Freezer or batch cooking dinners

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I am now back at work full time with two hungry DS to feed and I need to use my freezer more efficiently, to save time and money in the week.

On the whole I cook from scratch, and my boys are not fussy. Once a week or maybe twice if we are pushed for time, they have nuggets or fish fingers with mash and beans or peas.

Have decided that once a week, on a Sunday, I'll make a double (or perhaps even triple!) portion of something and build up a good supply of dinners in the freezer so that one night in the week we can have something frozen but homemade.

Other than Bolognese/Shepard's pie what else batch cooks and freezes well?

I'm also on the lookout for good freezer Staples I can give the boys that aren't just nuggets/fish fingers etc!

Tell me all your favourites!

These are mince based so maybe not what you are looking for, but I batch cook chilli, freeze it in ziplock bags, and then I use it as a base for burritos/nachos/taco chips/tacos etc so that it feels like we aren't eating the same thing every time.

I also make up two lasagnes at a time, cook one, and freeze one. I use dried sheets and I just put the cheese straight on top when I make it up. Then I just set it out to defrost in the morning and reheat at dinner time as usual.

Also meatballs. I do a marathon meatball making day once every six weeks or so, I fry them off until completely cooked, freeze portioned in bags, and then leave out in morning to defrost. Then I heat them through in the sauce and serve with either spaghetti or our favourite is meatball subs.

Soups could be a quick go to from the freezer also. I plan on doing that as the winter comes in again.

I make up the spice mixes for things like chilli, curry, fajitas etc as I find measuring them out takes quite a lot of time. I also make good use of the slow cooker so I can just throw something in there, fill it right to the top, and it's enough for 2 adults & 2 young children to have 2 meals and any leftovers get frozen. Meals that I normally make more than one portion of are: fish pie, bolognese so we can have spag bol one night and lasagna the night after, soup, chilli and sweetcorn chilli, curry, stew or casserole, sausage casserole (these can also be turned into a pie so you're not having the same thing twice in a row) and fajita mix which can then make baked enchiladas the following day.

I use my slow cooker a lot for making stew currys etc , I do all the preparation the night before turn it on before I go to work in the morning it's cooked by the time I get home eat what I want and freeze the rest and with those at tend to make chili and then change into different meals too
I also always cook extra rice and freezer in portions as that can either be added to the chillies and curries or made into stir Fry's fried rice or rice salads

Oh these are good ideas.

I have a slow cooker but it's very old and I really don't like it, it seems to make everything taste the same, despite trying different recipes. I prefer to cook in my casserole dish in the oven at the weekend. But perhaps I need to try again with the slow cooker (or bin it once and for all!).

I often make extra rice and freeze. Handy for a quick egg/ chicken/ veg fried rice.

Try the Schwartz slow cooker sachets. The pulled pork and chicken curry are really the only things I make in my slow cooker, but they’re very good.

One pot meals tend to freeze and reheat well I find. In autumn/winter in particular I batch cook:

Soup
Lasagna
Parmigiana
Chili
Sausage casserole
Curries

We have veggie versions but obvs meat dishes freeze well. You just have to remember to take them out to defrost . Then add mash/baked spud/rice/bread as appropriate.

Any curry, casserole, soups, lasagne, mince based dishes. Roast joints of meat freeze well.

Easy freezer food for us is tandoori or tikka chicken thighs, hunters chicken, tikka chicken breasts. Take up to an hour to cook, but I put the meat in the oven first thing when I get in. By the time everybody gets changed, things put away and potatoes boiled, the meat/chicken potions are ready.

I do a batch cook for 7 days at the weekend. Throw all in the fridge with 2 big bowls of salad to have on the side. So good to have it all planned and sorted.
Pasta bake
Veggie / lentil curry and rice.
Sausage and veggie casserole with potato wedges
Lasagna
Shepherds pie
Fish pie

All that kind of stuff. Each one does x2 nights and has x5 veggies in.
Takes a few hours, but well worth it. Also reduces washing up during the week!

Sausage casserole keeps coming up, this is good as it's a new one for us!

Any good recipes?

Does pasta freeze well? I could do our veggie pasta bake if it does! I think I'd like to have around 10 good freezer options to cook/choose from in the week :)

We do chilli and Bolognese in the slow cooker and it's great for a quick meal when were in late. Getting some great ideas for some new options.

There's a gorgeous sausage casserole that the hairy bikers do with smoked bacon and cannellini beans (if you Google hairy bikers sausage casserole it come up on and good food BBC site). It freezes well. I also freeze thai curry or just the paste if my freezer is a bit full.

Lasagne (I do a butternut squash one that freezes well)
Meatballs - do as subs like pp suggests, with a tomato sauce for pasta or as kofta with a curry sauce.
Tomato sauce- to have with meatballs, pour over fish, to add to chicken and peppers to make a chicken paprika, to have with pasta after adding a loaf of basil..
Thai curry- or just the paste
Sausage casserole- the hairy bikers one is nice and very easy to double up.
Stew- beef and veg stew. Easy to double up and freezer well. You can have it with mash or put a frozen puff pastry top on to have as a pie.
Chilli- make it slightly drier than normal then you can add tomato sauce to have it with rice or jackets, make tacos, enchiladas, (I find a bit less sauce works better), nachos etc
One good soup- a minestrone with crusty bread is nice and filling enough for a main meal.

Pasta doesn't freeze well unfortunately but you could buy fresh which only takes a couple of minutes in boiling water and then what 20 minutes in the oven? Still a pretty quick, low effort meal.

This is the ingredients list for my sausage casserole.
I roast the sausages in a honey and BBQ sauce mix for 20 our so minutes and then add everything to the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 or so hours.
I think it tastes really nice.

That sausage casserole also works with quorn veggie Lincolnshire-style sausages.

I forgot as it's not on the list, I also add 1/4tsp smoked garlic powder and 1/2tsp smoked paprika.

Yes to sausage casserole.
I usually use 3 types of sausage -plainish like pork and apple, something extra flavorful like Italian style with fennel, plus a really hearty one like chorizo or venison.
Cook sausages in oven as you want them to be nicely browned. While they are cooking, on hob fry onions, diced carrots any veg they will eat (I add mushrooms and red pepper.) couple of cans chopped tomatoes.
Add chopped up sausages, back in oven medium veg are nearly done, couple of tins of mixed beans.
Freeze in portions, all it needs is crusty bread to mop up sauce.

I also batch cook meaty bit of moussaka and freeze, but layer in the aubergine on day it is to be eaten

I make and freeze short crust pastry, wither in a block or rolled out into a quiche pan (if you take it out and add the filling it cooks from frozen
I freeze lasagne
I marinade chicken breasts (cut into halves) with a morrocan lemon paste and freeze
I freeze home made chicken stock and soup
Risotto (Delia Smith oven baked ones freeze well) just add a bit more stock when they are cooking through before eating
Pulled pork
I buy a big pre sliced ham, eat one nights worth and then divide the rest into portions and freeze
Cooked ground beef seasoned for tacos or shep pie or bolognaise

Have a look at the MamaBake cookbook (sorry can't link on my phone). Good for batch cooking but I've never managed to cook as efficiently as their timings suggest!

I make Lasagne, cottage pie and fish pie in individual foil trays and freeze at the assembly stage. Then take out however many portions I want and cook from frozen.

Beef casserole seems to improve in the freezer - it's quite wintery though! I like Gordon Ramsey's beef in beer - it's online. I make a batch of dumplings and freeze raw, defrost and cook in a little stock in a pan (obvs they won't crisp up but they'll still cook) or with casserole in oven.

Soup is good... there will be courgette and pea soup in my freezer soon as I have a glut of courgettes in the garden. It's a nice taste of summer when the weather gets colder! In winter I do a mixed veg soup with carrot, sweet pot, onion, leek and lentils.

Veggie chilli or ratatouille also freezes well and is good for using up garden veg. Aubergines, courgettes, peppers, mushrooms, tinned tomatoes and chillies and red kidney beans if doing chilli.

Basic white sauce can be turned into lots of things if you make a batch and freeze it. Mine often becomes chicken supreme - add mushrooms, left over roast chicken and fresh or dried tarragon.

Have a google for dump dinners like these: www.buzzfeed.com/melissaharrison/crock-pot-dump-dinners?utm_term=.frDJavNw5#.qmZKNZEyw

You don't just have to do them as slow cooker meals. You can assemble sheet pan type stuff too.

We like this in our house - long slow cook but easy to make extra. There may well be others in that section of the website, haven't actually checked.

www.goodhousekeeping.co.uk/food/recipes/italian-lamb