Stock your Freezer for Fall with these 14 Make-Ahead Recipes

I like to do my future self a favor and start stocking my freezer in September with marinated steaks, chicken thighs ready for the slow cooker and veggie-rich soups and stews for the busy fall weeknights to come. These recipes store and defrost beautifully, and if you stock up, you’ll always have an answer to, “what’s for dinner tonight?”

You can choose a few of these recipes to prep all at once if you have some extra time on a weekend, or choose one to make for dinner, buy double or triple the ingredients and follow the freezer meal instructions to get more batches in the freezer for later.

Happy prepping!

The recipes:

1. Orange-Rosemary Grilled Pork Tenderloin (pictured above)

2. Mango Lime Grilled Chicken Thighs

3. Maple-Mustard One Pan Chicken

4. Beef and Bean Chili with Gluten-Free “Cheddar” Cornbread Biscuits

5. Chickpea Tikka Masala

6. Sesame Honey-Mustard Chicken

7. Slow Cooker Sweet and Salty Lime-Garlic Shredded Pork

8. Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup

9. Fall Spice-Rubbed Skirt Steak (An Exclusive Octofree Recipe for TABLE Magazine)

10. Herbed Skirt Steak

11. Asian Barbecue Grilled Chicken

12. Vegan, Gluten-Free Pasta e Fagioli

13. Family Freezer’s Chicken Fajitas

14. Allergy Awesomeness’s Chicken Cacciatore

Notes:

• Each of these recipes can be made fresh or as a freezer meal; read the whole recipe, looking for the section that reads, “To Make it a Freezer Meal” before you get started. No cooking is required for the freezer meal versions until the day you want to serve the meal.
• All of these recipes are for one one-gallon container or freezer bag’s worth and 4-5 servings. If you want to prep two or even three of each recipe at a time, click the serving size on the recipe and increase according to how many meals you want to freeze, prep ingredients for the full amount and divide evenly among the bags. 

Freezer Meal Tips:

• In general, I’ve found that it’s easiest to follow these steps:
  • Line up your recipes so you can see all of them at once
  • Label your bags or containers with the name of the meal, how to prep once it’s thawed, ingredients and expiration date (three months from the date you prepped)
  • Chop once for all recipes: For example, if you know you’ll need four red peppers total for two recipes, chop them all at once, then divide evenly among your bags
  • Place proteins in the bag first, then veggies, then spices, then sauces
  • Seal the bag well, then smoosh the ingredients around so everything is mixed and coated
• It’s more expensive, but if you can swing it, buy as many pre-chopped vegetables as you can
• Work as a team: If you can enlist the help of another adult, freezer meal prep goes much more quickly and smoothly
• OR plan ahead and make a couple of each over the course of a couple of weekends, rather than all at once
• Use re-usable bags, stainless steel or freezer-safe glass containers to cut down on plastic waste
• If you use bags, invest in baggy stands. These hold your bag upright while you place ingredients in, minimizing the chance of a meal spilling all over your kitchen floor
• When you’re defrosting, place your meal in a casserole dish or large bowl in the refrigerator, just in case it leaks while thawing 

For more tips on freezer meal cooking, my friend Kelly’s website, The Family Freezer, is a great resource. If you have any questions for me, please submit a comment below or email me at liz@octofree.com.