59 Freezer Meals the Whole Family will Love

More than 59 freezer meals that your family will love, made with healthy, wholesome ingredients. Including instructions on how to prepare, cook, and store. Freezer crockpot meals, chicken marinades, casseroles, and more!

Once you've learned the basics of how to meal prep, and gathered all your pantry staples - it's time to tackle stocking up your freezer with healthy and delicious freezer meals that the whole family will love!

It can feel impossible to find freezer meals recipes that are easy to meal prep, actually taste good after freeze/thawing, AND are made with healthy ingredients.

With years of experience, I've become much more comfortable with prepping freezer meals. But when I started learning about meal prep, I had so many questions:

• Can I freeze that ingredient?
• Do I cook that before freezing or put it in the freezer raw?
• Can I swap that cream of mushroom soup for something a little healthier?
• Why is this recipe labeled a freezer meal when there are no freezer directions?!

It was confusing and overwhelming.

Luckily, you don't have to figure it out from scratch like I did! I'm sharing all of my freezer meal secrets and tips with you, plus numerous tried and true easy freezer meals. Best of all, you can count on these recipes to taste just as good after freezing as before freezing!

How to Prepare Freezer Meals

There are many different types of freezer meals, so below we've broken down 8 different kinds of freezer meals and a quick overview of how they can be prepared.

1. Crockpot freezer meals - are assembled raw, then frozen. Thaw completely before cooking up as directed in your slow cooker. See our round-up with 27 crockpot freezer meals for more crockpot ideas.
2. Instant Pot freezer meals - are assembled raw, then frozen. Unlike the slow cooker, it is sometimes possible to cook Instant Pot freezer meals from frozen (but consult the recipe first). Check out these 17 Instant Pot meals from the family freezer!
3. Casseroles - depending on the casserole, you may cook and cool before freezing. Lasagnas are generally ok to freeze raw, whereas we would reccomend cooking a quiche before freezing. There is no right or wrong rule here, and you'll need to consult each recipe for prep and freezing directions. Our favorite thing about casseroles is that you can often bake them from frozen!
4. Chicken marinades - are a staple in my freezer! Simply portion out the chicken + marinade and freeze. Thaw, then bake up as directed.
5. Meatballs, meatloaf, burgers - we prefer to freeze these raw because once you thaw & cook, they taste fresh and juicy. Reheating after cooking is fine as well, but we have noticed they are always a littler drier. Freeze raw meatballs and burgers on a sheet pan before transferring to a meal prep container or freezer bag.
6. Soups & stews - are very freezer-friendly! We do reccomend to cook before freezing, although you can also store as freezer crockpot or freezer Instant Pot meals. Store cooked & cooled soups in 1 quart jars (leave ¼ of jar empty to allow for expansion, and leave lids ajar until fully frozen), or these resuable plastic freezer jars. Find a ton of soup recipes in this round up with 38 healthy soup recipes.
7. Breakfasts - we like to cook breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches, steel cut oats, or other breakfast recipes before freezing. This round-up does not include breakfasts, but you can find tons of options in this round-up of 21 healthy breakfast meal prep recipes
8. Lunches - you can also pre-cook full meals, portion them out and store as single-serve meals. We like to portion out leftover curries, stir fries and other meals with rice or quinoa, and freeze for a stash of freezer lunches. Check out some of our faves in this round-up of 34 freezer-friendly meal prep lunches.

FAQ

Crockpot Freezer Meals

One of our favorite freezer meal options - because they are so easy! Simply combine the ingredients in a freezer bag or container, freeze, and thaw when you're ready to cook. The ease of dumping your prepped ingredients into the slow cooker, pushing the button, and walking away, is just so amazing!

Meal prep tip - seek out crockpot meals that do not require sautéeing or searing. Meals containing meat must be thawed before cooking. Vegetarian or vegan meals may be cooked from frozen.

How to prepare - chop, measure, and portion out all ingredients. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and cook as directed in the recipe.

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Instant Pot Freezer Meals

The slow cooker is great but can be challenging when you work outside the home and can't set your timer for a 4 hour cook time. The perfect solution? An Instant Pot!

Meal prep tip - seek out Instant Pot meals that do not require sautéeing or searing. Some Instant Pot meals may be cooked from frozen, consult recipe directions before cooking this way.

How to prepare - chop, measure, and portion out all ingredients. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and cook as directed in the recipe.

Healthy Freezer Casseroles

Frozen casseroles reheat so well and often taste just as good as a freshly cooked casserole!

Meal prep tip - casseroles are great for bulk prep sessions: double or triple a recipe for maximum efficiency. Store-bought shortcuts will be your hero with casseroles: bottled sauces, no-cook noodles, rotisserie chicken all make prep day so much easier.

How to prepare - assemble and layer your casseroles as directed by each recipe. Some casseroles require cooking on prep day and others may be frozen raw. Consult each freezer meal recipe for directions.

Meatballs, Meatloaf and Burgers

Another freezer meal staple includes frozen meatballs, meatloaf and burgers. These proteins freeze and thaw well and you often can't tell they have ever been frozen!

Meal prep tip - look for recipes where you don't need to sautee any ingredients to make prep day easier; use pre-minced garlic.

How to prepare - assemble meatballs and burgers as directed, then layer them on a baking dish. Freeze for 3 or so hours (until frozen through), then transfer to a container or bag for longer term storage. Meatloaf can be assembled, then frozen directly in the dish you plan to cook it in.

Misc Make Ahead Freezer Meals

These miscellaneous meals are freezer meals that don't really fit a category: stuffed mushrooms, zucchini boats, sheet pan meals and some soups

Meal prep tip- Several of these meals require cooking before freezing, which is best done in bulk.

How to prepare- Follow directions to prepare and freeze as indicated on recipe card as it will vary by recipe type.