There are lots of reasons for taking time to do a freezer meal marathon session. It’s summer and you want to stay outside later playing in the sunshine. School is starting and your family is getting back into a daily rhythm. You have sports or other extra curricular activities. Maybe you just don’t want to spend all day every day in the kitchen making food for your people. Regardless of the reason for wanting to fill your freezer, you want it full of yummy casseroles that freeze well.
[mv_video aspectRatio=”16:9″ key=”tmdwptkwlsl0tlmydth2″]
What meals can be frozen and reheated?
Meals that don’t have loads of milk products or starches are usually good candidates for freezing and reheating. Dairy products like milk tend to separate when unthawing so that can make them unappetizing. Potatoes in raw form get a really weird gummy texture. You can freeze cooked potatoes though like mashed or twice baked. Keep reading for the best ways to prep casseroles that freeze well.
- Homemade Mashed Potatoes For The Freezer
- Twice Baked Potatoes For The Freezer
- Ham and Cheese Potato Bake For The Freezer
- Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
- Mexican Tater Tot Casserole
- Shepherd’s Pie Freezer Meal Recipe
What are some meals that freeze well?
Rice dishes and pasta are always good choices. The saucier the better is usually a good mantra. The sauce helps it from drying out when reheating or doing the final bake so always check your directions to see if you need a dash of broth taking it from freezer to oven. Most gluten free pastas will need some extra liquid during the reheating stage in my experience.
- Taco Bake Freezer Meal
- Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Noodle Bake
- Beef Stroganoff Freezer Meal
- Baked Ziti Oven Bake
- Cabbage Lasagna Freezer Meal
- Lasagna Freezer Meal
- Chicken Fried Rice Freezer Meal
- Sausage and Spinach Fried Rice Freezer Meal
- Pizza Casserole Oven Bake Freezer Meal
- Leftover Chili Baked Potato Casserole
How do you freeze and reheat casseroles?
All of the freezer meal recipes shared here on Large Family Table will have directions for not only how to bake the casserole but how to freeze it as well. There are some pretty standard instructions you can use for every casserole. Take some time to hop over to watch my mega freezer cooking days in action with lots of
You can watch the full 100+ Big Family Freezer Meals here if you’d like!
Here are 100+ Big Family Freezer Meals including many casseroles that freeze well! During these freezer cooking days I did 40 large family dinners, 22 lunches, 44 breakfasts, and 22 lunches that spread over 6+ weeks. I did all those big freezer meals right before baby #8, Benjamin David was born. Let me tell you, it was a huge blessing to have a jam-packed freezer full of enough freezer meals for up to six weeks.
Freezer casseroles are no different from other freezer meals in that you have to prepare them correctly for optimal freezing. Let them cool slightly because you never want to put hot pans into your freezer. That’s a great way to make your freezer work overtime which isn’t good for it or your power bill.
How do you prepare meals for the freezer?
Freezing casseroles is not an exact science. You follow the recipe instructions then use the guidelines below. I have found these to be universally effective no matter what I’m freezing.
FREEZER MEAL STORAGE DIRECTIONS
- Wrap each 9×13 pan with two layers of foil.
- Label the top of each pan with recipe name and date.
- Wrap each 9×13 pan with a layer of plastic wrap.
- Set each pan to freeze in the freezer. Do not stack the pans on top of one another until each pan is individually frozen.
- Thaw in the fridge for 24 hours. Just pop it out of the freezer and into the fridge the night before. Having a meal plan in place will make this effortless. The SUPER MEGA Large Family Food Collection is a great resource and it’s free.
- Remove the Saran Wrap and one layer of foil.
- Check your recipe for any specific instructions like do you need to add a bit of liquid or dance around the kitchen with your helpers.
Items I Use for Casserole Freezer Meals
My affiliate links are used below. Here’s my full disclosure policy.
- Disposable Metal Pans
- Reynolds Wrap Foil
- Saran Wrap
- Stainless Steel 22-Quart Covered Stockpot
- 8 Qt Instant Pot
- Large Rubbermaid Container
- Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
- You can see all my favorite freezer cooking supplies here!
REHEATING YOUR FREEZER CASSEROLE
Most recipes that are designed for casseroles that freeze well will give you step by step instructions for freezing then reheating. The general rule of thumb is that you get to the baking stage then freeze for later use. After thawing at a later date, you finish up the final touches and bake as needed. This, of course, is an oversimplification but it’s a rule that generally stands true no matter what you’re freezing.
What can I cook and reheat later?
Casseroles that freeze well are my favorite because there is minimal prep needed for reheating/baking then eating. This means I can cook it after sports while helping kids or pop it in the oven then get some serious snuggle time in with my littles for family read a loud time.
- Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Casserole helps you have breakfast for dinner or as we like to call it, brinner.
- Steak, Egg, and Cheese Casserole
- Chicken, Mushroom, and Green Bean Casserole
- Homemade Chef Boyardee
- Chicken Parmesan
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Pepperoni Stromboli Freezer Meal Recipe
- Swedish Meatballs
- Chicken Tetrazzini Freezer Meal
- Million Dollar Casserole
- Mexican Chicken Alfredo
- Penne and Smoked Sausage
- Southwestern Casserole
- Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Spicy Bean and Beef Pie
- Chicken and Swiss Stuffing Bake
- Crunchy Eggplant Parmesan
- BBQ Chicken Casserole
- French Onion Soup Casserole
- Cheesy Ravioli Pasta Bake
- Chicken Spaghetti
- Buffalo Chicken Pasta Casserole
- 15 Bean Pot Pie
- Avocado Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Dairy Free Casseroles That Freeze Well
- Chicken Cauliflower Curry
- Mexican Quinoa
- Italian Sausage and Peppers Bake
- Chicken Fried Cauliflower Rice
- Cabbage Rolls
Lots of the recipes included in this post can be made into
Gluten Free Casseroles That Freeze Well
- Beef and Cheddar Cauliflower Bake
- Keto Red Pepper Meatballs Over Cauliflower Rice
- Chicken, Broccoli, and Bacon Casserole
- Freezer Burrito Casserole
- Chicken, Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Burrito Pie
- Black Bean and Spinach Enchilada Casserole
- Italian Sausage Frittata
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Mexican Brown Rice Bake
- Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
- Low Carb Deconstructed Pizza Casserole
- Low Carb Chicken Cordon Bleu (use xanthum gum or cornstarch instead of flour to thicken )
- Chicken Parmesan Pasta Casserole
- Ham and Cheese Quiche
- Spicy Chicken Sausage Pasta
- Black Bean and Beef Enchilada Casserole
- Zucchini Pizza Casserole
- Jambalaya
- Hot Tamale Pie
- Beef and Corn Casserole
- Cheesy Roasted Garlic and Spinach Casserole
- Chicken Broccoli Casserole
- Chicken Divan
- Jamerrrill’s Large Family Stir Fried Rice Recipe
- Spanish Rice Casserole
- Chicken Pad Thai
- Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole
You have loads of choices to fill your freezer to the brim with casseroles that freeze well. Your family will be eating well and your budget will thank you for not stopping at the drive thru. For more ideas on feeding your large family well, get my FREE Large Family Food Collection. The *super mega* 🙂 Large Family Food Collection includes everything you need to plan, organize, and feed your family well!
You can watch the full freezer meals for new moms video here!
You might also enjoy these 40 freezer meals for new moms I made in just a few hours using my freezer meals pack two! Of course, freezer cooking is helpful *all of the time,* but it’s especially helpful to have freezer meals before a new baby!
Get the Best-Selling Large Family Freezer Meals Collection here! Use promo code HELLO20 to take 20% off your first order.
