Food Cooking Techniques 13 Meals That Freeze Well Stock your freezer with tomato sauce, soups, chili, and more. By Bridget Hallinan Bridget Hallinan As an Associate Food Editor, Bridget Hallinan primarily focuses on home cooking content for Food & Wine.com. She writes and edits recipe content, interviews chefs for helpful tips and tricks, and works on franchises such as our cookbook roundups and taste tests. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 29, 2023 Having a well-stocked freezer is always a good idea. You can have prepared meals at the ready for busy nights, or whip out a dish when you don't have time to make the trek to the grocery store. Portioned sauces also come in handy, in case you're craving a comforting bowl of pasta — just defrost on demand and dig in. Luckily, there are several meals that happen to freeze particularly well, from lasagna and tomato sauce to stews and chilis. We like to have a few in our back pocket for all of the scenarios above and more — besides, if you have leftovers, it's easy to save them and make sure they don't go to waste. Check out some of our favorite freezable meals with the recipes below, supplemented with tips from our test kitchen. A note about food safety If you're cooking something and plan to freeze it, cool it quickly to room temperature — you can do this using an ice water bath or by putting the food in a shallow container, so it spreads out and cools faster. (Metal is particularly good for conducting hot and cold temperatures.) Then, cover and freeze the dish. Don't put hot food right in the refrigerator or freezer. If you do, the temperature will lower. The danger zone for food is 40°–140°F, the range in which bacteria grows. If you're planning on freezing a lot of food at once, chill it in the refrigerator first so the temperature in the freezer doesn't rise. For thawing food, make sure it thaws evenly and keep it below 40°F or above 140°F. You can thaw slowly in the fridge or quickly under cold running water. 01 of 13 Lasagna Victor Protasio Lasagnas and other baked pasta dishes, like ziti, can easily be frozen — simply bake, freeze, and then reheat once you're ready. This particular recipe from Andrea Slonecker includes Italian sausage, mushrooms, and three kinds of cheese: Parmigiano-Reggiano, whole-milk mozzarella, and whole-milk ricotta. It's the perfect hearty, stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal. Get the Recipe 02 of 13 Biscuits Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Torie Cox These buttermilk biscuits are incredibly moist and tender, thanks to the butter-to-shortening ratio. You can freeze the portioned biscuit dough and bake at your convenience. Get the Recipe 03 of 13 Chili Our classic beef chili, which makes eight servings, can be frozen — reserve the toppings for when you reheat and eat. The same goes for our vegetarian chili from nutritionist Ellie Krieger, which gets a warm, sweet note from fresh orange juice and zest. 04 of 13 Birria Tacos Greg Dupree To do a little prep for these tacos, shred the meat and toss with 1 1/2 cups of the broth (enough so that the meat is submerged) and freeze (freeze the remaining broth separately). You can also pre-make and freeze the adobo before you braise the meat. Get the Recipe 05 of 13 Gnocchi Oriana Koren The uncooked shaped sweet potato gnocchi in this recipe can be frozen for up to one month. First, freeze them uncovered on a baking sheet for one hour; then transfer them to a large zip-close bag and store them in the freezer. Get the Recipe 06 of 13 Burger Patties Victor Protasio These turkey burger patties can be made in advance and frozen (uncooked) for up to one month. (Thaw in the refrigerator before cooking.) The same idea applies to classic beef burger patties, black bean patties, and more. Get the Recipe 07 of 13 Parsley Egg Noodles with Squash-and-Tomato Sugo Victor Protasio The cut egg noodles in this recipe can be frozen for up to three weeks; the sauce also freezes well and is tasty on any pasta. Get the Recipe 08 of 13 Potato-Leek Soup Victor Protasio It's helpful to have a few frozen soups ready to go. Once this potato-leek soup is defrosted, you can top it with anything you like, from roasted broccoli florets and shredded cheddar to crème fraîche and smoked salmon. Get the Recipe 09 of 13 Coconut-Creamed Swiss Chard Victor Protasio Television Chef Rocco DiSpirito's vegan side dish gets its creaminess from unsweetened coconut milk and refined coconut oil. If you want to make a few batches and freeze it, make sure the greens are submerged in the liquid. (You might need to press down a little bit to achieve this.) Get the Recipe 10 of 13 Beef Stew Greg DuPree This recipe serves six, and it can easily be doubled. Feel free to freeze leftovers — just make sure it's cooled first. Get the Recipe 11 of 13 Gougères Diana Chistruga Gougères freeze well. Just bake them, cool them, and freeze until firm on a baking sheet. Then they can be stored in the freezer in a Ziploc bag for several months. Get the Recipe 12 of 13 Hand Pies Victor Protasio Prepare these apple hand pies up through step four in the recipe — rolling out the dough and adding/sealing in the filling. Then, cut three small (1/3-inch-long) vents in the top of each pie, and freeze them uncovered on a baking sheet for one hour. After that, you can transfer them to a large Ziploc bag and freeze for up to one month. Once you're ready to bake them, preheat the oven to 375°F, arrange them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, brush them lightly with one beaten egg, and sprinkle evenly with 1 1/4 teaspoons of granulated sugar. Then you're all set to finish up the recipe. Get the Recipe 13 of 13 Enchiladas © Fredrika Stjärne Just like lasagna, enchiladas can also be pre-baked and then frozen for future use. These red chile-chicken enchiladas get flavor from smoky guajillo chiles and fruity ancho chiles. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit