Couperwife Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I am in the process of making lots if freezer meals for the impending arrival! (Well, for me and kev to eat...not sproglet ) I don't do jars of sauce, so, does anyone know any good lasagne recipes I can try? Ta Or any other recipes that they use that I can freeze Thank you. Cathy X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Hugh Fw does a delicious bolognese which can be used in a lasagne. Chilli con carne is a good one for freezing, and is essentially the same sauce with added chilli and kidney beans. I can't think of anything else right now, but now doubt someone will have lots of ideas for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperwife Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 Ooh, I like hfw! Mum has lots of his books and dvds. Ill go rooting next time im there! I never thought of chili con carne.ill lookup that recipe too. Thanks. Cathy X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 The one I use is from his family cook book I think it is called. It's quite large and I bought it from The Works. The only trouble is all the measurements are in US cups I guess why it was £5 instead of over £20. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Great food for eating with one hand...ie don't need both hands. One arm for holding baby on lap and one for you! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 You can freeze just about anything - lasagne is good and as others have mentioned similar recipes include bolognese sauce and chilli con carne. All variations on a theme. Shepherds pie and cottage pie can be made ahead and frozen too. How about also making some soups or stews and batch freezing? Curry is also good to make ahead and freeze as is pasta sauce (cook pasta while you reheat the sauce or freeze with pasta already in the sauce). Hope that gives you a few ideas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Beef stews freeze well and are very comforting, if you put plenty of veg in them all you then need us a hunk of tasty bread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I freeze in containers like the ones you get a take away curry in for my husband when I go on holiday - chicken in gravy with roast potatoes and veg, mince and potatoes and veg, stew and veg and potatoes, roast beef etc, gammon with apple and all the trimmings and label and freeze mixed up so he gets a variety and not the same every day - I also do this each weekend so we have meals for during the week when I am working so will slow cooker mince on a saturday and maybe do a chicken or stew or a gammon on a sunday!. Good luck for the next few weeks before baby comes. Get plenty rest. Also shepherds pie/cottage pie and chicken curry with rice at the bottom freezes well and yes I know I spoil him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I freeze in containers like the ones you get a take away curry in for my husband when I go on holiday - chicken in gravy with roast potatoes and veg, This feels like really stupid questions but presumably this is all fully cooked, ie. effectively leftovers from your Sunday roast ? what reheating instructions do you give for this ? I freeze meals for my OH elderly aunt and I would like to do the odd roast meal for her. One of his aunts favourites is my leek and ham cheesy pasta Quantities below make 8 generous servings ie. one family meal and the same amount again to freeze. (Quantities of each ingredient do not need to be precisely as listed below) Ingredients - 500g pasta shapes of your choice (shells work well) - 3 leeks - 2 cloves garlic (optional) - olive oil - 150 – 200g ham offcuts/ham hock - 200g grated cheese - 3/4 litre milk - 100g butter - 100g flour Instructions 1. Cook the pasta in boiling water until it is al dente (approximately 10 minutes), drain and place in large bowl 2. Slice leeks and clean (if they are very dirty they may need soaking in water for at least 1/2 hr), saute in olive oil until starting to soften then add to bowl. 3. Cut up ham into pieces approx 1cm square and add to bowl 4. Melt butter, add flour, stir to form roux and cook for 5 mins. Add milk gradually and continue to heat and stir as sauce thickens. When sauce is desired consistency* take off heat and add most of the cheese. Pour sauce onto pasta, leeks and ham. 5. Mix contents of bowl and place in casserole 6. Top with remaining cheese and place in preheated oven (180C) for 30 minutes * The cheese sauce can be thinner than you’d make for cauliflower cheese as the pasta absorbs some of the liquid from the sauce whereas of course cooked cauliflower tends to ‘leak’ water into the sauce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinsk Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 For lasagne I roughly follow delias recipe, but just use beef mince, rther than pork and beef and don't bother with the chicken livers. I also make double the amount of 'bolognese' and freeze some seperately, and make extra of the white sauce, then turn the leftovers into a cheese sauce to freeze for cauliflower cheese. Fishcakes freeze really well. Rather than freezing assembled cottage/shepherds pie I tend to freeze the component parts, meat and mashed potato seperately as it takes up less room in bags than trays/dishes. http://www.deliaonline.com/premium-content/the-big-freeze/the-big-freeze-cool-thinking.html this link might give you some other ideas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 I have just been browsing Pinterest and come across this website http://organizerbyday.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/20-crockpot-meals-under-20.html?m=1 Now, I am not sure what others feel about putting frozen prepared meals onto a slow cooker, and I am not sure what I feel about it myself. I guess as it has such a long slow cook, it will cook out any bacteria. If that is the case, then this has lots of meals, for two plus a lunch, which if you freeze flat I am sure you can fit a lot in your freezer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 I freeze in containers like the ones you get a take away curry in for my husband when I go on holiday - chicken in gravy with roast potatoes and veg, This feels like really stupid questions but presumably this is all fully cooked, ie. effectively leftovers from your Sunday roast ? what reheating instructions do you give for this It is all fully cooked - yes I do loads in the slow cooker and freeze them - new potatoes freeze quite well rather than old ones and roast ones freeze well too - I buy containers on ebay - new ones as they are so cheap and he takes out the container in the morning and just heats up in the microwave till boiling hot and ready - he has managed to work out for himself how long it takes. When I do them I do them from frozen on medium for about 8 minutes but if not hot enough will put back in again - I have quite a high wattage microwave. Edited to say I freeze the containers in a zip lock bag so I can write on it what is in the freezer and just in case the lids come off in the freezer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Great suggestions so far. For my lasagne, I just make a normal bolognese and then I make a bechemal sauce and layer away. I only add cheese to the top! Other ideas, sausage casserole... I cook some sausages in the oven and in another pan roast some pepper slices and onion slices, the sauce I make with tomatoes, a glass of wine (alcohol evaporates so you'll be fine), smoked paprika, chicken stock, Italian seasoning and a bit of double cream, and I add in the veg and chop the sausages. Another I do is chicken and bacon supreme. Melt butter, fry off chopped onions and mushrooms, add some flour, then chicken stock and double cream and add cooked chicken and bacon. Spanish chicken, same as sausage casserole only no Italian seasoning and add cooked chicken and chorizo. So many options Cathy All of the above can be served with cous cous or rice, which can take minutes (I'd stock up on the microwaveable rice packets) Personally I'd never freeze or reheat cooked rice as the risks of bacteria are too high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gertie Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 My favourite lasagne (though I love them all), is chicken and spinach lasagne. Easy to make and it has veggies in it to offset the cheese overload! I freeze macaroni bolognese which works well reheated. Hope your stock of meals is building up well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 I do a lamb mince thing for the boys....minced lamb browned off and fat discarded into a bowl or glass (lamb is quite fatty) but if you pour the fat and juices off before you add to the onion you can then then discard the fat once cooled and settled on top and add back the clear juices from underneath the fat to keep as much flavour as poss. Add this to some frying onions and possibly some pepper if you have any leftover, stir in some lentils (amount depends on how much you like lentils - I use the orange straight-from-the -packet-no-need-to-soak ones.) Chuck in a tin or two of tomatoes/pack of passata and some herbs....you could add some rogan josh/curry powder too. You'll need some water and stock of some description - simmer it and keep stirring to stop the lentils sticking. You can add more liquid to get it to the consistencey that you prefer - keep an eye on it to stop it getting too dry. The boys eat this with rice or a wrap/pitta and it freezes wonderfully. A very vague recipie but you can customise it just as you like it. When you have made it once its a doddle and very easy to adapt. You could use it as a lasagne filling too or mix it with pasta. I also make big batches of tomato sauce so that I can whip it out of the freezer for a spontaneous pizza or add a tin of drained tuna to go with a bowl of pasta. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 I can recommend getting a rice cooker. You can knock up some delicious, healthy, one-pot meals with the minimum of effort. Coincidentally I was thinking the other day about how much I wish i'd had my rice cooker when all the kids were little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 My base for almost any meal like this and some casseroles is to prepare masses of veg, sometimes almost a whole pan,and then cook it down very slowly with molasses , for an hour or so. I like it best if some of it is a little burnt and blackened. Some of it fills out again when I add stock but the taste is so different. It doesn't become bitter and the sweetness compliments the tomatoes if I use them. I also like to add a big spoon of mole. It's quite smoky tasting by then. It's not a traditional bolognese sauce just something that's developed from mistakes I've made, like burning the veg, that I found I liked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
