I am a fan of the classic freezer meal. A well-stocked freezer full of already prepared meals is definitely something that your future self will thank you for. Especially with busy fall evenings of sports and extracurriculars that seem to fill up our time. Today I’m sharing how you can make six (or more!) freezer meals in 60 minutes! This post is in partnership with Smart & Final, all opinions are my own.
stocking up at Smart & Final
It’s Family Meals Month at Smart & Final which is perfect since it’s the perfect place to stock up for your freezer meals. Not only can you find all your ingredients there, but you can also find any of the storage containers you need for freezing too. Dishes like pasta bakes or enchiladas are best frozen in disposable pans. Freezer meals like chili or shredded meat freeze really well in gallon sized freezer bags.
| Read: How to Best Utilize Meal Planning |
Smart & Final is one of our preferred places to shop since you don’t need a membership to shop their great deals. You can save a lot of money by shopping their own First Street and Sun Harvest store brands. If you use their app and digital coupons you can save even more! I also love that I can buy in bulk which is great if you have a large family like mine or if you’re purchasing extra to make some freezer meals! SO let’s get to it!
make 6 easy freezer meals in 60 minutes
I wanted to make this freezer meal “prep day” as easy and quick as possible. All the meals I picked contain the same main ingredient (canned chicken). That means you can save money by buying in bulk from Smart & Final and you can save time because you won’t have to cook it! How many meals you get out of your hour will depend on how many servings you need for your family. I doubled each recipe below and was able to get eight meals done! Three chili meals, three pasta meals, and two trays of enchiladas. That means I spent less than eight minutes on each meal. Combine that with the fact that I spent about $50 on ingredients (not counting items I already had, like milk, butter, garlic, etc.) and these freezer meals are a pretty great deal!
| Read: Freezer Meals your Family will Love |
what freezer meals are we making?
These are the three recipes I’m focusing on today. However, you can easily pick any of your favorite three freezer meals to make. I would just make sure they all have the same main ingredient because it really makes things run a lot smoother when you’re trying to make a lot of meals in a short amount of time! Remember that I doubled each recipe to make more meals. Since you’re doing all this prep and work you might as well really benefit from your efforts!
This chili recipe is heavy on meat and uses lower carb white beans to keep the carb count down.
- 1 15 oz. can of white beans
- 2 cans chunk chicken I like to drain and rinse
- 1-2 pounds ground turkey meat
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 1 can corn drained
- 1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes with juice
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
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Sauté onion and cook with turkey meat. Salt as desired.
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Combine all ingredients together and heat through in slow cooker or on stovetop.
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After cooking turkey meat, combine all ingredients (DO NOT heat thoroughly) and allow to cool. Separate into gallon sized freezer bags.
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When you're ready to eat, defrost in freezer the night before and then heat on stovetop or in slow cooker.
- 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
- 8 oz. Creamed Corn
- ¼ cup chopped green onion (about a bundle)
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 2 cans chunked chicken drained and rinsed
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- 1½ cup shredded cheese cheddar or a blend
- 8 flour tortillas
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Mix all ingredients together using only half the cheese.
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Fill each tortillas with about ½ cup of enchilada filling, roll tortilla up, and place seam side down in a disposable baking dish. Repeat until all tortillas are filled.
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Add a few drops of milk to remaining filling mixture and stir. Pour remaining mixture on top of tortillas and then sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
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Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes.
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Prepare enchiladas as described above. Sprinkle cheese on top, then cover baking dish.
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Defrost overnight in refrigerator, then bake at 350° uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.
- 2 tbsp butter
- 16 oz. short-cut pasta
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 can chunked chicken drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 8 oz. sundried tomatoes sliced
- ½ cup provolone cheese
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
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Cook pasta to al dente. Rinse in cold water when done so it stops cooking.
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Heat oil in a large pot and sauté mushrooms until golden. Remove from pan and in the same pot melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and garlic and cook while whisking, about a minute. Gradually add milk while whisking and bring to a simmer.
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Keep whisking as sauce thickens and add mushrooms and sundried tomatoes.
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Take the pan off the heat and stir in provolone and half of Parmesan, reserving the rest for later. Add chicken and pasta to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Sprinkle the top with cheese and bake uncovered at 400° for about 25 minutes.
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After preparing the sauce and adding in chicken and pasta, divide into disposable freezer dishes. Cover the top tightly with plastic wrap. Place remaining Parmesan cheese into small freezer bags and place on top of plastic so you can sprinkle it when you bake later. Cover the whole thing with a lid or aluminum foil.
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When ready to bake remove top and plastic and set cheese aside. Place foil back on the pan and back for about 1½ hours. Remove foil, stir, sprinkle cheese on top, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
how to prepare
It will help everything run smoothly and help you stay on time if you prepare everything beforehand. I like together all my ingredients for each recipe and group them together. I also get our all my measuring cups and spoons so I’m ready to quickly measure and pour. You will find that you get into a rhythm while making your freezer meals and the hour will be up before you know it–and you’ll have a lot of delicious meals ready for your freezer!
follow this order when making your freezer meals:
- Start by sautéing your onion for the chili and then add turkey meat.
- Turn on water to boil for the penne pasta dish.
- Begin opening all the cans for chili and combining in a large bowl.
- Add pasta to the boiling water–pay attention because pasta should be cooked to al dente.
- Combine all chili together with turkey mixture and pat yourself on the back–Low Carb Chili is done.
- Start sautéing mushrooms in oil in pasta pot once noodles are done and cooling in a strainer.
- Begin opening cans for chicken enchiladas and combining ingredients in a large bowl.
- Remove mushrooms from pot and start pasta sauce by adding butter and adding sauce ingredients.
- Finish enchiladas as the pasta sauce thickens (remember to stir pasta sauce regularly).
- Celebrate–Chicken Enchiladas are done.
- Focus on the pasta dish for the rest of your time until Cheesy Chicken Penne is done.
Do you like to make freezer meals? Do you ever make a bunch at one?
