Baked Potato Chowder [SOUP] Freezer Meal Recipe

Baked Potato Chowder [Soup]
makes 4 entrees, 6 servings each

Ingredients:
10 lbs russet potatoes, baked and cooled
1 cup butter
2 cups chopped onion
1/4 cup dried parsley
2 Tbsp. beef bouillon granules (may substitute vegetable bouillon)
1 Tbsp. minced garlic (about 9 cloves)
1 Tbsp. dried basil
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper
2 1/3 cups whole wheat flour (or 2 cups all-purpose)
12 cups water
4 cups half-n-half
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, cut into large chunks

Directions:
Cut potatoes in half; scoop out flesh. Set potato aside and discard skins.
Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add parsley, bouillon, garlic, basil, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add flour; cook, stirring, 2 minutes longer. Mixture will be like a paste. Gradually add water, half-and-half, and potato; cook, stirring frequently, until soup has thickened, about 30 minutes. Add cheese; cook, stirring, until melted. Cool. Freeze.

Bag Label:
Baked Potato Chowder    Date:___________
Thaw. Bring soup to a simmer over medium
heat. Do NOT boil.

Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken Freezer Meal Recipe

Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken
adapted from Stephanie of mamaandbabylove.com

Ingredients:
5 medium unpeeled red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, about 2 cups.
2 large green peppers (red, orange, or yellow also work well), cut into chunks, about 2 cups.
1 zucchini, chopped, about 1 cups.
1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 cup
2 tablespoon quick cooking tapioca (or flour, or some other thickening agent).
3-4 chicken breasts
1 (15-oz) can of tomato sauce
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
2 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Place everything into a gallon-sized freezer bag. Mix around, making sure all vegetables are coated with some sauce.  Make sure as much air as possible is removed from bag. Label and lay flat in the freezer.

Freezer Meal Label:
Day of cooking, thaw on your counter for 30-60 minutes, or until it can easily be removed from the bag. Place contents into your slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender. Serve over egg noodles or rice, if desired.

Notes:
I included the chicken in a separate bag because it was pre-frozen. I just labeled one bag (1 of 2) and the other (2 of 2) to make sure they remembered to add the chicken (and stir sometime during cooking).

Shepherd's Pie Freezer Meal Recipe

Shepherd’s Pie Freezer Meal
Recipe by Our Best Bites


Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 medium onion, minced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1-lb. bag frozen vegetables (I used peas and carrots)
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
pinch of dried thyme
10 dashes Tabasco sauce
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 ounces V8 juice
1 14.5-ounce can beef broth
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 cups mashed potatoes (I used this tutorial with russet potatoes and buttermilk)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions:
In a large saucepan or skillet, brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is browned and the onions and garlic are tender and fragrant. Add the frozen veggies and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the moisture has evaporated. Add seasoned salt, parsley, thyme, and Tabasco and stir until combined. Add the flour and stir until completely coated.
Add the vinegar, V8 juice, and beef broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thickened (about 15 minutes).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
While the beef mixture is simmering, prepare the potatoes according to your preference. Add the Parmesan and sharp cheddar cheeses. Spoon into a gallon-sized heavy-duty Ziploc bag and set aside.
When the beef mixture is done simmering, season to taste and then ladle the beef mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Cut the corner off the Ziploc bag and pipe onto the beef mixture. Place in oven for 15 minutes and bake until lightly browned on top. Serves 6.

Freezer Meal Instructions:
After beef and vegetable mixture is cooked, cool and ladle into freezer-safe baggies. After cheeses are added to mashed potatoes, cool, & spoon potatoes into a freezer-safe baggie. Lay flat to freeze.

Freezer Meal Label:
Thaw. Preheat oven to 375. Place beef mixture into bottom of 9x13 pan. Without opening bag, mix mashed potatoes. If they appear a little watery, add a little sour cream to thicken. Cut the corner off the freezer bag and pipe onto the beef mixture. Place in oven for 45-60 minutes and bake until lightly bubbly & lightly browned on top.

Sausage Hash Freezer Meal Recipe

Sausage Hash
Alyson

Ingredients:
1 lb ground sausage
1 cup shredded carrots
3 cups frozen potatoes with onion and bell peppers
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
To Freeze: Cook sausage thoroughly in pan. Add carrots and cook for 5 more minutes. Place mixture in gallon-sized freezer-safe bag. Place potatoes and cheese in 2 separate bags and place in gallon-sized bag. (Be sure the meat is completely cool before you put cheese next to it, otherwise it will melt into a blob.)
To prepare after freezing: Thaw meat mixture in fridge overnight or pull out early in the day. Heat frozen potatoes in pan with a little hot oil, and then add meat to pan. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cheese. Let melt and serve.

Creamy Italian Chicken Freezer Meal Recipe

Creamy Italian Chicken
Sara

Ingredients
1 (.7oz) envelope dry Italian dressing mix
1/2 cup butter
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
1 (10.75oz) can cream of chicken soup
1 (8oz) package cream cheese

Directions:
Turn slow cooker on high. Place butter in bottom of slow cooker. When the butter has melted, add dressing mix and stir until incorporated. Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch strips. Place in slow cooker and stir to coat with mixture. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Remove chicken to plate to cool. Add soup and cream cheese. Stir to melt and mix well until smooth and creamy. Remove sauce from slow cooker and allow to cool. Place chicken and sauce into a gallon resealable freezer bag. Label & freeze.

To Serve: Thaw. Heat until piping hot and bubbly. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or hot buttered noodles.

Vegetable Beef Stew Freezer Meal Recipe

Vegetable Beef Stew

Ingredients:

1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 Tbs flour
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 Tbs salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 Tbs olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar (optional)
3 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
Stew Veggies (these are the ones I used):

• 1 turnip, peeled and chopped
• 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
• 1 rutabaga, peeled and chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1-2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1-2 lbs red potatoes (about 15-20 medium – whatever fits in your crock-pot), washed and quartered (I don’t peel these)
• 1 yam, peeled and chopped
• You can also add in frozen veggies like peas and corn in the last 30 to 60 minutes of cooking.

either 1 stew seasoning packet or 1 brown gravy packet (if using gravy – double garlic, add 1 tsp. thyme, and 2 Tbs tomato paste) 
2 (14 oz) cans beef broth
1 medium bay leaf
1/3 cup minced fresh Italian parsley leaves

Place chopped onion in the bottom of crock-pot. In large bowl, mix together flour, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Add stew meat and toss to coat. Heat oil in saucepan on stove over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the meat and balsamic vinegar and sear until brown on all sides, about 5 to 6 minutes. Deglaze saucepan with beef broth (after removing meat, this will get all the remaining seasonings & vinegar that are stuck to the pan).

Place seared meat in crock-pot on top of onion. Add garlic, turnip, parsnip, carrots, celery, potatoes, and yam on top of meat (place harder vegetables, such as turnip and carrots, closer to the bottom). Sprinkle seasoning/gravy packet over top, no need to mix in. Pour in beef broth. Add bay leaf (I keep it near the top so I can find it when the stew is done to take it out).

Cook on Low – 9 to 10 hours; High – 4 ½ to 5 hours. Remove bay leaf and serve.

***FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS***: In large bowl, mix together flour, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Add stew meat and toss to coat. Heat oil in saucepan on stove over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the meat and balsamic vinegar and sear until brown on all sides, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately add beef broth (make sure to scrape up all the remaining seasonings & vinegar that are stuck to the pan). Set aside to cool. Chop vegetables (including garlic and onion) and place in large freezer-safe baggie. Add seasonings, including parsley, to the baggie. Once meat and broth are no longer hot, pour mixture over seasonings and vegetables. If needed, add more broth to cover vegetables and meat completely. Remove air and seal. Include small baggie of frozen peas and corn.

***TO COOK FROM FROZEN***: Thaw 2 days in advance in the refrigerator. Place in crockpot and cook on LOW 9 to 10 hours or HIGH 4 ½ to 5 hours. During last 30 minutes, add in peas and corn. Remove bay leaf and serve.

TIP: If stew meat is tough, put lid back on and cook an additional 1-2 hours or until meat is tender.

Chicken Pot Pie Freezer Meal Recipe

Chicken Pot Pie
Amie

Ingredients:
1 recipe pastry for a (10 inch) double pie crust
2 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, minced
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken (or turkey), cubed
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt & pepper, to taste
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out bottom pie crust, press into a 10 inch pie pan, poke holes in it and bake according to pie crust recipe directions (approx. 10-12 minutes). Set aside. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add onion, celery, carrots, parsley, oregano, rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until vegetables are soft. Stir in broth and bring mixture to a boil. Stir in the potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm. Stir in chicken and heat through. In a separate bowl, combine cornstarch with milk and add to the vegetable mixture. Cook until thickened. Cool slightly, then pour mixture into the baked pie shell. Roll out the top crust, and place on top of filling. Flute edges, and make 4 slits in top crust to let out steam. Brush with egg wash, and cover the edges with aluminum foil (so edges don't darken to much). Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, and continue baking for 20 more minutes, or until crust is golden brown and heated through.

***FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS***: After applying egg wash to top crust, allow to dry and cool. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in freezer.

***TO COOK FROM FROZEN***: Thaw (completely!). Bake in preheated (425 degree) oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, and continue baking for 30 more minutes, or until crust is golden brown and heated through.