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Perfect Freezer Meal Recipes For Busy Parents

Well Fall is officially here which means youth sports are underway. If you’re anything like my family, we have a practice or game nearly every night of the week. To prepare for the late night dinners, I found some delicious casserole recipes, made them ahead of time, and stored the casseroles in the freezer. If you’re looking for yummy dinner ideas that you can freeze check out the list below of Make Ahead Freezer Meals. 

Looking for easy freezer meals to have ready for busy weeknights? Well I've got you. Here are my favorite casseroles that are perfect to freeze and eat later. How easy is it to pull one of these casseroles out of the freezer in the morning and simply bake and eat when you get home from work, practice, or weeknight games. Yummy dinner ideas that your whole family will love.

I started with a trip to Costco and got all of the ingredients I needed for every casserole you see below. While it was a lot to buy at one time, I was able to make over a months worth of dinner casseroles (By the way, I doubled all the recipes)! I simply pull a casserole out of the freezer in the morining, let it thaw all day and bake as soon as we get home from school.  Check out this amazing list of freezer ready casseroles, perfect for family dinners on busy weeknights!  

How To Make A Freezer Casserole

Before we get to the list of super awesome freezer meal ideas, let’s talk about how I make a freezer casserole. First, I try to find recipes that are super simple, you know ones that don’t have a ton of ingredients or steps. From there I basically mix all the ingredients together, throw them in a 9×11 aluminum baking dish, label with the cooking instructions and pop it in the freezer. Don’t bake until you’re ready to eat these casseroles! Yes, you will need to cook some meat and boil some noodles but overall the prep time on these yummy dinner recipes is minimal. 

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1. Cheesy Ham & Pea Casserole

A delicious combination of salty and cheesy, this easy dinner casserole is always a hit. Simply stir together some cubbed ham, peas, rice, and a couple of other ingredients and pop in the freezer for an easy dinner that even your picky easters will love. 

Cheesy Ham & Pea Casserole Recipe

A yummy family dinner casserole that's made with just a few common ingredients, ready in less than 30 minutes, and picky eater approved! My kids love this simple meal, and you can customize it with the veggies of your choice. Frozen peas make it super simple because you don’t have to precook them. If you’re looking for fast and easy meals to make that won’t break the bank, this budget meal will soon be on your weekly rotation. Everyone always goes back for seconds!

2. Cheeseburger Casserole

This simple dinner idea is perfect for busy parents of picky eaters. This casserole is a yummy combination of cheesy ground beef, noodles, and tomato soup. It reminds me of an upscale mac and cheese recipe. 

Cheeseburger Casserole Recipe

Just 4 ingredients to make this amazing ground beef family dinner recipe. It sounds simple, but boy is it packed full of flavor! The ultimate comfort food. How can you go wrong with combining cheesy ground beef with pasta? The tomato soup is what makes this cheeseburger dinner casserole unique. It adds a slight touch of sweetness, kinda like you would get from ketchup. This meal makes enough for a large family, but is just as good leftover, so you can get so many meals out of it!

3. Chicken Broccoli & Rice Casserole

This recipe is budget friendly, easy to make, and oh so delicious. Canned chicken makes prepping this dinner casserole even easier and it freezer so nicely. Your family will love this cheesy rice dinner idea so be sure to make extra. 

Chicken Broccoli & Rice Casserole Recipe

This cheesy dinner casserole is made with just a few simple ingredients including canned chicken, Instant rice, and frozen broccoli, making it extra lazy for busy weeknight meals. A quick and easy dinner recipe your entire family will love! If you're a busy parent on a budget, this recipe is for you. You won't believe how delicious canned chicken is in so many meals, especially casseroles. The crispy Corn Flake topping is amazing! It really turns this main dish into the ultimate comfort food.

4. Cauliflower Pizza Casserole

Looking for a low carb family dinner idea? Cauliflower pizza casserole is perfect! Make this recipe even easier with a bag of frozen cauliflower. Your family won’t even realize they are eating veggies with this healthy dinner recipe. 

Cauliflower Pizza Casserole Recipe

Roasted cauliflower florets topped with marinara, shredded cheese, and pizza toppings baked until warm and bubbly. So delicious and yet guilt free! This healthy meal is even approved by my picky family. We like to top it with lots of pepperoni and olives, but you can top it with anything you'd like-- make it different every time! Maybe some bell peppers, mushrooms, sausage, etc. The roasted cauliflower basically replaces a pizza crust which makes it a keto friendly way to enjoy pizza.

5. Taco Spaghetti Casserole

This recipe is a yummy twist on a classic recipe. Who doesn’t love spaghetti and tacos. Combining these 2 comfort foods makes the best spaghetti casserole ever! Remember to under cook the noddles just slightly if you’re going to freeze this for later.  

Taco Spaghetti Casserole Recipe

Looking for quick and easy dinner ideas? This easy casserole recipe is always a hit with the family. Even the kids love it! It's made with cheap and simple ingredients that are perfect for busy weeknights.

6. Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas

This enchilada recipe is superb. The creamy chicken filling is so easy to make and the sauce is so delish. I added some uncooked bell peppers on top of the tortillas (before the sauce) for some added nutritional value for my kids! You’re going to want to make this kids friendly meal over and over.  

Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

A family favorite dinner recipe! 🙂 These enchiladas are perfect for lazy weeknight meals thanks to rotisserie chicken. I’m always on the hunt for simple, last minute dinner ideas for my picky eaters, and these delicious, oven baked enchiladas are super quick and easy to make! One of my best reviewed recipes with over 1.2 million shares and great reviews.

7. Lazy Shephard’s Pie

A classic recipe made even easier with instant mashed potatoes and frozen veggies. All you have to do is cook the ground beef. I love to freeze this recipe because the potatoes come out even more crispy when baked from the freezer. 

Lazy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

The only issue with a traditional shepherd’s pie is that they usually require 10+ ingredients and a lot of prep. Because my family enjoys this dinner recipe so much, I came up with a way to make it quick and easy with just 6 ingredients, and my husband said it was the best he's ever had! Simply mix together ground beef with frozen veggies, tomato soup and beef stew mix. Place the mixture onto the bottom of a casserole dish, top with store-bought mashed potatoes and cheese. Bake and you're done!

8. Baked Tortellini 

This may be the easiest freezer casserole to make ever! Just brown some ground beef and mix all the ingredients together. I like to cube the cream cheese on top of the noddles and it melts and combines in the oven. This recipe gives me seriously delicious Italian food restaurant vibes.  

Baked Tortellini Casserole Recipe

Are you a busy mom on a budget looking for kid-friendly dinner recipes to make? Your picky eaters are going to love these fun and easy meals made with just a few cheap ingredients! I've rounded up a list of the best simple dinner ideas for kids, everything from ground beef and chicken to pasta casseroles and crockpot meals.

9. Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole

Tater tots make everything better, right? Your kids are sure to love this delicious combination of cheesy ground beef, cream of mushroom soup and veggies. This casserole is perfect for picky eaters because you can substitute any vegetable of your liking. Your family is sure to ask for seconds. 

Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

This easy dinner recipe is made with simple ingredients that your family will love including ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, cheddar cheese, green beans, onion and tater tots. Some serious comfort food! You could also add in any extra veggies that you like such as corn, zucchini, bell pepper or fresh mushrooms, just depending on what you and your kids like. This recipe is definitely husband approved, too! He always goes back for seconds.

10. Easy Meatloaf

Take your meatloaf recipe up a notch with Stove Top Stuffing. This easy meatloaf recipe has just a few ingredients but the meatloaf is the best I’ve ever had. Make sure to pick up a few bread loaf aluminum pans for this recipe. 

Easy Meatloaf Recipe

Elevate your meatloaf game by simply mixing in a box of Stove Top stuffing, resulting in a quick, easy, and budget-friendly dinner recipe your entire family will love. Serve with mashed potatoes and watch as everyone licks their plates clean, including your picky kids! This easy meatloaf recipe turned out to be absolutely wonderful, and my husband always goes back for seconds! That’s usually how I decide whether a recipe is a keeper or not.

Helpful Tips For Make Ahead Freezer Meals

  • Make sure to undercook any noddles or rice called for in these recipes. Otherwise when the casseroles are baked the noodles/rice will over cook and become soggy.
  • There is no need to precook any of the veggies in this list of freezer casseroles. Dont worry everything will get nice and tender during the baking process. 
  • Some of these recipes call for you to melt cheese or cream cheese on the stove before adding to the casserole dish. I personally didn’t do this. Instead I added an even layer of cut up cheese or cream cheese on top of the other ingredients in the recipe. It all melts together when baked anyways and this will save you some prep time!

Are you looking for easy dinner ideas for your busy weeknights. Maybe you work late or your kids have practice. Well this list of make ahead freezer meals is perfect for those bust late night dinners. Pull out of the freezer in the morning and bake in the evening and you'll have a delicious home cooked meal your entire family will love!

I love that these freezer dinners take the guess work out of “what’s for dinner tonight, mom?” And we dont have to stop for fast food because I didn’t plan ahead. Such a great way to make sure your kids get a healthy and filling dinner no matter how busy you are! These recipes really make the best freezer meal ideas ever. 

Quick and easy dinner ideas for busy weeknights. The perfect freezer meals for busy parents. No time to make dinner? No problem. Meal prep these amazing casseroles on the weekend and have dinners for a whole month.

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