Your favorite freezer meals?

[picote]

I’ve been trying to make double batches of things I think will freeze well and freeze down the extras. A few weeks ago I made a huge amount of food and it’s been hugely convenient for avoiding takeout on those nights we don’t want to cook. But I need to expand the selection as I think we’re going to get tired of the same old stuff...

So far we have:
Lamb saag
Chicken Chile verde
Beef and bean chili
Salmon burgers
Carnitas

All are filling, fairly healthy and easy to reheat and turn into a meal. Would love any other suggestions that freeze well. We tend towards meat-based main courses with no or minimal pasta, which makes it a little harder.

[caribougrrl]

I make big batches of refried beans for freezing. https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/04/perfect-refried-beans.html

also felafel freezes well (you can freeze before cooking or after)... I don't have a favourite recipe, mostly I look at a bunch and then put something together

meatballs... I will make a big pile of them, use a few that day but freeze the rest (I put them on a baking tray in the freezer, then transfer to a bag for storage after they are fully frozen... keeps them from sticking together)

any time I make curry without potatoes in it, I make enough to have 2 or 3 additional servings for the freezer, same with dal

pasta sauce - usually for pasta, I just make a pan sauce and it's a one-meal shot... but if I am going to take the time to make a sauce that needs to simmer for a while, I want to make it worth the time spent and will do a big batch and freeze most of it

recently I made a big batch of jamaican patties, most of which are frozen now... that works for empanadas, samosas, spanakopita, or pretty much any other kind of filled pastry... easy to reheat in a med-hot oven

[picote]

Do you have a good meatballs recipe? Everything I’ve tried has been very mediocre.

[caribougrrl]

Do you have a good meatballs recipe? Everything I’ve tried has been very mediocre.

honestly, I kind of make it up every time... most importantly, soak some bread in milk then squeeze it out and crumble that into the mix, also, I think fennel is a key spice for meatballs that are intended for tomato sauce... so essentially, I use ground beef or a mix of beef and pork, milk-soaked bread, finely minced shallot or onion and/or garlic, maybe fresh parsley, maybe dried oregano, definitely ground fennel, maybe parmesan, maybe finely minced anchovy, usually an egg for binding, white pepper if I have it, black pepper if I don't... all proportions by sight and feel...

in the realm of meatballs, if I can get my hands on papaya without going into debt, I will make this recipe: http://fxcuisine.com/Default.asp?language=2&Display=148&resolution=high (but I just use regular ground lamb)

[DocBuzzkill]

Do you have a good meatballs recipe? Everything I’ve tried has been very mediocre.

I do!  This is from my longtime friend, Francesco a.k.a. Frank, who shared his Calabrese nonna's recipe with me.  Addition of the soaked then squeezed stale bread is key and results in a tender meatball (ETA - very similar to 'bou's technique, but I never use milk; addition of fennel is a plus).  These freeze beautifully.


Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef (ground sirloin, ground round) or a 1:1 mix of ground beef and ground pork
2 eggs, beaten w/ whisk
3 to 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup onion, finely diced
1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
1 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese
6 to 8 thin to medium-thickness dry/stale ciabatta or other bakery bread
1 T dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 T finely chopped fresh Italian/flat-leaf parsley

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Soak bread slices in warm water, then squeeze out thoroughly.
Using your hands, mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Add more bread crumbs if a stiffer consistency is needed.
Form meatballs about 2 ounces each (size of a small lime) and arrange on baking sheets so they are not touching.
Bake for about 20 to 30 min until browned.
Add about 12-15 (3 to 4 meatballs per person) to about 1 qt of tomato sauce (jarred or homemade) and simmer for an hour or so. Serve over pasta.  Freeze the remainder of the meatballs.

For a ravioli filling, reduce all ingredients by ½ (e.g., 1 pound of ground beef, etc.) but add ¾ to 1 C finely chopped cooked spinach (be sure to drain well and squeeze out extra water before chopping).

[picote]

Thank you! I’ll give it a try. What % fat do you use for ground beef?

[DocBuzzkill]

Thank you! I’ll give it a try. What % fat do you use for ground beef?

Varies.  If all ground beef, 85%.  If a mix of ground pork and ground beef, I'll use 90%, but fatter is always tastier.

[Run Amok]

What about a pork ragu to serve with your fabulous homemade pasta? (Or would also be great over polenta or something like farro and or white beans (which you could also freeze ahead).

[picote]

Varies.  If all ground beef, 85%.  If a mix of ground pork and ground beef, I'll use 90%, but fatter is always tastier.

Ha! I’ve switched over to 80% for almost everything after realizing that was the source of my mediocre burgers!

[picote]

What about a pork ragu to serve with your fabulous homemade pasta? (Or would also be great over polenta or something like farro and or white beans (which you could also freeze ahead).

That’s on the list, but honestly Raos with meat added is so good it kind of fulfills the same purpose. The homemade pasta machine is huge though. We only use it 1-2x a month because we’re trying to limit pasta, but it makes those times waaay better!

[rocketgirl]

Obviously chili freezes well.

The pasta dish I do with the Conecuh (and sometimes also chicken) freezes well too.  Ingredients are:  That's olive oil, onion, garlic, butter, a little flour, white wine, paprika, Tony's, cayenne,  half and half, parmesan, Conecuh, and chicken with vegetable rotini.  - you start with sauteeing (or even carameling if you prefer) the onion in olive oil & butter, then adding the garlic - and then basically going from roux to bechamel, etc.

[Natasha]

Did someone say enchiladas? Or lasagna?

Quiche! During lockdown we were buying a frozen quiche and a frozen pizza from the French restaurant every week.

Gumbo
Shepherd’s pie
Goulash
Moqueca

I would think anything that has a lot of liquid in it, like soups and stews.