Freezer and batch cooking
Freezer soups and stews
Soups and stews are the most forgiving freezer meals. Leave out the pasta and the yogurt, freeze the base, and add those when you reheat.
Freezer · 4 min read · Updated 2026-11-05
In the portions written below, protein is about 22–36 g, calories about 380–480, and sodium about 390–520 mg. Those are rounded kitchen estimates before extra cheese, bread, or a heavy pour of sauce.
A hot pot poured straight into the freezer warms everything around it. Cool it in a shallow pan first.
How to run it
- Start with chicken enchilada skillet. Plan on about 35 minutes. Simmer the sauce, spices, beans, and chicken 10 minutes. If the chicken is raw, cook it through to 165°F in the sauce.
- Next, egg and bean freezer burritos. Tortillas vary from about 150 mg to over 400 mg of sodium each. Check the package. Salsa stays out of the wrap so it does not make the tortilla soggy.
- Keep turkey and egg breakfast burritos for the meal that needs to feel different. Freezer: best quality within 2 months. Reheat to 165°F. From the fridge, eat within 3 days.
- Cool anything you will not eat right away within two hours. For turkey and egg breakfast burritos: Freezer: best quality within 2 months. Reheat to 165°F. From the fridge, eat within 3 days.
Cook these
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.
Egg and bean freezer burritos
30 min · serves 6
- Protein
- 22 g
- Sodium
- 390 mg
- Calories
- 380
Protein, sodium, and calories are rounded kitchen estimates, not a lab test or a medical plan.
Tortillas vary from about 150 mg to over 400 mg of sodium each. Check the package. Salsa stays out of the wrap so it does not make the tortilla soggy.
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 1 can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and mashed a bit
- 6 large whole-wheat tortillas
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 teaspoon oil
- hot sauce, optional, added the day you eat
Method
- Scramble the eggs with the pepper in the oil until just set.
- Divide eggs and beans among tortillas. Fold both sides in, then roll tight.
- Wrap each burrito in paper, then foil or a freezer bag. Label the date.
Freezer: best quality within 2 months. Microwave from frozen with the paper on, until the center is 165°F, usually 2–3 minutes. Fridge only 3 days if you skip the freezer.
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, Freezer meals, Slow dinners that wait for you.
Turkey and egg breakfast burritos
35 min · serves 6
- Protein
- 28 g
- Sodium
- 410 mg
- Calories
- 420
Protein, sodium, and calories are rounded kitchen estimates, not a lab test or a medical plan.
This is the higher-protein cousin of the bean burrito. It is still not a low-sodium food, mostly because of the tortilla.
Ingredients
- 8 eggs
- 8 ounces cooked lean ground turkey, seasoned with chili and garlic powder only
- 1 cooked potato, diced
- 6 large tortillas, the lowest-sodium ones you can find
- 1 teaspoon oil
Method
- Scramble the eggs in the oil. Stir in the turkey and potato just to warm them.
- Roll into tortillas. Do not add cheese or salsa before freezing.
- Wrap, label, and freeze flat so the bag stacks.
Freezer: best quality within 2 months. Reheat to 165°F. From the fridge, eat within 3 days.
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 simple high-protein week, Batch cooking chicken, Egg meal prep.
Details that matter
- If you serve leftovers hot, reheat them to 165°F with a food thermometer. That does not apply to food you eat cold.
- Most cooked meals are at their best within 2–3 months. Safe and delicious are not the same date.
- Keep a 'eat this first' bin in the front of the freezer.
Easy mistakes
Portions the size of a family when you are one person
Freeze in the amount you will actually thaw on a Tuesday.
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.
Grocery starter
- 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
- 6 eggs
- 1 can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and mashed a bit
- 6 large whole-wheat tortillas
- 1 bell pepper, diced
Questions
How should I store 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. If you serve it hot, reheat to 165°F with a food thermometer.
How much protein is in a serving?
Chicken enchilada skillet is about 36 g; Egg and bean freezer burritos is about 22 g; Turkey and egg breakfast burritos is about 28 g. These are kitchen estimates, not a lab analysis.
What is the easy mistake here?
A hot pot poured straight into the freezer warms everything around it. Cool it in a shallow pan first.