Yesterday I shared with you some really simple Freezer Bag Breakfast Recipes perfect for camping or just to make ahead for busy moments. Today I’m going to give you my best Freezer Bag Lunch and Dinner recipes. When meals are packed frozen in a cooler, you need less ice and they gradually thaw to be ready when needed. (My FAVORITE part of this series is how often I can use the word smoosh <3.)
Dutch Oven Pizza
Crust: 1 2/3 cup water; 1 Tbs yeast; 1 Tbs olive oil; 2 Tbs Honey; 1 tsp salt; 4 cups flour. Mix together, kneading right in the bag, then press out the air and freeze.
Sauce: 6 oz tomato paste; 1/4 cup water; 1 tsp sugar; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 2 tsp parsley flakes; 1 tsp basil; 1/4 tsp oregano; a few dashes of oregano. Mix in a smaller baggie and freeze. Snip the corner to easily spread onto the pizza crust.
Additional ingredients: Shredded mozzarella cheese; browned ground beef, pepperoni;
This is enough for 2 pizzas. Spread the thawed crust in the bottom and up the sides a bit of your well seasoned dutch oven. Top with sauce, cheese and desired toppings. Top with a lid. Bake for 20-3o minutes with 7 briquettes under the oven and 21 on the lid.
Sloppy Joes
2 lb Ground meat (I use a combination of turkey and beef.)
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced bell pepper
2 cans, 8 oz tomato sauce
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Brown the ground beef, peppers and onions together, drain. Place the tomato sauce, chili powder, garlic salt and worcestershire in a freezer baggie. Smoosh it around. Add remaining ingredients and smoosh to mix evenly. Seal well and lay flat to freeze. To prepare, squeeze thawed contents into a dutch oven or saucepan and heat through. Serve on buns or stuffed into pitas with slices of cheese.
Goulash
l lb macaroni noodles (dry)
8 cups tomato juice
4 tsp sugar, xylitol or similar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped bell pepper
8 American cheeses slices
Brown ground beef with onion and bell pepper, drain. Combine all but the cheese slices in a baggie (pasta should still be dry.) Seal, and smoosh flat to freeze. To prepare, pour contents of the bag into a casserole dish or dutch oven. Top with cheese slices. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes (For a Dutch oven: 7 hot coals on the bottom 21 coals on the lid) or until heated through and pasta is soft.
Spaghetti
8 oz broken spaghetti noodles
4 cups tomato sauce
3 cups water
1 tsp basil flakes
2 tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp salt
dash of cayenne pepper (opt)
1 lb ground beef
1 cup onion
Brown and drain ground beef with onion. Add all ingredients to a freezer bag (use the noodles dry.) Smoosh flat and freeze. To prepare, pour thawed contents of the bag into a pot, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until pasta is tender and dish is thickened.
Fajitas
2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into strips.
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red onion
1 white onion
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1 1/2 Tbs Seasoned Salt (like Lowry’s)
1 1/2 Tbs oregano flakes
1 1/2 Tbs ground cumin
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs paprika
1 tsp salt
In a large baggie combine the oil, lime juice and herbs and spices. Smoosh all around. Add the chicken and sliced vegetables. Press flat and freeze. To prepare, thaw the bag. Use tongs to lift the meat and vegetables out of the bag into a hot skillet, discard remaining marinate. Stir fry until meat is cooked through and vegetables are tender. Serve with tortillas and salsa. (Other toppings as desired: lettuce, cheese, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole….)
Fiesta Chicken Bowls
Teriyaki chicken over Rice
2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 lb sugar snap peas
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup pineapple juice (I drain it from canned pineapple)
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
Combine all ingredients into a freezer bag and smoosh to freeze. Freeze 4-6 cups cooked brown rice in a separate bag. To prepare, pour contents of the bag into a skillet and saute until chicken is cooked through. Heat rice, by simmering the bag in hot water for 2-3 minutes. Serve Teriyaki chicken over rice.
Taco Soup
2 lb ground beef or turkey
1 cup chopped onion
1 lb corn kernels
2 cans, 15 oz each black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can rotel tomatoes, undrained
4 Tbs taco seasoning
Brown ground beef with onion, drain. Combine everything in a freezer bag. Smoosh flat to freeze. To serve, pour contents of the bag into a stock pot or dutch oven. Add 1 cup of water. Heat through. Serve with Frito style corn chips and cheese or sour cream.
