Freezer meals are a must for busy parents, but they’re especially helpful when you take the time to batch up more than one at a time. Cook/prep for a few hours and eat for dayssssss? Yes, sign me up!
Usually, what comes to mind when you hear “freezer meal” is your grandma’s style of freezer meal: a casserole or something similar, wrapped in a baking dish and ready to go.
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But let me tell you this: A “drop dinner” is not yo’ momma’s freezer meal. This is the style that belongs to YOU.
Drop dinners are meals that, once prepped, can be “dropped” right into a slow cooker or an Instant Pot. You prep waaaay ahead of time, then reap the benefits later by doing basically nothing on cooking day.
But other than slow cookers and Instant Pots, may I add another GREAT alternative for a drop dinner?
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Sheet pan meals.
Now, I’m a big proponent of sheet pan meals (I’ve written two cookbooks on ‘em!) And I’m a big proponent of prepping meals ahead of time. So marrying the two has been, for me, a natural thing.
When deciding on a meal to be prepped for the freezer, there are 3 things I look for beforehand:
1. How will these ingredients hold up to being frozen?
One good thing about sheet pan cooking is that it draws out the moisture content of foods in order to caramelize them, so foods that are moisture heavy — like tomatoes or zucchini — can often be prepped and then frozen and thawed without ruining the integrity or texture of the dish. It’s a big benefit of prepping a meal ahead of time as opposed to just placing an ingredient in the freezer to grab later.
2. What ingredients need to be combined on cooking day to finish the dish?
Occasionally the meal you’re making will work better as a “meal kit”, which is when you prep individual components of a dish, store separately, and then combine on cooking day.
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3. Does it have to be thawed before it’s cooked?
Some dishes — like the shrimp recipe I share with you later in this post — don’t have to be fully thawed in order to cook on a sheet pan; they’ll thaw enough in the oven, which is a great time saver. Look for seafood recipes and vegetable-laden dishes that don’t take an overnight thaw in order to cook.
So I’m going to walk you through just how I prep, store, thaw, and cook 3 REALLY easy sheet pan meals. So you can get back to livin’ on a weeknight, instead of fighting your way through the dinner hour. Sound good?
Here’s how you can batch prep and freeze 3 of my favorite sheet pan meals to save and cook later.
Meal 1: Greek Chicken Sheet Pan
Make it from fresh: Click here for the original recipe
Prep it for the freezer:
- Place chicken thighs, crushed olives, cubed eggplant, oil, and seasonings in large bag; shake to combine until everything is lightly coated with the herb rub.
- In a separate bag, place the feta cheese crumbles.
- Staple the bags together and store in the freezer.
Prepare from frozen:
- Thaw bags in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 8 hours.
- Spread everything except for the feta evenly on full size sheet pan and place in 350*F oven until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove and sprinkle with the feta cheese and serve hot.
Meal 2: Kielbasa, Sweet Peppers, and Onions
Make it from fresh: Click here for the original recipe
Prep it for the freezer:
- Place kielbasa links, sliced onions and sliced peppers in a large bag.
- Add the honey, olive oil and mustard and shake to mix, until everything is lightly coated with honey, oil, and mustard.
- Label and freeze.
To Prepare it from frozen:
- Thaw bags in the refrigerator overnight or in the fridge for 8 hours.
- When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350*F.
- Spread contents of bag on full-size sheet pan, taking care to squeeze out as much excess sauce as possible from the bag.
- Cook for 20 minutes or until kielbasa is cooked through.
Meal 3: Sweet Chili and Lime Shrimp with Sugar Snaps Peas (this one’s in my first cookbook!)
Make it from fresh: Click here for the original recipe
Prep it for the freezer:
- Place all ingredients into a large ziplock bag and shake to coat.
Prepare from frozen:
- Preheat oven to 350*F.
- Thaw slightly, until ingredients can be poured out of the bag onto a full-size sheet pan, making sure to get as much of the sauce onto the pan as possible.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes or until shrimp is cooked through and pink in the center, and the beans are wrinkled and lightly browned.
See how easy it can be to prep a few meals and then drop them out onto a sheet pan at a later date?
Sheet pan cooking caramelizes the ingredients using the dry heat of the oven, giving you a deep flavor. It’s perfect for any busy person who’s not thrilled at the idea of cooking every.dang.weeknight. Which recipe do you plan on trying first?
Ruthy Kirwan is a recipe tester, developer, and cooking instructor living in New York City.
In 2016, Ruthy created the website ‘Percolate Kitchen’ to be a digital kitchen resource for busy people. Sharing simple and quick recipes, how-to’s and guides, and meal prep for the everday family, she has built a loyal following of busy parents who want calmer weeknights. Her weekly newsletter is full of actionable tips, recipes, foodie links from around the web, kitchen ‘hacks’ and more.
You can find out more at percolatekitchen.com
