Daughter recently began her third year at college, lives in an apartment, and has started attempting a little cooking. However, knowing firsthand how difficult it is to cook for one, I decided I’d cook a number of dishes, portion them out and then freeze them to send back with her. That way, she can just pull something out of the freezer and stick it in the fridge to thaw in the morning before heading to class. Upon returning home from classes and work in the evening, she can have a nice homemade meal for supper that she only has to heat up in the microwave.
I had no trouble thinking of things to cook. However, not having done this before, my bigger concern was how to freeze everything. I ended up making three casserole-type dishes – lasagna, green chile chicken enchiladas, and breakfast casserole – cutting them into portions and putting them in labeled zip-top freezer bags.
She recently came in for the weekend so I had the opportunity to try this out. I got up early one Saturday and began cooking. I was pretty pleased with myself that I was able to knock this out in just a few hours. I ended up with eight portions of lasagna, five portions of green chile chicken enchiladas and six portions of breakfast casserole that I put in a cooler to send back with her. I’ll be curious to hear how it all turns out.
I think all of these selections are things that will freeze well, but still taste good upon thawing and heating. If you have additional suggestions, or even tips on freezing meals for later, I’d love to hear them. You may reach me at editor@polkenterprise.com or emily@polkcountypublishing.com.
From spendwithpennies.com
Tomato Sauce:
Cheese Mixture:
Heat oven to 350°F. Cook pasta al dente according to package directions. Rinse under cold water and set aside.
Brown beef, sausage, onion and garlic over medium high heat until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
Stir in pasta sauce, tomato paste and Italian seasoning. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Make cheese mixture by combining 1 ½ cups mozzarella, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, ricotta, parsley and egg.
Add 1 cup meat sauce to a 9x13 pan.
Top with 3 lasagna noodles. Layer with ⅓ of the cheese mixture and 1 cup of meat sauce. Repeat twice more. Finish with 3 noodles topped with remaining sauce.
Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until browned and bubbly.
Rest 10-15 minutes before cutting.
My notes:
Use the lasagna noodles that don’t require boiling first and you can skip the entire first step, saving lots of time.
From jocooks.com
Preheat the oven to 425℉.
Mix the chicken with half of the green chile enchilada sauce, the green chiles and half of the Monterey Jack cheese.
In another bowl, stir together the remaining enchilada sauce and the sour cream. Pour half of the sauce into a 9×13 baking dish.
Take a tortilla, top with a couple of tablespoons of the chicken mixture, then roll it up and place over the sauce in the baking dish. Continue with all the tortillas until they are all filled and rolled.
Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the tortillas, then sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the top.
Place the dish in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Top with chopped cilantro, green onions and tomatoes before serving.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then pour into a 9x13 baking dish that’s been coated with nonstick spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until the middle isn’t jiggly when you shake it. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting.
