Freezer meals are a gift you give yourself!  Whether we’re a working mom, a stay-at-home mom, a grandpa, a dad, or a babysitter, we’ve all been at the point where we’ve wondered “What’s for dinner?”  And we’ve all had a sense of relief as we’ve pulled out a meal from the freezer.  Maybe that’s just a frozen pizza.  Maybe it’s a casserole that’s already been prepared before hand.  Maybe it’s items that make putting together a dinner really easy.

Whatever it is, we’ve had a huge sense of relief when dinner’s covered.  Now, normally, I’m not a big “make a bunch of meals and store them in the freezer” kind of gal.  It just hasn’t been my style.  Yet.  Maybe someday.  Nah, I’m more of a “always have cooked ground beef and simple sauces in the freezer so dinner is made quickly” kind of gal.  But that style isn’t everyone’s style.  So today, this is for those of you that like having practically complete meals in the freezer – these are my favorite freezer-friendly dinner recipes!

Casseroles

Casseroles aren’t everyone’s favorite thing, but it doesn’t have to be that way.  Especially if you think of a casserole as “ingredients cooked in a casserole dish” because then things like lasagna are considered a casserole!  That’s a winner!

For casseroles, there are usually a couple different ways you can freeze them: uncooked so that you’ll defrost it and cook it later OR cooked, but maybe frozen in smaller portions for later.  How you handle that is up to you.

And there’s usually a couple different ways that you can get casseroles into the freezer: when making dinner, make an extra casserole and freeze one OR make a couple on a random day and put them into the freezer just for later.  Again, up to you!

• Baked Spaghetti – Slightly easier than a lasagna and easily made even if you don’t have lasagna noodles on hand.
• Chicken Tetrazinni – Italian, but without the tomato flavor.  Nice and creamy!
• Bow Tie Fiesta Pasta – A great pasta dish, but has a real kick!
• Sausage Lasagna Rolls – One of my all-time favorite dishes.  It seems fancy, but it doesn’t really take much effort.
• Chicken Enchiladas – Add some mexican rice and maybe some bean dip and this meal is easily done especially when you have a batch in the freezer!
• Chile Colorado Burritos – Since these are covered in enchilada sauce, they are wonderful when used as a freezer meal! The flavors join together and throw a p-a-r-t-y!
• Pizza Casserole – This makes a huge amount anyway, which makes it very simple to 2-3 at a time!

Sandwiches

When it comes to sandwiches, it’s easy to do Peanut Butter & Jelly.  But it’s also easy to do a hot sandwich.  Make a lot at one time and you’ll be eating good for many meals!

• Sloppy Joes – We serve these on hamburger buns, but my young boys prefer to just eat them as-is (no buns!).  That makes it even easier to serve and eat.
• Loose Meat Sandwiches (Maid-Rite) – Like a sloppy joe, but not as tomato-y.
• Pulled Pork Sandwiches – Ultimate in easy sandwiches.  Add barbeque sauce if you like or switch it up to buffalo side to walk on the spicy side of life!

Soups

Soups can make great freezer meals.  I don’t have great luck with those that have pasta in them, so if a soup recipe calls for pasta, I’ll usually just make the soup without the noodles, then add cooked pasta when I’m serving it.  My other tip for freezing soup is to add extra liquid – whether that’s broth or water.  Re-heating the soup can zap up the moisture, so be sure to compensate for that.

• Beef, Veggie & Barley Stew – This is one of my favorite recipes of all times.  I just really love it and it freezes perfectly!
• Chicken Tortilla Soup – My husband loves this soup!  It has a nice-but-not-over-the-top kick to it.
• Hamburger Veggie Soup – This is a “poor man’s” version of beef stew since it calls for ground beef instead of stew meat.  It has common vegetables and comes together quickly!
• Italian Sausage Soup – With Cheese Tortellini – When freezing this, I leave the tortellini out and just add it when I’m serving it.  Delicious!
• Slow Cooker Chili – Tomato-based soups are wonderful re-heated.  The flavors meld and is even better as “leftovers”!
• Taco Soup – This is a spin on chili, with a more “mexican” flair!  Serve with cheddar cheese, a small handful of Frito chips and (gasp!) a dollop of sour cream!
• Minestrone – An Italian classic!

Marinades

Marinades are a great way to prepare meals ahead of time.  Simply make up a bunch of chicken packets, freeze them and serve them later.  To serve the chicken, you can grill them, bake them or even slow cook them!

• Italian BBQ Chicken – This is as simple as it gets!
• Sweet Asian Chicken – A sweet marinade with a twist.
• 7 Different Chicken Marinades – A fantastic list of 7 marinades that are perfect for chicken!
• 7 MORE Different Chicken Marinades – 7 different marinades that also work with chicken.

Jayme is a wife to 1 and a mother to four little boys. She coupons, price matches and meal plans. While she likes to cook, she’s in the stage of life where simple is usually better – she never knows how many hands she’ll have free at dinner time! You can find her at No Regrets Living.

Check out more great recipes: