My Favorite Freezer Meal

Feb
26

Post by community member:

003

Since I have been reading on Farm Bell about some various freezer meals, I decided that I would share my family’s favorite freezer meal. I don’t do a whole lot of freezer cooking, although there are a couple dishes that I like to keep in the freezer. Having a meal that is already prepared comes in pretty handy on busy days where there is no time to cook a decent meal or days when I can’t get up the motivation to pull a pot out of the cabinet.

This meal is a family favorite. My kids love it and my husband doesn’t complain about it. I consider it a HUGE success when everyone is happy about one single main dish! I like this dish because I spend a little bit of time cooking and I get four meals out of it. Who doesn’t want four nights of dinner happiness?? If you want even more happiness, you can freeze your meals in aluminum throw away pans. Freezer to oven to trash equals a nice little mini vacation for Mommy!

I was low on freezer space, so I opted to freeze my meals in zippered storage bags. It takes up less space than the aluminum pans and they thaw out a little quicker. Regardless of what container I use to freeze, I always write what is in the container and what needs to be done to get it heated. That way I don’t have to hunt down the main recipe just to get dinner on the table.

So here is the much anticipated recipe!

004

Ham and Cheese Pasta

2 16 oz packages of pasta noodles of your choice (cooked according to package directions)
1 cup butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup flour
2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
8 cups milk
2 tsp dijon mustard
8 cups shredded colby cheese
4 cups cooked ham, cut into bite sized pieces

In a LARGE pot, melt butter on low heat. Add garlic and saute about 30 -40 seconds. Add flour, salt, and pepper. Using a wisk, stir over medium heat until there are no lumps and the mixture begins to bubble. Slowly add milk, stirring entire time, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, allow to boil for one minute then add mustard and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Add ham and pasta stir until evenly coated. Transfer to containers. Cool and freeze.

Reheating instructions: Thaw. Preheat oven to 350. Bake uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes or until heated through and bubbly.

This recipe will make four 8 x 8 pans or two 9 x 13 pans.

If you want to get fancy. You could always add some extra cheese, bread crumbs, etc. to the top before you bake.

Get the printable and save it to your recipe box:
Ham and Cheese Pasta – Freezer Meal


Do you have a recipe post or kitchen-related story to share on the Farm Bell blog?
See Farm Bell Blog Submissions for information, the latest blog contributor giveaway, and to submit a post.

Want to subscribe to the Farm Bell blog? Go here.

What can you enter to win this month? Click here.



Comments

  1. brookdale says:

    This sounds really quick & easy. Have you tried cooking it without thawing first? I wonder if that would work.
    Thanks for the post!

  2. murphala says:

    Mmm…you can’t go wrong with mac and cheese and then the ham on top of that? Fantastic! I’m going to try this one. Thanks for sharing!

  3. tsmith says:

    I haven’t tried cooking without thawing it. You probably could if you covered it. I have had a few times when 4:00 rolls around and I haven’t even thought about dinner. I take one of the freezer bags out and throw it in a sink of water. It thaws out pretty fast.

Add Your Thoughts



Search Farm Bell Recipes

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Filter by Categories
All Recipes
Appetizers & Snacks
Bagels
Bean Soups
Beans
Beans, Grains & Rice
Beef
Beverages
Biscuits
Blog
Boiling Water Bath
Bread Machine
Breads
Breakfast
Brownies
Budget
BWB Condiments
BWB Fruits
BWB Jams, Jellies, Butters & Preserves
BWB Marmalades & Conserves
BWB Other
BWB Pickles & Pickled Stuff
BWB Salsas
BWB Sauces
BWB Tomatoes & Combos
BWB Vegetables
Cakes
Candy
Canning
Casserole
Casserole
Casserole
Cereals
Cheese
Cheesecakes
Chilis
Chowders
Cobblers
Coffee Cake
Cold Remedies
Condiments
Cookery 101
Cookies & Bars
Cream Soups
Crisps
Crock Pot
Crowd-Size
Crusts
Cupcakes
Cure & Smoke
Dairy
Dehydrating
Desserts
Diabetic
Dips
Doughnuts
Dressings
Egg Dishes
Eggs
Entertaining
Fat-Free
Featured
Fermenting
Fillings
Fish
Food Photography
Freezing
Frostings & Icings
Frozen
Fruit Breads
Fruit Cakes
Fruit Salads
Fruits
Gift Basket Goodies
Giveaways
Gluten-Free
Goat Cheeses
Gourmet
Gravies
Griddles
Grill-Outdoor Cooking
Hard Cheeses
Herbs & Spices
Holiday
Homemade Cheese
How To
Ice Creams
Ingredients
Ingredients & Mixes
Jell-O
Jell-O Salads
Kid-Friendly
Kitchen Gadgets
Kosher
Lactose-Free
Lamb
Leftovers
Lettuce & Greens
Low-Carb
Low-Fat
Low-Sodium
Main Dish
Marinades
Meat Salads
Meet the Cook
Muffins
Non-Dairy
Old-Fashioned
One Dish Meal
Other Breads
Other Breakfast
Other Condiments
Other Dairy
Other Desserts
Other Main Dish
Other Salads
Other Side Dishes
Other Soups & Stews
Other Special Diets
Pasta
Pasta
Pasta Salads
Pastries
PC Beef
PC Chicken
PC Meats
PC Other
PC Poultry
PC Soups & Stews
PC Veggies
Pets
Pickling
Pies
Pizza
Pizza Crusts
Pork
Potato Salads
Potatoes
Potluck
Poultry
Presentation
Preserving
Pressure Canning
Pressure Cooker
Puddings & Custards
Recipe Requests
Relishes & Chutneys
Rolls
Rubs
Salads
Salads
Salsas
Sandwiches
Sauces
Scones
Seafood
Side Dishes
Soft Cheeses
Soups & Stews
Sourdough
Special Diets
Special Occasions
Steam Juicer
Stocks
Stuffings
Substitutions
Syrups
Tarts
Tips & Tricks
Tortillas & Pitas
Using FBR
Vegan
Vegetable Breads
Vegetable Salads
Vegetables
Vegetarian
Wild Game
Yeast Breads


If you would like to help support the overhead costs of this website, you may donate. Thank you!





Thanks for being part of our community!