3 Make-Ahead Freezer Meals Perfect For Fall

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When the weather turns crisp and school routines kick into gear, dinner can start to feel like one more task on an already full plate.

A few easy homemade freezer meals can be your secret weapon — helping you get dinner on the table quickly. Here are our three favorites.

Turkey Zucchini Meatballs

This is a great way to use your summer overload of zucchini (whether you grow it yourself or snag it from the farmers’ market), says Molly Pisula, a Maryland-based former personal chef trained in French pastry and food blogger at Vanilla Bean Cuisine. Not only does adding zucchini to your meatballs improve the nutritional content, but the moisture in the zucchini helps keep them tender. “I keep a batch in the freezer and pull them out when I need them,” says Pisula. “They are great for meatball sandwiches, to serve with spaghetti or to eat on their own in a little garlic-butter sauce.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 medium zucchini

1 shallot

1 egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pound ground turkey breast

2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425℉. Cut off the zucchini ends and grate the rest. Peel and mince the shallot. In a large bowl, combine the minced shallot and grated zucchini with the remaining ingredients except the turkey and olive oil. Gently stir in the ground turkey. Using a cookie scoop or your hands, form the mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add half the meatballs and brown on both sides, 10 minutes total, before transferring to an 8x8-inch baking dish. Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet and cook the rest of the meatballs. Put the baking dish with all the meatballs in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes.


Tomato Basil Bisque

This peak summer comfort food can easily be frozen, thawed and ready for fall meals in minutes, perfect for cozy autumn evenings. “It freezes beautifully if you leave out the dairy,” says Marissa Stevens, an Oregon-based recipe developer and founder of Pinch and Swirl.

Serves 4

Ingredients

5 ounces sourdough bread, crust removed and cut into 1-inch cubes (plus 2 tablespoons olive oil and kosher salt to taste for the sourdough croutons)

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1 large celery stalk, diced

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed

28 ounces whole tomatoes (or substitute one 28-ounce can)

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup heavy cream (to be added after defrosting)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400℉. Add the bread cubes to a medium bowl, drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Spread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and season to taste with kosher salt. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden and crisp.

Meanwhile, heat the butter and olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat until sizzling. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic; cook and stir until onion is softened and translucent. Add tomatoes, water, oregano, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil before reducing the heat and simmering for 15 minutes. Remove the heat and stir in fresh basil leaves. Blend with an immersion blender. Return the blended soup to the pan. After defrosting, stir in heavy cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top with croutons. Garnish with fresh basil leaves if desired and serve.


Basil Pesto Pasta

It’s a flavorful, fresh way to capture the best of summer’s bounty, says Shawna Clark, the California-based founder of the blog Healthy Foodie Girl. “When basil is abundant, I make a double batch and freeze it for quick and delicious meals throughout the year,” Clark says. “Tossing cooked pasta with this pesto and freezing it in portions creates an easy, ready-to-reheat meal that brings the brightness of summer to any table.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 large bunch of fresh basil (about 4-5 ounces)

3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 large garlic clove, crushed

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Toast pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Rinse and dry basil leaves, removing the stems. Combine the basil, pine nuts, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cheese and salt in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Freeze in small portions.

 What's YOUR favorite freezer meal? Let us know in the comments below.