Freezer Friendly Meal Ideas

[briggsy's girl]

ooh, also uses for excess snow peas (the bubba is eating them flat out but we can't keep up with the plants)... beans are going to get blanched and frozen...

[Trillian]

I've just dug out my 'bible' for you again LOL. I hope you have loads of jars...

Tomato Paste
Makes 9 x 250ml jars

8 litres peeled, cored and chopped tomatos (about 4 dozen large tomatoes)
1 1/2 cups chopped sweet red peppers (about 3)
2 bay leaves
1tsp salt
1 clove garlic whole (if desired)

Hot Pack: Combine first 4 ingredients and cook slowly for 1hr. Remove bay leaves and press through a fine seive and return bay leaves to mix and add garlic clove if desired. Continue cooking slowly until thick enough to round up on a spoon, about 2 1/2 hours. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Remove garlic and bayleaves. Our boiling hot paste into hot 250ml jars levaing a 7mm head space. Remove air bubbles, wipe jar rims, adjust lids and process in boiling water bath for 45 minutes (250ml jars)

Zucchini relish
Makes 4-5 x 500ml jars

4 cups finely chopped zucchini
3 cups finely chopped carrots
4 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
1 1/2 cups finely chopped green pepper
2-4tsp salt (or to taste)
2 1/4 cups vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp celery seed
3/4 tsp dry mustard

Combine all ingredients i na large saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook 20 minutes or until all vegetables are tender but still crisp. Pat hot relish into hot clean jars leaving 13mm head space, remove air bubbles, wipe rims adjust lids and process in boiling water bath for 20 minutes (500ml jars)

Mixed vegetable leather (like fruit leathers)

2 cups chopped cored tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 small onion, chopped
salt to taste

cook over low heat in a covered saucepan 15-20 minutes. Puree and then cook till thickened. Spread on a tray covered with plastic wrap and dry at 60degrees.

Freezing Zucchini
Choose young vegetables with tender skin. Wash and cut into 13mm thick slices. Water blache 3 minutes, cool promptly, drain and pack leaving 13mm head space, seal and freeze (I just used snaplock bags and made sure I got all the extra air out.

I have a few more different recipes if you want them. We had a bumper crop of zucchini too this year and we only had two plants! We found it best to pick them when they were only about 3/4 inch in diameter as we used them quicker. A few grew really large really quick after we had rain so I made a meat and vegetable stuffing for those ones and baked them.

Oh and you can freeze the snow peas too - do the same as for beans.

[briggsy's girl]

i think i'm going to go and harvest all the zuc's - there are a few bumper ones out there that we'll have to use up at hte moment, then we'll try keeping on top of picking and blanching them for freezing.

don't have any jars, so everything will have to go into containers for freezing - will that stuff freeze ok? we have a spare freezer and a heap of containers, just no jars (was on the "to get organised" list before DH lost his job - and then fell by the wayside)

[Trillian]

I don't see why it can't be frozen, because its just a sauce really, not a lot different to if you were making a straight sauce for spaghetti

[briggsy's girl]

i think tomorrow we might have a bit of a cook up

we have friends going away next week for a couple of weeks who want us to use their tomatos too! oops!

[BrightSparkles]

Zucchini Slice/pies??
Not sure if you can freeze them though? I can't see why you can't.

[mummato1]

I was also going to suggest Zucchini Slice, or savory muffins. Muffins freeze well, not sure about the slice and it never lasts long enough around here to freeze

We also have heaps of Zucchini at the moment, so as well as slice I have also been making a puree and freezing in small serves for bubs. I have also made a few recipes off the taste website, and health food guide website.

With tomatos I have been blanching, peeling and roughly chopping them and then freezing in containers to add to pasta sauce / casseroles.

Now I just need to work out what do with all my excess passionfruit!!

[alioops]

Now I just need to work out what do with all my excess passionfruit!!

Passionfruit cheesecake keeps well

[~Hestia~]

You've had some good suggestions here but what about tomato soup? The recipe I have uses 1kg of tomatoes.
Zucchini slice freezes very well.

[Salad]

sorry i havent read most of the other posts but I love making ratatouille (sp?) uses tomato and zuchinni and taste amazing.

[Trillian]

Passionfruit pulp freezes really well. The IL's always have bumper crops and I have bags of it frozen in the freezer, just enough to do a pav or make a slice etc. But my kids eat them as soon as they get brought over here so I have to be quick to get them first LOL

[Persephone1]

I'm on Maternity Leave, today is Day 2. I'm bored. I want to cook some meals to freeze so that we can eat proper meals when Baby is born.

Yesterday I made a Moroccan Lamb stew and froze two serves of that. I'm hoping to make a fish curry later in the week and do the same. But I need some recipe/meal ideas which make good, hearty meals and are easily frozen/defrosted.

Does lasagne freeze/defrost well? What about bolognese? (I imagine I'd freeze the bolognese and cook the spaghetti as needed, rather than freezing spaghetti). Does Risotto freeze/defrost well?

What are good meals for freezing that defrost well? I'm not very creative here!

[Mrs McAwesome]

OOOOH great thread seph!!!! I will be keeping my eye on this one. So far i have done about 2 kilos's of bolonaise sauce and a thai chicken curry and stirfry.

[feeb]

I am not very good at freezing and re heating!! Fussy person I am!!! LOL

BUT

Chicken rissotto does freeze and re heat ok and bolognaise sauce is great and easy too.

Sausage rolls, pies etc freeze well too.

[Pandora]

Subscribing to this thread.
Lasagne does, as does bolognaise sauce.
Have you got the moroccon lamb recipe?

[Persephone1]

Have you got the moroccon lamb recipe?

Moroccan Lamb Tagine recipe - Best Recipes

The recipe calls for lamb shanks, but I have used diced lamb. I also am a little conservative with the spices - it's very flavourful, but the chilli can make it a little hot. Yesterday I made it with 1kg of diced lamb, and it made enough to feed 6 or 7 adults. DH loooooves it. It's a great recipe but does have a lot of preparation (chopping veges, etc).

[~me~]

Bolognaise is an excellent one to freeze as you don't just have to have it with pasta. You can have it jaffles.
Soup is a great one to freeze. As if you are feeling not very hungry Soup and Toast is very satisfying. Some soups are a meal in themselves too.
Lasagne is another good one for the freezer.

[Pandora]

Thanks
Pies would freeze well, quiche/fritatta too depending on the ingredients.