20 Vegan Freezer Meal Prep Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How many freezer meals should you make? ›

If your maternity leave is short or you plan to eat out regularly, then 10-20 freezer meals should do the trick. But if you have more time before the baby comes or if you plan on eating at home most of the time, then 30-50 freezer meals might be more suitable for your family.

Make a meal plan of about four days of safe storage in the fridge and about four months of safe storage in the freezer. Watch for changes (smell, color, texture, and mold) to your meal prep food as a sign that it's gone bad. If you're unsure if food has spoiled: when in doubt, throw it out.

Simply, freezer cooking is freezing meals or pre-prepped ingredients ahead of time to make mealtimes more manageable. Like other meal prep methods, freezer cooking is often done in bulk, and can save you a lot of time. When first starting, it's easiest to begin by simply doubling a recipe that you're already making.

On most days of the week, you'll want to rely on fresh meals — or tasty leftovers. “At the end of the day, I would limit frozen meals to no more than twice a week,” notes Taylor. But when you need the convenience of a frozen entrée, these tips can guide your choices.

While frozen meals are a convenient way to eat a balanced meal, it's easy to be led astray–they're also known for being packed with sodium, calories, and saturated fat, making moderation important.

Can You Freeze Anything for Meal Prep? The short answer is that pretty much any food can be frozen. The US Department of Agriculture explains that you can freeze almost any food, except eggs in their shell and canned products. However, you may not want to eat every food after it has been frozen.

Soups, stews, lasagna, empanadas, and pie dough are some of our favorites to freeze—check out more ideas below.

Choose from dozens of delicious freezer meals including casseroles, baked pasta dishes, gumbo, pot roast, slow-cooker soups and stews, and more. You guests will never guess that you just popped that Turkey-Noodle-Poppy Seed Casserole out of the freezer.

Root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes and beets freeze and reheat well whether they are fresh or cooked. Even roasted cauliflower works! But veggies that have more tender membranes will not freeze well on their own. For example, zucchini will turn to mush if you freeze it.

The best vegetables to consider are corn, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, squash and winter greens such as spinach, kale, chard and collards. Onions, peppers, celery and herbs can also be frozen.

Is it better to freeze meals cooked or uncooked? ›

Unfortunately food that is cooked already loses some quality and flavor in the freezing. No matter how you have packaged it. Your best bet is to seal the meat raw and airtight.

You can also freeze scrambled eggs after they have been cooked. This is a good way to meal prep for the week and to use in dishes like ham fried rice, or for a quick breakfast. They freeze well and taste really good. Let the cooked scrambled eggs cool completely.

Frozen rice can be kept in the freezer for up to 6 months and still be tasty. After that it loses flavor and dries out but won't be unsafe to eat. An airtight container is your best defense against losing quality so vacuum sealing is great if you have that tool in your kitchen.

No, you don't have to thaw it. But you do have to change how long it needs to be in the oven to be fully cooked (or heated through). It takes time for the food to warm up to room or even refrigerator temperature once you take it out of the freezer, no matter where it is.

Raw defrosted food may be frozen once more, only if it has been cooked after defrosting and before re-freezing. Never leave food to defrost in a warm place (defrosting in the fridge at 5C is the safest way to do it), cover loosely, and ensure it is thoroughly defrosted before cooking - cook food soon after defrosting.

According to senior food editor Rick Martinez and Robert Ramsey, chef instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, you can refreeze and re-thaw food—but just because you can doesn't mean you should. At ICE, Ramsey and his colleagues have a blanket rule: "If something's been frozen once, that's it."

Cool the food quickly after cooking and before freezing. One way of doing this is to split the food out into smaller portions. One of the simplest ways to approach batch cooking is to make one base recipe which can be adapted into different dishes.

Overfilling the freezer can block air vents, restrict the flow of cold air, and overtax your refrigerator's condenser, which could lead to a burn out.