Items17The creator’s order
  1. 1Bolognese sauceBolognese sauceThe sauce is the freezer staple, not the finished plate. A big pot of ragù made with ground beef and pork, a soffritto of onion, carrot and celery, and tomato, simmered slowly, freezes in flat bags or quart tubs and reheats in the time it takes fresh pasta to boil. Cooked spaghetti frozen on its…0
  2. 2Chili con carneChili con carneChili may be the most forgiving dish in any freezer. Ground beef or cubed chuck, beans, tomatoes and dried chiles go through freezing with nothing to curdle or go limp, and a pot for twelve takes little more effort than a pot for four. Keep the toppings out of the container: sour cream separates…0
  3. 3Beef bourguignonBeef bourguignonBeef braised in red wine with onions, mushrooms and bacon is built for making ahead: the long braise leaves beef chuck tender and the sauce glossy, and both come through the freezer well. It is the dinner on this list that feels most like a treat at the end of a long day. Follow the standard stew…0
  4. 4Shepherd's pieShepherd's pieCottage pie with beef, or shepherd's pie with lamb The classic freezer pie, with one weak spot worth planning around. The ground meat filling with onion, carrot and peas keeps for months, but mashed potato has a far shorter freezer life: Clemson Extension gives it about two weeks for best…0
  5. 5LasagnaLasagnaOne pan can feed a family twice, and Clemson Extension lists lasagna among the combination dishes that keep their quality for four to six months at 0°F, which makes it the natural centerpiece of a big cooking day. The texture risk sits in the cheese layers. Ricotta does not freeze well and can…0
  6. 6MeatballMeatballMeatballs in tomato sauce The most flexible stock in the freezer. Roll a big tray, bake them rather than fry, then simmer them in a batch of tomato sauce and freeze them covered in sauce so they stay moist. From there they become spaghetti and meatballs, a meatball sub or a bowl over soft polenta,…0
  7. 7MeatloafMeatloafMeatloaf freezes raw or baked, which gives two routes: freeze an unbaked loaf to bake fresh later, or slice a baked one and freeze the slices for single dinners. Clemson Extension advises leaving bacon strips off the top before freezing, baking an unbaked frozen loaf at 350°F to at least 160°F, and…0
  8. 8Stuffed peppersStuffed peppersEach pepper is one portion, so counting the tray tells you exactly how many dinners are in the freezer. Peppers filled with rice, ground beef or turkey, tomato and onion are one of the dishes Clemson Extension lists for freezing, with four to six months of quality at 0°F. Slightly undercook the…0
  9. 9Cabbage rollCabbage rollStuffed cabbage rolls in tomato sauce Gołąbki in Poland, holubtsi in Ukraine and sarma in the Balkans are cooked cabbage leaves wrapped around a filling, usually ground meat and rice, and their structure suits the freezer: the leaves hold each roll together and the sauce keeps everything moist.…0
  10. 10EnchiladaEnchiladaChicken enchiladas in red sauce A pan of enchiladas assembles like a production line: corn tortillas rolled around shredded chicken and beans, covered in a tomato and chile sauce. Choose a red sauce over a creamy one, because milk sauces can curdle or separate in the freezer. Freeze the pan…0