45 Freezer Meal Recipes That Couldn’t Be Easier

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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!).

Think of this low-carb, gluten-free dish as freezer-friendly scrambled eggs that happen to serve a crowd.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

If you don’t think we’re baking a million of these babies and keeping them in freezer bags for future cocktail parties, think again.

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

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.

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.

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 of time, and when it’s time to eat, you’ll only need to cook them for about ten minutes.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

We know for a fact that Ina herself is a fan of the freezer. We’re sure she wouldn’t mind if you whipped up this gratin for a later date, as long as you used good olive oil.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 skillet the day of.

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

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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