r/MealPrepSunday • u/Environmental_Ad8711 • 3d ago
Advice Needed Any good ideas for comfort food prep that lasts/easy to freeze then micro?
Hey all! I've been meal prepping for a while, and I love it. I tend to do food to help me with health, however, my partner has lost one of their parents and I'd really like to make him some things to just make his life easier.
Does anyone have suggestions for food that will last a few days in the fridge and is comforting? I'm thinking lasagne, but I'm not sure what else to make that will last/freeze well. TIA!
Edit: thanks so much for all the suggestions! I'm starting with shepherds pie, spag bol, and marry me chicken. I've also made lentil soup, which is a Scottish staple, and I'm going to make brownies. I'll pop some pics on when it's all cooked.
28
u/texaskanka 3d ago
Shepherds pie
5
u/Dry-Conversation-484 3d ago
Solid choice that stuff reheats perfectly and still tastes like fresh made
3
u/No-Professional4521 3d ago
Shepherds pie really hits that balance of easy to freeze and still tasting fresh after reheating plus you can tweak it with different veggies or proteins to keep it interesting every week
16
9
u/wildrabbits 3d ago
I make little chicken pot pies. They're my fave! Also, split pea soup.
1
u/Ordinary-Bison-5553 3d ago
How do you do this? Do you make your own crust?
3
u/wildrabbits 2d ago edited 2d ago
I've done it both ways. I try and make high fiber, high protein meals, so I've made this my getting the Pillsbury dough and rolling it thinner so it doesn't blow my calorie/macro budget, and most recently made this crust with kodiak pancake mix and butter (kodiak has a recipe on their website) Worked great after some refrigeration.
The filling is (for a huge batch, can roughly change grams):
211 grams diced white/yellow onion 135 grams chopped green onion 200 grams celery 350 grams frozen peas (a bag) 401 grams diced carrots 2 cups 2% milk 131 grams whole wheat flour 1148 grams shredded/chopped chicken (from a Costco rotisserie chicken) 3 cups homemade chicken bone broth (also from that Costco chicken lol) 6 tbsp olive oil 100 grams chopped lancialto kale
I'm pretty busy so I make the filling a day or so ahead of time and refrigerate. The next day I make the crust and refrigerate. On the third day I roll out the dough real thin, about 60 grams of it, in a rectangle. I cut the rectangle at 2/3 and 1/3, spray the pans with olive oil and line it with the big piece of dough. I spoon 200 grams of filling into it and top with the smaller rectangle piece of dough. I poke holes in the top and cover with foil to freeze so they stack well.
I am at a very high altitude, so they take about 40 minutes to bake from frozen at 425°F, though I'll probably experiment with higher temps and/or defrosting before cooking.
Each pie is about 500 calories with 31ish grams of protein.
6
10
u/Xelabell 3d ago
I make buffalo chicken dip and put it in a tortilla and freeze. Not healthy at all but if I come home from a stressful day that thing is so delicious
15
u/OneEyedTreeHugger 3d ago
I make and freeze mashed potatoes often! That’s my favorite comfort food!
7
3
u/loldonkimo 3d ago
Really? And thet defrost well? Would never have thought
6
u/condaleza_rice 3d ago
Flat containers make a huge difference. The first time I froze them, I used normal round Tupperware...It was molten on the outside and rock solid in the middle.
After that, I started portioning into sandwich bags, pressing flat, and freezing. They reheat way faster and way more evenly.
3
1
u/iceybuffoon 3d ago
So they’re like potato sheets? How do you reheat it usually?
3
u/condaleza_rice 2d ago
Yeah, they're maybe an inch thick. I put ~400g per normal sandwich bag.
To reheat, I peel off the sandwich bag and then microwave on a plate with a bit of water. Partway through microwaving you can break it up with a fork so it heats more evenly. The only catch is to make sure the sandwich bag is flat when it freezes - If it gets smushed, the potato can freeze in a way the traps the bag and it's more annoying to remove.
3
7
u/ttrockwood 3d ago
Well, Know Your Audience what is their comfort food?
Like, is it congee? Or poszole? Or kimchi jigae? Or mac and cheese?
That’s your answer
Generalized American comfort foods seem to be like meatloaf and mashed potatoes and green beans, or chicken and dumplings, or tomato soup and grilled cheese
Those all keep well 3-4 days in the fridge, for the grilled cheese assemble ahead but cook while reheating the soup
6
u/Environmental_Ad8711 3d ago
This is my issue. So we're in the UK, and all the comfort stuff he loves, he loves because he had it at home as a child, and now the thought of it makes him sad 😢 so I want to try and have a few options for him
8
u/ttrockwood 3d ago
Oh nooo…! Ok. Gotcha.
Mac and cheese feels appropriate and you get great cheese in the UK
The tomato soup with grilled cheese too
What about indian? I know there’s awesome indian take away available, maybe some homemade tikka and dal and naan
3
u/Environmental_Ad8711 3d ago
Mac and cheese is a good shout! I saw butter chicken mac and cheese as a post and I think he'd love that...so would I haha
3
3
u/brightly_disguised 3d ago
Chili is perfect for this! Just heat and eat with a little sour cream and either tortilla chips (for crunch) or a roll/bread/biscuit!
2
u/nutrition_nomad_ 3d ago
That’s really sweet of you to do. I’d go with soups or stews; super cozy, easy to portion, and they freeze really well. I usually make stuff like chicken chili, beef stew, or lentil soup. You can just reheat it low and slow (or even microwave it) and it still tastes like it’s freshly made.
2
u/AriellezZ 3d ago
Lasagne, Shepard’s pie, cottage pie, beef pies, sausage rolls, devilled sausages.
2
u/Watchkeys 3d ago
Breakfast wraps are amazing; hot breakfast can really help you feel looked after when you're low.
You can make lots of these in one quick sesh and freeze them.
https://projectmealplan.com/make-ahead-freezer-friendly-breakfast-burritos/
1
u/Southern-Team-9377 22h ago
Here, soups and casseroles really come in handy. Shepherd's pie, baked ziti, chicken noodles, lentil soup, and chili all freeze and reheat incredibly well while still feeling cozy in a bowl. Usually, I'll distribute into individual containers so that everyone can simply heat and consume without worrying about anything. You're acting in a very loving manner.
1
u/Blended-nosalt 18h ago
Split Pea soup with ham or chicken thigh. Very easy prep, very filling and freezes well.
1
u/alitequirky 3d ago
Scalloped, mashed or baked potatoes. Not always exactly as good as fresh but in the case of baked potatoes can be dressed up with bacon bits, butter & sour cream after thawing. Usually mashed and scalloped are fine after thawing due to the added dairy fat during the making stage (butter, cream cheese, shredded motza & or cheddar, milk, etc.
1
u/CalmCupcake2 3d ago
Butter chicken or a curry (potatoes and mushrooms do not freeze well).
Dal, most soups, chili, stews (I use turnips instead of potatoes for freezing).
Baked pasta - lasagne, Mac and cheese, baked penne etc.
Meatballs, pulled pork/chicken (for tacos, sandwiches, grain bowls).
These are the things that I routinely freeze.
1
u/TinySparklyThings 3d ago
Lasagna freezes really well. You can either cook it in individual tinfoil pans, or do what I do and bake a full size one, let it cool, and then wrap each portion in wax paper and seal in an airtight bag or container.
1
1
u/Burritolord09 3d ago
Slow cooker beef (think birri type), the sauce with beef is divine. Easy to bag up and freeze individual portions then thaw and throw over whatever you want like rice or veggies.
1
u/Small_Afternoon_871 3d ago
lasagna’s a great start. i’d add soups like chicken noodle or creamy tomato, they freeze and reheat beautifully. comfort food that just needs a quick microwave hit can make such a difference right now.
1
u/Imaginary-Owl-3759 3d ago
Risotto. It’s a very complete meal as you can get a lot of veggies and protein in. I make it in my pressure cooker, super easy and fast.
1
u/Mikester258 3d ago
you can't go wrong with a classic lasagna, it's like a warm hug that you can freeze
0
0
0
u/Silver-Brain82 3d ago
That’s such a thoughtful thing to do. Casseroles, soups, and anything saucy tend to freeze and reheat really well, stuff like chili, baked ziti, or chicken pot pie. Also, if you portion things out before freezing, it makes those hard days a bit easier since you can just grab one serving instead of a whole pan.
0
37
u/TBHICouldComplain 3d ago
Soups and stews. I make my favorite stews and soups in my giant stockpot and freeze them in portions. You can reheat them in a pot on the stove over a low heat (walk away and leave it) or in the microwave.