Freezer Meal Recipes!!!
The 'freezer casserole making in prep for baby coming' continued today. Elly was a good little girl and napped for nearly 2 hours so I was able to make 2 Baked Ziti, 1 Beef and Broccoli Pie (all 9x13's), and a lemon bar. I'm hoping to still make spaghetti pie tonight and also 2 pumpkin loaf cakes with cream cheese frosting. My feet are feeling a tad puffy, so once I finish the cooking I'm planning to sit and watch tv or maybe read, but here it is 8:30 already, so we'll see.
When it came time for dinner tonight I was honestly thinking Totinos! They are hardly even edible for human consumption ( I mean, what the heck is even in them?), but I'd be totally lying if I said I didn't love them and could eat them every single day if they weren't a heart attack in a box :) Btw, all pizzas are 30% off this week at Fred Meyer, hehe. So, instead of the frozen gloriousness of Totinos I was a good mommy and made High Protein Pancakes. They are essentially healthy crepes.
High Protein Waffles/Pancakes
*These are great with real maple syrup (how we eat them) and also with raspberry jam and powdered sugar. My blender only fits a 1x batch, but a larger blender would have room for a 1 1/2 or 2x batch. They are fabulous in the fridge for a whole week and make grabbing breakfast super easy.
This is my mom's recipe and is one of my favorite 'meal in a hurry' ideas.
Combine in a blender:
1 cup cottage cheese
4 eggs
1/2 C flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 C oil
1/2 C milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
Whirl at high speed 1 minute. Bake on lightly greased griddle or waffle iron.
Topping ideas: Syrup, peanut butter, fruit, jam, powdered sugar, etc.
Great Freezer Meals and what's in my freezer right now(For all of these just cover with foil and freeze prior to the baking time. Using a Sharpie write the date made, item name and cooking instructions on the foil)
Mom's Spaghetti Pie (okay all these recipes are my moms, I admit)
*This was a Better Homes and Gardens recipe that my mom tweaked and perfected over the years
6oz spaghetti
2 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese plus 1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese for top of pie
2 well-beaten eggs
1 cup small curd cottage cheese (8oz)
1 lb ground beef
2 tsp dehydrated onion bits (I never have this so I always use onion powder or real onion chopped small)
1 tsp garlic salt
3 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
2 cups Original Prego Spaghetti Sauce (this brand happens to be my family's favorite and is also on sale at Fred Meyer this week)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (2oz)
Directions:
Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain and put back in pot (should have about 3 cups pasta). Stir butter into hot spaghetti. Stir in 1/3 cup parmesan cheese and beaten eggs. Form spaghetti mixture into a "crust" in a buttered 10 inch pie plate. Spread cottage cheese over bottom of spaghetti crust almost to the edges of the "crust".
In skillet cook ground beef (and onion if using fresh) until meat is browned. Drain off excess fat. Stir in spices and Prego sauce.
Turn meat mixture into spaghetti crust. Bake, uncovered, in 350degree oven for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup fresh parmesan atop. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese melts. Makes 6 servings.
If freezing, try and allow it to thaw before baking ( pull it out that morning or night before) and add the cheeses as the recipe calls for. Cover with foil. Using a permanent marker, write on the foil Spaghetti Pie along with the baking instructions so you do not have to look them up later.
1lb sweet/mild Italian sausage, cooked, and drained
1lb ziti or mostaccioli noodles, boiled in water as package directs and drained
4 cups Prego Original spaghetti sauce
2 cups Ricotta Cheese
6 cups (1 1/2lbs) shredded Mozzarella Cheese, separated ( 4 cups and 2 cups)
In a large mixing bowl mix together the sausage, pasta, sauce, Ricotta Cheese, and the 4 cups Mozzarella Cheese. Coat with pan spray with 2 9x13x2 pans or a 4 quart baking dish. Spoon mixture into pans. Top with remaining 2 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Serve.
It's nice to bake one casserole for dinner and cover the other with foil to freeze for a later meal. Using a permanent marker, write on the foil Baked Ziti along with the baking instructions so you do not have to look them up later.
Beef and Broccoli Pie (affectionately called Barf on a Bun by my siblings and me as kids, haha!)
1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/4 cup milk
3 oz softened cream cheese
1 10oz package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, well-drained
4 oz Monterey Jack (I actually used 8oz today)
2 cans refrigerated biscuits or croissant rolls (or your favorite homemade)
Brown ground beef and onion in skillet; drain off fat. Stir in flour, salt, and garlic powder. Add milk and cream cheese; cook and stir until mixture is thickened.
Stir in well-drained broccoli.
Pour mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Top with sliced cheese. Top with biscuits or croissant rolls loosely rolls.
Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
*Can double main ingredients in same 9x13 dish to serve more people.
Turkey or Chicken Enchiladas
2 Cups turkey or chicken, cooked and chopped in bite size pieces
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
1 pint (16oz) sour cream
4 oz can chopped green chilies, undrained
1 small can sliced olives, drained (I hate olives so I always omit them, unless I'm feeling extra nice towards my hubby)
1/4 Cup chopped onion
1 Cup + 1/2 Cup grated cheddar cheese
1 pkg flour tortillas (I think that means 10 large tortillas- I always just use what I have :) )
Combine all ingredients except 1/2 C cheddar and tortillas. Spread some of mixture across bottom of 9x13 pan (no need to grease). Rollup some of the mixture in each tortilla and lay in single layer in 9x13 pan. Pour remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle 1/2 C cheese all over. Bake at 350 for 1/2 hour or until bubbly.
Mom's Chicken Divan (one of Craig's and my favorites)
1 Rotisserie Chicken-use the chicken meat pulled off this OR 4-6 chicken breasts cooked and pulled apart OR 1 medium whole chicken boiled and deboned
1 bunch broccoli cut up into bite size pieces and parboiled OR 2 14oz packages frozen broccoli thawed and drained (the frozen ends up with a better texture for this dish in my opinion)
SAUCE-Mix 2 cans cream of chicken soup, 1 C Best Foods light mayo, 1tsp lemon juice, ¾ tsp curry powder (the sweet golden colored kind and I always at least double this amount ), ½ C grated cheddar cheese.
TOPPING- 1 C regular dry bread crumbs (from day old bread or store bought) mixed with 2 Tbsp melted butter.
In 9x13 pan place chicken pieces; Layer broccoli over top. Pour sauce over this, spreading evenly. Sprinkle topping over all evenly. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve over steamed rice (brown, white, basmati, etc).
*The sauce is the best part, I usually go generous on the measurements since it’s the part everyone always wants more of My mom makes it with regular mayo, I always use light and it tastes the same to me.
Mom's Manicotti
3 cups (30oz jar) Original Prego Spaghetti Sauce
1 cup water
1pkg (usually about 16oz) Italian, sweet, mild sausage broken up, cooked
3 cups (22.5oz) Ricotta Cheese
2 cups (8oz) shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
1/3 cup fresh basil or 2 Tbsp dried basil
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
14 pieces (8oz) manicotti, uncooked
Heat oven to 400degrees. Fry sausage, drain. Add sauce, pour half water into jar, shake, pour into sauce, repeat with remaining 1/2 cup water. Add to sauce.
Combine remaining ingredients in separate bowl, except manicotti.
Fill uncooked manicotti using a quart sized Ziplock bag, filling with mixture and cutting a corner to squeeze mixture into pasta.
Pour 1 cup sauce in bottom of 9x13x2 glass baking dish (I use foil dish when freezing). Arrange filled pasta in single layer over sauce. Pour remaining sauce over all. Cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes or until hot, bubbly, and pasta when forked is al dente. Remove foil. Bake 10 minutes more. Let set 5 minutes. Serve.
Wish I had pics of everything to put on here, but I didn't think about blogging the recipes til I was done. Sorry! I promise they are all good. I grew up on these casseroles and now make them for my family- they're that good! Enjoy :)
When it came time for dinner tonight I was honestly thinking Totinos! They are hardly even edible for human consumption ( I mean, what the heck is even in them?), but I'd be totally lying if I said I didn't love them and could eat them every single day if they weren't a heart attack in a box :) Btw, all pizzas are 30% off this week at Fred Meyer, hehe. So, instead of the frozen gloriousness of Totinos I was a good mommy and made High Protein Pancakes. They are essentially healthy crepes.
High Protein Waffles/Pancakes
*These are great with real maple syrup (how we eat them) and also with raspberry jam and powdered sugar. My blender only fits a 1x batch, but a larger blender would have room for a 1 1/2 or 2x batch. They are fabulous in the fridge for a whole week and make grabbing breakfast super easy.
This is my mom's recipe and is one of my favorite 'meal in a hurry' ideas.
Combine in a blender:
1 cup cottage cheese
4 eggs
1/2 C flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 C oil
1/2 C milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
Whirl at high speed 1 minute. Bake on lightly greased griddle or waffle iron.
Topping ideas: Syrup, peanut butter, fruit, jam, powdered sugar, etc.
Great Freezer Meals and what's in my freezer right now(For all of these just cover with foil and freeze prior to the baking time. Using a Sharpie write the date made, item name and cooking instructions on the foil)
Mom's Spaghetti Pie (okay all these recipes are my moms, I admit)
*This was a Better Homes and Gardens recipe that my mom tweaked and perfected over the years
6oz spaghetti
2 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese plus 1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese for top of pie
2 well-beaten eggs
1 cup small curd cottage cheese (8oz)
1 lb ground beef
2 tsp dehydrated onion bits (I never have this so I always use onion powder or real onion chopped small)
1 tsp garlic salt
3 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
2 cups Original Prego Spaghetti Sauce (this brand happens to be my family's favorite and is also on sale at Fred Meyer this week)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (2oz)
Directions:
Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain and put back in pot (should have about 3 cups pasta). Stir butter into hot spaghetti. Stir in 1/3 cup parmesan cheese and beaten eggs. Form spaghetti mixture into a "crust" in a buttered 10 inch pie plate. Spread cottage cheese over bottom of spaghetti crust almost to the edges of the "crust".
In skillet cook ground beef (and onion if using fresh) until meat is browned. Drain off excess fat. Stir in spices and Prego sauce.
Turn meat mixture into spaghetti crust. Bake, uncovered, in 350degree oven for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup fresh parmesan atop. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese melts. Makes 6 servings.
If freezing, try and allow it to thaw before baking ( pull it out that morning or night before) and add the cheeses as the recipe calls for. Cover with foil. Using a permanent marker, write on the foil Spaghetti Pie along with the baking instructions so you do not have to look them up later.
Spaghetti Pie! (the pasta is literally the "crust", so good!)
Baked Ziti
*Freezes great and makes 2 9x13's1lb sweet/mild Italian sausage, cooked, and drained
1lb ziti or mostaccioli noodles, boiled in water as package directs and drained
4 cups Prego Original spaghetti sauce
2 cups Ricotta Cheese
6 cups (1 1/2lbs) shredded Mozzarella Cheese, separated ( 4 cups and 2 cups)
In a large mixing bowl mix together the sausage, pasta, sauce, Ricotta Cheese, and the 4 cups Mozzarella Cheese. Coat with pan spray with 2 9x13x2 pans or a 4 quart baking dish. Spoon mixture into pans. Top with remaining 2 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Serve.
It's nice to bake one casserole for dinner and cover the other with foil to freeze for a later meal. Using a permanent marker, write on the foil Baked Ziti along with the baking instructions so you do not have to look them up later.
Beef and Broccoli Pie (affectionately called Barf on a Bun by my siblings and me as kids, haha!)
1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/4 cup milk
3 oz softened cream cheese
1 10oz package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, well-drained
4 oz Monterey Jack (I actually used 8oz today)
2 cans refrigerated biscuits or croissant rolls (or your favorite homemade)
Brown ground beef and onion in skillet; drain off fat. Stir in flour, salt, and garlic powder. Add milk and cream cheese; cook and stir until mixture is thickened.
Stir in well-drained broccoli.
Pour mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Top with sliced cheese. Top with biscuits or croissant rolls loosely rolls.
Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
*Can double main ingredients in same 9x13 dish to serve more people.
Turkey or Chicken Enchiladas
2 Cups turkey or chicken, cooked and chopped in bite size pieces
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
1 pint (16oz) sour cream
4 oz can chopped green chilies, undrained
1 small can sliced olives, drained (I hate olives so I always omit them, unless I'm feeling extra nice towards my hubby)
1/4 Cup chopped onion
1 Cup + 1/2 Cup grated cheddar cheese
1 pkg flour tortillas (I think that means 10 large tortillas- I always just use what I have :) )
Combine all ingredients except 1/2 C cheddar and tortillas. Spread some of mixture across bottom of 9x13 pan (no need to grease). Rollup some of the mixture in each tortilla and lay in single layer in 9x13 pan. Pour remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle 1/2 C cheese all over. Bake at 350 for 1/2 hour or until bubbly.
Mom's Chicken Divan (one of Craig's and my favorites)
1 Rotisserie Chicken-use the chicken meat pulled off this OR 4-6 chicken breasts cooked and pulled apart OR 1 medium whole chicken boiled and deboned
1 bunch broccoli cut up into bite size pieces and parboiled OR 2 14oz packages frozen broccoli thawed and drained (the frozen ends up with a better texture for this dish in my opinion)
SAUCE-Mix 2 cans cream of chicken soup, 1 C Best Foods light mayo, 1tsp lemon juice, ¾ tsp curry powder (the sweet golden colored kind and I always at least double this amount ), ½ C grated cheddar cheese.
TOPPING- 1 C regular dry bread crumbs (from day old bread or store bought) mixed with 2 Tbsp melted butter.
In 9x13 pan place chicken pieces; Layer broccoli over top. Pour sauce over this, spreading evenly. Sprinkle topping over all evenly. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve over steamed rice (brown, white, basmati, etc).
*The sauce is the best part, I usually go generous on the measurements since it’s the part everyone always wants more of My mom makes it with regular mayo, I always use light and it tastes the same to me.
Mom's Manicotti
3 cups (30oz jar) Original Prego Spaghetti Sauce
1 cup water
1pkg (usually about 16oz) Italian, sweet, mild sausage broken up, cooked
3 cups (22.5oz) Ricotta Cheese
2 cups (8oz) shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
1/3 cup fresh basil or 2 Tbsp dried basil
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
14 pieces (8oz) manicotti, uncooked
Heat oven to 400degrees. Fry sausage, drain. Add sauce, pour half water into jar, shake, pour into sauce, repeat with remaining 1/2 cup water. Add to sauce.
Combine remaining ingredients in separate bowl, except manicotti.
Fill uncooked manicotti using a quart sized Ziplock bag, filling with mixture and cutting a corner to squeeze mixture into pasta.
Pour 1 cup sauce in bottom of 9x13x2 glass baking dish (I use foil dish when freezing). Arrange filled pasta in single layer over sauce. Pour remaining sauce over all. Cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes or until hot, bubbly, and pasta when forked is al dente. Remove foil. Bake 10 minutes more. Let set 5 minutes. Serve.
Wish I had pics of everything to put on here, but I didn't think about blogging the recipes til I was done. Sorry! I promise they are all good. I grew up on these casseroles and now make them for my family- they're that good! Enjoy :)
Utterly amazing Diana, I was going to make a Beef Roast Pie, but was too lazy with the weather to put together the pie crust for it. I put it back in the fridge and made four batches of High Protein Waffles. Kelsey kept oohhing and aahhing about how good they were. There is a stack in the fridge for breakfasts and snacks. Great minds think alike.
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