Adventures in Freezer Cooking

I've been seeing freezer cooking all over Pinterest, my Facebook news-feed, friends blogs; with work starting to pick up and my time to make a home cooked meal getting smaller and smaller I decided to jump on the band wagon! Since this is my first ever attempt at freezer cooking I decided to keep it simple and go with soups, pasta sauce and lasagna roll-ups (this was my dare to be different choice!)

Here is what I chose to cook:

Spinach Lasagna Roll-ups

Mom's Quick and Easy Spaghetti Sauce

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Three Bean Chili

 I wrote down all of the ingredients I needed and hit the grocery store which surprisingly didn't break the bank! 

Here is my grocery list: 

Fresh Produce: 

Celery

(2) Onions

8 oz Baby Sliced Portobella Mushrooms

(2) Potatoes

Meat:

(1) Package Johnsonville Italian Sausage- Hot

(1) Pound Ground Turkey 

(1) Pound Lean Ground Beef

(16) oz Chicken Breast

Other Grocery Items:

Chicken Boullion Cubes

Thyme

 (10) oz Mixed Bag of Frozen Vegetables

(28) oz Can of Diced Tomatoes

(16) oz 2 Cans of Tomato Sauce

(15.5) oz Can of Black Beans

(15.5) oz Can of Red Beans

(10) oz Bag Chopped Spinach

Lasagna Noodles

(15) oz Fat Free Ricotta Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

(32) oz Can of Tomato Sauce

Eggs

(1) Can of Tomato Paste

Heavy Whipping Cream

Freezer Bags

Once you get home I don't think there's any real way to make this process go by any quicker. I started with the Three Bean Chili since you essentially dump everything in the crock pot and let it cook for 6 hours. After that I basically went recipe to recipe and as things cooled I put them in their designated freezer bags and made room in the freezer (sharing an apartment with 2 other girls can make for a crowded freezer!)

Yes I did cook everything prior to putting it in the freezer, that way I can defrost it and not have to worry about cooking again! 

Here is everything broken down:

Chicken Pot Pie Soup:

Adapted from Skinny Taste

(1/4) cup flour
(2) cups water 
(4) cups milk
(1) large celery stalk, chopped
(1/2) medium chopped onion
(8) oz sliced baby portabella mushrooms
(2) chicken bouillons 

Fresh ground pepper

Pinch of thyme
(10) oz frozen classic mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, green beans, corn)
(2) potatoes, peeled and cubed small
(16) oz cooked chicken breast, diced small
salt

 

Directions-

Mix the flour with the water until smooth and set aside, this comes in at the very end!

In a large pot bring the water and milk to a boil slowly. Add celery, onion, mushrooms, chicken boullions, the bag of mixed vegetables, pepper and thyme to the pot. The original recipe said to let it cook until the vegetables are soft, so about 20 minutes. I was in the midst of chopping for the other recipes so I left it on there for maybe 35 to 40 minutes and it turned out just as good, use your discretion! Add the potatoes and let cook for 5 minutes, then add in your already cooked chicken. Mix everything together before pouring in the water/flour mixture. Let this simmer for maybe 5 minutes to allow the soup to thicken and voila! you're done with meal number 1! I let the soup cool for 45 minutes before I placed it in a freezer bag! Simply defrost the night before to enjoy the next day with some warm biscuits!

This recipe makes (2) bags

Crock Pot Three Bean Chili:

 (20 oz) Lean ground beef
(1) onion, chopped
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, undrained
1 (15.5 oz) can small red beans, undrained

 Chili powder

Cumin

Paprika

Pepper

 

Directions-

Brown the ground beef and onions in a skillet until cooked thoroughly. Drain any fat or grease from the pan before putting it in the crockpot. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, black beans, red beans and all of your spices. Set to low for (6) hours or to high for (8) hours and you're done! Again let the chili cool completely before putting everything into your freezer bags. Simply defrost the night before to enjoy the next day!

See how quick and easy these recipes are?!

This recipe makes (3) Freezer bags

Spinach Lasagna Rolls:

Adapted From Skinny Taste

 

(10) lasagna noodles, cooked
(10) oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
(15) oz fat free ricotta cheese
(1/2) cup grated Parmesan cheese
(1) egg
salt and fresh pepper
(32) oz tomato sauce
Mozzarella Cheese

Directions-

Combine your spinach, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Lay wax paper on your counter so you won't make a huge mess in your kitchen, half the battle is the clean up after everything! Lay your cooked lasagna noodles on the wax paper and evenly spread the spinach/cheese mixture down the length of the noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down on a cookie sheet. Repeat this step until your mixture is completely gone, I think I used about 10 lasagna noodles. Next you need to flash freeze the rolls for about an hour before you put them in your freezer bag. Once this is done load up that bag! 

For this recipe you do need to do a little cooking when you actually want to defrost and eat these. Simply preheat the oven to 350 degrees, pour about (1) cup of tomato sauce into the bottom of your pan and place the rolls on top. Pour another cup of sauce over the noodles, sprinkle with some mozzarella, cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes! See another super easy, super delicious recipe!

This makes (1) Freezer bag of Rolls

Mom's Weeknight Spaghetti Sauce:

(1) Pound Ground Turkey
(1) Package of Johnsonville Italian Sausage- Hot
(1) Medium Onion
(1) Can of Tomato Paste
(1) Small Can of Tomato Sauce
Heavy Whipping Cream (You can use Evaporate Milk if you want to go healthier!)
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan Cheese

Directions-

Saute the onion until transparent in a medium skillet, once this is done brown all of your meats together and drain any of the grease or fat from the pan. Next combine your meat mixture with the tomato paste and tomato sauce, making sure that everything is evenly distributed. Then slowly begin pouring in the evaporated milk, I do this in increments so that everything is again evenly distributed. Once this is done allow the sauce to cool completely and put everything in your freezer bag!

When you defrost all you have to do is make your noodles, sprinkle with salt and pepper, top with parmesan cheese and enjoy!

This makes (1) Freezer Bag of Sauce

 Hopefully everything comes out as delicious for you as it did for me! I'm all set with meals for a couple of weeks, no trying to figure out during the day what I'm going to eat when I get out of work, just re-heat and enjoy! Seeing as this is my first time ever doing this, let me know your input for the next time around!

Mangia!!!