Healthy meals to freeze – your future self will thank you!

If you are busy, and tired or drained after the working day (that includes all stay-at-home parents too!)

Cooking might be the last thing on your mind!

Meal prepping and filling your freezer is something might be the perfect option for you!

So, what meals are going to prep and freeze?

Well, I am going to share 7 easy and delicious meals you can freeze over my next 7 recipes!

As winter calls for delicious soups; summer for vegie fritters that you can serve up with a salad or eat on the go. Every season needs a chocolate brownie, and this one is healthier due to the addition of the most popular beans of recent years – black beans!

Quick & easy minestrone

Om Nom Nom Mama Meal Numero Uno Freezable Recipe. Is this hearty, chunky, it comes fully loaded with flavour and delicious minestrone soup containing fibre-and protein-rich kidney beans to nourish your soul on those colder days. And thanks to a few extra little touches that make all the difference: bacon sautéed until golden, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and the final touch – parmesan stirred in the soup as well as sprinkled on top.

Freeze in individual serves for quick and nutritious meals.

Best pasta for Minestrone Soup?
Small pasta works best for easier eating and also they don’t bloat as much as large pasta (like rigatoni) when leftovers are left in the broth.

I used Ditalini (very small tubes, pictured above) but any small pasta works fine – try tiny shells, risoni / orzo, small macaroni or even alphabet or tiny star shaped pasta!

Om Nom Nom Tip: Cook the pasta to just before al dente – take the pot off the stove at the recommended cook time per packet MINUS 1 1/2 minutes. The pasta will finish cooking in the residual heat to perfect al dente, then the pasta will hold up fine even stored In the broth for 2 to 3 days. It does soften more but it doesn’t go unpleasantly mushy.

Using small pasta also helps with this (larger pasta and long string pasta bloats more, breaks apart etc).

Ingredients:

▢1 tbsp olive oil
▢150g / 5oz bacon , finely chopped
▢1 onion , chopped
▢2 garlic cloves , minced
▢800g/ 28oz crushed tomato (or 700g passata)
▢2 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium
▢2 cups water
▢3 tbsp tomato paste
▢2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
▢400g/ 14oz canned kidney beans , drained
▢1 tsp EACH salt and pepper
▢1 cup small pasta , like ditalini, tiny shells, risoni/orzo, baby macaroni, alphabet or star pasta
▢1/4 cup parmesan , grated

Minestrone Vegetables (Note 1):
▢1 celery rib* , chopped 1.5cm / 1/2″ pieces
▢1 large carrot* , peeled and diced 1.5cm / 1/2″ pieces
▢1 zucchini* , chopped 1.5cm / 1/2″ pieces
▢1 potato* , cut into 1.5cm / 1/2″ pieces (peel if needed)
▢100g / 3oz green beans* , trimmed then cut into 2cm / 3/5″ lengths
▢2oz/ 60g baby spinach (or frozen spinach, kale or similar – can leave out)

For serving – optional:
▢More parmesan
▢Chopped parsley
▢Crusty bread for dunking!

Instructions:

Heat oil over high heat in a very large pot.
Add bacon, cook until starting to turn golden (2 min) then add garlic and onion.
Cook until onion is translucent and bacon is light golden (2 min).
Add carrot, celery and zucchini. Stir for 1 minute to coat in flavour.
Add crushed tomato, chicken stock, water, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, kidney beans, salt and pepper.
Stir, bring to simmer, then place lid on and adjust heat so it’s simmering gently.
Simmer 20 minutes, then add potato and beans.
Simmer 5 minutes, then add pasta. Cook for time per pasta packet MINUS 1 1/2 minutes.
Remove from stove, stir through parmesan and baby spinach. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.
Serve, garnished with extra parmesan and a sprinkle of parsley if desired. Warm crusty bread on the side would certainly be the cherry on top!

Recipe Notes:
Any vegetables – use any vegetables you want that are suitable for cooking in soup form. Add them into the pot based on how long they take to cook.

Vegetarian option – skip the bacon, use vegetable rather than chicken stock. Then give the broth a flavour bump with one of these options:
Increase parmesan to 3/4 cup (75g)
Add 2 tsp Vegeta (or other vegetable stock powder) instead of salt (then add salt at end to taste)
(For meat free vegetarians) Use 3 anchovies (finely chopped) or 2 tsp anchovy paste – add it halfway through cooking onion, it will dissolve. Adds a good hit of umami into broth, no sign of fishiness once simmered.

Storage – if you use small pasta and cook it for 1 1/2 minutes less than per packet time (as per recipe directions), then it keeps fine in the soup broth. Keeps for 3 to 4 days – pasta does absorb liquid so it gets thicker, almost stew like. You can add a bit of water to thin it out, but not too much because it will dilute flavour. Consider it a soup on day 1, Minestrone Stew on day 2 and beyond!

Freezes well too – cool, freeze, thaw, reheat using preferred method.

Recipe is for 5 people (VERY big bowl!) assigning lean bacon is used.