Ravioli Bake by Jackie

Ingredients:
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 tsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 jar (26-28 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 (25oz.) pkg. of beef ravioli
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
16 (1/2") slices of French baguette
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

Assembly:
Heat oil in skillet.  Sauté onion, peppers and garlic until veggies are tender.
Stir in spaghetti sauce and ravioli.
Place one layer of mixture in 9x13 baking dish.
Add layer of mozzarella cheese.
Add layer of remaining ravioli mixture.
Cover, label and freeze.
Place bread in quart size Ziploc bag.  Place Parmesan in snack size Ziploc bag.  Place both of these bags and butter into a gallon size Ziploc freezer bag.  Label and freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw.  Bake covered pan of ravioli in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or until ravioli is warm.  Uncover.  Melt butter.  Toss bread in butter to coat evenly.  Arrange bread slices standing up around the outer edge of pan.  Press them slightly into ravioli mixture.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over entire pan, including bread.  Bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until the mixture is bubbling and the bread is crisp and golden brown.

Mussolini Lips (AKA Stuffed Shells) by Beth

My mom would make these frequently when I was little.  I always wondered why she called them Mussolini Lips... 

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb. ground beef
1 med. onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
8 oz. mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
1/4 c. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 egg, slightly beaten
18 giant shell pasta
24 oz. spaghetti sauce
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
Assembly:
In a skillet, brown meat with onion until browned; drain; cool.  While cooling, cook the shells in boiling water for 9 min.  Drain and place in single layer on wax paper (to avoid sticking).  While shells cool, mix in the remaining next 7 ingredients to the beef.  Stuff the shells with the meat mixture.  Spoon about 1/4 of the sauce over bottom of greased 9x13 pan.  Place stuffed shells in single layer.  Pour remaining sauce over the shells.  Sprinkle with parmesan.  Cover and freeze.
Serving Day:
Thaw in fridge overnight.  Bake, uncovered,
 at 375 for 30-40 min. or until browned and bubbly. 

Italian Steak Sandwiches by Jackie

*Adapted from http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/italian-steak-sandwiches/print#

Ingredients: 

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 + 1/16 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. sliced deli roast beef
3/4 c. beef broth
3 Tbsp. red wine or additional beef broth
1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
1 Tbsp. dried basil
1/4 + 1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 + 1/8 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 + 1/16 tsp. pepper
6 sandwich rolls, split
6 slices provolone cheese

Assembly: 

Heat oil in large skillet. Add garlic and pepper flakes; cook and stir 1 minute. Add roast beef, broth, wine and seasonings; heat through.  Cool.  Place meat and juices into quart size Ziploc freezer bag.  Place cheese slices into Ziploc sandwich bag.  Place package of rolls, meat bag and cheese bag into 2 gallon freezer bag.  Label.  Lay flat to freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw.  Heat meat in small pan.  Bake rolls until lightly browned.  Place beef slices on rolls; drizzle with broth mixture. Top with cheese.

Rerun: No Fuss Lasagna by Beth (originally Wendy's recipe)

Here is the link to the recipe. 

The only things I changed was:
1) Add 1/2 large onion (chopped) to the ground beef while browning.
2)  I did not get Zesty spaghetti sauce, so instead, I added 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder and 1 1/2 tsp. of basil to the saucy beef mixture.

http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2011/08/no-fuss-lasagna.html

Italian Chicken Pasta Toss by Wendy

An adaptation from Pampered Chef

Ingredients:
3 cups (9 oz.) Bow Tie Pasta
1 can diced tomatoes
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 small bell pepper, cut into thin strips
8 oz. Cooked Chicken, cut into dices
2 tsp. Olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese


Assembly:
Bag 1:  In a Sandwich bag measure 3 cups Bow Tie Pasta.
Bag 2:  In a Gallon Size Ziploc Bag place tomatoes, onion, zucchini, bell pepper, chicken, Oil, garlic, peas, Seasoning and Salt.
Bag 3:  In a Snack Size Ziploc Bag measure the Parmesan Cheese
In a Gallon Size Ziploc Bag place all 3 bags and freeze.


Serving Day:
Thaw completely.

Pour Chicken Mixture in a large pan and cook until heated through on Medium Heat, stirring every few minutes.


Cook Pasta until al dente.  Drain and Mix with warmed Chicken Mixture in large pan.


Add Parmesan Cheese, stir and serve.


Serves:  6

Spaghetti and Meatballs by Beth

adapted from http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/the-best-meatballs-114119.aspx

Ingredients:
2 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. (6 oz.) stuffing mix for chicken
1 c. water
2 eggs
16 oz. spaghetti noodles
Jar of spaghetti sauce
Assembly:
Heat oven to 400.  In large bowl, mix beef, stuffing, water, and eggs with hands.  Using large scoop (about 1/4 c.), shape into balls.  This will yield about 28-34 meatballs.  Each time I got a different amount.  Place meatballs on greased 15x10x1 pan (line with greased foil for less clean up). 


Bake for 18-20 min. or until done (160 deg).   Cool completely and place in gallon size freezer bag.  I gave each friend 24 meatballs (serving size is 4 meatballs).  Place in freezer. 
Serving Day:
Thaw meatballs in fridge.  Cook noodles per box instructions.  In large saucepan, place sauce and meatballs.  Heat up until hot.  You could probably place frozen meatballs in with the sauce.  It would just take longer to heat up.

Chicago Style Italian Shredded Beef Sandwiches by Jackie

*This is my variation of CHICAGO STYLE ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICHES from COOKS.COM
Servings: 12
Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 (4 lb.) beef bottom round roast
1 tbsp. instant beef bouillon granules
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 c. water
green pepper slices, cooked (optional)
12 (6" each) crusty Italian or French hoagie buns, split
12 slices provolone cheese

Assembly:
Combine garlic, salt and pepper; rub evenly over roast. Place roast in slow cooker. Combine bouillon granules, Italian seasoning, oregano and red pepper & water in bowl. Pour over meat. Cook on low 10-12 hours until meat is easily shredded with fork. Cool meat. Place half of the meat and juice in each of 2 Ziploc freezer bags. Place 6 buns in each of 2 gallon Ziploc freezer bags. Place 6 slices of cheese in each of 2 pint size Ziploc freezer bags. If desired, place a meat, bun and cheese bag in a 2 gallon Ziploc bag to keep the meal organized.

Serving Day:
Thaw meat, buns & cheese. Heat meat just until warm in microwave. Spread melted butter on rolls. Toast them in oven on broil. Put meat on roll. Add cooked green peppers if desired. Place cheese on top. Place in oven until cheese is melted.

Turkey Ravioli Lasagna by Beth

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/turkey-ravioli-lasagna

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
1 c. grated carrots
1 c. chopped fresh mushrooms
1 T. olive oil
28 oz. spaghetti sauce
25 oz. frozen cheese ravioli
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
Assembly:
In skillet, brown turkey; drain and season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  In saucepan, cook carrots and mushrooms in oil until tender; remove from heat and stir in spaghetti sauce.  In greased 9x13 foil pan, spread 1/2 c. of sauce mixture.  Layer half of the frozen ravioli (no need to cook first if freezing), half the turkey, and half the cheeses.  Repeat layers.  Cover with foil lid and freeze.
Serving Day:
Thaw in fridge.  Bake, covered, at 375 for 40-45 min or until bubbly and heated through.  Remove lid and bake another 10 min or until golden.  Let stand 15 min before serving.

Italian Subs by Beth

Ingredients:
6 sub buns, split horizontally
12 slices provolone cheese
red onion, thinly sliced
tomato, sliced (I used Roma because they are
       smaller and fit better on the buns)
6 slice salami, cut in half
18 slices deli ham
1 T. olive oil
2 t. apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 t. dried basil
1/8 t. pepper
Assembly:
Open the buns and on the bottom bun layer one slice of cheese (cut in half to fit), onion, tomato, 1 slice of salami (cut in half to fit), 3 slices of ham, and another slice of cheese (cut in half to fit).  Combine remaining ingredients and drizzle over top layer of cheese.  Cover with top bun and place 3 subs in gallon size freezer bag (you will need 2 bags).  Freeze.
Serving Day:
Thaw subs in fridge.  Place subs on cookie sheet, removing top bun.  Broil for 3-5 min. or until cheese is melted (this may take longer as the entire sub is cold).  Replace top bun and return to oven just until top bun gets lightly toasted.  **This meal can probably be cooked from frozen, I'm just not sure how long to tell you to bake it.  If you decide to do it this way, please comment with instructions**

Smoked Beef Sausage Primavera by Jackie

Freezer to Table~ Italian Sausage Soup by Wendy

Adapted from Taste of Home A+ Recipes from Schools Acrossed America.


Ingredients:
1 pound Italian Turkey Sausage
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup shredded carrot, (or 1 medium carrot-chopped)
1 celery rib, chopped
8 cubes, chicken bouillon
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
2 1/4 teaspoons Italian Seasoning Mix
3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta


Assembly:
Cook sausage, onion, carrot and celery over medium heat, until sausage is no longer pink.  Drain off fat.  In gallon size Ziploc bag:  Add Meat Mixture, bouillon, tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic and Italian Seasoning to bag.  Close bag and let out all of the air.  In sandwich size bag, measure out pasta.  Put gallon bag and sandwich bag into another gallon bag to freeze.


Serving Day:
Remove soup from plastic storage bags.  I cut them open with scissors.  Place frozen soup in pan with 8 cups water on Medium High.  Cook until thawed and bring to a boil.  Add the Orzo pasta and cook until pasta is tender.  Serve.  This is great served with a salad and bread sticks.


Makes:  10 servings, I do not half.  I freeze 1 meal per family.

Cavatini by Beth

Ingredients:
16 oz. dry pasta (3-4 varieties, cooked and drained)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 can pizza sauce
1 lb. ground beef (browned and drained)
1 pkg. pepperoni
1 small can of mushrooms, drained
8 oz. mozzarella cheese

Assembly:
Combine all of above ingredients (except cheese).  Pour into greased 9x13 foil pan.  Top with cheese.  Cover and freeze.







Day of Serving:
Completely thaw in refrigerator.  Cover loosely with tented foil (if using foil lid, bend lid so that melted cheese will not stick to lid).  Bake at 375 for 1 hour, or until heated through.  Remove cover and broil for 3-4 min. or until cheese is slightly browned.

Italian Turkey Soup by Jackie

Adapted from:  http://www.artandthekitchen.com/2013/10/italian-turkey-burger-soup.html/

 

Ingredients:

2.5 lbs. ground turkey breast (2c. cooked)

1 1/4 c. onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 tbsp. olive oil

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. pepper

2 1/4 cups carrots sliced

2 1/4 cups celery sliced

1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz) undrained

1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz.) undrained

4 1/2 cups beef broth

6 tbsp. tomato paste

1 1/2 tsp. basil

1 1/2 tsp. oregano

1 1/2 tsp. thyme

3/4 tsp. chili pepper flakes

 

Assembly:

Heat olive oil in large skillet.
Add ground turkey, salt, pepper, onion and garlic to skillet and saute until turkey is cooked through.

Place meat into gallon size Ziploc freezer bag.

In same skillet add carrots and celery and saute just until slightly tender, not soft.

Pour into bag with meat.

Add tomatoes, beef broth, tomato paste and all the herbs to skillet and bring to a boil.

Pour into bag with meat & veggie mixture.

 

Serving Day:

Thaw completely.  Pour into a large soup pot.  Stir. Simmer on low heat for 30- 40 minutes.

 

Parmesan Chicken Olivia by Jackie

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
3/4 cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese
just under ½ cup real mayonnaise

Assembly:
Brush each piece of chicken with mayonnaise.  I use a pastry brush.  Combine bread crumbs and parmesan in a bowl. Coat each chicken breast with the crumb mixture.  It is helpful to give a gentle pat to help the shredded cheese adhere.  Lay pieces of chicken flat in a gallon size Ziploc freezer bag. This will help to keep pieces from sticking to each other, which would allow smaller families to take fewer pieces at a time to cook, if desired.  Seal and label bag.  Freeze flat.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Transfer to baking dish & bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until chicken is done (165F).  Serve with cooked spaghetti noodles and red pasta sauce. 

Re-Run: Ravioli Bake by Jen (made my Beth)

http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2011/04/ravioli-cheese-bake-by-jen_06.html

Chistina's Meatball Subs by Jackie

Ingredients
24 frozen meatballs (1 oz. each)
1 jar marinara sauce
6 deli hoagie buns
6 slices provolone cheese

Assembly
Pour meatballs and sauce into gallon-size Ziploc freezer bag.  Freeze upright for easy placement of frozen food into crockpot.  Place buns in 2 separate gallon-size Ziploc freezer bags.  Freeze flat.  Place cheese in quart-size Ziploc freezer bag. Freeze flat.

Serving Day
Thaw meatball bag enough to release into slow cooker.  Running under warm water for a few minutes does the trick.  Cook on low for 4 hours.  (If you'd rather not use slow cooker option, you can thaw contents and cook on stovetop until heated through.)  Toast buns in oven.  Place 4 meatballs and a small amount of sauce on each bun.  Top with a slice of cheese.  Broil 1-2 minutes until cheese melts.  Enjoy!

Variation:
These are very good if you add a few slices of pepperoni to the top of each before adding cheese.

Note for Freezer Friendz:
I did not slice the deli buns, so that you would have the option of doing a regular sub or a boat.  See pic of boat below.  If you want to do a boat, you just need to cut into the top of the bun and scoop out some of the inside bread to hollow it out. 

Italian Beef Tortellini Soup by Beth

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
1 med. onion, chopped
2 t. garlic, minced
4 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 T. Italian seasonings
3/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
2 cans (15 oz) Italian style diced tomatoes
3 1/2 c. beef broth
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed
Package frozen cheese tortellini

Assembly
In skillet, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic over med/high heat.  When the meat is about halfway cooked, add the mushrooms and continue to cook mixture until the meat is browned; drain.  Place the meat mixture and remaining 6 ingredients in a gallon sized freezer bag.  Seal and lay flat in freezer.

Serving Day
Thaw bag in fridge.  Pour contents in large stockpot.  Heat up soup until hot.  Meanwhile, boil tortellini as directed on the package.  Once the soup is hot, add the drained tortellini.  You may need to add more water if the soup is too thick.  Add additional salt/pepper to your taste.

Spaghetti Pie by Jackie

This recipe is adapted from Missy's Spaghetti Pie.

Ingredients:1 lb. ground beef (about 2 c. cooked beef)
10 oz. spaghetti (uncooked)
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs (well beaten)
2 cups small curd cottage cheese
1 32 oz. jar of Classico Tomato and Basil pasta sauce
8 oz. Italian Blend shredded cheese

Assembly:
Brown ground beef with minced onion.  Drain grease.  In a small bowl, combine beaten eggs and Parmesan cheese.  Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Drain spaghetti and mix in butter until melted.   Add cooked spaghetti to the egg mixture.  Stir until well coated. 

 

Form into a crust that covers the bottom

and slightly up the sides of your 9x13 pan.

Spread the cottage cheese over spaghetti noodles.

Mix ground beef and pasta sauce together in

medium size bowl.  Spread sauce mixture

over the cottage cheese.

  Cover and freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 min. or until warm in the center. Add shredded cheese and put back in oven for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Italian Chicken Pasta Toss by Jackie

This is a Pampered Chef recipe originally posted by Wendy in 2010.  It has lots of veggies, but also has fun bowtie pasta and great flavor to entice the kids to eat healthy!  For cooking instructions and to leave comments, please click on this link:

http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2010/07/italian-chicken-pasta-toss.html

Parmesan Meatloaf by Jackie

*adapted from http://freezersupperswappers.com/?s=parmesan+meatloaf

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
3 tsp.  dried basil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 lbs. lean ground beef (I used 90% lean.)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
2-2/3 cup marinara sauce, separated (I used Classico Tomato and Basil.)

Assembly:

In a large bowl, stir eggs, garlic, salt, and pepper until blended. Mix in 2/3 cup marinara sauce, basil, Parmesan, onion and panko.  Add beef and mix well with hands.  Form 1 in thick loaf and place in an aluminum 9x13” baking pan.   Lay a sheet of Reynolds Non-stick aluminum foil over meat.  Pour remaining 2 cups marinara into quart size Ziploc freezer bag.   Place  shredded mozzarella into Ziploc quart size freezer bag.  Place both bags gently on top of wrapped meat.  Cover pan with lid or double wrap it with foil. 

Serve Day Directions:

Thaw completely.   
 

***FRIENDZ: REMOVE LID AND TAKE OUT PLASTIC BAGS AND FOIL BEFORE BAKING!!!! 

Preheat oven to 375.  Spread 1/2 cup sauce thinly over the top.  Bake meatloaf until cooked through and meat thermometer registers 160F, 30 to 45 minutes.  

 

Cut the meatloaf into eight squares and separate the squares slightly.  On each square, spread 2 generous tablespoons sauce, leaving a border of meat visible.  Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. of mozzarella cheese in center of sauce.  Return meatloaf to oven. Bake until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes.