Minestrone Soup by Susan

Ingredients:
3 14 oz cans beef broth
15 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
14 1/2 oz can stewed tomatoes, undrained (I forgot to buy diced so I cut them for the kids)
11 1/2 oz can vegetable juice (V8)
6oz can tomato paste
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1 1/2 cup loosely packed frozen mixed vegetables
2 cups cooked pasta (I used small shell pasta, again easier for the smaller kids)
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, cut into strips (I thawed out frozen chopped spinach)
Finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Assembly:
In a 4-qt Dutch oven combine beef broth, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, undrained tomatoes, vegetable juice, tomato paste, sugar, and Italian seasonings. Bring to boiling; add mixed vegetables. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

To serve right away:
Stir in spinach and cooked pasta; heat through. If desired, sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese.

To freeze:
Stir in spinach and allow soup to cool. Stir in cooked pasta and place in freezer container.

Serving Day:
Allow soup to thaw completely. Heat and serve with a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled on each serving.

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 75th Anniversary Edition, p. 505

Pizza English Muffins by Debbie

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 pounds bulk pork sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 packages (12 ounces each) English muffins, split
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Assembly:
In a large pot, cook the beef, sausage, and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic salt, oregano, and cayenne. Spread over the cut side of each English muffin. Place on baking sheets. Combine the cheese and sprinkle over the meat mixture on each English muffin. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. To eat right away, bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serving Day:
Bake from frozen at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Um Um Skillet by Jackie

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef, browned with onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 emptied soup can full of water
1 can petite diced tomatoes
16 oz. frozen, mixed vegetables
2 cups uncooked, bite size pasta
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp. cracked pepper
1 tsp. garlic salt
2 cups cheddar cheese, reserved

Assembly:
Mix everything, except cheese in gallon size freezer bag. Freeze flat. Freeze cheese in separate bag.

Serving Day:
Thaw. Reserve cheese. Empty other bag into large skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Cook until noodles are tender, about 10 minutes. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese sprinkled on each serving.

**This recipe is called "Um, Um" because I first made it when my oldest was a toddler and he would eat it and say "um, um". It was really just an experiment meal, but our kids like it.

Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole by Tish

Ingredients:
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 C. instant rice (raw)
6 boned or boneless chicken breasts
1 pkg. Lipton's onion soup mix

Assembly:
Use 10×15x2-inch baking pan. Put rice into pan raw. Mix 4 cans of soup together and pour over rice. Top with the chicken breasts. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix over the top. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and freeze if desired.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely and bake at 325-degrees till chicken is cooked through (1-2hours depending on the size of the chicken breasts and whether or not they are boneless).

Breaded Ranch Chicken by Debbie

Ingredients:
3/4 cup crushed corn flakes
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
8 chicken breasts
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Assembly:
In a shallow bowl, combine corn flakes, Parmesan cheese, and salad dressing mix. Dip chicken in butter, then roll in corn flake mixture to coat. Place in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. You can freeze at this point.

Serving Day:
When ready to eat, thaw chicken completely. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Ravioli and Cheese Bake by Katie

Ingredients:
1 jar (16 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10 oz) reduced sodium beef broth
1/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing
18 oz. cheese-filled ravioli
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Assembly:
Combine spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, broth and dressing in freezer bag (or in a 9 x 13 pan). Add ravioli. Seal and freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw. Pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until ravioli are tender. Remove foil. Stir. Sprinkle with cheese. Let stand 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Enjoy!

*This is a Kraft recipe.

Southwestern Chili Casserole by Tish

Yields : 8 servings

Ingredients:
2 pounds of ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 medium onions, chopped
4-6 tsp. chili power (depending on how spicy you like it)
2 (16oz.) cans of diced tomatoes, drained
2 (4 oz.) cans of chopped green chilies, drained
2 cans (16-17oz.) whole kernel corn, drained
8 (soft taco -burrito size) flour tortillas
8 ounces (2 cups) of shredded cheddar (or any) cheese
garnishes: sour cream, cilantro, and/or salsa

Cooking Directions:
Place ground beef in a large skillet along with onions and salt and pepper to taste and brown till meat is no longer pink and onions are soft. DRAIN well. Sprinkle on desired amount of chili powder. (I also use a little bit of Pampered Chef Southwestern Seasoning Blend and some Tastefully Simple Garlic-Garlic seasoning, since my family likes a little more kick to their food.)
Add drained tomatoes, chilies, and corn and bring to a boil. Then remove from heat and let cool.

Freezing Directions:
Place cooled meat mixture in large zip top freezer bag, making sure to get as much air out as possible. Place your tortillas and your cheese in separate freezer bags, if you choose to freeze them.

Serving Day:
Completely thaw meat mixture (and tortillas and cheese, if you froze them)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Lightly grease your casserole pan.
Line bottom of pan with 2 tortillas.
Spoon on approximately 1/4th of meat mixture, followed by 1/4th of cheese. Repeat layering of tortillas, meat and cheese, ending with meat mixture. Save the last portion of cheese for later.
COVER and bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes till hot and bubbly.
Remove foil and top with remaining cheese. Return to oven just long enough to melt cheese.
Garnish with sour cream, cilantro, and/or salsa if desired.

Note: I don't recommend assembling this dish entirely and then freezing it due to the potential of the tortillas getting soggy during defrosting!

Chicken Cacciatore by Susan

Ingredients:
6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts (cut into quarters)
1 can spaghetti sauce (I used the big one from Costco and split between 4 meals)
1 bell pepper (diced)
1 onion (diced)
1/4 cup red wine (I used Merlot)
1 tsp. Italian Seasonings
1 pkg. Spaghetti

Assembly:
Place all ingredients in a freezer bag. Seal and mush.

Serving Day:
Place cacciatore in crockpot, frozen, and cook all day on low. Serve with cooked spaghetti.

I apologize for not noting the website I got this off of. I will remember for next time.

Cheddar Chicken Spaghetti from Mags

Ingredients:
1 (7 ounce) package spaghetti, broken
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon diced pimientos
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Optional Add-ins:
garlic powder
Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning

Assembly:
Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the chicken, 1 cup cheese, soup, milk, pimientos if desired, salt and pepper. Drain spaghetti; add to the chicken mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Recipe originally from AllRecipes.com .

Cheese Tortellini Soup by Jackie

*adapted from Tortellini Soup (Souper Freezer Soups from 30 Day Gourmet by Cindy Clark)

Ingredients:
1 cup diced onion
1 clove, garlic
2 Tblsp. butter
4 cup chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz.) Italian stewed tomatoes, chopped into small pieces - so the kids will eat it. :)
16 oz. frozen cheese tortellini

Assembly:
Melt butter in stock pot. Sauté the onion and garlic in butter until tender. Remove from heat. Add broth, tomatoes and tortellini. Cool completely. Pour into gallon-size Ziploc freezer bag. Label and freeze flat on cookie sheet.

Serving Day:
Thaw. Reheat to boiling. Reduce heat and cook 10 minutes until tortellini is tender.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with salad and garlic bread.