# Recipe needed: a freezer dinner **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 4, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recipe-needed-a-freezer-dinner/484427 "2009-02-04T16:04:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recipe-needed-a-freezer-dinner/484427/1 "2009-02-04T16:04:39Z")
My good friend is about to have her 4th baby, and being a practical person, she refused a shower and asked for meals for her freezer. So I need to come up with a good meal I can put in a foil casserole dish and freeze! Somebody’s got to have a good idea, right? Help me out here, 'cause all I can think of is vegetarian lentil stew and I don’t think her kids will love me if I do that. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recipe-needed-a-freezer-dinner/484427/2 "2009-02-04T16:09:11Z")
Lasagna always works really well in the freezer. So does meatloaf (put mashed potatoes over the top for something approximating a real meal). ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recipe-needed-a-freezer-dinner/484427/3 "2009-02-04T16:10:42Z")
A casserole dish full of ice cream should be a big hit. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recipe-needed-a-freezer-dinner/484427/4 "2009-02-04T16:34:47Z")
Shepherd’s pie. Mild curries. Daal. A load of frozen mashed potato - not a meal in itself, but very useful for lots of other meals. Nut roast, as long as you have a good recipe. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recipe-needed-a-freezer-dinner/484427/5 "2009-02-04T17:00:19Z")
Argh, I totally thought I was posting in CS. Now I have to report myself to move it! Thanks guys, keep 'em coming. ---
**Author:** ![masterofnone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@masterofnone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/masterofnone)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recipe-needed-a-freezer-dinner/484427/6 "2009-02-04T17:35:47Z")
Chicken pot pie filling. Quick and easy to prepare by pouring into a store-bought pie crust or dumped into a pan topped with biscuits from a can. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recipe-needed-a-freezer-dinner/484427/7 "2009-02-04T17:36:12Z")
Enchiladas! I don’t know how to make enough for just one, so I always make at least two pans and freeze the ones I don’t eat right away. The recipe is simple; the sauce is 2 large cans cream of mushroom soup, two or three pounds chicken or beef, a large onion, some fresh garlic, and a bag of green chile (NOT optional!). Cook the meat and then add the onions, then the garlic, and finally the cream soup. A small can of nacho cheese is optional if you’re feeling cheesy. You can fit about three layers in a 2" pan, first corn tortillas, then the sauce, then the cheese. It couldn’t be simpler, and I get _so_ many compliments on it. Good stuff! ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recipe-needed-a-freezer-dinner/484427/8 "2009-02-04T17:39:25Z")
Do you mean a sort of enchilada lasagna, not rolled-up enchiladas? ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recipe-needed-a-freezer-dinner/484427/9 "2009-02-04T17:44:25Z")
Missed the edit window… That was a fun game!!! 😉😛 EETA: I believe it’s technically called an enchilada casserole, but yes, it’s very similar to lasagna; it just has a different grain and a different sauce. They’re equally awesome. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recipe-needed-a-freezer-dinner/484427/10 "2009-02-04T17:44:57Z")
Off to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![rekkah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@rekkah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rekkah)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recipe-needed-a-freezer-dinner/484427/11 "2009-02-04T22:23:28Z")
Almost any kind of stew - vegetarian or not - freezes well (no lentils necessary, though personally I love them). Chilli freezes well in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recipe-needed-a-freezer-dinner/484427/12 "2009-02-04T22:28:24Z")
My MIL made tamales for us; they were fantastic, since you can defrost exactly the right amount for a meal. ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recipe-needed-a-freezer-dinner/484427/13 "2009-02-04T22:32:50Z")
Does it have to be something in a casserole dish? If not: Soup. You can make a huge amount as easily as a few bowls worth and freeze it in quart containers. Tomato sauce. Same idea as soup, it only requires the end-user to boil some pasta. Stuffed peppers. Cook up some rice or barley and add it to cooked onion, garlic, ground meat (turkey works), a little tomato sauce, maybe some spinach, or mushrooms, perhaps some cheese. Dump it into raw bell peppers wrap in plastic + foil and freeze. Straight from the freezer to a casserole dish (there it is) into a 350 degree oven for about an hour to thaw everything and cook the peppers through. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recipe-needed-a-freezer-dinner/484427/14 "2009-02-04T22:35:51Z")
Stuffed pork chops. And, stuffed chicken breast, or, chicken roll ups (with ham and cheese). Chili. Beef bourguinone. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recipe-needed-a-freezer-dinner/484427/15 "2009-02-04T23:42:27Z")
spaghetti sauce. pot roast (sliced and immersed in the cooking liquid). ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recipe-needed-a-freezer-dinner/484427/16 "2009-02-05T00:55:55Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > spaghetti sauce. You want to make it really really user friendly, you can pour it over the boiled noodles and freeze the whole thing. Fresh noodles would clearly be less soggy, but having it truly ready made makes for little to no fuss, and IME, the finished product thaws pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recipe-needed-a-freezer-dinner/484427/17 "2009-02-05T01:33:33Z")
And if you undercook the noodles by about 10% and she bakes it from froze, it’ll come out perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recipe-needed-a-freezer-dinner/484427/18 "2009-02-05T01:35:32Z")
I’d freeze the sauce and noodles together. As little work as possible. Also, I recommend penne or rigatoni or something- it’s easier to eat with one hand. Spaghetti’s difficult. Any kind of lasagna freezes well. Muffins. Any kind of muffins. Stew, or a big container of pot roast in gravy, and a big container of mashed potatoes. Cook veg with the pot roast- carrots, onions, celery. Ditto chili, although maybe it should be mild, not spicy- some babies have trouble with Mom eating spicy things. Cooked, shredded chicken, maybe? For dumping on salad, making sandwiches and tacos? Frozen garlic bread and a big pot of minestrone. Okay, I’ll go now. Make her a chocolate cake. A big one.