Batch cooking for the freezer

Options
acpgee
acpgee Posts: 7,624 Member
in Recipes
What are your favourite recipes for batch cooking? Starting to get bored of my standbys of

Dak dori tang
Coq au Vin
Bolognese sauce
Dutch split pea soup

The hubby's repertoire in this category is

Braised lamb shanks
Beef rendang

Any new things to try? When we cook a recipe that freezes well we make quadruple batches for weekday meals when we are too lazy to cook. If possible looking for recipes that contain veg so that making a veggie side is not strictly necessaey.

Replies

  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    Options
    I rarely batch cook to freeze because it's rare that I'll end up eating it (I'll forget it's in the freezer...). When I do, however, my favorites are bolognese sauce and gnocchi (frozen ina layer and then transferred to a bag). Braised short ribs are also good.
  • amy19355
    amy19355 Posts: 805 Member
    Options
    I batch cook and freeze chicken breast regularly. It can be thrown into anything to make a meal From a simple sandwich to a stir fry or more.

    I also meal prep meat, rice, beans in meal size portions , fairly simply flavor wise, and flavor it any old way I choose on reheat.

    My local organic market sells dried soup vegetables that I Have been adding to my cooked beans for added flavor and nutrition.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    Options
    Tamales also freeze very well (thank god given how labor intensive they are).
  • elliot29collins
    elliot29collins Posts: 29 Member
    Options
    I normally make big batches of

    lasagne
    Chinese chicken
    curry and rice

    and I put them in the metal foil takeaway containers and freeze them they last for months

    Been doing this for 3 months now and have saved a penny or two
  • sytchequeen
    sytchequeen Posts: 526 Member
    Options
    currently in my freezer: ragu sauce, chilli con carne, Pakistani curry gravy, kofte, morrocan goat burgers

    basically, when I see a great deal on a bulk package of meat I get it, cook it, portion it, freeze it - all in to two person portions. These are the only "ready meals" I eat.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,136 Member
    Options
    My regular go to freezable meals:
    • Chicken & Mushroom casserole (Really lazy one, mushroom soup, chestnut mushrooms and chicken breast thrown in the slow cooker with rice added the last 2 hours)
    • Chilli con Carne
    • Minted Lamb Meatballs
    • Salmon, Chilli & Spring Onion Fishcakes
    • Thai Green Curry (loads of veg in this)
    • Falafel
    • Beef or Chicken Strogonoff
    • Homemade burgers
    • Saag Paneer
    • Broccoli & Stilton or Cauliflower Cheese Soups (Browned Onion/Vegetable Stock/Chopped Potato/Floret Stalks brought to boil, floret tops added and then blended with cheese)
    • Sticky Sesame Beef (Honey/Soy Sauce/Chinese Five Spice/Sesame Seed Marinade)




  • euronorris
    euronorris Posts: 211 Member
    Options
    Cottage Pie (I assume Shepherds Pie would also freeze well, I just don't like lamb). I bought a batch of foil trays and cardboard lids for this so that I can freeze individual portions and stick straight into oven from freezer. I have an amazing recipe for this that I could share! It's the best cottage pie I've ever had!!

    Beef and ale stew. Nom! If you wanted to avoid future cooking on 'lazy' days, you could freeze with a portion of mashed potato also.
  • PinkPJs2019
    PinkPJs2019 Posts: 6 Member
    edited February 2019
    Options
    euronorris wrote: »
    Cottage Pie (I assume Shepherds Pie would also freeze well, I just don't like lamb). I bought a batch of foil trays and cardboard lids for this so that I can freeze individual portions and stick straight into oven from freezer. I have an amazing recipe for this that I could share! It's the best cottage pie I've ever had!!

    Beef and ale stew. Nom! If you wanted to avoid future cooking on 'lazy' days, you could freeze with a portion of mashed potato also.

    So, you can cook the food, cool it down, freeze and then cook in oven without thawing?? :)
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,140 Member
    Options
    Soups, meatloaf, and beef and bean chili. These are the only things that I make several portions of and I freeze for further use. I cook very simple recipes everyday of protein and vegetables. I don't like curries and my husband doesn't care for rice. I don't remember the last time that I use the slow cooker either. :/

    @acpgee you must be a very good cook and somebody that likes to cook. Good for you!!! I am neither of those things, and I honestly don't know what "Dak dori tang, Coq au Vin, or Beef rendang" are.

  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,624 Member
    Options
    Gisel2015 wrote: »
    Soups, meatloaf, and beef and bean chili. These are the only things that I make several portions of and I freeze for further use. I cook very simple recipes everyday of protein and vegetables. I don't like curries and my husband doesn't care for rice. I don't remember the last time that I use the slow cooker either. :/

    @acpgee you must be a very good cook and somebody that likes to cook. Good for you!!! I am neither of those things, and I honestly don't know what "Dak dori tang, Coq au Vin, or Beef rendang" are.

    Dak dori tang is a korean spicy chicken stew.
    https://www.koreanbapsang.com/dak-doritang-korean-spicy-chicken-stew/

    Beef rendang is an indonesian/malaysian coconut based curry. Buy commercial rendang paste from an asian grocer instead of making it from scratch to keep things easy.
    https://norecipes.com/beef-rendang-recipe/

    Coq au vin is a french casserole of chicken braised in wine
    https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1913655/coq-au-vin
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,140 Member
    Options
    @acpgee
    Thank you so much for posting the link to your recipes. As I suspected, they are not easy ones and they require ingredients that I don't have ready available or that I can't eat (like garlic). They seem to require a lot of work, and time in the kitchen. That is a chore for a person like you that loves to cook.

    I will keep those links and maybe someday I will venture to modify the recipes and prepare something similar. :)
  • wandering44
    wandering44 Posts: 27 Member
    Options
    I always have rotisserie chicken portioned out in the freezer. I can then add a sauce (alfredo sauce?) and some vegetables for a quick dinner. Right now I have that, meatloaf (cooked 3 pounds of meat, etc. and portioned out), chili, eggplant parmesan, pork spareribs, pork loin cooked with bacon on top and alfredo sauce. I blanch lots of vegetables and put in the freezer in 4 ounce portions. We are on the keto diet so our meals are relatively simple. I do like to cook in larger batches and freeze since we are a family of 2 it's easy. I have a vacuum sealer which is the most used appliance in my kitchen along with a kitchen scale to make portioning easy. Hope this gives you some ideas along with the others who replied.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    Options
    My wife has been doing this for our Instantpot and just pulls them out of the freezer and throws them in the Instantpot. She found them somewhere online for the Instantpot with instructions.

    She's been doing:

    This lentil stew thing

    Chicken Tinga

    Tandoori Chicken

    Beef Stew

    This sweet potato stew thing

    Ragu

Categories