Heya! We are in our final stretch with week one of the Freezer Cooking Challenge. I have loved hearing from so many of you that have joined in. This is so much fun – cooking together! Too bad we can’t also do dishes together. Or make our kids do dishes together so that we can all just sit and drink coffee together and chat. Yes, I like that plan. Why did I not think of that before?
Here’s what we’ve made so far:
- Cheesy Beef and Rice – catch the details in this post
- Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole (recipe in {Healthy} Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks eBook) – catch the details in this post
- Creamy Salsa Enchiladas (recipe in Let’s Do This! eCourse, Lesson 2) or if you prefer, you can make the Cheesy Salsa Enchiladas version of this recipe – catch the details in this post
Now, we’re down to Cheesy Beef and Pasta Casserole (recipe in {Healthy} Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks eBook). This casserole has definitely become a family favorite. It is as simple to make as spaghetti, yet it tastes like something super special. That’s probably because I always stir in a lot of love. Love, that is, in the form of cream cheese. It has a love language all its own, right?
To finish up this week’s freezer cooking assignments, all you need to do is get out the remainder of your cooked meat, boil your noodles, stir together all remaining ingredients, spread mixture into pans, top with cheese, put on a lid, label, and you’re done. Phew. Sounds like a lot, but really, it’s as easy as making spaghetti. While stirring in love. And cream cheese.
The night I finished this and served it, we ate it with a simple salad and roasted asparagus. So much deliciousness! I love knowing I’ve got another dish of this casserole in the freezer ready to be served on a busy day.
At this point, hopefully you’ve put together eight casseroles: four to eat this week, and four to freeze for another day. This freezer cooking thing really isn’t so hard, is it?
Stay tuned for upcoming plans for Freezer Cooking Week Two – the week of the chicken. I’ll have a grocery list and game plan ready for you on Friday. :)
Give us an update! How is the challenge going for you this week?
I am loving freezer cooking. We are a family of 4, however, we can be feeding any where from 3 people to 9 people at any given time. I made my casseroles in 11 cup pyrex pans(I found them at Walmart for the same price as Amazon). I can feed the 4 of us a dinner with a lunch of leftovers two days later. If we have extra mouths to feed I just grab another from the freezer.
Thank you , I hope you continue beyond week 3 with more freezer cooking.
Our youth pastors wife has a great idea for buying Pyrex. She suggested second hand stores like goodwill, restore, or any thrift stores. You can often find them for a dollar! Even if they aren’t what you need, or don’t match they are less ex
Our youth pastors wife has a great idea for buying Pyrex. She suggested second hand stores like goodwill, restore, or any thrift stores. You can often find them for a dollar! They are less expensive than the aluminum ones and are great to use when taking a casserole to a sick friend or someone with a new baby. Nicer and at a dollar don’t need to be returned! Thanks for all your great tips and encouragement Laura!
I only have two 9×13 pyrex dishes and a 7×11. I had great success with lining the dishes with a sheet of plastic wrap and freezing the casserole in it. Once frozen, I put the bottom of the dish in hot water until I was able to gently lift out the caserole. I wrapped it in the pastic wrap and put it in a ziplock. When it’s time to thaw, take off the plastic wrap and drop it into the casserole dish to bake! Since my plastic wrap was wide enough to come up the sides of the dishes, most of my dishes never even got dirty! I recommend plastic wrap over freezer paper because it clings to the dish- the casserole can’t slip between the plastic and the dish.
I froze most of the meals since I had already planned meals for this week. I am thrilled to have 7 freezer meals ready to go!! Thank you!!