To ask what’s on your menu this week if you meal prep, and how you make sure it freezes well?

[MealPrepIdeasPls]

I’m trying to get into meal prep and stock the freezer up to have a rotation of meals for the next couple of weeks, but im really struggling with meal ideas!

at the moment im planning to cook a sausage and bean casserole, a beef stew and something pasta related.

I am wary though because I know pasta and potatoes don’t freeze well. How can I counteract that?! Any ideas?

There are loads of YouTube channels that can show you how to meal prep using the freezer. Type "freezer meal prep" into the search bar and find something you like.

You can prep ingredients to make cooking faster and easier, prep the main component of a meal or freeze complete meals.

How well potatoes freeze depends on how they've been prepared, mashed potatoes freeze well. I don't like pasta that's been frozen so I usually prepare the sauce and cook or add the pasta just before serving. You could prepare a sauce for pasta bake, defrost it during the day, stir in the dried pasta and a bit of extra water, top with cheese (which can also be frozen) and bake.

Acre Homestead and Tales From an Empty Nest are good YouTube channels to look at for ideas.

Yeah on review the potatoes will come out of the casseroles and I will just serve them with whatever carb I fancy that day. I think I’ll do lasagne rather than pasta like penne because it seems like it would freeze better

I’ve never been able to pasta or anything in a creamy sauce to freeze well. Also vegi dishes don’t freeze well at all I find.

I typically freeze beef lasagne, Cottage pie, beef chilli and spaghetti Bol. I’m trying to get away from minced beef dishes but everything else Ive tried doesn’t freeze well. I think I might try chicken casserole but I’m really not sure how that would fair.

Lasagne freezes well - I often make a big lasagne and then freeze individual portions from the leftovers.
I have frozen things like tuna pasta bake or mac and cheese and the pasta has always turned out fine when reheated.
Bolognese, chilli and curry are all good for making big batches of and freezing.
There was a show on channel 4 recently called Batch from Scratch which had lots of recipes that can be frozen.

I freeze pasta quite regularly and it's fine.
Curry without rice freezes well, I also freeze leftover risotto. I do agree potatoes don't seem to freeze well.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chicken_pilau_57742
Is one of my favourite recipes to freeze, I don't use sultanas or and nuts and I add the additional veg (carrots and peppers).

I freeze the pasta sauce without the pasta. Then boil pasta when reheating the sauce

Or for stews, freeze the meat and veg and gravy and serve it with freshly prepared mashed/boiled potatoes. Or put a ready to roll puff pastry lid on it, pop it in the oven and call the stew a pie

Basically freeze the saucey-vegie-protein bit and cook up fresh carbs on the day.

I run a regular 3 week menu which changes throughout the year, I have a master list of 59-60 meals we all eat

some meals do freezer better than others but I’ve found that they’re better in a prepared pre cooked stage, so lasagna cottage pie etc I make double then at the point of cooking I freeze one and cook one

I also in the winter months do a batch of jacket potatoes which I cool, wrap in foil and freeze

The one thing I’ve found over the years is to fully thaw before cooking gets the best results

At the moment in the freezer I’ve got 2 family sized quorn cottage pie, 2 individual ones, one Family sized Lasagna and 2 individual portions. 2 individual curries and 2 individual Quorn sweet and sour.

As a disabled mum I found this the best way to ensure there’s food for the family when I end up out of action for a few days

I also have frozen packed lunches for my uni kids to grab and go as we’re coeliacs and it’s not always easy for them to access food

Yes I think the lasagne and cottage pie I’m going to freeze before cooking, so that I can put one in the oven when I get home from work and have a meal and leftovers for the next day!