Meal Prep — Freezer Batch
23 recipes scraped and organised for batch cooking + freezing. Each file has a FREEZE STAGE box at the top telling you exactly when to stop, how to freeze, and how to cook/reheat later.
⚠️ Household allergens: nuts · sesame · chickpea
Every recipe below has been screened. None contain nuts, sesame, or chickpea as written. Two things to watch:
- Chocolate chip banana bread — Sally's original lists optional pecans/walnuts. The file is written with chocolate chips instead of nuts — do not add the nuts.
- Coconut (in Thai green curry soup and coconut lentil curry) — confirmed fine for your household. ✅
- Thai green curry paste — check the jar label. Most Thai brands (Maesri, Mae Ploy) are nut/sesame-free, but pastes vary. Skip any peanut garnish traditionally served with it.
- Thai green curry soup uses prawns (shellfish) — added fresh at reheat, not frozen in the soup.
Freeze-stage cheat sheet
Mains (mains/)
| Dish | Freeze at | Cook / reheat from freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken pot pie casserole | Assembled, UNBAKED | Bake from frozen: 375°F, foil-on 30 min, then uncovered 45–50 min (165°F center) |
| White chicken caprese lasagna | Assembled, UNBAKED | Thaw overnight in fridge, then bake 350°F ~40 min |
| Instant Pot chicken & dumplings | Cooked base — NO dumplings | Reheat base, then drop in fresh biscuit dumplings and cook till done |
| Instant Pot pot roast | Fully cooked | Thaw overnight, reheat stovetop/oven/microwave |
| Instant Pot carnitas | Cooked & shredded, BEFORE broiling | Thaw, then broil to crisp fresh at serving |
| Zuppa Toscana | Base without cream (see note) | Reheat, stir in cream at the end |
| Honey-lime chicken enchiladas | Assembled, UNBAKED | Thaw overnight, bake 350°F ~30 min |
| Sweet potato enchiladas | Assembled, UNBAKED (no fresh garnish) | Thaw overnight, bake 350°F ~20 min; add avocado/tomato fresh |
| Baked mac & cheese | Assembled, UNBAKED (topping separate) | Thaw overnight, bake covered 350°F 20 min + uncovered 10 min |
| Vegetable lasagna | Assembled, UNBAKED | Thaw overnight, bake per recipe |
| Black bean burgers | Raw patties (parchment between) | Cook from frozen (add a few min) or thaw first |
| Thai green curry prawn soup | Cooked base — NO prawns/noodles/herbs | Reheat gently, add raw prawns (cook 2–3 min) + fresh noodles/herbs at serving |
| Coconut lentil curry | Fully cooked | Reheat stovetop with a splash of water |
| Carnitas freezer burritos | Assembled, wrapped | Microwave from frozen ~3 min (or foil-wrapped in a 375°F oven ~35 min) |
| Italian meatballs | Raw (tray then bag) or cooked | Bake from frozen 400°F ~25 min, or simmer in sauce |
| Cozy autumn wild rice soup | Cooked base — no coconut/kale | Reheat, stir in coconut milk + kale |
| Big-batch tomato sauce | Fully cooked, in portions | Reheat; use in the lasagna, meatballs, pasta nights |
Breakfast / baked (breakfast/)
| Dish | Freeze at | Reheat from freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Egg cups | Fully baked | Microwave 20–30s (from frozen) or oven 350°F 5–10 min |
| Banana blueberry muffins | Fully baked | Thaw overnight / microwave |
| Lemon poppyseed muffins | Fully baked (iced or not) | Thaw overnight, room temp |
| Chocolate chip banana bread | Fully baked (slices or loaf) | Thaw at room temp |
| Buttermilk waffles | Fully cooked | Straight into the toaster |
| Sheet pan pancakes | Fully baked, sliced | Toaster or microwave |
Two rules that make freezing work
- Cool completely before freezing (room temp) to avoid ice crystals and sogginess.
- Label everything with name + date + cook-from-frozen instructions. Most items keep 2–3 months.
Sources
All recipes are adapted from: The Cookie Rookie, Sally's Baking Addiction, Budget Bytes, Cookie and Kate, Little Spice Jar, and The Endless Meal. Individual source links are in each file.