How To Make Meals To Freeze

You have better things to do than slaving away over a hot stove every night of the week. By making meals ahead of time and freezing them, you can save money and time. You can prepare many dishes in advance, and then thaw them in the refrigerator or the microwave and cook when needed. When you're making meals to freeze, knowing what foods freeze well, and how to package them, is essential.

Step 1

Freeze just-made pizza dough in double-thick freezer bags. Freeze the accompanying pizza sauce in plastic freezer containers, but don't fill the containers all the way to the top to prevent expansion when the sauce freezes. Freeze cooked pizza toppings, such as pepperoni and Italian sausage, in separate freezer bags. Label the pizza ingredients with the date and use within 3 months.

Step 2

Prepare casseroles in bulk and double-wrap baking dishes in heavy-duty aluminum foil, if you plan to eat the casseroles within a month. If you want to freeze them longer, add an outer layer of freezer wrap, taped tightly and labeled with the dates you froze the casseroles. Use within three months.

Step 3

Pour lukewarm homemade soup, chili and stew into plastic single-serve freezer containers with tight-fitting lids. Leave at least 1/2 inch of space at the top of the container. Let the containers thaw in the refrigerator overnight before heating.

Step 4

Undercook pasta slightly, and then freeze the pasta in freezer containers. Freeze tomato-based pasta sauces separately .Prepare cream sauces, such as Alfredo, just before serving, since they do not freeze as well as tomato-based pasta sauces.

Step 5

Separate ready-to-heat-and-eat dishes in single serving sizes, making it simple for family members to reheat only what they want, and save the rest for later.

Tips and Warnings

Keep sour cream, cottage cheese and ricotta cheese in the refrigerator and add to your frozen dish when you reheat it. Use dual-purpose freezer-to-microwave containers to save time. Allow baked dishes to cool down before putting them in the freezer. Remove freezer wrap and cover dishes with plastic wrap if you're heating them in the microwave. Use aluminum foil if you're baking them in the oven. Date and place newly frozen meals at the back of the freezer. Thaw and cook the meals in the front first.
Avoid freezing dishes that contain raw potatoes. Cook the dish first, cool, and then freeze. Baking times for frozen dishes are approximately 10 to 15 minutes longer than thawed dishes.