Freezer cooking is my favorite time and money saving cooking method. But I rarely have time to make 30 meals for a once-a-month freezer session. The solution? Mega cooking.
Instead of spending an entire day or even 2, preparing a month’s worth of meals, simply double or triple a recipe. Today we made a large batch of lasagna, had one for dinner and froze 4 beautiful lasagnas.
First make the sauce: 
Assemble in pans. I don’t precook my lasagna noodles. They easily snap as needed to fit any pan from single serving to food service size. Once all the layers are ready, wrap well and freeze (or bake and eat :o)
Mom’s Famous Lasagna 1 pound hamburger, browned and drained
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
28 oz can diced or crushed tomatoes
8 ounces tomato sauce
1.5 cups water (omit if you cook your noodles first)
1 cup salsa
2 tsp sugar
1-2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp fennel seed
1.5 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil leaves
1 tsp salt
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
28 oz can diced or crushed tomatoes
8 ounces tomato sauce
1.5 cups water (omit if you cook your noodles first)
1 cup salsa
2 tsp sugar
1-2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp fennel seed
1.5 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil leaves
1 tsp salt
16 oz cottage cheese
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
4-6 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated parmesan
3/4 cup grated parmesan
1 package regular lasagna noodles
Combine all but the last 6 ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine cottage cheese, egg and salt.
In a 13 x 9 pan (or two 8 x 8 pans) layer uncooked noodles, about 1/3 of the meat sauce, 1/3 the cottage cheese and 1/3 of the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Repeat layers twice. Wrap well, label and freeze. When ready to eat, thaw in refrigerator overnight. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 more minutes. Let set a few minutes before cutting.
In a 13 x 9 pan (or two 8 x 8 pans) layer uncooked noodles, about 1/3 of the meat sauce, 1/3 the cottage cheese and 1/3 of the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Repeat layers twice. Wrap well, label and freeze. When ready to eat, thaw in refrigerator overnight. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 more minutes. Let set a few minutes before cutting.
If you don’t have enough casserole pans to allocate to the freezer, this is my method: Line your pan with a piece of Non-Stick Reynolds wrap. Make extra sure it’s the non-stick kind so it will release easily! Layer your lasagna and fold the foil ends lightly over the top. Freeze. When frozen, set pan on a warm wet towel for a few minutes to loosen. Loosen around the edges and remove lasagna. Peel off the foil and freeze in a zipper freezer bag.
Posted to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Tasty Tuesday.
Oh, I love lasagna! I never think to make extras, but this is a great reminder. Thanks for sharing- looks delish!
ReplyDeleteThanks JessieLeigh! So much easier to make several at once and get the "work" over with :)
ReplyDeleteOh we love lasagna around here! That looks yummy!
ReplyDeleteThats the same way I've been doing my freezer cooking. When I'm cooking something I know my family likes, I double or tripe the recipe. That way I get a stock pile of things in my freezer, without the long 1 or 2 day cooking spree. This method works much better for me. Thanks for dropping by my blog. :)
ReplyDeleteThe lasagna looks yummy--can't wait to try it!
ReplyDeleteYour lasagna looks delicious! I precook my meats this way. I figure why brown just one pound of ground beef? I precook ground beef, pork sausage, chicken and turkey. It's a lifesaver on busy days. Enjoy your lasagna!!
ReplyDelete