Easy Freezer Meals
Must make easy freezer meals for new moms– or anyone looking to get ahead in the dinner department! Quick and easy meals to freeze like meatloaf, chicken, chili, soup and more.
With less than three weeks before baby is supposed to make his arrival, I am busy getting all of the last minute details in order- including stocking up on easy freezer meals! I struggle enough to get dinner on the table some nights without a newborn so I’m determined to have some of our favorites ready and waiting this time around.
Easy Freezer Meals
I've gathered my favorite freezable meals below to share with you- some crockpot meals, a few easy dump meals, and of course some freezer casseroles. These freezer recipes are perfect whether you're expecting, wanting to gift a new mom, or just looking to get ahead in the dinner game.
This is my favorite Homemade Chili recipe! We like it spicy, but you can always tone it down (especially if Mom is breastfeeding). It's perfect to serve with cornbread or over hot dogs, fries, or rice. I also have a version of Chili with Beans if you prefer that.
FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: Cook as directed, freeze, and thaw in the refrigerator overnight when ready to use. Reheat in the microwave for individual servings or reheat the whole batch on the stovetop (until heated through).
I've come around on ricotta- especially in my yummy Italian Stuffed Shells- but I still prefer this Lasagna Without Ricotta recipe. It's perfectly creamy and cheesy. This is my go-to recipe to take to families with a new little one. Grab a pre-mixed bag of salad and loaf of bread from the bakery and you've got dinner done!
FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: Cook as directed, freeze, thaw in the refrigerator overnight when ready to use. Bake in the oven 350 degrees until the center is hot (usually up to 45 minutes). See more freezer instructions for this in the post.
This Southwest Chicken slow cooker/ freezer meal makes it in our meal rotation pretty regularly. My family loves it with cornbread. It's super simple- you're only five ingredients away from a delicious dinner.
FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: Freeze uncooked, cook in the slow cooker as directed.
Another five ingredient or less meal! Pick up a rotisserie chicken to make this Chicken Rigatoni recipe even easier. (And again, pairs well with salad and bread!)
FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: Cook noodles, follow the recipe up until putting in the oven, freeze instead of baking. To reheat- thaw in the refrigerator overnight, bake in oven 350 degrees until the center is hot (usually up to 45 minutes).
This Taco Chili is another easy slow cooker/ freezer meal that can be tossed straight from the freezer into the crock pot. We serve it over corn chips (with extra cheese!).
FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: Freeze uncooked, cook in the slow cooker as directed.
This Chicken Pot Pie is one of my favorite comfort foods- definitely new mom worthy. I prefer to freeze the filling, let it thaw in the refrigerator, and then pour into a frozen (or homemade) pie crust when ready to bake.
FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: Cook the filling as directed and then freeze. When ready to reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, pour thawed filling into a frozen pie crust and bake as directed.
This Homemade Pizza Dough is a great staple to keep in the freezer. This can be customized with endless toppings; we love to make chicken Alfredo pizza and taco pizza.
FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: Prepare as directed, freeze instead of bake. To reheat- thaw in refrigerator and then bake as directed.
We aren't big on regular meatloaf around here, but we all love this version full of Mexican flavors. Serve this Mexican Meatloaf with rice or scoop it up with tortilla chips.
FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: Cook as directed. To reheat- thaw in the refrigerator overnight, bake in the oven 350 degrees until the center is hot (usually up to 45 minutes).
This Beef and Vegetable Soup is another comforting classic. I have a slow cooker version as well, but this recipe is my favorite.
FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: Cook as directed, but freeze without the cooking and adding noodles. To reheat- thaw in the refrigerator overnight, reheat in the microwave per individual serving or on the stovetop for the entire batch. Add cooked noodles when ready to serve.
Don’t forget dessert!
Another really great thing to freeze is cookies- they’re perfect for those 2am feedings!! I especially love frozen Chewy Chocolate Cookies and Peanut Butter Cookies. (Freeze cookies after baking as directed and allowing to fully cool.)
You can download my FREE Cookies e-book for more yummy cookie recipes.
6 weeks until baby #4 and before every new tiny person I toy with the idea of stocking my freezer but I can rarely find recipes that my people will eat (soo picky!) – this list is PERFECT! I’m pretty sure almost all of these will be winners??
Thank you for this list! I’m due any day and I know that dinners will be our biggest struggle once our second little one arrives! Having a toddler around doesn’t make things any easier! 🙂
Quick question and apologies if I missed something! How do you reheat these freezer meals? A lot of these recipes say that they reheat nicely, I’m wondering how specifically do you do this from frozen? Do you pre-cook, then freeze, then put in fridge overnight to defrost, then put in oven or microwave to reheat? If so, how long at which temp for reheating (in the oven?). Please forgive me if this is a silly question – these recipes look great and I’d love to make lots of meals in advance to stock up the freezer before baby arrives but also don’t want to be stuck in sleep deprivation post-baby wondering what I should be doing 🙂
Hi Kerry- hope this info helps:
1. Cook as directed, to reheat- thaw in the refrigerator overnight, I reheat in the microwave for each serving or reheat the batch on the stovetop (until heated through)
2. Cook as directed, to reheat- thaw in the refrigerator overnight, bake in the oven 350 degrees until the center is hot (usually up to 45 minutes)
3. Freeze uncooked, cook in the slow cooker as directed
4. Cook noodles, follow the recipe up until putting in the oven, freeze instead of baking. To reheat- thaw in the refrigerator overnight, bake in oven 350 degrees until the center is hot (usually up to 45 minutes)
5. Freeze uncooked, cook in the slow cooker as directed from frozen.
6. Cook the filling as directed- freeze. When ready to reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, pour thawed filling into a frozen pie crust and bake as directed.
7. Prepare as directed, freeze instead of bake. To reheat- thaw in refrigerator and then bake as directed.
8. Cook as directed, to reheat- thaw in the refrigerator overnight, bake in the oven 350 degrees until the center is hot (usually up to 45 minutes)
9. Cook as directed, freeze without the noodles. To reheat- thaw in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave per serving or on the stovetop. Add cooked noodles.
10. Cook as directed, to reheat- thaw in the refrigerator overnight, bake in the oven 350 degrees until the center is hot (usually up to 45 minutes)
I’m not a new mom but these sure would help me out on my husband’s lunches throughout the week! Thanks for linking up with the Delicious Dishes Recipe party!
What a wonderful list of freezer meals!! We make freezer meals monthly in our house. With 6 kids it makes life so much easier! Thanks so much for linking up to Inspire me Monday!! Have a blessed weekend!!
Yum! Would have happily been on the receiving end of these meals over the last few months. So glad you shared this with us at Idea Box Link Party!! Going to give that french toast a try!