Freezer Friendz: Mexican Manicotti by Susan

Monday, March 9, 2009

Mexican Manicotti by Susan

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 can (16 oz) refried beans
2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1 package manicotti shells 8 oz
2 1/2 cups water
1 jar (16 oz) picante sauce
2 cups (16 oz) sour cream
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Monterrey Jack or Mexican style cheese

Assembly:
In a bowl combine the UNCOOKED beef, beans, chili powder, & oregano. Spoon into UNCOOKED manicotti shells, arrange in a greased 13"X9"X2" baking dish. Combine water & picante sauce, pour over shells.
If freezing: Cover & freeze.
If making this meal to eat without freezing: Assemble, cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely in refrigerator before baking. Cover & bake @ 350 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover, spoon sour cream over the top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted

from: http://www.cdkitchen.com/

7 comments:

AnonymousMarch 15, 2009 at 7:48 PM
I made this fresh the first time our family enjoyed it and but it was great after being frozen. I highly recommend freezing this meal as the kids and adults had seconds that time I hope you all enjoy!
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katieMarch 21, 2009 at 7:57 PM
Susan this was one of our favorite freezer meals by far. Thank you!
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AnonymousMarch 24, 2009 at 9:58 PM
Our family really liked this meal! Thank you for a fun and filling meal!
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Tish PowersApril 8, 2009 at 9:16 PM
Everyone really enjoyed this meal. Even Olivia, who is very picky when it comes to eating meat ate it and actually had seconds! I'll be making this one again! Thanks Susan!
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MelMay 2, 2009 at 5:16 PM
Susan, this was great and the whole family LOVED it! Thanks for all your hard work stuffing those shells!
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AnonymousJuly 24, 2009 at 10:57 PM
How did you guys freeze this? In a foil container? I wonder if I can freeze the manicotti stuffed in a ziploc then on cooking day pour the water/salsa over it??
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SusanJuly 24, 2009 at 11:51 PM
I froze this in foil containers. I didn't freeze them in a bag because I was worried the stuffing might come out, they'd get squished, or they might freeze to the bag and be challenging to remove.
To reconcile this, I would probably freeze them individually on a cookie sheet and then put them in the bag.
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Freezer Cooking Quick Tips

When wrapping meals for freezer: make sure to double wrap to prevent freezer burn. Using one layer of plastic wrap and a top layer of foil is best.

Freezer Bags: Use GOOD freezer bags! Don't skimp on cheapo freezer bags or your food will taste like plastic!

Meat in Freezer Meals: Thawed meat must be cooked before it can be refrozen. Frozen cooked meat can not be refrozen once thawed.

Freezing Soup: Pour soup into gallon size Ziploc bag. Lay bag of soup flat on a cookie sheet in the freezer until frozen, then remove cookie sheet. Doing this allows soup to freeze flat, so it can stack easily with other meals in your freezer.

Flash Marinade: Put raw chicken or beef in a ziploc baggie, pour in your marinade, then freeze. In the thawing process, your meat will be infused with the marinade and ready to cook!

Cooking Noodles: Cook noodles only 3 minutes, drain and immediately run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Noodles will freeze well and not turn to mush if done this way. Tip from freezerchicks blog site!

Slow-Cooking Chicken for the Freezer: You can fill crock pot with chicken breasts and pour a can of chicken broth over meat. Cook on high for 4 hours. Another method that gives the meat more flavor is to layer 1 sliced onion in the bottom of slow cooker. Top with chicken. Sprinkle with seasoned salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook on low for 4 hours or until done. With either of these methods, you need to keep an eye on your meat to make sure you do not overcook. Shred or dice and freeze in 2 cup portions for use in casseroles, tacos, etc...

Freezing Cooked Ground Beef: You can boil ground beef, then freeze it - it will be easy to thaw and use for tacos or something similar! To do this, add raw ground beef to large pot. Add onion, salt & pepper. Fill pot with water until water is 1" above the top of the meat. Boil, stirring occasionally to break up chunks. Meat is finished when no longer pink. Drain off the water (which drains off the fat).

1lb. raw ground beef=12 oz. cooked ground beef=2 - 2.5

Freezing Sandwiches: You can make lunchmeat sandwiches ahead of time and freeze them. Just assemble the meat and cheese on bread and place in ziploc sandwich bags. Place all bagged sandwiches into a large ziploc freezer bag. I did this once with cheap sandwich bags and the sandwiches tasted like plastic; however, they taste fine if you use Ziploc bags. **PBJ works too, if bread is a higher quality wheat bread.

Freezer Efficiency: If your freezer isn't full, fill empty milk jugs 3/4 full with water and place in freezer. This helps your freezer not have to work so hard to stay cold, saving you money.

Substitutions: Here is a great source for figuring out substitions for your recipes when you start making something and realize you are missing an ingredient: http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Common-Substitutions/Detail.aspx

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Monday, March 9, 2009

Mexican Manicotti by Susan

7 comments:

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