Cook One, Store One (or more!)

Kadeeae

I'd made a pasta dish which was our main dish for dinner on Monday and then used the leftovers for a side dish today and will use it up tomorrow.

I'm looking for inspiration and would like to know what dishes, of all types, (other than the rubber chicken ) do you consistently make more than needed so that you can freeze the rest, or keep in the fridge for later in the week?

Here's hoping there are lots of ideas!

kunekune

I don't have a lot of freezer space but I do make double quantities of things I think will be ok reheated or can be altered. This week I did a spinach, silverbeet & feta pie (bought puff pastry). I halved the recipe but still got enough for two days. If I do a mince dish, I always make extra and alter the leftovers to make another meal. I also always cook extra potatoes and things that can be used in salads or things like frittata.

Pink.

Bolognese sauce. I make a massive pot of it when I'm making spaghetti bolognese then keep the remainder in the fridge or freezer for using for at least one more meal. It's great for making a lasagne, using as a filling for baked potatoes, stuffing marrows, or even a base for cottage pie. Sometimes for a change I add chillies and kidney beans to make chilli and serve it with rice, baked potatoes or tortilla chips.

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redruby

I always make at least two lasagnes at once (did today) one for tonight one for freezer.

But I also do it with:

Cottage / shepherds pie
Chilli
Spag bol (infact almost any mince dish)
Fish Pie
Chicken casserole
Pies (always make two)
Beef casserole.

I have never tried this, but my friend always plates up two extra roast dinners and freezes them, quick easy meal for her 2 children if she is busy.

Thinking about it a bit more, you could almost do this with every meal you cook

Pink.

redruby wrote: »

Thinking about it a bit more, you could almost do this with every meal you cook

I agree redruby. There are very few cooked meals where leftovers can't be turned into 'ready meals' to store in the freezer. I divide any leftovers into portion sizes, wrap them up and pop them into the freezer for nights when someone has to eat before/after the rest of the family. Most things will cook from frozen in the microwave so a meal for one can be ready in a matter of minutes.

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THIRZAH

I make a large pot of tomato sauce and freeze it in individual portions.

skiTTish

There is always a small amount of Chilli or spag bol left so i make a home made pizza and use it as a topping the next day

skintchick

I'd like to know what else people do this with as I really ought to be putting meals in the freezer for when the baby is born but so far only have some chilli in there!

nopot2pin

I always try to cook at least one lot for the freezer.
It just helps with cooking in a hurry if I am working.

skintchick wrote: »

I'd like to know what else people do this with as I really ought to be putting meals in the freezer for when the baby is born but so far only have some chilli in there!

Chilli is a good one to start with...
Curry, spag bol and stew.... although in this heat, you may not feel like eating any of those

I cook quiche, portion it then freeze it. Nice with a salad in this weather

Also, an extra few portions of fajitas fillings.... can give you a hot meal, without feeling too heavy in this weather, iyswim

Kadeeae

Good ideas here, I've done quite a few of these myself but just wondered if there were dishes that people always made an excess of, as habit, for freezing or later use.

I've not done things like cottage pie though, as I don't have an abundance of containers that would go into the freezer and then into the oven. I suuppose I could do the meat bit seperate......doesn't mash go watery when brought out of the freezer?

Along this line too, I've heard some people do cooking 'days' and will cook all day long for one day and put it all in their freezer.....don't know that I could go ALL day, nice idea though.

got-it-spend-it

I generally do one big dish for now, then smaller one portion size foil tray ones for the freezer. I do this with Moussaka, Lasagne, Shepherd's Pie etc.

I also always cook extra if I make curry, chilli, any kind of stew, bolognese sauce (can then be eaten with pasta or a jacket potato, or turned into chilli). I don't bother to freeze pasta though- just the sauce then I cook the pasta fresh when I defrost the sauce.