What Freezes Well and What Doesn’t – One Dish Dinners Tips and Tricks

When making recipe after recipe for the One Dish Dinners cookbook, I found myself with lots of extra food on hand. I gave away about 90% to friends and family members. And either ate or froze the other 10%.

For the most part, one dish dinners freeze well…with the exception of a few things!

What Freezes Well

  • Cooked pasta/casseroles
  • Enchilada casseroles made with tortillas
  • Brown rice dishes
  • Shredded chicken, beef or pork
  • Grilled chicken, sliced or diced
  • Sauces – spaghetti, enchilada sauce, etc
  • Browned ground beef
  • Cooked beans
  • Meatloaves, meatballs
  • Soups, stews, chili

What Doesn’t Freeze Well

  • Cooked Potatoes, they get mealy (although mashed potatoes freeze well)
  • Soups or stews made with cornstarch
  • Quick cooking rice
  • Mayonnaise based meals, as the mayo will separate as it freezes and thaws
  • Fresh vegetables, that you want to use later as “fresh.” (You can blanche and freeze many vegetables, or even freeze fresh vegetables as they are if you plan to use them cooked into a soup or stew. They will not hold their crunchiness after they thaw.)

Also, remember…it’s best for foods to be at room temperature before you freeze them, to reduce freezer burn.

Did I forget anything?! What has worked for you (or not), when it comes to freezing dinner?!

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