Between work, errands, the kids’ activities, and chores, life gets a little crazy sometimes. Freezer meals can make it so much easier! Now, it might seem overwhelming at first. If you commit to trying it, you will find it an easy time saving habit. In fact, you will probably be asking yourself why you waited so long.
You will be able to make dinner, even on the busiest of nights. Quick simple and easier than its ever been these make-ahead freezer meal recipes will be the what you’ve been missing.
Not only will it save you time at cooking, but you will also save on time spent cleaning up. You won’t get as many dishes dirty. All your dirty dishes, and most of the mess, is on your prep day. That means when you cook these delicious and easy meals your clean up is fast and simple. You can spend more time relaxing and have more time with your kiddos.
If you’re new to this type of cooking, your gonna love this list of 31 freezer dinners. We even threw in a few bonus ones.
Ready, set, prep!
Video: Freezer Organization Tips
Need to organize your freezer before you start meal prepping for the month? Organize your freezer like a boss!
Check out this short video to see some super helpful freezer organization hacks for yourself.
A Month Of Freezer Meal Recipes To Feed Your Family
1. Lemon Pepper Chicken and Rice Freezer Meal
Lemon Pepper Chicken and Rice is one of our favorites. The lemon slices not only help the chicken retain moisture, but it adds a refreshing flavor to the meal, too. All you are going to need is rice, green beans, chicken, lemon slices and water. Yum!
2. Crockpot Beef Stew Freezer Meal
You’ll feel good about serving this healthy, homemade Freezer Crock-Pot Beef Stew on a busy weeknight. It’s so easy to put together plus you can customize it with the veggies you prefer. Grab your favorite ingredients:
- Beef roast
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onions
- Barley
- Seasonings
3. Cilantro Lime Chicken Freezer Meal
Stock up on chicken when it’s on sale, use it to make plenty of this Cilantro Lime Chicken. It’s great for a weeknight meal or for a backyard BBQ on the weekends! You probably have all the ingredients you need: chicken, lime juice, zest, olive oil, pepper, sugar, salt, garlic and cilantro. Have I mentioned how much I love cilantro?
4. Lasagna Freezer Meal
Forget buying frozen lasagnas at the grocery store. They’re so expensive! Make your own at home with this Lasagna Freezer Meal. You know exactly what’s in it and can serve a quick meals that taste like it took hours. You will need the following ingredients:
- ground beef
- Italian sausage
- marinara sauce
- onion
- salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, parsley flakes
- no-boil lasagna noodles
- ricotta cheese
- parmesan cheese
- mozarella cheese
5. Chicken And Black Bean Burritos Freezer Meal
These Chicken and Black Bean Burritos are hearty and delicious. Here’s another way to make them! They freeze beautifully, and they’re kid-friendly, too!
Forget stopping at the fast food drive through, you’ll have dinner in the time it took you to get carry-out. Don’t forget this is customizable. Simply swap out the Black Beans for Pinto Beans and you have a super easy way to give this a new twist.
You can also make these awesome Instant Pot Breakfast Burritos, for an awesome freezer breakfast!
Dinner Ideas to Make Ahead and Freeze
6. Chili And Rice Casserole Freezer Meal
This Chili and Rice Casserole is the perfect meal on a cold day. Can you imagine just popping this into the oven, and in under an hour, you have a hot, hearty meal for your family? Freeze it in different size foil pans – then if you have half the kids or double the fun – you will always have the right amount. Another option is make extra Chili and freeze it by itself. You now have a “bonus” chili to top hot dogs or make a quick and easy Frito Chili Pie. This makes it perfect year around. Easy peasy!
7. Honey Teriyaki Chicken Freezer Meal
Winner, winner chicken dinner! Honey Teriyaki Chicken is sure to be a hit at your house. If you have some rice already frozen, it’ll pair perfectly with this meal! You could even give it a fun spin by using some spaghetti or angel hair pasta to make a simple Lo Mein.
8. Taco Casserole Freezer Meal
This Easy Taco Casserole is full of flavor, makes the perfect “Taco Tuesday” dinner that even the kids will gobble up. This is a fun customizable dish use toppings such as shredded cheese, sour cream, diced tomatoes or even Guacamole for every person in your family to design it for their taste.
9. Tuscan Pasta Freezer Meal
This 20-minute Tuscan Pasta is as easy to prep for the freezer as it is to cook – 20 minutes for each! Plus you can sneak in extra veggies like bell peppers, mushrooms (or more – use your imagination) and the kids will never even know. Simply by changing the pasta to Penne, Shells or Spirals you have a whole “new” dish.
10. Chicken Parmesan Casserole Freezer Meal
Have some leftover chicken? Just add tomato sauce, bread crumbs, cheese and herbs to it, and you’ll get this yummy Chicken Parmesan Casserole. Everyone in the entire family will love the taste and it takes a really short time to prep!
11. Lemon Pesto Chicken Freezer Meal
Want to prep a bunch of meals to take to a friend or for yourself? This Freezer Chicken and Rice Casserole recipe preps FOUR meals, with 3-4 adult servings per meal. So easy and a great change from the usual red sauce with chicken. It just smells like summer to me.
More Dinner Recipes that are Easy to Freeze
12. Chicken And Rice Casserole Freezer Dinner
Want to prep a bunch of meals to take to a friend or for yourself? This Freezer Chicken and Rice Casserole recipe preps FOUR meals, with 3-4 adult servings per meal. Yes, there is a suggested ingredient list, but think of it as a clean-out-your-fridge kinda meal…almost anything can work.
13. Shepherd’s Pie Freezer Dinner
Nothing is more comforting than a big serving of Shepherd’s Pie! Just defrost it in the fridge the night before, and bake it as usual the next day. This is the ultimate comfort food dinner and is easy to make a bunch which means you could have a few extra in the freezer for friends in need.
14. Shrimp And Veggie Stir Fry Freezer Dinner
Shrimp & Veggie Stir Fry is a great freezer to skillet meal with lots of sweet, tangy Asian flair. I had never thought of stir fry as a freezer meal, but this saves so much time for a quick fresh dinner the entire family will love.
Tip: Use frozen veggies to make prep even easier!
Family-friendly Freezer Food
15. Family-friendly Freezer Chicken Broccoli Bacon Dinner
A Chicken, Broccoli, Bacon & Potato Bake is a recipe that’s easy to double, triple or quadruple depending on your freezer cooking needs! Oh, and you need chicken, broccoli, bacon and potatoes…surprised?
16. Family-friendly Freezer Ginger Peach Chicken Dinner
Ginger Peach Chicken is a recipe that uses chicken thighs, but it can be easily adapted to chicken breasts or any other meat you have. This quick freezer meal is making me hungry just thinking about it.
17. Family-friendly Freezer Lemon and Garlic Dump Chicken Dinner
Lemon Garlic Dump Chicken may not sound appetizing, but names can be deceiving! You probably have everything you need for this freezer meal right in your pantry: minced garlic, olive oil, parsley flakes, lemon juice and chicken breasts.
18. Family-friendly Freezer Cheesy Chicken Tater-tot Casserole Dinner (Crockpot)
Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole for the crock pot? I had no idea you could freeze that…but if it’s cheesy and has tater tots, I’m in! It’s a super kid-friendly meal that even the pickiest kiddos will love. You will need the following ingredients:
- frozen tater tots
- bacon pieces
- chicken
- cheddar cheese
- milk
- salt & pepper
19. Family-friendly Freezer Scalloped Potatoes and Ham Dinner
Scalloped Potatoes and Ham tastes like you spent a lot of time in the kitchen whipping up some comfort food, but it’s easy peasy. If your kids go green at the sight of Broccoli, then sub it out Cauliflower.
20. Family-friendly Freezer Pesto Pasta Dinner
Sausage Pesto Pasta is a tasty meal to add to your family’s freezer rotation. And if you don’t care for sausage, ground beef, chicken or turkey would be a nice substitute, too. You will need a meat, pesto, onion, parmesan, garlic, spinach and pine nuts.
21. Family-Friendly Freezer Sausage with Pepper and Onions Dinner
Sausage with Peppers and Onions is loaded with colorful veggies and packs a big flavor punch. Serve it over white or brown rice or pasta! Plus, get 4 more delicious recipes too.
22. Family-friendly Freezer Baked Ziti Dinner
If you need a go-to dinner whenever you’re stuck for ideas, this Baked Ziti freezer meal is it. Simple, delicious… and who doesn’t love a big plate of pasta? Again, I had never thought of pasta as a freezer meal, but it works amazing…and tastes really good too.
23. Family-friendly Freezer Chicken Sweet Potato Dinner
This Slow Cooker Chicken & Sweet Potatoes brings tasty flavors that satisfy your need for “comfort food” without overtaxing your waistline. I’ve only recently discovered my love for sweet potatoes, so I have this Chicken and Sweet Potato Bake (for the crockpot) on my menu for this week!
24. Family-friendly Freezer Swiss Cheese Chicken Dinner
Jamie’s has the BEST Swiss Cheese Chicken dinner recipe!! It can even be used as a freezer meal so you can pull it out on a busy day or share with friends. You won’t believe how easy this Swiss Cheese Chicken is! You can even make it with canned chicken to save even more time.
25. Family-friendly Freezer Red and Green Stuffed Shells Dinner
How much do we love The Pioneer Woman here? A lot. Andthis Red and Green Stuffed Shells recipe will knock your socks off. It stores in the freezer for up to 6 months, so make a couple of batches! This is what ingredients you will need:
- olive oil
- onion
- garlic
- fresh baby spinach
- butter
- all-purpose flour
- whole milk
- basil
- parsley
- salt & pepper
- ricotta cheese
- parmesan cheese
- large egg
- jumbo pasta shells
26. Family-friendly Freezer Fajita Dinner Kits
Want to make it easier for your kids or hubby to help with dinner? Put these fajita kits together. What a genius idea! You know what ingredients the kids like…and what toppings so everyone will be happy at dinner.
Make Ahead Casseroles That Are Easy to Freeze
27. Make Ahead Crispy Cheddar Chicken Dinner
Cheese and chicken – is there anything better than that combo? Make it ahead of time with this Crispy Cheddar Chicken. This is another great one to have an extra in the freezer for a friend who might need dinner on an extra busy night.
28. Make Ahead Homemade Stir-fry Dinner
Step by step directions for making this amazing homemade stir-fry freezer meal. A healthy freezer meal that can be made up in minutes on those busy nights! Ready for the best stir fry you’ve ever had? This homemade freezer stir fry is it! I love the flavor of the marinade and using veggies straight from my garden using whatever fresh veggies might be available.
29. Make Ahead Cranberry Chicken Dinner
Cranberry Chicken is super easy to put together. You don’t even have to thaw the chicken breasts! Just toss them in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag along with cranberry sauce and a few other ingredients, and you’re all set. Make weeknights easier with this simple cranberry chicken freezer meal recipe!
30. Make Ahead Black Bean And Quinoa Burritos
Black Bean and Quinoa Freezer Burritos! These make-ahead vegetarian burritos are super easy to make, loaded with veggies, and are freezer-friendly. For easy lunches (or on-the-go dinners), try Black Bean and Quinoa Burritos. This easy freezer meal really hits the spot.
31. Make Ahead Meatloaf
Taking time to prep meals and freeze them pays dividends on busy nights or when you aren’t feeling your best. It makes dinner time easy and delicious.Meatloaf is one of the ultimate comfort foods. It just reminds you of hearty, home-cooked meals around the family dinner table. Try this freezer-friendly meatloaf recipe to stock lots of them for those crazy busy days.
Bonus Recipes You Can Add to the Freezer for more Dinner Options
1. Bonus Freezer Dinner: Teriyaki Chicken
Here’s another fabulous dump chicken recipe: Teriyaki Chicken! Serve it over rice or Lo Mein noodles.Dump cooking just means that you dump your mix into a gallon freezer bag with your chicken and freeze it. When you want it, dump it into a pan and cook it!
2. Bonus Freezer Dinner:Chicken Pot Pie Hand Pies
Eat dinner on the go between the kids’ sports events. Freezer-friendly Chicken Pot Pie Hand Pies are a real life saver when schedules are crazy hectic. No dishes are needed for the handy pies. Chicken pot pie hand pies are an easy to make, kid friendly freezer meal. I vacuum sealed our extras with the Ziploc® Brand Vacuum Sealer System, and now they are ready for grab-and-go in the freezer!
3. Bonus Freezer Dinner: One Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
Nothing tastes better than homemade chicken soup when you’re sick, but when you’re sick, who feels like cooking? Stash some of this One Pot Chicken Noodle Soup away in your freezer for just those times. 20 minutes is all you need to make a delicious one-pot chicken noodle soup. A must-have recipe for cold and flu season.
It doesn’t get any easier than that, right? Most freezer meals go from freezer to table in under thirty minutes (unless it’s a slow cooker meal, but still freezer to slow cooker is pretty easy to do).Stress over meal prep or clean-up will become a thing of the past and you get to spend more time with your family instead of in front of the stove.
Did you find some freezer meal recipes that your whole family will love? Grab breakfast freezer meal ideas too!And be sure to check out our freezer organization tips to help you successfully store all this yummy food!
More Mealtime Inspiration
- 29 Convenient Make-Ahead Freezer Meal Recipes
- Crock Pot Freezer Meals to Jumpstart Your Meal Plan
- 21 Make-Ahead Breakfast Ideas for Busy Mornings
- 18 Delicious Sheet Pan Dinners for Busy Nights
- 12 Clever Instant Pot Ideas and Tips to Get the Most Out of It
