I make my freezer meals 2 ways. One way is to just make them all in a 2 day process. Compile my list, shop, and do meat prep. Then the next day I assemble them. The other way I like to do it is over the course of a week or two. I buy the ingredients enough to double the recipes, then I make one for dinner and just double it and put one away in the freezer. Then by the end of about 2 or 3 weeks, you have 10 meals frozen in the freezer ready to go for later. Your meals will do well in the freezer for 2-4 months.
I really love enchiladas. We eat a variation of them every week. My favorite thing about this dish is that I can mix it all in one bowl and layer it and bake. No rolling, no sauce, no specific order. It tastes phenomenal and it makes a really awesome freezer meal. Make one for dinner and make one to freeze. Just double layer it with foil before baking it and freeze. Then just thaw it and bake.
Layered Enchilada Casserole
2 cup cooked, shredded chicken (I just toss a few chicken breasts in the crock pot in the morning to cook)
1 can diced tomatoes, drained (15 oz)
1 can black beans, drained (15oz)
1 tub Santé Fe Blend Philadelphia Cooking Crème
2 cup shredded cheese. ( I used a combo of 3 cheddar and Pepper Jack)
3 flour tortillas (I used 6 inch)
1. Mix the chicken, tomatoes, beans, and cooking crème in a bowl. Combine well.
2. Place a 1/3 cup mixture on bottom of a pie plate or 8X8 freezer pan. I buy the foil ones. Top with 1 flour tortilla.
3. Top tortilla with chicken mixture and cheese. Repeat layers and end with chicken mixture on top and top with last bit of cheese.
4. Double wrap in heavy aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Label.
Cooking Instructions: Thaw and bake uncovered at 350 degrees 30 minutes or until heated through.
Just foil? Would it be ok to put them in a freezer bag?
ReplyDeleteDumb question but how do you cook chicken breasts in the crock pot... that sounds like a great time saver.
ReplyDeleteWhen I want shredded chicken I just throw the chicken breasts in the crock pot with a little bit of chicken stock/broth (I like my chicken to stay moist). Then cook on low for 6-8 hours (or less if you only put one or two chicken breasts in) and shred with two forks. Or if you want it to stay whole take out carefully.
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Deletesince this is a tex/mex style, you can also toss the chicken breasts in with a jar of your favorite salsa. . .then you get some more taste to the chicken.
DeleteYes Toilie, a freezer bag would be fine. I have done a layer of foil and then stuck the whole thing in a freezer bag and it worked great.
ReplyDeleteMarci- stephanie is right. And then, when the chicken is still warm toss it in your kitchenaid mixing bowl with the paddle attachment (the one you use for cookies) and just turn it on low. Shredded to restaurant quality.
love the crock pot to cook chicken and the mixer to shred it idea! Thanks!
Deletei never thought to toss it into the kitchenaid! that is brilliant! i'm so impatient and burn the heck out of my hands trying to shred it while it's hot. NO MORE! :O)
DeleteWoah! Kitchenaid mixer, brilliant!!
Deleteshredding with a hand held mixer works great too!
DeleteDo you have to bake the casserole before you freeze it?
ReplyDeleteI would like to know that too. It's confusing b/c in the directions before the ingredient list it says to bake then freeze. Anybody??
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DeleteSo do you have to cook it before you freeze it?
DeleteIt doesnt say bake it first, just says double layer with foil before baking.
DeleteLooks delish - added it to my menu for the week & pinned it!
ReplyDeleteWhat is Santé Fe Blend Philadelphia Cooking Crème ?
ReplyDeleteOk So I found cooking creme at the store but we don't have the sante fe one around here. CaN I use the original and add something to it for flavouring? Ideas?
DeleteI am using a small can of diced chilies or you could use a half cup of drained salsa :)
DeleteCan you substitute ground beef for the chicken?
ReplyDeleteLinda- yes. I have made it that way once and it was good. give it a go and enjoy :)
ReplyDeleteLiana- Try adding taco seasoning or some mexican type seasonings. That should work pretty well.
ReplyDeleteCumin, chilli powder, garlic....those sort of things. Onion.
ReplyDeleteRedhot Teacher, nope, just assemble and freeze. All the ingredients are cooked, so you are good to go :)
ReplyDeleteSo this is in a 8x8 pan - feeds 4?
ReplyDeleteCrys- yes, it is in an 8X8 pan and it worked well to feed 4. I served it with a salad and some bread as well.
ReplyDeleteJoyful Momma, did you find that the flour tortillas were soggy at all before cooking or after cooking them?
ReplyDeleteMine were very soggy since I didn't precook it. I precooked it the second time and it seemed better. Last time I just used corn torts and had no problem. My family is to texture oriented to get away with soggy flour torts.
DeleteWhat is cooking creme? And where would I find it in the store? Thanks for sharing your ideas and recipes!
ReplyDeleteCooking Creme is made by Philadelphia Cream Cheese, if you can't find it, or don't want to use it, like me. I subbed sour cream and a can of cream of mushroom soup, turned out great.
DeleteI am making this tonight! I put a can of Rotel in with the chicken to cook to give it some spice. I also think you could use Rotel and regular cream cheese if you can't find the cooking creme. I end up using regular cream cheese as a substitute a lot when I don't have the creme. :) Thanks for the great freezer ideas! We will surely try them all!
ReplyDeleteI have an amazing meal to share... Crock Pot Chicken Salsa
ReplyDeleteI take a bag of frozen chicken and put them in a crock pot with salsa to cover the chicken. For my family of 6 I use a large container of salsa, Pace, and about 6 to 8 chicken breasts. I cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Take out the chicken and shred with 2 forks. While I am shredding, I cook 4 to 6 cups of rice. Rice on the plate, topped with the chicken salsa. We always have optional toppings of lettuce, cheese, sour cream. I have added black beans and corn if I have had more people than expected at dinner time, which seems to happen if the word gets out that it is a "salsa chicken night". Just thought I would share.
Just made this tonight (with 2 more dishes for the freezer) and my husband liked it and he is hard to please! I couldn't find the Sante Fe Cooking Creme and wasn't sure what it was. I used a mexican style sour cream dip that I found at the store and that worked good. I did the chicken in the crock pot and just used a can of beer to keep it moist and that worked very well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your meal idea!! I love that you all leave me comments. :) I can feel the love
ReplyDeleteoh! and cooking creme is a new product put out by philledlphia (cream cheese brand). It is usually in the refrigerated section just next to the cream cheese. If you can only find the regular kind, just add taco seasoning.
ReplyDeleteI made this on Sunday, froze it, and cooked it tonight and my husband loved it! Its just the two of us and I had a small decent portion of it, and my husband ate the rest( that's how much he loved it! Plus he had the metabolism of a 10 year old!) This is great for when we eventually have kids! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThis works great in round cake pans. :) Line it with foil, freeze,and then pop it out and put in a freezer bag, if you will need the pan for something else. The round shape is perfect for the tortillas.
ReplyDeleteI can my own chicken breasts and this recipe works great with the canned chicken! Thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteIs it as easy as doubling the recipe for larger families and putting it in the 9 X 13 foil pan?
ReplyDeleteSure Julie. I have made it that way seveal times to feed my big family. It works great. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteQuestion: do the flour tortillas hold up in the freezer? I did enchiladas with corn tortillas and they completely dissolved in the freezer. It was a disgusting mushy mess.
ReplyDeleteThanks for these recipes! (Found them on Pinterest). Making a ton of them today as I'm having a baby girl in 11 days! =) Will be nice to have a freezer stocked full.
ReplyDeleteI am a FACS teacher and in my Foods class we are talking about nutrition and eating meals together. My goal is to do freezer meals for a lab and have each kid take one home.I want to put them in small loaf pans, half the size of an 8x8 pan. Should I decrease the temperature? I know it sounds dumb but, I don't want the kids to be excited to cook them and then burn them.
ReplyDeleteI made this tonight and it was delicious!! I found it on Pinterest. I modified it to my preference, thanks so much for sharing this recipe!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat are your thoughts on using tortilla chips instead of tortilla's? Several people have asked the question about the soggy tortilla's. Do you have that problem?
ReplyDeleteDo you cook it before freezing??
ReplyDeleteHow many people does this serve?
ReplyDeleteFor those of you who are worried about soggy tortillas (Like I am, I can't eat soggy things), something that you can do is prepare the chicken mixture and put it in a zip lock bag and put that in the freezer. When you are ready to cook take it out of the freezer and let the chicken mixture thaw. Then when you are ready to cook do the rest of the steps with fresh (never frozen) tortillas and cheese (another option with the cheese it to also freeze it in a separate bag from the chicken mix) .This is what I am planning on doing :)
ReplyDeleteOur family LOVES this casserole and I've made it for my freezer meal group. I mentioned you in my blog today...http://emilydalen.blogspot.com/2013/01/friday-in-kitchen-cream-puff.html
ReplyDeleteMine was still runny after cooking it longer than the recommended time, you cook it UNcovered the whole time, right? What am I doing wrong? :)
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