Save Time by Freezing Meals for Later
Let’s admit it; we’ve all done the TV dinner thing at one time or another. Whether to save money or to save time, popping a frozen dinner in the microwave is a tempting option. The thing is, they’re generally bad-tasting and bad for you. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a healthier, tastier frozen option?
Well, there is, and all it requires is a little planning. It turns out that many meals can be made ahead and frozen. You can then stick them in the microwave or let them thaw overnight, so they’re ready to eat in just minutes.
One easily freezable option is pasta and sauce. Simply cook your pasta normally until it’s al dente (you’re going to microwave it later, so you don’t want it overcooked), spread it on a sheet pan in a single layer and then stick it in the freezer. When it’s frozen, put the pasta in single-serving plastic bags and store in the freezer. Make your favorite sauce — alfredo, Bolognese, whatever — let it cool, and then pour it into ice-cube trays to freeze. When you’re ready to eat, put the pasta in a microwave-safe bowl, add two sauce cubes and microwave for 90 seconds. Stir (carefully!) and then microwave again for an additional 30 seconds. Let sit to cool for a minute and then enjoy!
Other freezable meals include quesadillas, bagels and burritos. Casseroles, too, can be made ahead and frozen in individual portions or in one large container. Basically, just about anything can be made ahead and frozen, except for a few things like lettuce, cucumbers, egg-based sauces and certain dairy products — though there are rarely any issues with freezing cottage cheese or ricotta in baked dishes like lasagna.
If you find that you like the frozen dinner thing, you may consider investing in a vacuum sealer system, such as Seal-a-Meal or FoodSaver. These remove all the air from a plastic bag, allowing the contents to last much longer in the freezer. They also work well for the increasingly popular sous-vide method of cooking, in which food is heated to an exact temperature in a circulating water bath.
Regardless of how you reheat your frozen meal, if you start with fresh ingredients and make it from scratch, you’ll enjoy the convenience of a TV dinner with a much tastier (and healthier) result.
Featured Healthy Recipe
Meat-Stuffed Manicotti
Ingredients:
- 1 8-oz. package manicotti pasta
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 1/2 cups Hiland Dairy Cottage Cheese
- 2 cups Hiland Dairy Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 32-oz. jar pasta sauce
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente and then drain, cool and set aside.
- Brown the beef in a large skillet, drain and cool.
- Combine beef, cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg whites and oregano. Mix well and stuff into manicotti.
- Lightly grease 9×13-inch baking dish, adding enough pasta sauce to cover bottom of dish.
- Place stuffed manicotti in the dish, cover with remaining pasta sauce and top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes.
- Let cool and cut into individual portions, then freeze.
Not finding a certain product at your grocery store? Fill out this Shopper Request Form.
Thank you for signing up!
