I’ve had several requests lately for freezer-friendly meal ideas. It must be that time of year! With our little bambino on the way in a couple months, I’ve been making a list of meals I’m going to try to make in advance to stash away in the freezer. It will be a miracle if I can even get through a third of this list below (considering I have no working oven until late August…minor detail, hah), but I included plenty of options so you have some variety to choose from! The recipes at the top of my “must-make” list are: My Favourite Vegan Chili; Spiced Red Lentil, Tomato, and Kale Soup; Pumpkin Gingerbread Snack Bars; Summer Harvest Tortilla Soup (from OSG cookbook); Crowd-Pleasing Tex Mex Casserole (OSG cookbook); Feel Good Hearty Granola Bars; veggie burgers/balls; Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ‘Larabars’; and my Indian-Lentil Cauliflower Soup (also from OSG cookbook). That should be a good start!
First a few Q + A’s…
What to freeze in? I switched to glass, BPA-free freezer + oven-safe containers last year, so I always use those for freezing (I use these Pyrex containers). The added bonus is that you can bake thawed casseroles/enchiladas right in the very dish! Yay, for less dishes. I also use Glasslock containers, but those are not oven-safe, fyi. Lastly, I use freezer-safe zip bags for foods like granola bars, granola, and cookies. I always rinse and reuse the bags when I’m done with them to cut down on waste and save money (those things are expensive). Mason jars (for canning/freezing) also work well. Tip: We also use freezer bags for freezing bananas for smoothies. At any given moment you can find about 2 bags stuffed with peeled bananas in the freezer!
How to freeze? As for the method I use to freeze things, it’s pretty basic. I’m a big fan of what I call the wrap + seal technique (totally just made that up), meaning that I wrap the cooled food first (usually in tin foil or other freezer-safe bag) and then place the wrapped food in the glass container and lock/seal the lid. I like that it has two layers of protection from freezer burn. This method works great for single-serving foods like veggie burgers/balls, burritos, or snack bars. If it’s a liquid-based dish like soup, pesto, sauce, casserole, or chili, I will pour it into the dish and then sometimes put a layer of wrap on top of it. Press the foil/wrap down to prevent freezer burn from forming and then secure the lid as usual. It helps to leave an inch of so of space at the top to allow for any expansion. For those who don’t want to use foil or wrap, you can try wrapping with parchment paper and securing with baking twine or something similar.
How long to freeze for? Ah, the million dollar question! I find this depends on the type of food and your freezer. I’m pretty sensitive to the dreaded freezer-burn taste, so I try not to freeze things for longer than a month or two in my regular (fridge) freezer. It’s really just trial and error though. You can get more mileage out of certain dishes and less with others.
For the recipes that don’t make a very large serving, I like to double or triple the recipe whenever possible. I haven’t tried freezing every single one of the recipes below, but I’ve tried a lot of them. Generally speaking, these categories tend to freeze quite well.
I encourage you to share your freezing methods in the comments! I’m certainly not a freezing pro and welcome all your tips. Update – there are now a ton of great freezing tips in the comment section! Be sure to check them out.
Veggie Burgers + Balls
When it comes to veggie burgers and bean balls, I now prefer to cook them first, cool completely, and then use the wrap + seal freezing technique I mentioned above (wrap individually in tin foil and then place them all in a glass container). When ready to eat, thaw on the countertop or in the fridge and reheat on the skillet with some oil or in the oven on a baking sheet. I find cooking the burgers/balls first and then freezing helps the patties stay together better.
Thai Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers
Soup + Chili
Liquids like soup and chili are freezer-friendly superstars! Most will do just fine. After cooking the soup, let it cool completely, and then place in a freezer-friendly glass container leaving a bit of space at the top for any expansion that might occur. Sometimes I add a layer of tin foil on top of the soup to prevent freezer burn.
Luxurious 7-Vegetable and ‘Cheese’ Soup
Spiced Red Lentil, Tomato, and Kale Soup
Black Bean, Sweet Potato, and Red Quinoa Soup
Pasta Sauce + Pesto
Sauces and pesto’s tend to freeze nicely too. I only freeze the sauce and rarely ever freeze the sauce mixed into cooked pasta or other noodle (it tends to get soggy for many dishes). I use the same freezing method as written above for soup/chili. You can even freeze sauces/pesto’s in smaller portions (for “two” is a popular one around here!), so you don’t need to thaw the entire batch for just one meal. Try freezing pesto in silicone muffin trays for easy removal. Once they are frozen, you can pop them into a reusable freezer-safe zip bags to save freezer space.
I haven’t tried freezing these two below yet, but if you have please leave a comment!
Cauli-power Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce
Enchiladas + Burritos + Casserole
I freeze the Tex Mex Casserole in an extra large oven/freezer-safe glass dish with a layer of tin foil pressed tightly on top of the casserole to prevent freezer burn. Tips: For this specific casserole, I skipped the 15-20 minute oven cooking because I knew I would be cooking it after thawing. I let the skillet mixture cool before adding it into the container. I also waited to add the corn chip garnish until just before baking so they didn’t get soggy. When you are ready to eat it, thaw it completely (this takes well over 24 hours in the fridge – FYI), remove the tin foil, sprinkle on the corn chips, and pop it in the oven at 350F for about 30 minutes. Easy! Serve it with sliced avocado, cashew sour cream, sliced green onion, salsa, etc. As for enchiladas, people have told me they had success freezing the entire lot all at once, thawing, and baking as instructed. I would wait to make + add the cilantro avocado sauce until just before serving since it’s avocado based. For burritos, you can wrap them up individually in tin foil or freezer bags and freeze for quick grab and go meals.
Crowd-Pleasing Tex Mex Casserole (from The Oh She Glows Cookbook, page 149)
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas (for an updated version with a 5-minute homemade enchilada sauce (this freezes well too!), see pages 147 and 300 in the OSG cookbook)
Black Bean and Butternut Squash Burritos
Snacks/Breakfast
For cookies, I bake them as directed, cool completely, and then freeze in freezer-safe zip bags. Some people also have success freezing the portioned cookie dough on a baking sheet and then popping the frozen dough balls into freezer baggies. Then you can thaw on the counter and bake as usual. I’ve also included a link to my recent granola bar recipe – I tested freezing these and they lasted for over a month in the freezer which I was very happy about! They make a great snack and I love that I can thaw one bar at a time as I need them. Lastly, granola always freezes well. My favourite granola is on page 31 of my cookbook.
Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ‘Larabars’
Ultimate Nutty granola Clusters (from The Oh She Glows Cookbook, page 31)
Blissful Blueberry Banana Spelt Muffins
Heavenly Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
Pumpkin Gingerbread Snack Bars
~~~~
This list is by no means inclusive of all the freezer-friendly recipes on the blog over the past 6 years. If I’ve forgotten any good blog recipes that you’ve had freezing success with, be sure to let us know in the comments! The more the merrier.
Happy freezing!
I am going to make some of these soon! Just wanted to add a freezer success…cupcakes freeze beautifully frosted or not. I use a gallon size freezer bag and just slide them in and keep it flat in the freezer. I also always freeze extra cookies after parties to get them out of sight. My worst freezer fails have been with breast milk so be careful! Those really make you want to throw up. So precious.
Any tips on freezing breast milk? I was thinking about that the other day!
Angela: I don’t know if you’re looking for a plastic-free way to store breastmilk, but I’ve used the Lansinoh breastmilk bags and have a lot of success. Lay them flat to freeze to save space, then you can line them up by date. In the beginning, freeze small amounts (a couple ounces). Store in the back, not the door. I’ve got a 13-month old and we’re still nursing strong. The Kellymom site is a great one for breastfeeding resources: http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/milkstorage/milkstorage/.
Also, when I was pregnant I had several friends tell me that after about 3 weeks, breastfeeding finally “clicked” and they felt like they had a handle on it, but that the initial weeks were a little rough. I had that in mind in the early days, and it helped me power through some latch issues and doubts. Then lo and behold, after about 3-ish weeks, I was all “I got this!” :)
This is awesome! I’ve been looking for vegan foods and meals I can make in advance and freeze. My work schedule has been so busy that planning out meals and making them in advance is something I’m going to start doing.
I’m so excited you put this list together! I’m due Sept. 1st with my second baby so freezing some things ahead of time seems like a smart idea! I’ve been procrastinating though because it’s hard to find ideas for freezer meals that don’t use meat or meat substitutes.
I have, however, been stocking my pantry with pre-made snack bags and things like diy instant oatmeal packets. I’d love to get some of your “Lat Minute Protein Energy Bars” made too, since I love them so (as does my hubby and daughter!). :)
I work for a chain bookstore in Calgary and we fight over who gets to “Staff Pick” your cookbook. We have encouraged sooo many people to pick it up, it’s fun to flip through and bookmark some of my favourite recipes for people!
this totally just made my day…hah…thank you to you + your whole staff!! What an honour :)
Hey Angela! I have tried freezing the cauliflower Alfredo and it was not up to snuff post freezer :( perhaps because of the water content?
Anywhoo good luck with baby! It’s such an exciting time :)
Hmm interesting yours didn’t freeze well. A couple blog readers said they tried it and it worked great. I guess there is no perfect science to it! How long did yours stay in the freezer for? Wondering if that would make a difference.
Oops should’ve commented all in one! The smoky butternut squash sauce freezes great :)
This is a great list. And great timing too! I had a friend over yesterday and she saw that I had your book and commented on how she follows your blog. We keep saying we need to meet up and cook together, so this list is going to help us prepare some great meals before school starts again!
Here’s to having a freezer full of yummy food and spending time with a friend! Thanks Angela!
i love this idea but am i the only one who is anti-foil and plastic? i use them as little as possible. i do have glass containers but hate freezer burn. does anyone have suggestions ?
I try to use it as little as possible too. I don’t know of an alternative other than just putting it directly into the glass container! Maybe someone else has ideas :)
What about parchment? Just saw that in a comment below.
As I student I find freezing things lets me eat healthily but still save time. You’ve given me some great ideas for the future which I will definitely try out :)
OUTSTANDING> you must know this is a great way to have NO EXCUSES to not eat healthy, plan ahead and not be tempted after a long day to eat out. THANK_YOU from the bottom of my stomach.
Thank you SO much! My sister turned me onto the idea of freezer meals, but I haven’t found many that don’t include meat. If you can next do a list of slow cooker meals, I’ll be all set! :) Thanks so much – I love your blog!
You can line your dish with parchment and freeze it, then pop it out and put it in a freezer bag with the dish it should be cooked in written on the front. That way you free up your dishes but can still have a bunch of stuff stored away in the freezer!
Yes! I do that (although I usually use foil), with the instructions and dish written on the bag (bonus — if you use dry-erase markers, you can wipe it off and use the bag again). Saves me from having all my dishes tied up in the freezer, and from any potential issues of frozen glass cracking.
You can either plop the food right in the dish still wrapped in the parchment or foil and cook it that way, or peel it off and put the frozen food directly into the dish.
Apparently you can freeze avocado! http://wikihow.com/Freeze-Avocados – I looked it up when I bagged 11 ripe avocados for £1 and was planning to try it and save them… But I ate them all in a week so I can’t vouch for the results. So you could make avocado-based sauces and dips and save them for a less plentiful time of year!
Label! Label! Label! LABEL PEOPLE!!!!!! We all know what that thing is when you put it in the freezer, but when things are frozen they can begin to look similar. There is a fine line in appearance between beany chilli and beany bolognaise, however, if you’ve already cooked the pasta…. Well. Even if your sure you will know, label anyway. Because other people routing in your freezer may not! And while your at it, you can always label the date as well (saves trying to remember!) This is especially important if your household isn’t 100% meat free.
I recently took a course on food safety, and just wanted everyone to be careful with freezing. You shouldn’t let something “cool” out for longer than 2 hours, really. As soon as you think you can package something to put it in the freezer, you should. It cuts down on the chances of something beginning to grow in your food that might become dormant in the freezer then spring to life before/during/after cooking! Freezing is in no way dangerous – just make sure you don’t leave something out for hours and then freeze it!
Besides that, these recipes look mouth-watering!
I think you have a bambina on the way, no? ;)
yea good point, hah
Okay, I have never made your cauliflower sauce, but have made a couple of different versions of cauliflower sauce, and I am always freezing it. However, I have noticed that it often needs to be re-blended for ideal consistency, as it can get a little grainy. Yours quite possibly may work out fine, but I thought I’d mention it just in case. :)
I could see it getting grainy – great tip about re-blending!
I have frozen your curried lentil soup and it is delicious! I made a quadruple batch and have the majority of it still in the freezer. My husband LOVES that soup and was really upset when I put it all in the freezer. I just put it in freezer ziploc bags and laid them flat to freeze so that way they stack easily in the freezer.
Do you think it would be okay to freeze hummus?
I havent tried it, but check out this article: http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/freeze-hummus-8347.html
Thank you! I tried it!
Great post Angela – with a hungry family, I have tons of stuff in the freezers (we have 3 and I want a 4th!) and always make double/triple batches of things. My only problem is organizing the freezers – it is a constant issue! For burgers, berries and some other things – I will place on cookie sheet on parchment paper, freeze, then place in freezer safe container or bag – this way they do not stick together if I just want to grab one.