Li'l Cheddar Meat Loaves by Jen

Ingredients
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound ground beef
2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard

Directions
In a large bowl, whisk egg and milk. Stir in the cheese, oats, onion and salt. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into eight loaves; place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar and mustard; spoon over loaves.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45 minutes or until no pink remains and a meat thermometer reads 160°.

Freezer Friends:
Thaw, Bake at 350 for 45 mins.

Lasagna Roll-Ups by Jackie

from Quick & Easy Weeknight Favorites (Slow Cooker Recipes, Casseroles, and More)
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs. ground beef
1 (28oz.) jar pasta sauce
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 (15 oz.) ricotta cheese
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 c. (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg, beaten
12 lasagna noodles, cooked, drained
2 T. chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Assembly:
Brown beef in large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, stirring occasionally to break up beef; drain. Mix pasta sauce, basil and oregano in small bowl; stir 1 cup spaghetti sauce mixture into beef. Reserve remaining sauce mixture.

Mix ricotta cheese, spinach, mozzarella, 1/3 c. Parmesan and egg in medium bowl. On each lasagna noodle, spread about 1/4 c. ricotta mixture. Top with 1/3 c. beef mixture. Roll up each noodle from the short end; lay each roll, seam side down, in lightly greased 13x9 baking dish. Pour reserved spaghetti sauce mixture over noodles. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and parsley. Cover with plastic wrap. Cover with aluminum foil. Freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Discard plastic wrap. Recover with foil. Preheat oven to 350. Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15-20 minutes more or until hot and bubbly. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

Pasta & Fagioli Soup - Olive Garden-style by Mags

This is a clone of Olive Garden's yummy soup - and you can use your crock pot!
Here's the recipe found here at RecipeZaar.

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can red kidney beans, drained
1 can white kidney beans, drained
2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
3 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons pepper
5 teaspoons parsley
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 jar spaghetti sauce
8 ounces pasta - I used elbow macaroni

ASSEMBLY:
Brown beef in a skillet.

TO EAT TODAY:
Place all of the ingredients into a crock pot.
Cook on low 7-8 hours or high 4-5 hours.

*The original recipe said to NOT add the pasta until the last 30 minutes (high heat) or 1 hour (low heat) except I missed that instruction and already had it mixed in. If you make it on your own, you can try it that way.

TO FREEZE FOR LATER:
Place all of the ingredients EXCEPT for the beef broth into a gallon-size Ziploc baggie (the broth won't fit). Freeze flat.

Serving Day:
Thaw and put in your crock pot.
Add beef broth and follow the cooking instructions above.

Quick and Easy Pot Roast by Wendy

Ingredients:
3 lb. Pot Roast
2-10 3/4 oz. can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
2-16 oz. bottles Cola (I used RC Cola)

Assembly Day:
1. Place meat in slow cooker.
2. In large bowl mix together mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and cola. Pour over roast in cooker.
3. Cover, cook on high 6 hours. (I cooked mine in the oven covered at 350 degrees for 6 hours)
4. Allow to cool. Divide between two 1 Gallon Ziploc freezer bags.
5. Freeze.

Serving Day:
1. Thaw completely.
2. Reheat.
3. Serve.

A remake of Pepsi Pot Roast by Susan.

Barbecued Chicken Pasta by Susan

Ingredients:
15 oz Rigatoni, mostaccioli or other medium pasta shape
1 1/2 Tbsp
1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, cut into 1/2" cubes
3/4 C Green Bell Pepper, cut into thin strips (julienne)
3/4 C Red Onion, cut into thin strips (julienne)
2 tsp Garlic, finely chopped
1 C Spaghetti Sauce
3/4 C Hickory Smoked Barbecue Sauce
3/4 C Provolone Cheese, Grated
3/4 C Smoked Gouda Cheese, Grated
4 1/2 Scallions, trimmed and sliced
2 Tbsp Dried cilantro leaves

Assembly:
Heat Oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and saute, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic and stir until pepper turns bright green, about 3 minutes. Add marinara sauce and barbecue sauce and heat just to boiling. Remove from heat. Grate cheeses and mix together.


If serving right away: Cook pasta in pot while preparing sauce above. (Use a pot large enough to combine sauce with pasta.) Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water before draining. Return pasta to pot and combine with chicken mixture and cheese. Stir over low heat until pasta is coated with sauce. If necessary, add enough of reserved cooking liquid to make the sauce lightly coat the pasta. Transfer pasta to a serving bowl and top with scallions and cilantro.

If freezing: Allow sauce to cool. Mix in scallions and cilantro. Place in freezer bag and seal tightly. Place cheese in quart size freezer bag and store with sauce.

Serving Day: Thaw sauce and cheese. Prepare Pasta according to package directions. (Use pot large enough to combine sauce with pasta.) Reheat sauce. Before draining pasta reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water. Return pasta to pot and combine with chicken mixture and cheese. If necessary, add enough of reserved cooking liquid to make the sauce lightly coat the pasta. Serve.
EXTRA SAUCE: After finishing all six meals I panicked because they just didn't seem to have enough sauce for an entire box of pasta. The sauce really reduced while cooking. My family ate this tonight and I did not need to add extra pasta water or any sauce.

Ham Pot Pie by Jen

Ingredients:
• 1 2/3 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
• 1 cup cut-up cooked chicken
• 1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup Original Bisquick
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg


Assembly:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix vegetables, chicken and soup in ungreased 9" pie plate.
Stir remaining ingredients until blended. Pour into pie plate.
Bake about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Freezer Friends:
Thaw, Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. I did 1.5 times this recipe just to be sure it would be enough to feed your family on a cold winter night! Enjoy!

Cincinnati Chili by Mel

Ingredients:

1 pkg. "Cincinnati Recipe" chili mix

1 6oz. can of tomato paste

1-1/2 lbs. ground beef

6 cups water

spaghetti

cheddar cheese

Optional extras: onions, beans

Directions:

Combine chili mix packet, tomato paste, water and raw beef in large pot. Beat it with a fork to break up meat chunks. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1-1/2 hours.

Serve:

Serve over spaghetti, topped with cheese. Can also be served on hot dogs in buns for cheese coneys.

Freezer instructions:

Let chili cool, and skim fat off the top before freezing. Thaw and reheat to serve. If chili seems too thick, you can add some water to thin it while you are reheating.

Chicken Taco Quiche by Katie

This is a Taste of Home recipe. (Makes 2 quiches - 6 servings each)

Ingredients:
2 unbaked pastry shells (9 in)
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 envelopes taco seasoning, divided
1 cup salsa
2 cups (8 oz) shredded chedder cheese
8 eggs
2 cups half & half cream
2 tbs. butter, melted
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives (which I did not add)

Assembly:
Line unpricked pastry shells w/ a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake @ 400 degrees for 4 minutes. Remove foil, bake 4 minutes longer.
In a small bowl, combine chicken and one envelope taco seasoning; spoon into pastry shells. Top w/salsa and cheese. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, butter and remaining taco seasoning. Stir in chilies and olives. Pour over cheese.

Cover and freeze one quiche for up to 3 months. Cover edges of remaining quiche loosely w/ foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake @ 400 degrees for 35 minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

To use frozen quiche:
Remove from freezer 30 minutes before baking (DO NOT THAW). Cover edges of crust loosely w/ foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake @ 400 degrees for 70-75 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

* It would be perfect with chips and salsa, or we pair it with Dorito Salad here at the Pokopac house!
Enjoy!

Chicken Spaghetti Bake from Mags

I altered Missy's "Spaghetti Pie" recipe with chicken; recipe below:

Ingredients:
6 chicken breasts - cooked
10 oz. spaghetti -cooked
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs (beaten)
2 cups cottage cheese
1 28 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce
8 oz. grated mozzarella cheese

Assembly:
Cook spaghetti and drain. To the cooked spaghetti, mix in the butter, Parmesan cheese, and eggs and form into a crust that covers the bottom of your 9x13 pan. Spread the cottage cheese over your noodles. Add the cooked chicken breasts (I cut mine into thirds), and spread a jar of spaghetti sauce over it all.

Serving Day:
Thaw - then bake at 350 for 45-55 min.
Add mozzarella cheese and put back in oven till it melts (about another 5 minutes).

Enjoy!
:) Mags

Roast Beef Stroganoff by Debbie K

This is a variation of a standby at my house. I often use it to use up leftover meat...anything goes.

For this meal I took 7+ pounds of roast beef in my large crockpot, added 7 cloves of garlic and 2 cups beef broth and cooked them on high all day. (This pot is notorious for cooking slow and it was full of meat- use your own judgment.)

I pulled out the roasts and divided them into the pans, pulling the meat apart.

Into the meat dripping I added 6 cans mushroom soup and 48 oz sour cream.

I cooked the egg noodles for three minutes and added everything into the pans with the meat. I sprinkled a bit more garlic powder and fresh ground pepper before stirring the pans and covering with foil.
I stuck them in the fridge overnight before adding them to the freezer.

To cook- thaw and cook at 350 for 35-40 minutes with the foil cover.

If the noodles seem dry after cooking, just add milk and stir - I've never tried freezing this meal, but the noodles tend to soak up the sauce if the meal sits out for long.

I used whole wheat noodles, that's all I've bought for over a year. My family didn't notice when I switched and it seemed like a good way to make our pasta meals spiked with a bit of fiber.

Chicken Potpie by Andrea

This is my recipe with directions from Taste of Home magazine on how to cook from frozen. This does take longer to cook than most of our dishes, but it DOES NOT need to be defrosted first.

Ingredients: 2 c. shredded cooked chicken
1 can cream of potato soup
1 can cream of chicken or celery
1 can mixed vegetables, drained
1/2 c. milk
1/4 t. thyme
1/2 t. pepper
1 refrigerated pie crust
1 egg, slightly beaten

Assembly:
Mix 1st 7 ingredients together and pour into a deep dish pie pan. Roll out pastry to fit top. Brush bottom with egg. Place over filling, egg side down. Cut slits and flute edges. Brush top with egg. Cover and bake or freeze.

To bake that day: Cover and bake at 400 for 35-40 minutes or until brown.

To bake from frozen: Cover edges with foil: place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 30 min. Reduce heat to 350; remove foil and bake 50-55 minutes longer or until golden.

Chuck Wagon Casserole by Tish

This recipe is from the Pampered Chef Stoneware Sensations Recipe Book: 1997

***Please note that the ingredient list below was DOUBLED from the original in order to make a 9x13 size dish***

Ingredients:
1 cup of chopped onion
1 cup of bell pepper: any color (We prefer red over green, so that is what I used)
2 lbs. of lean ground beef (I used 90% lean)
2 (15 1/2 oz.) cans of mild chili beans- IN SAUCE
1 1/2 cups of BBQ sauce (I used Montgomery Inn)
salt, black pepper and garlic powder to taste
2 pkgs of Jiffy corn bread mix (8 1/2 oz. each)
2 cans (11 oz. each) Mexican-style whole kernel corn, DRAINED

Cooking/Assembly and Freezing Directions:
In a large skillet, season ground beef with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Brown meat,peppers and onions till beef is no longer pink. DRAIN well. Return to skillet and add UN DRAINED beans and BBQ sauce, then heat through. Then pour cooled mixture into a gallon size freezer bag if freezing, or a 9 x 13 pan and continue on as below.

If cooking right away, make cornbread according to package directions. Then stir in DRAINED corn. Pour cornbread over meat mixture in the dish and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Cooking Directions if frozen:
Thaw completely and then pour into a 9x 13 dish. Make cornbread per pkg. directions and stir in DRAINED corn. Pour over top of meat mixture and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

** To reduce fat and calories, I used lean ground round and I use skim milk when making my cornbread**

Julie Clark's Taco Soup by Jackie

This is a rerun from 2008. See the following link for cooking instructions:
http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2008/07/julies-taco-soup.html