Even for the most avid cook, finding time to prepare daily or special-occasion meals can be challenging. One solution is to reach into the freezer and pull out a homemade dish that can be brought to the table with as much fanfare and flavor as if it had been freshly prepared. Follow our tips for bringing attractive, nutritious and versatile dishes to your table efficiently, whether you've prepared them to eat today or a few months from now.
Making the case
Convenience: You may prepare enough of a recipe to feed an army, but pack and freeze it in both individual and family-size portions to match specific needs.
Variety: Soup and tomato sauce are freezer classics, but so are Chicken and Kale Cannelloni and risotto rice cakes. These meals will look as good coming out of the freezer as they did going in.
Sophistication: With the addition of one or two unique ingredients, such as red wine in the potpies or kale in the cannelloni, simple dishes become contemporary classics.
Cool rules
Freezing prevents spoiling but can affect flavor, texture and appearance. Maximize quality with a few rules of thumb: Root vegetables become mushy, so omit them from dishes you plan to freeze. Gravy thickens with freezing, but the remedy is easy: Add broth or water. Avoid milk-based frosting, fillings and sauces — when frozen they tend to release moisture and will separate.
Follow our recipe guidelines for freezer storage times, but in general keep meat, soups and stews for up to three months, prepared pasta dishes for about four, yeast breads for up to three, and quick breads and cookies for up to six. Use cakes within two months after freezing. Once thawed, most items usually should not be refrozen. Freeze only as much food as will ensure the freezer temperature does not exceed 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
Organization makes all the difference, so store meals by type — for example, entrees, desserts, party food — in separate sections. A good rule for managing your freezer stock is first in, first out — and keep an inventory list. Make the most of labels: Record the item name, serving size, a use-by date and directions for thawing and/or reheating.
Cold packs
Moisture loss accounts for most of the failure when wrapping frozen foods. Avert the problem it causes — freezer burn — with wraps designed for freezer storage: heavy-duty foils, freezer paper, plastic wraps and bags. Press as much air as possible out of the packages.
Plastic containers should be made from a freezer-safe material with lids that create an airtight seal. Match the size of the container with the amount of food to be stored to reduce exposure to air. Casseroles can be stored in ceramic or glass baking dishes if they are both oven- and freezer-safe.
CHICKEN AND KALE CANNELLONI
(Makes about 8 servings)
1/2 pound oven-ready lasagna sheets (about 16), such as Barilla
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper
1 pound sweet sausage, casing removed
1 cup chopped onion (about 2 small)
4 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons aniseed
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup finely grated Asiago cheese
8 cups kale, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 bunch)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 recipe Quick and Easy Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)
1. Make the filling: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook the lasagna sheets until softened — 6 to 8 minutes. Drain and separate the noodles, keeping them moist. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and cook until just cooked through — about 7 minutes per side; do not overcook. Cool the chicken for 5 minutes, shred into thin strips, and transfer to a large bowl. Add the sausage to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, pepper flakes, aniseed and nutmeg and cook until sausage is cooked through — about 5 more minutes.
Add the sausage mixture and Asiago to the bowl containing the chicken. Heat the remaining olive oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the kale and cook until just wilted — about 3 minutes. Add it and the lemon juice to the meat mixture, and stir to combine.
2. Assemble the cannelloni: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in the bottom of each of two 13- by-9-by-2-inch baking dishes. Place 1 lasagna sheet on a clean work surface. Place 1/2 cup filling along one of the short sides of the sheet, roll up the filling in the noodle, secure with 2 toothpicks and place in the prepared baking dish.
Repeat with the remaining noodles and filling. Cover each dish with 1 1/2 cups sauce. If freezing, skip to Step 3 or bake the cannelloni, covered, for 40 minutes.
3. Freeze the cannelloni: Wrap the baking dish with freezer-safe plastic wrap, leaving no airspace between the wrap and the cannelloni. Cover the entire dish with heavy foil and freeze for up to 1 month. To serve, remove the plastic wrap from the cannelloni, replace the foil and bake at 350 degrees F until heated through — about 1 hour.
QUICK AND EASY TOMATO SAUCE
(Makes 5 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 28-ounce cans plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 cup heavy cream
1. Make the sauce: Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the garlic and cook until golden. Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper and continue to cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce slightly thickens — about 35 minutes. Lightly crush the tomatoes using a potato masher, and stir in the lemon zest and heavy cream. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook — about 5 more minutes. Use immediately or to freeze, move to Step 2.
2. Freeze the sauce: Cool the tomato sauce completely and transfer to an airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months.
PORCINI MUSHROOM RISOTTO
(Makes 8 cups)
3/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms (about 1/3 ounce)
4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
8 ounces bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup)
2 1/2 cups Arborio rice (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper dried bread crumbs
1. Make the mushroom broth: Bring 4 cups water to a simmer in a medium saucepan, completely submerge the mushrooms and soak for 25 minutes. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon and slice into 1/2-inch pieces. Strain the water and return it to the saucepan; add the chicken broth, bring to a simmer, and keep warm.
2. Make the risotto: Cook bacon in a large saucepan until crisp. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside; reserve fat. Saute onions in 2 tablespoons bacon fat until translucent — about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook over medium heat until slightly translucent — about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until absorbed.
Add 1 cup of hot broth, stirring constantly, and cook until absorbed. Continue stirring and adding broth by the cupfuls until risotto is creamy and rice is cooked through but slightly al dente — about 25 minutes. Stir in the bacon, Parmesan, salt and pepper and serve immediately or freeze (see Step 3).
3. Freeze the leftover risotto: Shape 1/4 cupfuls of cooled risotto into 2-inch patties and coat with bread crumbs. Stack patties between sheets of waxed paper and transfer to an airtight container. Store frozen for up to 2 months. To serve, cook frozen patties in a lightly oiled or buttered skillet for 6 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels.
CARROT PISTACHIO CAKE AND CUPCAKES
Cake is always an impressive, celebratory dessert — it's also a big job from start to finish. But a supply of prebaked fresh-frozen layers lets you have your cake whenever you please.
Start by dividing the work into tasks: baking and freezing; thawing and frosting. It is possible to freeze cake frosted, if you do so with icing that can withstand the chill. Buttercream will freeze without making the cake soggy, but if you prefer egg-white-based or cream-cheese icings, freeze layers separately, make the icing fresh and frost the layers after they thaw.
(Makes 2 eight-inch round cake layers (12 servings) and 8 cupcakes)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
3 cups grated carrots
1 1/2 cups chopped dried apricots
1 1/2 cups chopped pistachios
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1. Make the batter: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans and line an 8-cup muffin pan and set aside. Combine the flour, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice in a large bowl. Toss the carrots, apricots and nuts in the flour mixture and set aside.
Whisk together the eggs, olive oil, milk and vanilla in a medium bowl and add to the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Transfer 3 cups of batter to each cake pan and 1/4 cup batter to each cupcake liner. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean — about 40 minutes for cakes and 20 minutes for cupcakes.
Cool cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Release cakes from pans and cool completely on the rack .If freezing, skip to Step 2. Frost with your favorite icing.
2. To freeze: Double-wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap or place each one in a large resealable plastic bag, removing excess air. Place cupcakes in a plastic container with an airtight lid and freeze for up to 2 months.