As the semester moves forward and assignments and exams begin to pile up, I find that I don’t always have the energy to make myself a meal. For this reason, I like to prep meals in advance that can be stored in the freezer for an easy lunch or dinner on busy days when I have no energy to cook for myself. Here are five of my favorite freezer meals to make:
- Soup
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Soup is the classic freezer meal: easy to make, easy to freeze, and easy to reheat. On the weekend I’ll prepare a big batch of soup, typically a veggie soup with rice or potatoes, and—after letting the soup cool completely—I section it into tupperware containers and pop them in the freezer.
One important thing to note: if you are making a cream or milk-based soup, there’s a chance the milk or cream could separate upon reheating. Instead, freeze just the base of the soup and add the milk or cream after reheating.
- Dumplings
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This recipe requires more preparation before freezing, but is definitely worth the extra time for those busy weeknights. I’m vegetarian so I like making mushroom, tofu, and spinach dumplings, but there are plenty of meat dumpling recipes perfect for freezing. You can either make the dough by hand or buy pre-made dumpling wrappers at an Asian grocery store. Then, simply fill the wrapper with your filling, seal them as normal, and freeze on a baking tray so the dumplings aren’t touching. After frozen, you can place the dumplings into a plastic bag and put back in the freezer. These dumplings can be cooked straight from frozen. I personally like to steam my dumplings, but pan-frying is also a great choice.
- Muffins
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One of the quickest baked goods to make, muffins make a great option for easy breakfasts. My favorite muffins to make are banana, which are also super easy to make vegan. I typically will leave a frozen muffin in a container on the counter overnight to thaw, or I’ll pop the frozen muffin into my toaster oven in the morning for about 20 minutes.
- Pizza Dough
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While not technically a meal, pizza dough freezes extremely well. Just place a ball of dough into a plastic bag and put in the freezer until you have a craving for homemade pizza!
- Curry
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Similar to soup, curry is a great freezer meal. Prepare the curry as normal, let it cool completely (this is important), then section into containers or plastic bags and freeze! You can also freeze homemade naan or roti to have with your curry in the future.
Bonus: chocolate chip cookie dough is the perfect dessert to freeze! You can prepare the dough as normal, then roll into balls and freeze on a baking sheet. Once frozen, pop the cookie dough balls into a bag. The dough can be baked from frozen like normal, but might require one or two extra minutes to bake through fully.
