45 Freezer Meal Recipes That Couldn’t Be Easier (2024)

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Tieghan Gerard/Half Baked Harvest

Instead of baking this gooey number in a skillet, use a freezer-safe casserole dish or aluminum pan. When you’re ready to eat, thaw and reheat it in a 350°F oven until the cheese is bubbly and golden again.

Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

As if we didn’t love mac and cheese already, it also happens to freeze and reheat beautifully. This one is practically a work of art.

Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Aran Goyoaga

To make this simple soup even more make-ahead friendly, freeze the chicken and broth in separate containers, and assemble with fresh greens and jalapeños whenever you want to eat it.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

This makes enough to feed eight, so we’re dividing it in half and freezing some for later. (The other half is for tonight.)

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

Who knew a slow cooker would be the secret to the fastest Taco Tuesday ever?

Ngoc Minh Ngo/Heirloom

Congee, a type of rice porridge, happens to be as convenient as it is comforting when you make and portion it ahead of time. If only skipping the snooze button were that easy.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

One batch will feed youfor an entire week, and the hardest thing you have to do is let the ingredients simmer.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

You’ve got two easy options here: Make the biscuit topping ahead and freeze it separately, or bake and assemble the day of (in less than 20 minutes!).

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

Think of thislow-carb, gluten-free dish as freezer-friendly scrambled eggs that happento serve a crowd.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

The thing about store-bought tortellini is that it feels fancy when it’s not. In fact, we’re pretty convinced it’s magic.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

A giant batch of pulled chicken takes almost no effort at all, but the end result is so versatile that you’ll want to make it at least once a week.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

Stand by the stove and watch onions caramelize? We’d rather not. Thankfully, the slow cooker can do the hard work while we catch up on the second season of You.

What's Gaby Cooking

We’ve never met a meatball we didn’t like. Good thing they take no time to make and keep for up to six months in the freezer.

Nisha Vora

Memorize this equation: Instant Pot + freezer meal + fastest weeknight dinner ever. Psst: Microwave the squash to make it easier to chop.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

Lasagna is well known for being freezer-friendly. We put our own spin on the classic and made it with ravioli, because why not?

Healthyish

Making the soup ahead leaves you plenty of time for the most important part: prepping the toppings.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

Like pulled chicken, pulled pork is endlessly versatile and easily freezable. Do we see sliders in your future?

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

Want to know a secret? This is just as delicious (and equally fuss-free) if you use a store-bought rotisserie chicken in place of the turkey.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

Follow all the steps right until baking. It’llgointothe freezer with the crust still raw so it’s crisp and flaky when you get a craving.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

When you want something healthy yet decadent but don’t have the patience, this mashup will serve you well.

Secrets of Great Second Meals

Meet our secret go-to fridge-cleanout dinner. It takes 20 minutes to make and even less time toeat. Win-win.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

Brunch is great in theory, but sleeping in might be better. Stash this one away for a sleepy Sunday morning that’s also delicious.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

If you don’t think we’re baking a million of these babies and keeping them in freezerbagsfor future co*cktail parties, thinkagain.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

Eggo was on to something: Waffles keep well in the freezer and areso easyto reheat in the toaster. Ours have cheese, so they’re even better.

The Clean Plate

A frittata is the ultimate way to clean out your crisper drawer. You can swap the beet greens for kale, spinach or another hearty green, or go wild with roasted vegetables and cheese.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

You stocked up on waffles, right? Put them to good use in a savory breakfast sandwich. Everything can be made ahead of time except the egg—just fry up it à la minute.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

For a convenient vegetarian dinner (or lunch), freeze these burgers before you get to the sautéing step. Pull them out of the freezer to thaw ahead oftime, and when it’s time to eat, you’ll only need to cook them for about ten minutes.

Mandalyn Renicker/The Huckle and Goose Cookbook

Our M.O.? Make a batch in the summertime while the produce is fresh, then stock the freezer for those dark days of winter.

Quentin Bacon/Cook Like a Pro

If you don’t have individual ramekins, you can store this in one large baking dish. But we like the convenience that individual servings bring to the table.

Vegan in the House

Not today, store-bought vegan burgers. These lentil-based patties are made with ingredients you can actually recognize, and they hardly take up space in your freezer.

The Full Helping

With no cream in it at all, Gena Hamshaw’s hearty and healthy chowder is kind of a creamy soup miracle. Best of all, it freezes for up to two months.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

A strata is just a baked dish of eggs, bread and cheese. Keep this recipe in your back pocket and customize it with what’s already in your fridge. Just promise you won’t skip the cheese.

Quentin Bacon/Cook Like a Pro

We know for a fact that Ina herself is afan of the freezer. We’re sure she wouldn’t mindif you whipped upthis gratin for a later date, as long as youusedgoodolive oil.

Amy Neunsinger/Magnolia Table

Prebake this pretty, savory pie before putting it in the freezer so Sunday brunch is just a thaw and a reheat away. File this one under “genius.”

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

We’re doubling the batch and making enough to last until Memorial Day. Don’t have fresh corn? Use frozen. No one will know the difference.

Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Heath Goldman

Kitchari is an Ayurvedic Indian stew that’s as soothing and restorative as it is easy to freeze. You can switch up the vegetables for anything you have on hand; we like to use whatever’s in season at the moment.

Jacqui Melville/Apple

Puréed soups freeze and reheat like nobody’s business. The next time you get carried away with an apple haul,prep this for soup season.

Pinch of Yum

The last thing we feel like doing on a Monday night? Making dinner. This creamy soup goes from freezer to slow cooker or Instant Pot in no time, so dinner is handled.

Half Baked Harvest

For on-the-go breakfasts all week long, stop just after assembly. Wrap the quesadillas tightly, freeze, then thaw in the microwave before toasting in a skilletthe day of.

Homemade dumplings are definitely a project, but they’reso worth the effort when it’s crunch time (read: dinnertime) and you can’t be bothered with a complicated dinner.

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Spoon Fork Bacon

Cook, assemble and stash a bunch of these sammies in silicone storage bags for busy mornings. The whole thing can be reheated in a 375°F oven while you enjoy your coffee.

What's Gaby Cooking

To make this spicy, cheesy number freezer-friendly, Phoebe Lapine suggests baking it in a lidded casserole dish instead of a skillet. Then the whole thing can be stowed away for a rainy—or lazy—day.

Pinch of Yum

Freezer meal, meet Instant Pot. To make this vegan wonder in eight minutes flat (really!), you’ll prep and chop ahead of time, portion into freezer bags, then toss into the pot and go.

Half Baked Harvest

Thanks to store-bought wonton wrappers, your usual takeout spot doesn’t know what’s coming. Don’t get us started on the sweet chili ginger-sesame sauce.

Plays Well with Butter

We know they’re called breakfast burritos, but if we’re being honest, we would eat them for lunch and dinner too.

Senior Food Editor

Katherine Gillenis PureWow’s senior food editor. She’s a writer, recipe developer and food stylist with a degree in culinary arts and professional experience in New York City...