Simplify meal times at your home with these easy freezer meal recipes. Whether your making breakfast, lunch or dinner, Freezer Meals are an awesome way to get food on the table when you’re short on time! Packed with home cooked goodness, your entire family (and maybe the neighbors too) will love these!
Alright, I’m going to be honest with you all from the get-go! I used to never make freezer meals and thought people who did were crazy.
I grew up in a traditional, old fashioned home where my sweet ma made home cooked meals each and every day. So no surprise, when I was first married, I made home cooked meals daily for my husband and I.
These meals usually included a freshly baked dessert to go with it (who is counting calories right?). Andthen I had three children, in four years, and became desperate for an easier way to get healthy, family friendly meals on the table each night!
I was short on time (and short on a whole lot of sleep). And that is when I feel in love with easy Freezer Meals!
Let’s face it, after a busy day, there isn’t always time or energy left to do all the prep work that goes into cooking a meal from scratch. And even if you’re a super mom and don’t think these meals would be for you, think again!
Having freezer meal recipes prepped and ready to cook in the freezer allows me to be more present with my family. It allows me to sit down and play an extra board game, make playdoh, take the kids to the library and the park, or spend an afternoon sledding in our backyard!
Freezer meals have revolutionized the way I feed my family and how much time I spend in the kitchen cooking and cleaning up in any given week.
Try these Quick and Easy Freezer Meal Recipes that will be your new favorite go-to recipes week after week! At our house, we use Freezer Meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
This roundup has a little something for everyone. From soups and chilis, to casseroles, pastas and sandwiches there is something for everyone (even picky little eaters)!
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Freezer Meals – Tips and Tricks
Making all these meals at one time can seem overwhelming if you’re not properly prepared! These tips and tricks will help you save you time, money and a whole lot of hassle!
1. Plan Out Your Recipes
Start by finding recipes you’re excited to be making and that you know your family will eat. Since you already have this round-up of meals, you’re on your way to finding the perfect recipes for your family! You’ll find our mom and kids approved family favorites below!
2. Start Small
Preparing a month’s worth of meals can seem daunting! If you’ve made it this far, I’m confident that you can do this and it will help you find freedom in your cooking routine! When you’re starting to make freezer meals, it’s a good idea to start with a single bath of a recipe before your make bulk amounts of it to freeze. Why? There’s no sense making food that you didn’t end liking. Once you know which meals you and your family loves, you can start to prep more in bulk (cutting down on costs, dishes and waste)!
3. Make Your List
Once you’ve finalized the recipes you’re going to make, write down the groceries and supplies you’re going to need. Don’t forget to add freezer safe storage containers (if you’re planning to use them).
4. Separate Shopping and Prepping
A good friend of mine gave me a lots of good advice when I was a novice at freezer meals. One of the best tips she gave me was to not shop and prep food all in the same day! Instead, plan a day or two in advance to stock up on groceries and supplies so you’re ready to tackle freezer prep day!
5. Get Your Gadgets
Optimizing your time and efficiency is key to making this process a breeze! Your favorite kitchen gadgets to help make your prep work go faster! Every time I prep freezer meals, I use my Cuisinart Food Processorwhich saves on time shredding, chopping and slicing! The KitchenAid Stand Mixeris another kitchen essential for my freezer meal recipes. A couple years ago, my family bought me the KitchenAid Dicing Kit Accessoryand it’s revolutionized my freezer meal prep. It saves me so much time and hassle dicing up veggies! And for all those other ingredients that need manual knife prep, grab a set of these Gorilla Grip Cutting Boards! These dishwasher safe boards make food prep so easy!
When it comes to cooking freezer meals, the crock pot will be your new best friend! This slow cooker is my favorite and I use it all the time, but if you want a temperature probe for temperature monitoring this crockpot is great! Grab a pair of these Bear Claws so you can easily shred meats from recipes when they’re done cooking!
6. Take Notes and Label
While your kitchen is messy and you’re ready to be done and put your feet up, it’s easy to overlook the importance of organization and writing things down! Did you add extra vegetables to one meal? Maybe you made a soup base and added chicken to one container and beef to another? Write it down! Make an inventory of what meals you made, things that went well and things that didn’t (we can all learn for next time, right? I’m still fine tuning my process) and take note if you bought too much or too little of something. Then put all your notes together – recipes, shopping lists, follow-up notes – so you can easily reference it next time!
Also, make sure you use a permanent marker on your freezer meals with the name of the meal, the date prepped and any thawing or cooking instructions.
7. Grab Your Girlfriends
I LOVE to use Easy Freezer Meals as a reason to get together with my girlfriends! It’s always more food working side by side with someone else and while you’re cutting, chopping and shredding, it’s perfect time to catch up on life.
Be sure to bookmark this page or pin it.
Here you will find the following types of freezer meal recipes:
*click on one of these to take you directly to that section of recipes*
- Soups and Chilis
- Pastas, Casseroles and Main Dishes
- Sandwiches
- Breakfast
- Desserts
Soups and Chilis
These soup and chili recipes are super easy and affordable to prep! Simply, add all your ingredients to your freezer container or ziplock and freeze them (laying flat and labeled of course)!
Soups you’re making fresh also make great freezer meals. Double your regular recipe or freeze leftovers.
It’s always nice to have quick and easy things you can thaw from the freezer. For pre-made soups, store cooked and cooled in large labeled freezer bags, and place them flat in the freezer (this maximizes your freezer space and helps when thawing).
An insider tip – don’t add cheese until the soup is re-heated! Storing your food in freezer safe ziplocks? These Hands Free Ziplock Bag Holders are such a great investment! They prevent tipped over bags and prevent a whole lot of mess!
Cheesy Wild Rice Soup
Slow Cooked Soup Loaded with Cheesy, Carrots, Chicken & Wild Rice!
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Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
A delicious combination of chicken, beans, green chiles and spices make this Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili amazing.
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Pulled Pork Chili
Pulled Pork Chili is the perfect recipe to use it up leftover pulled pork! This chili recipe is hearty, delicious and so easy to make. You’ll have it on the table for dinner in 30 minutes. The perfect weeknight meal. It’s loaded with flavor from pulled pork, diced tomatoes, chili beans, chili powder, cumin and onions!
Crockpot Chili
Crock Pot Chili is an easy slow cooker recipe that is loaded with ground beef, beans, tomato sauce and seasonings. So much flavor after slow cooking all day!
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Taco Soup Recipe
You have to make this Taco Soup! It's ready in about 30 minutes, bursting with flavor and healthy! Warm up to a big bowl of it for dinner, meal prep it for lunch that week or freeze it for a quick and easy freezer recipe.
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Crock Pot Chili Mac
Chili that simmers all day in your crock pot for the ultimate flavor. Add elbow macaroni at the end to turn it in hearty Crock Pot Chili Mac perfect for busy nights!
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Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
A quick and easy soup recipe that is perfect for busy weeknights. This Chicken Tortilla Soup is loaded with corn, salsa, and chicken then seasoned perfectly with cumin and chili!
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Pastas, Casseroles and Main Dishes
When making Easy Freezer Meal Recipes for pastas, casseroles or main dishes, I love to use these Aluminum Pans for my freezer storage containers!
Not only do they make clean-up a cinch, they stack easily to maximize your freezer space! Add your ingredients as the recipe specifies and then simply cover in foil and label (you can even use a sharpie to write on the tinfoil).
Sprinkle cheese on top just before cooking!
Can you cook these dishes from frozen? Absolutely! You’ll just need to increase your baking time by roughly 30, until they’re bubbly and cooked through! How to use recipes that are served over pasta? Recipes that are served over fresh pasta make great freezer meals!
Add the rest of the ingredients to a freezer ziplock bag and freeze (except the pasta obviously).When you pull it from the freezer, dump your freezer bag into your slow cooker or crock pot. Let it cook while you work, run errands or chase your kiddos! And when you get home, cook fresh pasta and serve it all together!
Spaghetti Pie
Spaghetti Pie ~ Hearty Meat Sauce Piled high on a bed of Spaghetti!
Mexican Lasagna
This delicioushomemade lasagnahas a Mexican flair you will love to take your lasagna up a notch on pasta night! Layers of lasagna noodles, taco meat and cheese.
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Hawaiian Lasagna
A super simple pasta dish that's big on flavor! Perfect for busy days or weeknights, and easy to sneak in extra veggies.
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Smoked Meatloaf
A delicious smoked meatloaf recipe that is full of smoked flavor and cheese! This Traeger Meatloaf is smoked one your pellet grill and is amazing. It’s a fun twist on your traditional meatloaf recipe that will have you always making yours on your electric smoker! Once you try this you’ll never want it any other way. So simple and delicious. It’s a great easy, beginner recipe, but yet so flavorful that even the seasoned pro will love this!
Mexican Pasta Baked
Easy casserole recipe that is a mixture of ground beef, corn, salsa and more!
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Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole Recipe
Quick and easy cheesy hash brown casserole loaded with cheese that's great for an easy side dish recipe.
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Pizza Casserole
Quick and easy pizza casserole with layers of noodles, ground beef, pizza sauce and cheese! Perfect for a delicious weeknight dinner.
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Crock Pot Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Creamy chicken, ranch and bacon served on a bed of pasta for an easy dinner in the slow cooker
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Light Crock Pot Fiesta Chicken & Rice Bowls
Light Crock Pot Fiesta Chicken & Rice Bowls loaded with chicken, brown rice and pico de gallo for a healthy dish you can throw in your slow cooker for an easy and delicious meal!
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Hamburger Stroganoff
An easy weeknight supper of Ground Beef Stroganoff will put smiles on the whole family's faces including Mom's!
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Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki
Super easy slow cooker teriyaki chicken recipe served over rice! Throw it in your Crock Pot and Dinner is done!
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Turkey Shepherds Pie
The Perfect Casserole to use up Leftover Turkey and Vegetables from the Holidays! Peas, Carrots and Beans with Gravy then Piled with Mashed Potatoes and Topped with Parmesan Cheese.
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Mexican Pasta Baked
Easy casserole recipe that is a mixture of ground beef, corn, salsa and more!
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Sandwiches
Sandwich Freezer Meals are some of our families favorites! They’re quick and easy to prep and freeze.
And when the time comes to eat them, they’re just as easy to finish off and devour!
For sandwiches you’re stuffing prior to freezing, wrap individually in tinfoil and pack tightly, removing all excess air from your storage container. This will ensure they’re fresh when you cook them!
Crock Pot Pulled Pork Recipe
Delicious pulled pork recipe made in your slow cooker! This Crock Pot Pulled Pork makes the best sandwiches!
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Auntie’s Barbecues
Easy, Make-Ahead Barbecues Perfect for the Weeknights!
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Smoked Cider Brined Pulled Pork
This Smoked Cider Brined Pulled Pork is made from a pork butt that is brined in cider then smoked and slow roasted until it is perfectly tender and falls apart.
Easy Cheesy Chicken Sandwiches
Cheesy Chicken Sandwiches ~ Super Easy Chicken Sandwiches Loaded with a Cheese Sauce!
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Pizza Sliders
These sliders are quick, easy and perfect for any night of the week! Stuffed with pepperoni, fresh mozzarella and pizza sauce then brush the buns with a seasoned Parmesan butter for so much flavor.
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Cheesy Bacon Egg Breakfast Sliders
Delicious Slider Sandwiches Stuffed with Bacon, Scrambled Eggs and Cheese! The Perfect Easy Breakfast or Brunch Recipe!
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Breakfast Freezer Meals
At our house, we eat breakfast foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner! These Freezer Meal Recipes are a great way to maximize your freezer meals and add a little variety to your families menu!
We often make double or triple the amount of these because our kids eat them SO quickly we are always running out.
We’ve also included some quick bread recipes – they’re a staple at our house for school box lunches, picnics and snacks! When we’re short on time, these are our go-to!
We serve them with scrambled eggs and fresh fruits! And you can literally pull this meal together (with the help of your freezer quick breads) in minutes!
Egg Muffins
Light, fluffy egg muffins loaded with cheese and ham.
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Sausage Breakfast Casserole
Your favorite breakfast casserole that you can make on the grill or in the oven! This quick and easy Sausage Breakfast Casserole is stuffed with hash browns, eggs, sausage and will be your new go to recipe for making a delicious grilled breakfast!
Overnight Breakfast Lasagna
Layers of Lasagna Noodles Stuffed with a Delicious Cheese Sauce, Bacon and More Cheese! Prep this the Night Before and Enjoy it for Breakfast or Brunch!
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Breakfast Enchiladas
Tortillas stuffed with Sausage, Eggs,Cheese and Bacon! This is the Perfect Overnight Breakfast Casserole Recipe!
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Green Chile Breakfast Enchilada Casserole
Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole is Loaded with Bacon, Potatoes, Pepper Jack Cheese and is Perfect for Feeding Breakfast to a Crowd!
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Cheesy Mashed Potato Egg Casserole
Perfect Breakfast or Brunch Casserole Loaded with Mashed Potatoes, Eggs, Cheese and Bacon! This Hearty Breakfast Recipe is Perfect for Entertaining!
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Chocolate Banana Baked Oatmeal Cups
Chocolate Banana Baked Oatmeal Cups are the perfect easy breakfast recipe! Loaded with healthy ingredients (tons of protein!) they will fill you up and keep you full, plus a little chocolate to fix your sweet tooth too! They make a great healthy snack recipe too. Make them ahead for the week and reheat them for a grab and go breakfast on the run and they are freezer friendly!
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Healthy Banana Bread Recipe
Healthy Banana Bread Recipe ~ Delicious Mini Banana Bread Loaves that are Lightened Up with Coconut Oil, Whole Wheat Flour and Truvia! Moist, Easy and Delicious Banana Bread!
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Cream Cheese Blueberry Bread
The Cream Cheese Blueberry Bread is quick, easy and so delicious! Loaded with fresh, juicy blueberries and so moist. Grab your blueberries and make this Blueberry Bread for breakfast or dessert!
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Pumpkin Bread
How to bake Pumpkin Bread just like Grandma used to make! Tender, moist and delicious and loaded with warm spices. This Classic Pumpkin Bread recipe will make you two loaves to snack on all fall!
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Freezer Friendly Desserts
Have a sweet tooth? Me too! I don’t think any recipe round-up is complete without a dessert menu!
And you’re in luck because Julie’s Eats and Treats has an entire collection of Dessert Freezer Recipesyou’re definitely going to want to try!
Festive Mint Cream Dessert
Mint Ice Cream Dessert ~ Oreo Crust layered with Mint Ice Cream, Chocolate Chips and Whipped Topping!
Grandma’s Lemon Raspberry Sherbet Dessert
Salty Crust Topped with Creamy Raspberry Filling and a Tart Lemon Topping!
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Apple Bread with Icing
Smoked Apple Bread with icing is a tender easy quick bread loaded with flavor. It’s packed with fresh apples, spices and finished with a powdered sugar icing. This Apple Bread can be made on an electric smoker or in the oven. We love preparing it on our smoker for a delicious subtle smoked flavor.
Easy Chocolate Fudge
Made with just a three ingredients and it comes out perfectly every single time!
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German Chocolate Brownies
These rich chocolaty German Chocolate Brownies are topped with a gooey homemade coconut pecan frosting. Make the brownies from scratch, or use a boxed brownie mix as the base of this recipe. You'll love this decadent dessert!
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Peanut Butter and Banana Icebox Cake
Homemade Light & Fluffy Peanut Butter Mousse Layered with Peanut Butter Cookies and Bananas and then Drizzled with Peanut Butter! The Perfect No Bake Dessert!
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Plan ahead for your next cookie swap, holiday party or family gathering! Make a few batches of cookies, freeze them and then enjoy them as desired!
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