Make ahead meal ideas?

Parent Cafe Food
1

My sister and my mom are both visiting different weeks this fall. In addition to that, we have a 10 day old grandbaby and I am trying to keep my DS and DDIL’s freezer stocked. I stress way too much about what to feed company…especially my mom who is a great cook…AND I am terrible and cooking an entertaining at the same time, so I need some make ahead ideas. I am looking for ideas for easy to make meals I can pull out of the freezer. Main dishes, side dishes and appetizers. I usually keep meatballs, stuffed peppers, breaded chicken breasts (for chicken parm) and shredded mexican beef on hand so I have those things down. My son doesn’t like lasagne :woman_shrugging:t2: and I can’t compete with my mom’s so thats out.

We are lucky to always have a good stock of wild salmon, halibut and crab in the freezer but I also need some new ideas for those main dishes.

What have you found that’s relatively easy to make AND freezes well?

2 Likes
2

I don’t make and freeze but most days for breakfast, I have a PB&J as one of two or three things.

And I always freeze the bread after 4 or 5 days.

I just pull out a piece. Leave it on a paper towel for ten minutes and it’s good to go.

3 Likes
3

All kinds of soups (maybe not cream soups?) including hearty ones like chili.

Chicken enchiladas: take a rotisserie chicken, shred it. Open a can of enchilada sauce, refried beans or black beans of choice. Have a bowl of shredded cheddar, cojita or your favorite Mexican cheese. Take flour tortillas slightly warm in a microwave.
Take a tortilla, spread some beans on it, some chicken, some cheese, a spoon of enchilada sauce. Roll up and place in casserole dish seam side down. Repeat till your casserole is full (I push them together so they are pretty tight in the pan) Top with additional cheese and the rest of the sauce. Freeze!

How about chicken of your choice and just put it in a ziploc bag with your favorite marinade? Or jarred sauce? Freeze and when ready Defrost and then grill or bake or brown in pan with rice or pasta or veggies.

7 Likes
4

Lasagna or stuffed shells. Easy to make, freezes well. Defrost and cook.

4 Likes
5

I’ll add to that cause your post make me think of it….stuffed peppers or stuffed (or deconstructed) cabbage.

1 Like
6

Baked ziti freezes well if it isn’t too close to feeling like your mom’s lasagna.

I second soups and chilis.

I have had good luck with brunch casseroles in the freezer too. Our family favorites are croissant bread pudding and baked egg casserole.

4 Likes
7

Meatloaf? There are some more creative recipes out there. Ruth Reichl has a recipe with pork and prunes that’s really good.

2 Likes
8

I’ve had mixed results freezing soups. I know no potatoes or cream based soups. Those of you suggesting soups, which ones have you frozen with success?

9

I have frozen potato cheese soup with no issues. And corn chowder (which has milk in it) with no issues. Chicken and Turkey soups both freeze well. Make the noodles and rice when you are ready to serve. Don’t freeze those.

This is a make ahead, but not frozen…breakfast strata…and there are many kinds you can make.

2 Likes
10

I’ve had good luck freezing bisques but I do them without the cream, and then just add it after it’s defrosted/warmed up.

I’ve also frozen cream of tomato soup with the milk/cream with no trouble.

2 Likes
11

I like the crock pot, this is one of my family’s favorite crock pot recipe https://www.tablefortwoblog.com/chicken-tikka-masala-crockpot/

4 Likes
12

Yum!

1 Like
13

For zero work:

Marie Callender’s Chicken and Rice frozen entrees are great.
Stouffer’s Beef Stroganoff is really good also.

Both disappear very fast!

Add some packaged caeser salad or another fav.

6 Likes
14

I freeze Italian Wedding and minestrone soup often. Chilli is another easy option. Breakfast sandwiches, sloppy joes or cooked taco meat.

2 Likes
15

Lasagna, eggplant or veal or chicken parm, mac n cheese (with ham and/or tomaro), – all can go in the freezer. Serve with a green s a lad and bread.

You can marinate chicken (tandoori, garlic and lemon, bbq) and toss in the oven on the day you want it.

Or you can make side salads – potato, cole slaw, pasta salads, grain based salads, and just grill up burgers, hot dogs, or anything else. If the sides are interesting and tasty, the main can be more basic.

1 Like
16

A reminder that OP asked for easy dishes AND freezes well. I think she just wants prepare ahead and freeze suggestions.

And she said her son doesn’t like lasagna so that is out (and maybe similar items).

3 Likes
17

chili and cornbread
potato soup (mine freezes fine)
chicken rice and broccoli
taquitas
black bean arepas
twice baked potatoes
pancakes !
chicken marinated in citrus
meatballs
savory pies
shepherds pie
kale and sausage soup
quiche

I use foil pans with cardboard tops, not tupperware.

5 Likes
18

One of the Skinnytaste cookbooks has suggestions for make ahead meals. Off the top of my head I can’t think of the name of it. It’s the meal prep cookbook. You might be able to get it online from the library.

2 Likes
19

I also like recipes from this website

3 Likes
20

I do that too, and then slide them into an extra large ziploc bag OR a bubble mailer from amazon which I seal with packing tape.

Also, clearly, I have missed the boat on freezing milk/cream based soups and sauces!

1 Like