Would appreciate vegetarian meal ideas but feel free to share any recipes for the omnivores reading the post.
Here's my favorite:
Rice, beans (dry is cheaper than canned), hashbrowns, corn, cheese, taco seasoning in a flower burrito. Freeze individually wrapped in parchment paper stored in the burrito bags. When you buy everything in bulk it's less than $2 a meal and is my work lunch for the entire month.
Favorite bulk freezer meals? I'm so sick of soup
byu/DinosaurStillExist inFrugal
Posted by DinosaurStillExist
12 Comments
Pulled pork and sloppy joes both freeze well and can be assembled into sandwiches when you’re ready to eat.
Meatloaf (serve with frozen veggies) or meatballs (buy fresh rather than dried pasta for a faster meal, or serve as a meatball sub).
I freeze chicken pot pie filling, and then bake fresh (pie crust or biscuit topping, your choice) which makes it feel like it’s not meal prepped. Same thing for chili – serve it on a fresh baked potato instead of reheated in a bowl and it doesn’t feel like meal prep.
Quiche also freezes well, both whole or in slices.
Bean curries are also great. You can also freeze rice (keep the beans and rice separately for better texture results) and then combine when you want to serve.
Lasagna, but I can’t be bothered to make it most of the time.
Mango and avocado stuffed bell peppers with chimchurri.
Pizza.
Make the dough in a bread machine, assemble with sauce and cheese and your preference of toppings, bake, and freeze what doesn’t get used right away.
We usually keep a few slices of homemade pizza for days when we don’t feel like cooking.
Tamales are another good one: more work to make, but super easy to reheat.
Breakfast Hash! You could easily batch and freeze it, and make it with whatever veggies and proteins that feel right, and experiment with seasonings to keep the variety.
Gnocchi, cannelloni, cabbage rolls (I do them with chard instead of cabbage), little pot pies.
Chickpea curry, veggie lasagna, mushroom pot pies, chili…
Every Thanksgiving we debone the turkey and freeze the meat. A couple of weeks later, it becomes turkey enchiladas, two big trays. We cut the leftovers into servings, wrap in waxed paper, slip into zip locks, remove excess air, freeze. Microwaveable when you want one. You could easily do this as all veg, and as a casserole instead of rolled. Basically, Mexican version of lasagna or layered chili relleno.
I make a big batch of chickpeas in the pressure cooker, bag 6 oz in separate zip locks, remove excess air, freeze. No can to open, ready to use for soup, salad, hummus. Pour in a bowl, microwave.
One Saturday in July I go to the farmers’ market, get all the stuff for pesto. Make a big pitcher of it, bag into separate ziplocks, lay flat and spread to displace the air. Freeze flat, then they can be filed upright or stacked. I usually break off half a bag at a time. Let thaw on counter.
In season, we get a gallon of huckleberries, bag 2 cups into each zip lock, remove excess air, freeze. Lasts until the next season. Do cherries, too, if it’s a good year.
Pulled pork, turkey chili, beef stew, shredded chicken (for soups, tacos, etc.).
chili (made with TVP or just with veggies), dahl, lasagna, chickpea curry, palak paneer, quiche, pizza (vegetarian pizzas are the best), savoury baked oats, parathas,algerian mhajeb, turkish burek, curries (so many to choose from), cabbage stew
Don’t forget quiche….. also the long ago forgotten casserole.
Chili (vegetarian or with meat). I make a huge batch, serve it fresh, and do leftovers the following day. What is left I place in the freezer. If there isn’t a ton of it, I either serve the frozen chili with pasta or rice to stretch it, or I use the chili as a quesadilla filling. Definitely a crowd pleaser for its flexibility