Another recipe thread - stuff that freezes/reheats well

trailhugger

trailhugger

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Like the title says, I'm hoping some of the fine home cooks on here have recipes for entrees and side dishes that are easy to make, freeze and reheat well.

I'm pretty good at making something out of little or nothin' and we're not too picky, other than we're not big on casseroles. We're good with 'quick' meals (we had beans and cornbread tonight) and making larger batches of things like spaghetti sauce/chili/soup to refrigerate and reheat... but I'm looking for new ideas so we don't have to resort to frozen pizza or eating out quite as often. Would like to eat more vegetables and have more variety on a regular basis... and not spend that money. Lots of evenings, lately, I'm just too tired to care. :rolleyes:
 
Val made a pretty quick Jumbalia this past week. We ate it for a few nights and just froze the rest. Added rice to the bag for the freezer stuff so its heat and serve..

In the past i've had good luck with freezing most of my soups and stews and them still tasting good down the road..

I think the trick is with most dishes is to cut the meat up into smaller chunks. I think it stores easier and heats up better and dries out less..

I'll dig out my bean soup recipe.. Need to make that sometime soon...
 
Any sort of smoked meat. I usually smoke a brisket or a boston butt, and a couple hole chickens(or chicken parts) vacuum pack them and throw them in the freezer. You can boil it in the bag to reheat while veggies cook.
 
About anything in a sauce, gravy or water does well.
County style steak is my one of my favorites. My ex used to save those little aluminum pans that the brown and serve rolls came in. Make a big batch of County style steak, and put it into those pans. Make the gravy a little watery, not a lot, just a little. Cover with foil, they stack well. Take one out of th Freezer this evening, when you come home tomorrow, put it in the oven, on about 300* for an hour or so, it's ready just make the sides.
Spaghetti sauce does real well, just had it last night for dinner. Leslie had some for supper and then transformed it into Chili for tonight!
About any vegetable can be put into a freezer bag. Come home, pull it out of the freezer, drop it into a pot of water, put some heat to it and take it our when you are ready. Very difficult to over cook it like this, also about impossible to burn. Keeps taste really good.
Meatloaf does well doing it like the Country style steak
 
My wife make a big pan of Lasagna, cuts into squares and freezes individually. Always turns out good to reheat. Add a roll and salad makes a good, quick meal.
 
Lots of good ideas! Jambalaya and bean soup sound good, Mike. I've frozen Gutter Runner's potato soup, with good results, in the past. I think you're right about the 'chunks'... the smaller they are the better they freeze and thaw. My mom sent over some chili and so we ate half and I froze half.

I've frozen portions of a pork shoulder or Boston butt after it's been through the crock pot... I don't have a smoker, but that sure sounds good. ;)

I got a cookbook for Christmas and found a meatloaf-style meatball recipe that I decided would be good for freezing. Made up two dinners' worth and chilled them on a cookie sheet before I vacuum-sealed them for the freezer.

I've made up a batch of spaghetti sauce to freeze before, but found that I can make it in smaller batches, or even just chop tomatoes and peppers, and freeze it in ice cube trays (then move to zip bags later). I really like using it that way because I'll use a couple of cubes in soups or chili or a bunch to make up sauce for pasta.
 
Pesto is another good one for the ice cube tray, but I usually make that in the summer with fresh stuff.

The wife makes a white bean soup with collard greens and some sausage that is tastey and does well in the freezer. She never uses a recipe though.

We have an enamel coated cast iron dutch oven that is a great way to reheat previously frozen items like this because you can't burn the bottom of it and very little moisture is lost.
 
Haha, I don't often use recipes either... unless I'm baking or making something for the first time... then I almost always modify it and I often just throw stuff together based on what I have and then how it looks/tastes. I've had to write stuff down while making my tomato sauce so I could tell a friend how I do it, my "little of this, little of that" instructions weren't good enough.
 
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