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Freezer meal ideas for family of four

8 replies

Roses82 · 26/10/2025 09:26

Please help with home made freezer friendly meals for a family of four. Two adults and toddler and 11 year old.
What are you packing in your freezers ahead of time for those days when there isn't enough time to make fresh dinners.

OP posts:
HeyBert · 26/10/2025 10:10

Lasagna
Chicken curry
Bolognese, which we can also defrost then Chuck kidney beans and seasoning in and opt for chilli.
Cottage pie
Beef casserole
chicken casserole

JDM625 · 26/10/2025 10:18

Canneloni and pasta bakes freeze well.
Pea/ham soup (mine is very thick and more like a stew though)
Rice- I cook the entire 1kg bag, then freeze into a serving size you'd normally use. I defrost it slowly in the microwave, then once I can spoon it onto a plate, blast it again till hot.

minipie · 26/10/2025 10:24

Soups:
Minestrone
leek & potato
pearl barley & veg & chicken
Lamb shawarma soup (RecipeTinEats site)
Spiced butternut
Creamy mushroom
Pea & ham

(The less substantial soups I serve bread & cheese alongside to make more of a meal)

Curries:
Butter chicken
Chicken korma
Satay chicken curry
Massaman lamb
Keema with lamb
Thai red curry (prob too spicy for toddler)
Dal

Casseroles:
Sausage & lentils or beans
Lamb casserole with spices & chickpeas
Short rib & stout
Moroccan chicken
Chorizo & beans & potatoes & greens

Other:
Chilli
Chicken ham & leek - defrost, stick some puff on top and you have a pie
Quesadilla filling (beef or bean based)

Pasta sauces:
Tomato
Bolognese
Puttanesca
Roasted red pepper
Pesto (I buy fresh & freeze in ice cubes)

Fallulah · 26/10/2025 10:46

Only two of us here at the moment but I cook double and freeze…

Anything mince based - chilli, bologneise, mince for cottage pie. I was dubious about freezing a whole lasagne but I did it recently and it froze really well.

Stews/casseroles/curries made in the slow cooker - beef ones seem to work best.

Chop up twice as much courgette, pepper, mushroom, onion, squash etc as you need and freeze half to make roasted veg that you can then mix with cous cous/ bulgar wheat. We have this with lamb chops and feta, sausages or chicken thighs with some kind of marinade on them.

I don’t freeze rice because I get scared!

(I guess for you to cook double you need big pans or a massive slow cooker!)

BiddyPopthe2nd · 26/10/2025 11:16

Spag Bol sauce.

lasagna
cottage or shepherd’s pie (beef or lamb mine)
smoked fish and brocolli pie (covered in mashed potatoes, use milk from poaching fish to make white sauce)
chicken and mushrooms in creamy (white wine) sauce (good with rice/pasta/potato
curries - lamb rogan Josh, lamb bhuna, chicken vadagam, chicken tikka masala, chicken korma, chicken jalfrezi etc)
chilli - beef or vegetarian
stews and casseroles - beef bourginone (sp?), coq au vin, beef and Guinness stew, country stew with lamb, pork knuckles slow cooked with cannellini beans and apple juice (take meat off bones to freeze).

also veggies already diced up and ready to be roasted (I like Mediterranean veg - whatever you have and like of onion, garlic, peppers, courgettes, mushrooms, tomatoes, mange tout/sugar snaps, french beans etc) - freeze raw or cooked leftovers - use as side dish, base to cook roast chicken joints on, or to add leftovers to plain pasta sauce (with leftover roast chicken, or cooked bacon lardons, or cooked meatballs of sausage meat) to have easy pasta meal.

I also put chicken joints already marinated in lemon, garlic and rosemary in for an easy Greek Lemon chicken night - dump into cooking tray and roast.

Leftover mac’n’cheese (mine has bacon, mushrooms and often loads of other veg) is a great pasta bake.

When I make cauliflower cheese, I often do a second one to freeze.

And if I do a big roast, I will often freeze slices of leftover meat with leftover gravy. Reheats very well in a pot or in the oven (depending if you are doing mash or roasties for potato).

BiddyPopthe2nd · 26/10/2025 11:19

And I forgot to add that I freeze lasagna both before it’s been baked, and any leftovers after baking - so sometimes I am baking the full tray for midweek meal, other times I am reheating single portions in oven or microwave.

SleafordSods · 28/10/2025 06:02

Definitely lasagna. It takes so long to make one that I make at least 2. Sometimes I freeze one, sometimes I freeze both.

Fiftyandme · 28/10/2025 06:28

These are regularly on my rotation and all freeze really well:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/secret-green-sauce-spaghetti I halve the amount of cream and replace with milk and add extra greens.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/beef-lentil-cottage-pie-cauliflower-potato-topping - I make the topping separately in the night of re-heating

Secret green sauce spaghetti

Secret green sauce spaghetti

Sneak some extra green veg into pesto-based pasta sauce

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/secret-green-sauce-spaghetti

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