not being dry in a slow cooker I’ve found, so I like to use chicken boneless thighs a lot as they stay nice and moist.
Sandra says
When making lasagna or enchiladas I freeze everything cooked and in seperate bags. Except the sauce. I just leave those in pantry. I then layer in the crockpot as I would in a casserole and voila!
Lasagna you have to use regular lasagna noddle. Not the no name ones
Enchiladas I shred a rotisserie chicken and when I layer the corn tortillas I add a little olive oil to them
Sherri says
I like to take it out of the freezer to thaw overnight and pop in crock pot before leaving for work in the morning or pop in oven once home for dinner.
Charlene Strosahl says
This is such great advice for a first timer. I do not feel defeated already after reading this. Thanks a million!!!
Maggie Ganger says
Love this and found it to be very helpful…
li says
Thank you! Great ideas. I have a question. In this post you recommend not freezing meals that have certain ingredients such as cream cheese, but you do freeze your taquitos that contain cream cheese. Is it just certain foods with cream cheese?
Karrie says
There are some items that can be used when mixed with other ingredients like the taquitos. However just freezing an 8 oz of cream cheese and hoping it will be the same after is a disappointment unfortunately.
Carla Phillips says
If there is a great sale, I freeze cream cheese that will be combined with other things. And cheese. Eggs and milk will also freeze.
Karrie says
Great tip Carla!!!