Freezer and batch cooking
Freezer burritos
A freezer burrito is a complete meal with a handle. Keep the fillings dry-ish: eggs, beans, potato, or turkey. Leave salsa and sour cream for the plate.
Freezer · 4 min read · Updated 2026-11-05
In the portions written below, protein is about 32–36 g, calories about 280–480, and sodium about 130–520 mg. Those are rounded kitchen estimates before extra cheese, bread, or a heavy pour of sauce.
Check the tortilla's sodium. It is often the saltiest part of a 'healthy' burrito.
How to run it
- Start with unsalted chicken and vegetable soup. Plan on about 50 minutes. Put the chicken, water, vegetables, garlic, and bay in a pot. Bring to a simmer.
- Next, turkey meatballs and soft polenta. Oats replace salty breadcrumbs. Polenta is the soft base that makes this easier to eat than meatballs on a hard roll.
- Keep chicken enchilada skillet for the meal that needs to feel different. Fridge 4 days. Freezer: best quality within 2 months. The tortillas soften, which is fine in a skillet and bad if you wanted chips.
- Cool anything you will not eat right away within two hours. For chicken enchilada skillet: Fridge 4 days. Freezer: best quality within 2 months. The tortillas soften, which is fine in a skillet and bad if you wanted chips.
Cook these
Unsalted chicken and vegetable soup
50 min · serves 6
- Protein
- 32 g
- Sodium
- 130 mg
- Calories
- 280
Protein, sodium, and calories are rounded kitchen estimates, not a lab test or a medical plan.
A carton of regular chicken broth can put 700 mg of sodium in a single cup. Water, chicken, and vegetables make a real broth.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh
- 8 cups water
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 celery ribs, sliced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- a handful of parsley
- black pepper
- 1 cup small pasta or rice, optional
Method
- Put the chicken, water, vegetables, garlic, and bay in a pot. Bring to a simmer.
- Cook 20–25 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165°F. Remove it, shred it, and return it to the pot.
- Add pasta or rice if you want a heartier bowl, and cook until tender. Pull the bay leaf. Add parsley and pepper.
Fridge 4 days. Freezer: best quality within 3 months. If you used pasta, it will drink the broth; freeze the soup without pasta and add it when you reheat. If you serve it hot, reheat to 165°F with a food thermometer.
Storage times are general guidance, not a lab test of this recipe. A shorter package or recipe instruction governs. Freezing and reheating do not rescue food left out too long, or a heat-stable toxin that already formed. USDA FSIS: Leftovers and Food Safety and USDA FSIS: Freezing and Food Safety.
Chill cooked rice promptly. Vomiting-type Bacillus cereus illness is generally tied to rice and other starchy foods, and that emetic toxin can survive heat that kills the bacteria. FDA Bad Bug Book: Bacillus cereus.
Also used in Breakfast when mornings are hard, Dividers that match how you cook, Freezer meals for hectic weeks.
Turkey meatballs and soft polenta
40 min · serves 4
- Protein
- 36 g
- Sodium
- 200 mg
- Calories
- 460
Protein, sodium, and calories are rounded kitchen estimates, not a lab test or a medical plan.
Oats replace salty breadcrumbs. Polenta is the soft base that makes this easier to eat than meatballs on a hard roll.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 1 cup dry polenta or cornmeal
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup no-salt-added tomato passata, optional
Method
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Mix turkey, oats, egg, herbs, and garlic. Roll 16 meatballs.
- Bake on a sheet 16–18 minutes, to 165°F.
- Simmer the polenta in water, whisking, until thick and soft, 15–25 minutes depending on the grind. Spoon sauce over meatballs if you want them looser.
Fridge 4 days. Freezer: best quality within 2 months (meatballs). Polenta is better fresh or from the fridge. If you serve it hot, reheat to 165°F with a food thermometer.
Storage times are general guidance, not a lab test of this recipe. A shorter package or recipe instruction governs. Freezing and reheating do not rescue food left out too long, or a heat-stable toxin that already formed. USDA FSIS: Leftovers and Food Safety and USDA FSIS: Freezing and Food Safety.
Also used in Batch cooking chicken, Foods that freeze badly, Freezer meals for hectic weeks.
Chicken enchilada skillet
35 min · serves 4
- Protein
- 36 g
- Sodium
- 520 mg
- Calories
- 480
Protein, sodium, and calories are rounded kitchen estimates, not a lab test or a medical plan.
Canned enchilada sauce is often the saltiest thing in the aisle. Tomato sauce plus chili powder is the same mood with a number you can live with. The cheese is why this is not filed under low-sodium.
Ingredients
- 1 pound shredded cooked chicken, or raw thigh meat cut small
- 1 can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed
- 1 can no-salt-added tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 4 corn tortillas, cut in strips
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese
- a handful of cilantro
Method
- Simmer the sauce, spices, beans, and chicken 10 minutes. If the chicken is raw, cook it through to 165°F in the sauce.
- Stir in the tortillas. Sprinkle the cheese on top and cover 3 minutes, until it melts.
- Serve with cilantro. A dollop of plain yogurt cools it without a salty crema.
Fridge 4 days. Freezer: best quality within 2 months. The tortillas soften, which is fine in a skillet and bad if you wanted chips. If you serve it hot, reheat to 165°F with a food thermometer.
Storage times are general guidance, not a lab test of this recipe. A shorter package or recipe instruction governs. Freezing and reheating do not rescue food left out too long, or a heat-stable toxin that already formed. USDA FSIS: Leftovers and Food Safety and USDA FSIS: Freezing and Food Safety.
Also used in A one-page monthly menu, Foods that freeze badly, Freezer breakfasts.
Details that matter
- Leave a little headspace in jars and tubs. Liquid expands.
- Label the name, the date, and how many portions. 'Soup' is not a label.
- Thaw in the fridge, not on the counter. A sealed bag in cold water is the faster safe option if you change it every 30 minutes.
Easy mistakes
Freezing a whole pot while it is still hot
You warm every other frozen meal in that freezer, and the food spends too long in the danger zone.
Freezing lettuce, cucumber, potatoes in cream, or fried coatings
They turn watery or limp. Freeze the stew, the sauce, the burrito, the meatballs. Add the crisp part later.
Grocery starter
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh
- 8 cups water
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 celery ribs, sliced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- a handful of parsley
- black pepper
- 1 cup small pasta or rice, optional
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
- 1/2 cup oats
Questions
How should I store unsalted chicken and vegetable soup?
Fridge 4 days. Freezer: best quality within 3 months. If you used pasta, it will drink the broth; freeze the soup without pasta and add it when you reheat. If you serve it hot, reheat to 165°F with a food thermometer.
How much protein is in a serving?
Unsalted chicken and vegetable soup is about 32 g; Turkey meatballs and soft polenta is about 36 g; Chicken enchilada skillet is about 36 g. These are kitchen estimates, not a lab analysis.
What is the easy mistake here?
Check the tortilla's sodium. It is often the saltiest part of a 'healthy' burrito.