Freeze It Week, Day 4: Single Servings

Posted by Caroline Wright

On Monday, I mentioned that, in my household, single-serving frozen meals are the way to go. With our busy schedules, my husband and I never know exactly who will be at the dinner table or, worse, who might have to scrounge up dinner.

Having portioned dinners on hand makes the most of your ingredients for a busy household, and takes little time to bring dinner to the table.

When it was time to fill my freezer with student-ready meals for my hubby, one of the recipes I used was our Turkey and Vegetable Hand Pies.

As far as self-inclusive dishes go, these hand pies are a hearty meal filled with vegetables and lower-fat turkey. Instead of baking the pies as the recipe indicates, I froze the raw pies on a plate until they were solid. Once frozen, I wrapped the pies in plastic wrap and placed them in a resealable freezer bag.

For other individual dinners, I looked to our archives for inspiration. Freeze our Tamale Pies -- little, cornmeal-crusted Mexican-flavored turkey pies in ramekins -- or our Turkey Burgers for on-hand meals. For more variety, try our simple, Latin American-inspired Empanadas or, if you're in the mood for a classic, our Broccoli Calzones. Preparing individual portions not only gives you the flexibility to reheat just what you need, but it also gives you a huge variety for a weeknight!

What is your on-hand dinner for your busy household?

Comments

[Juliet]

I like to freeze single servings of lasagna, chili and potato soup - comfort food for busy weeknights!

[Ali S]

I made EDF's late summer vegetable soup and froze it in single servings for a taste of summer in the middle of winter (at least, that's the game plan!) I had a bowl while making it (of course -- got to taste test!) and it was delish! The corn was essential! Thinking about making some cheesy biscuits or something to freeze to have with it. Any one with a recipe?

[Jessica]

I adore Everyday Foods bean burritos - it's easy to double a batch and freeze, also very versatile on ingredients. http://johnstonesvinblanc.blogspot.com/search?q=burritos

[Bridget]

Those hand pies look so good!

Qucik meals for us would be grilled cheese sandwiches or quesadillas. I don't make much ahead to freeze, but these are a great idea!

[Kristi]

I'm curious...did you change the baking time for the hand pies, and did you pop them directly into the oven in their frozen state or did you thaw them first? I'm excited to stock my freezer with these!

[Kristen]

I am so adding those pocket pies to my menu next week. Brilliant idea!

[Caroline Wright]

So glad that you guys found these tips helpful. You'll love these hand pies, they're really great. All I did was freeze them unbaked, and then toss them directly in the oven at 425 for 15 to 30 minutes (or until they're brown and heated all the way through). Let me know how yours go!