Meal time planning - 10 make ahead meals in less than 3 hours



Thumbs up for Mom!

I LOVE cooking! However, working full time during the day and well, working full time when I get home, it's a bit of a challenge to come up with a wholesome family meal.  It's also challenging when its just me, a finicky 11 year old and a toddler.  Years ago, when I was raising my two older daughters, I found our favorite meals were just too large.  So, I began freezing the extra portions.  It became so handy to have ready meals for those days  filled with ballet recitals, tee ball practice, soft ball practice and on and on . . . 

There are three recipes that I prepare ahead of time and freeze. They freeze very well and  using the recipes I provide you, you can make enough meals to cover 10 nights, and all can be made, yes, in less than three hours!! Now you have to be organized and perform like a production/assembly line.  I always shop weeks ahead and buy in bulk. Then one morning before the kids get up I start my cooking spree. My favorite time is in the winter.  I'll light up the fireplace, brew some yummy flavored coffee, play my favorite tunes  and then get cooking.

The recipes have common ingredients: tomato based sauce, cheese and noodles.  Varying the ingredients and you have three different recipes for Lasagna, Goulash and Stuffed Shells. You will want to have on hand the 8x8 pans, clear wrap, aluminum foil and extra large freezer bags for packaging the meals.

Lasagna Components

Lasagna is my all time favorite meal. My mother makes the very best. The recipe I follow is not hers, I can never do it justice!  I concocted my own recipe over the years and refined it to make it as simple and yummy as possible. It's layered with five different cheeses and I use Hunts Chunky Vegetable Pasta Sauce, because it allows me to sneak in vegetables and the kids have no idea!   I've had the most finickiest eaters fall in love with this lasagna and ask for more. This recipe will result in five 8x8 pans of Lasagna, serving an average family size of four. 

1.5 lbs ground beef
1 lb Italian Sausage (ground, mild)
2 cans (24 oz)  Hunts Chunky Vegetable Pasta Sauce
2 Tbsp Minced garlic
2 Tsp Onion Powder
2 Tsp Cumin
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 cup Chicken broth

Cheese filling (this recipe will cover enough for both the lasagna and stuffed shells):
1 container (3lb) Ricotta cheese
1 container (24 oz) Cottage cheese
1.5 Cups Shredded Mozzerella
1 Cup Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Cheese layers:
Sliced Provolone cheese
Shredded Mozzerella Cheese

Pasta: Use you favorite brand of oven ready Lasagna noodles or you can cook regular noodles. I just find the oven ready to be a time saver and less clean up.

Brown the beef and Italian sausage on medium to low heat. It's important to keep the temperature low, otherwise you get big clumps of cooked meat (chewy and chunky - not good).  Cooking it low and slow allows you to break apart the meat into very fine crumbles.  Add the pasta sauce and remaining sauce ingredients, allow sauce to simmer. Adding the parmesan and chicken broth are key to this great recipe. My Aunt shared with me the secret of chicken broth in any tomato based pasta sauce, the flavor is so warm and yummy.  I use this same recipe to make spagetti sauce and I've never had any leftovers!  My kids sponge it up! I tend to cook by smell and taste, adding spices to meet my taste and smell expectations. Let the sauce simmer while you prepare the cheese mixture and begin boiling water for the noodles used in the goulash and stuffed shells.

Prepare cheese filling, by mixing all cheese filling ingredients in a very large bowl.  Set the assembly line of your lasagna!  Line up the pans, cheese filling, cheese layers, lasagna noodles and sauce and start layering. I always start off with a small amount of sauce on the bottom, followed by noodles, then spread the cheese mixture spread across the noodles,then layering with sliced provolone and finally shredded Mozzerella. Repeat until you fill the pan. The last layer should be the sauce followed by shredded mozzerella. You should have enough of the cheese mixture to prepare the stuffed shells later on. If not, you better run to the store!  In the pans shown below, I only managed two layers, which is perfectly fine for my family. If you go with a deeper sized pan you probably will end up with less than 5 pans. Reserve about half the mixture for the stuffed shells.

Lasagna Assembly line!

Once you have assembled the lasagna, set aside the meals to cool off while you start preparing the goulash and stuffed shells.  Remember this is power-cooking so there is no rest for the weary!  I prepare the goulash and the stuffed shells simultaneously.  There are three pots going, one browning the beef, and the other two boiling the noodles.

Goulash
1.5 lb ground beef
2 cans tomato soup
2 cans (15 oz) whole kernel corn
4 Tbsp Italian Seasoning4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni 
2 tsp onion powder
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1-2 cups shredded cheese

Brown Ground beef --slowly and on low heat-- with onion powder and minced garlic.  Drain.
Cook noodles, approximately 6 - 8 minutes. Until the noodles are chewy, not too soft, drain
In a large bowl, combine soup, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, noodles and ground beef. Stir in corn.Transfer to an ungreased 8X8 freezer baking dish and top with cheese. This recipe will make three 8x8 pans of goulash. This is a very quick and easy recipe, it seems a shame to call it goulash! The name invokes the image of Oliver in the Orphanage, "more goulash please!". Its a sad name isn't it?

Stuffed shells are my kids all time favorite meal. Whenever, my older daughters come to visit, this is their most requested meal.  It also the easiest!  I've tried variations of it, adding spinach or chicken, but just plain old cheese stuffing is the post popular.  This recipe will result in two 8x8 pans of Stuffed Shells

Stuffed shells components

Stuffed Shells

Remainder cheese mixture from Lasagna
Your favorite spaghetti sauce in a jar ( I used Bertollis Tomato and Basil)
Shredded mozzarella
Jumbo shells, drained and cooled

Cook shells 6 - 8 minutes, until chewy, not soft.Take cooled shell and use small spoon to scoop up cheese mixture and stuff the shell. Like with the lasagna, I put a small amount of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Keep stuffing those shells until you fill up the pan. Sometimes there are more noodles than cheese. I usually squeeze the empty shells in with the stuffed ones. No ones knows the difference! Once you have a pan full, sprinkle lots of mozzerella on top!


Stuffed shells assembly!

Now you have 10 prepared meals ready for freezing. Packaging is just as important as the cooking. This is done in assembly line formation! Get your clear wrap, aluminum foil and extra large ziplock bags ready!

10 Meals ready for packaging (l -r, Stuffed shells, Lasagna, Goulash)

First, wrap each meal with the clear wrap. I usually tear off sheets for each pan, but clear wrap is tricky, so you need enough space so the wrap won't tangle and stick to each other. Then, wrap with the aluminum foil. Press the aluminum foil around the edges to get a good seal.  Place each wrapped pan into the extra large ziplock bag. Zip lock the bag and press out any air before completely closing the bag.  Label the bag with contents and date. I find a Sharpie pen works best!

10 Meals ready for freezer!

Sometimes I have company while cooking.  Keeping a toddler entertained when power cooking is challenging.  I give Zoie my safest cooking utensils and let her go to work too!

Keeping little hands busy, while I cook!

Once everything has been packaged and labeled, it's ready for the freezer. Hope you made lots of space!  These meals can be safely frozen for about 3 months.  Now, if you timed this and followed proper assembly line procedures, you will have accomplished all 10 meals in three hours.  You have the rest of the day to enjoy!!

10 ready meals in the freezer!

When you are ready to cook, take out of the freezer that morning and allow to thaw in the refrigerator while you are at work or running your errands.  Each meal cooks at 350 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes (or until you see the sauce bubbling around the edges). Serve with a nice salad and garlic toast.

Dinner served!