Freezer Meals: Classic Stuffed Peppers

In this recipe, the peppers are blanched before filling, allowing the peppers to soften just a bit and finish baking in the oven. As for the filling, a mixture of cooked rice and seasoned ground beef are combined with tomatoes and cheese. The peppers are stuffed and baked, and topped with cheese for a final touch. Preparing this for the freezer or as a make ahead meal is easy too and I've included instructions as well.

Classic Stuffed Peppers

recipe adapted from Food

4 medium green bell peppers (about 6 oz. each)
1/2 cup long grain white rice
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onions (about 1/2 cup)
1 (12 ounce) ground beef
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained, 1/4 cup juice reserved
1 1/4 cups shredded monterey jack cheese (about 5 oz)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 to taste black pepper
1/4 cup ketchup

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and bell peppers. Cook until peppers just begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove peppers from pot, drain off excess water and place peppers cut side up in 9 inch square baking dish.

Return water to boil; add rice and boil until tender, about 13 minutes. Drain rice and transfer to large bowl; set aside. (I cooked my rice in my microwaveable rice cooker while the peppers were cooking. Feel free to cook your rice in your preferred method.)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F.

Meanwhile, heat 12 inch heavy bottomed skillet, such as a cast iron skillet, over medium high heat until hot, about 1 1/2 minutes; add oil and swirl to coat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef and cook, breaking beef into small pieces with spoon or potato masher, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant about 30 seconds.

Transfer beef mixture to bowl with rice; stir in drained tomatoes, 1 cup cheese, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Using soup spoon, divide filling evenly among peppers. Stir together ketchup and reserved 1/4 cup tomato juice in small bowl. Spoon 2 tablespoons ketchup mixture over each filled pepper. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over each pepper and bake in the preheated oven until cheese is browned and filling is heated through, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

* To make ahead/freezer meal - Prepare the recipe as directed above, however place and fill the peppers in an oven- and freezer-safe container. Stir together ketchup and reserved tomato juice in small bowl. Spoon 2 tablespoons ketchup mixture over each filled pepper and freeze. When ready to prepare, defrost completely. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F. Bake in the preheated oven until filling is heated through, about 25 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle each pepper with 1 tablespoon of cheese and bake until cheese is melted (or browned if you prefer). Serve immediately.

http://joelens.blogspot.com/2010/07/classic-stuffed-peppers.html

Freezer Meals: Lasagna

Lasagna is a comfort meal for me. When I was younger, my first taste of lasagna was from a freezer meal (think On-Cor and Stouffer brand!). My tastes for lasagna has changed drastically as an adult where now I much prefer making it from scratch. Traditional lasagna recipes can be daunting to make with it's many components along with assembling... however making this Skillet Lasagna saves a lot of time without compromising the homemade goodness of a traditional lasagna!...


Who knew you could make a darn good lasagna in a skillet?! Granted, you don't have beautiful layers of cheese, sauce and pasta, but all the components of a traditional lasagna are there. This recipe comes from Cook's Illustrated - a trusty recipe source for me. They have come up with a way to make a delicious lasagna on the stove top and I've taken it a step further to make into a freezer meal that's finished in the oven. However way you'd like to make it, the result is the same - it's delicious, comforting and you save yourself a lot of time!

The original recipe calls for using a meatloaf mix (combination of ground beef, ground pork and ground veal) however I used fresh italian sausage instead. I also like mozzarella cheese incorporated into my lasagnas so I included that into this recipe as well. Since this is a skillet lasagna, I used my cast iron skillet along with a 12 inch fitted lid. You can use any skillet you' have on hand but be sure you have a lid as well. Preparing this dish covered is important so that the pasta cooks thoroughly.

Skillet Lasagna
recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated

1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound fresh italian sausage, crumbled
10 dry curly edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2 inch pieces
1 (8oz) tomato sauce
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese + more for serving
1 cup ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Pour diced tomatoes with their juices into 1-quart liquid measuring cup. Add water until mixture measures 1 quart; set aside.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add italian sausage and cook, breaking apart meat, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

Scatter pasta over meat but do not stir. Pour diced tomatoes with juices and tomato sauce over pasta. Cover and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in cheeses. Season with salt and pepper. Dot with heaping tablespoons ricotta, cover, and let stand off heat for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Serve.

* To make ahead/freezer meal - Prepare recipe above as directed up until you scatter the pasta. Scatter pasta over meat but do not stir. Pour diced tomatoes with juices and tomato sauce over pasta. Cover and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is barely al dente, about 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer dish into oven- and freezer safe container. Allow dish to cool and then freeze. When ready to prepare, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Defrost completely and place container on a baking sheet. Dot with heaping tablespoons ricotta and bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with basil and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Serve.

http://joelens.blogspot.com/2010/06/skillet-lasagna.html

Freezer Meals: Roman Style Chicken

Chicken is a favorite protein to cook with since there are so many ways to prepare it. There never seems to be a shortage of chicken recipes and I'm always happy to try new ones to test out. This recipe for Roman Style Chicken was delicious! I especially liked that this dish one you can make ahead and cook in a crockpot to give your stovetop a rest!...

This chicken recipe comes from Giada De Laurentiis and it was a pretty popular one on the Food Network site. It rated pretty high and it's no wonder - it really is good! Bone-in chicken is browned and then braised with bell peppers, bacon, garlic, tomatoes and wine. To finish it off, salty capers and fresh Italian parsley are tossed in to add some bright notes to the rich, braised slow cooked flavors. I added artichoke hearts to the dish for another dimension of flavor and it worked nicely with the other ingredients. This dish was served with caramelized cremini orzo and a light green salad. I also adapted the recipe as a freezer and slow cooker/crockpot meal but you can certainly cook it on the stovetop just as easily.

Roman Style Chicken

recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

4 skinless chicken breast halves, with ribs
2 skinless chicken thighs, with bones
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
3 slices bacon, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup artichoke hearts
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. In a heavy, cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the peppers and bacon and cook until the peppers have browned and the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the artichokes, tomatoes, wine, and herbs. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes. Just before serving, add the capers and parsley; stir to combine and serve.

* To make ahead/freezer meal - Prepare the chicken as directed above. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate and cool completely, then place in a gallon sized freezer bag. Prepare the sauce for the dish as directed above, omitting the stock, capers and parsley (which will be added later). Cool completely before adding the sauce to the gallon sized freezer bag. Freeze the bag. When ready to prepare, defrost the freezer bag completely. Place the contents of the freezer bag into a slow cooker/crockpot. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock and cook on low for 2-3 hours. Just before serving, add the capers and parsley; stir to combine and serve.