So I recently joined a freezer meal group in my neighborhood- once a month we will be getting together and each person prepares 5 meals of the same freezer meal. We then swap meals, sending each lady home with 5 different meals, ready to eat in a matter of minutes! Brilliant!
So here is my recipe for this month:
Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry ziti pasta (or really any kind of pasta would work- I actually used Penne pasta)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 pound lean ground beef (season with pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and minced garlic)
- 2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce (I added a zucchini to my sauce just for more veggies!)
- 8 slices provolone cheese
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 7-8 minutes; drain.
- In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray 2 8x8 inch pans with non-stick cooking spray. Layer as follows in each pan: 1/4 of the ziti, 1/4 of the sauce, 4 slices of Provolone cheese, 1/2 of sour cream, 1/4 of ziti, 1/4 mozzarella cheese and 1/4 of sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake covered for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.
You can eat one for dinner now and freeze the other for dinner another day!
These fill the 8x8" pans to the top, so I cooked mine on a large cookie sheet just in case they bubbled over (which they did!).
This was definitely a keeper . . . my whole family devoured it (even the kids!)!!
**If you are preparing this for a large group, you can use a DEEP 9x13" pan, but be aware that it will fill it all the way to the top!
I have always wanted to try freezer meals but never have. This sound delicious!!
ReplyDeleteGreat timing on this, I'm expecting my third son in a couple weeks and need to get some meals frozen. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteLooks so yummy I can't wait to get mine and try it. I hope my freezer recipes can stand up to yours becuase you are AWESOME. I'm pretty sure I want to be you when I grow up!
ReplyDeleteYOur freezer swap is such a great idea! This recipe looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
Hope you have a great week!
Jill @ Creating my way to Success
http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/
I LOVE the idea of a freezer meal club! SO brilliant. This looks tasty! I make some yummy stuffed shells (http://makemyselfathome.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/cheesy-beefy-stuffed-shells/) that I freeze half of, but often they wind up tasting metallic with the tomato sauce reacting with the foil pan. I just made them again & decided to see if I could remedy the problem by lining the foil pan with parchment paper... We'll see if it works! Have you had that problem with this meal?
ReplyDeleteI usually spend hours on the net reading blogs on various subjects. And, I really would like to praise you for writing such a fabulous article.I really like your way of information given.Thanks! ration MREs meals ready-to-eat
ReplyDeleteAfter you freeze one, how do you reheat it for dinner on another day? And, you cook it first, then freeze it, right?
ReplyDeleteI usually only bake one and then freeze the other. Then when we want it for dinner, I thaw it in the fridge for 24 hours and then bake it at the regular time and temperature. :) You could cook it first and then just reheat it . . . both ways totally work. The only bad thing about cooking, freezing, and reheating is that the pasta sometimes goes mushy. Good luck!
DeleteI have the same questions as Angie?
ReplyDeleteI usually only bake one and then freeze the other. Then when we want it for dinner, I thaw it in the fridge for 24 hours and then bake it at the regular time and temperature. :) You could cook it first and then just reheat it . . . both ways totally work. The only bad thing about cooking, freezing, and reheating is that the pasta sometimes goes mushy. Good luck!
DeleteIm wondering the same as the last to ladies. Freeze then bake? or bake and then freeze. What about re-heating?
ReplyDeleteI usually only bake one and then freeze the other. Then when we want it for dinner, I thaw it in the fridge for 24 hours and then bake it at the regular time and temperature. :) You could cook it first and then just reheat it . . . both ways totally work. The only bad thing about cooking, freezing, and reheating is that the pasta sometimes goes mushy. Good luck!
DeleteI made this tonight and it was VERY good!! I didn't have provolone cheese so I substituted it with 1 package (4 cups) of mozzarella cheese. Delicious! My husband went back for not only seconds but thirds as well (which is surprising because he is very conscious of his weight right now). Great recipe and will recommend it to my friends.
ReplyDeleteI made this tonight and it was VERY good!! I didn't have provolone cheese so I substituted it with 1 package (4 cups) of mozzarella cheese. Delicious! My husband went back for not only seconds but thirds as well (which is surprising because he is very conscious of his weight right now). Great recipe and will recommend it to my friends.
ReplyDeleteTo prevent pasta from getting mushy after freezing you should undercook it by a couple of minutes (because when cooked pasta thaws in the fridge it absorbs more water).
ReplyDeleteI'm an almost 65 year old woman without children.. and have a little dog.. I have decided to try this new thing.. Freezer Cooking.. and I have already made 2 items from my list.. I actually love it so far.
ReplyDeleteI just need to get more recipes. And I want some that are healthy.. I am having a really fun time doing this. And have enough bags to last me.... for almost 19 days.. Now that is going to make my pocketbook fatter.. Since I'm on a very limited budget.
I have a very similar recipe in my freezer right now! Yum! I did the freezer cooking thing this summer and it has been so great having something available even on a busy day! In case you need more recipes for your group, I posted some ideas here: http://craftyimaginings.blogspot.com/2012/09/make-ahead-cooking.html
ReplyDeleteJulie at http://www.craftyimaginings.blogspot.com
Hello! Love your ideas. How long do you let the casserole cool before putting it into the freezer? I am not going to bake it first as I dislike mushy pasta. So, basically the pasta and beef would be the only hot items. Thanks in advance. Have you found the casseroles freeze well in foil pans or do you wrap them in other freezer paper/large freezer baggies, etc. prior to freezing?
ReplyDeleteI let mine cool for about an hour before placing it in the freezer and I think that it was cooled down enough by that time. I hope that helps! Also, I like to use a foil pan to freeze it in because it makes it easy to just throw it straight in the oven. I make sure to double or triple wrap it in foil before throwing it in the freezer and then I remove all the foil except for one layer before baking.
DeleteI had foot surgery last week and made this a few weeks ago put both in the freezer! We had one last night! It was amazing!
ReplyDeleteI have made freezer meals for years. I would really love to have a freezer meal group to swap with. I'm now looking into making some of the crockpot freezer meals - you know fresh made but all the prep is already done.
ReplyDeleteCould I use ricotta cheese instead of sour cream?
ReplyDeleteThat should work just fine! :)
DeleteI made this tonight and it was great! I used whole wheat penne and ground turkey. I also left out the sour cream. My picky 16 month old gobbled it up and had seconds :) Thanks for another great meal. I'm a big fan.
ReplyDeleteI am curious if there is a specific brand pasta sauce that you like?
ReplyDeleteMade this and it is SOOO good! My husband and I kept saying it was the best baked pasta we've ever had. I used Ragu Garden Combination sauce. YUM!
ReplyDelete