Make-Ahead Sloppy Joes

1 lb. pork sausage
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
16 hamburger buns
2 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce
2 Tblsp. mustard
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. dried oregano

Cook sausage, beef and onion until meat is cooked through. Drain. Remove centers from the tops and bottoms of each bun. Tear bread into small pieces and add to skillet. Stir in remaining ingredients with meat mixture. Spoon 1/3 c. meat mixture onto bottom of each bun and replace tops. If eating right away, bake on cookie sheet at 350 for 20 minutes or until heated through. To freeze for later: wrap each UNBAKED sandwich in heavy duty tin foil and store in freezer. To cook from frozen: Place frozen foil packets on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Minestrone Soup

1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas/garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 c. tomato juice
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth
3 medium carrots, chopped
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 Tblsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt

Additional Ingredients (for each batch)
1/2 c. water
1 c. uncooked ziti or small tube pasta


Cook celery, onion and garlic in Dutch oven until onion is browned. Stir in rest of ingredients (except the water and pasta). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until carrots are tender. Transfer 6 cups of soup to a freezer container and freeze for up to 3 months. Add water and pasta to remaining soup; bring to a boil. Cover and cook until pasta is tender.

FROM FROZEN:
Thaw in the refrigerator; transfer to a large saucepan. Stir in water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Add pasta; cover and cook until pasta is tender.

Chicken Spaghetti (From the GFK blog archives)

Ingredients:
chicken breasts or tenders, frozen or thawed (I used 9 frozen tenders in each
pan)
3 cups spaghetti sauce
1 ½-2 cups provolone or mozzarella cheese (I used a blend of both, plus
cheddar)

Directions:
Place chicken in the bottom, and pour on
spaghetti sauce. Place a layer of cheese on the top. Remove press and seal and
place pan on cookie sheet before baking. Bake frozen at 400 for 1 hour, or until chicken is cooked through.

Tatertot Casserole

1 lb. hamburger
1 can each cream of mushroom and cream of celery soup
1 lb. package tatertots
1 can green beans
1 c. shredded cheese

Cook and drain hamburger; place in bottom of pan. Mix soups together and pour over hamburger. Drain green beans and pour over soups. Cover with a layer of tatertots and top with shredded cheese. Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes until hot.

FROM FROZEN: Take off foil and press and seal. Place pan on cookie sheet and bake uncovered at 425 for 45 minutes-1 hour, until hot.

Quiche Lorraine

1 1/2 c. shredded cheese (I used colby jack, swiss also works well)
4 Tblsp. flour
1/2 c. finely chopped cooked ham
3 eggs
1 c. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell

Combine cheese and flour, spread in bottom of pie shell. Spread ham evenly over the cheese. Combine eggs, milk, and salt. Beat until smooth and pour evenly over ham and cheese. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until the custard is set.

FROM FROZEN: Thaw in fridge overnight. Remove foil and press and seal. Bake uncovered as directed.

Flying Saucers (makes 8)

2 packages Grands Biscuits (8 in each can)
1 lb. hamburger
1 large or 2 small dill pickles chopped
1 c. shredded cheese
Ketchup
Mustard

Brown hamburger and drain. Add cheese and pickles (enough cheese to bind the meat together) add ketchup and mustard to taste. 
Take 1 biscuit and stretch and flatten it to make a larger circle, without tearing the dough. Fill with 1/3 c. mixture. Stretch a 2nd biscuit to fit over the top, brush edges with an egg wash, and place over top of filling. Seal edges and brush top with the egg wash. Repeat to make 8 flying saucers. Bake on cookie sheet at 350 for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. 

From frozen:
Remove as many as you want to cook from bag. Place frozen on cookie sheet and bake at 350 about 20 minutes or until heated through. Could also thaw ahead of time and then cook in the microwave until hot. 

Shepard's Pie

1 can sweet corn, drained

1 can tomato soup

1 lb. ground beef cooked with some onion salt or onion and salt

about 2 cups uncooked pasta noodle (you can use any kind you prefer- I really like the spirals it adds to the variety of the meal), cook according the package directions

4-6 potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed

1/2 to 1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

 

Combine the drained corn, cooked pasta and cooked ground beef in a large bowl.  Stir in the canned tomato soup.  Pour this mixture into a 9x13 baking pan.  (I like to mix some cheese also with this mixture but you don't need to if you don't want to.)  Pour and spread the mashed potatoes on top of the pasta and beef mixture.  Then sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.  Cover with aluminum foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Now with the freezing and baking you would increase the baking time to 1 1/2 hours or 1 hour 45 minutes.  Until heated through.  The time really depends upon your oven and how it heats.

Chicken Pot Pie

2-3 chicken breasts
1 c. cheese
16 oz.frozen veggies (I use the peas, carrots, green bean mix)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery OR cream of mushroom soup
1 Pillsbury frozen pie crust

Cut chicken into bite size pieces, cover with water and microwave for about 20
minutes (or use leftover, already cooked chicken). Cook veggies according to package
directions. Mix chicken, veggies, and
soups. Place one pie crust in pie
dish. Add mixture, top with cheese, and
cover with other crust. Seal edges and
bake at 350 for about an hour.
*This is
time consuming to make, but it makes great leftovers! Also, you can make 2 in the same amount of
time. Bake one for now and freeze the
other one in a gallon size Ziploc (it will take about an extra 20 minutes to
cook if it’s frozen).