This is Part 2 of a response to a reader who was looking for ways to make after-work meal-making easier by cooking extra things on a day off. The first part offered ways to creatively use a key ingredient you may have left over from a weekend meal, such as an abundance of roast chicken.
If you missed that story, search Eric Akis at timescolonist.com and scroll down to the story related to that topic.
The reader also wondered about dishes that could be cooked in large batches on a day off, and frozen. You’ll have good food at the ready to reheat when you need dinner, but don’t have the energy to make it.
There are all kinds of possibilities, from stews to main-course soups to layered casseroles. In the end, I chose four dishes that could be divided and frozen in single servings, or in larger multiple-serving ones.
One was freezer-ready ricotta and pesto-stuffed shells. It uses the dried jumbo pasta shells sold at most supermarkets. If you freeze the shells in ovenproof dishes, they will be at the ready to thaw and bake when needed. Add a simple salad and Italian bread and you’ll create a nice dinner.
Another of today’s recipes is freezer-ready pulled pork. This version of the popular meat dish sees two pork roasts slow-cooked in the oven until very tender before being pulled into shreds. The meat takes hours to cook, making it ideal to prepare on a day off when you’re at home doing other things.
The recipe yields 12 succulent portions of saucy meat that you can freeze and reheat when needed. Make pulled-pork sandwiches by piling the meat into buns. Add some pickles and coleslaw and/or potato salad and you’ll have a fine meal. For an even more filling meal, serve corn on the cob with the pork when available.
Today’s third recipe is single-serving fish and potato pot pies. A quick-to-cook stew strewn with bits of fish and vegetables is spooned into four small baking dishes. The stew is topped with mashed potatoes before being cooled and frozen to thaw and bake to completion at another time. This hearty dish will make a welcoming supper after a long day at the office.
My last recipe, Cook-Slice-and-Freeze Meatloaf Supper, is classic comfort food. To make it, rich ground beef is formed into two free-form loaves and baked. Once cooled, the meat is sliced and arranged in freezer containers, topped with gravy, cooled and frozen until you’re ready to reheat it. Serve the meatloaf with mashed potatoes and a vegetable and you’ll have a simple but delicious meal.
If you don’t have many of your own heatproof freezer containers and dishes, invest in some. The more you have, the more likely you’ll be tempted to create some tasty meals you can freeze and have at the ready when you don’t feel like cooking.
Freezer-ready Ricotta and Pesto Stuffed Shells
Cheese-rich stuffed pasta you can make ahead, freeze, thaw and bake when needed. You can freeze the shells in single servings or in larger baking dishes.
Preparation time:30 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Makes: 6 (4 shells each) servings
24 jumbo pasta shells (see Note)
1 (500 g) tub ricotta cheese
1 large egg
2 Tbsp homemade or store-bought pesto
1 cup grated mozzarella
1 cup grated asiago cheese
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• salt and white pepper to taste
3 cups strained tomatoes (passata di pomodoro), tomato sauce, or tomato-based pasta sauce
1/3 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 to 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Cook the shells in a generous amount of lightly salted boiling water until just tender, about eight minutes.
While the pasta cooks, place the ricotta, egg, pesto and two-thirds each of the mozzarella, asiago and Parmesan cheeses in a bowl. Mix to combine and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
When tender, drain the pasta, cool in cold water and drain again. Stuff a heaping tablespoon of ricotta mixture into each pasta shell and set in a single layer on large baking sheet.
Place the strained tomatoes, tomato sauce or pasta sauce and stock in a bowl and mix to combine. Divide the mixture among six single-serving baking dishes, or two 9-by-13-inch baking dishes. If you are using single-serving dishes, set four stuffed shells in each one. If using two larger baking dishes, arrange 12 stuffed shells in each one.
Sprinkle the shells in each baking dish with some of the remaining mozzarella, asiago and Parmesan cheeses. Tightly wrap, label, date and freeze until ready to bake.
When needed, thaw the dishes of stuffed shells in the refrigerator eight hours or overnight.
Remove the freezer wrap and cover the shells with foil. Bake 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes more, or until it’s golden on top and the sauce is bubbling.
Note: Jumbo pasta shells perfect for stuffing are sold in the dried-pasta aisle of many supermarkets.
Freezer-Ready Pulled Pork
This oven-cooked version of pulled pork is easy to make, but does require a bit of cooking time. It yields a generous amount of pulled pork. If you make it on a day off and freeze it, you’ll have some succulent cooked meat in the freezer you can thaw, reheat and stuff in warm buns to make a tasty midweek meal.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: About 3 hours, 45 minutes
Makes: About 12 servings
4 tsp chili powder
4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp salt
* freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 (3 lb) boneless pork shoulder (butt) or leg roasts
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups barbecue sauce
1/2 cup golden brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 325 F. Combine the first seven ingredients on a wide plate. If the roasts are tied with string, untie them. Set one of the roasts on the plate and coat on all sides with the spice mixture, deeply rubbing it into the meat.
Heat the oil in large heavy skillet set over medium, medium-high. When hot, add the roast, sear on all sides, and then set in a deep roasting pan or casserole (mine was 12 inches long and 9 inches wide).
Coat the second pork roast in the spice mixture, sear it as you did the first, and set it in the roasting pan or casserole.
Drain excess fat from the skillet. Pour in the stock, barbecue sauce, brown sugar and vinegar and whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and then pour over the pork. Cover and cook pork in the oven 3 1/2 hours, or until the meat is falling apart tender.
Remove the pork from the sauce and set in a large bowl. Cool meat until safe enough to handle, but still warm. Skim fat from the surface of the sauce in the pan, and then reserve.
When safe enough to handle, pull pork into shreds with two forks, or with your fingers. Divide pork among your desired amount of freezer containers. Divide and pour the sauce in the pan over the pork. Cool pork to room temperature.
Tightly seal, label, date and freeze the pork until needed. The pork could be reheated in the microwave from frozen. It could also be thawed in the refrigerator overnight and reheated in a skillet. Cover and warm over medium heat until heated through. If you do the latter, you may wish to add a little water or additional stock to the skillet to ensure the pork stays nice and moist.
Single Serving Fish and Potato Pot Pies
Comforting fish stew topped with mashed potatoes frozen in individual baking dishes until ready to thaw, bake and enjoy. This recipe could be doubled.
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
1 1/2 lbs. baking or yellow fleshed potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 medium celery rib, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 medium garlic clove, minced
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp dried tarragon or dill
2 1/2 cups chicken, vegetable or fish stock
1 lb (500 grams) boneless, skinless fish fillets, such as salmon, cod, halibut or snapper, cut in 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup frozen peas
* salt and white pepper to taste
1/3 cup milk
1 Tbsp melted butter
Place the potatoes in a medium pot (mine was 8 inches wide) and cover with cold water. Gently boil the potatoes until quite tender.
While that occurs, place the oil in a second medium pot set over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook 4 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook 2 minutes more. While stirring, slowly mix in the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the fish and cook 5 minutes more, until the fish is cooked on the outside but still underdone in the middle (it will finish cooking in the oven). Remove from the heat and then stir in the peas, salt and pepper.
Divide the fish mixture among four small (about 1 to 1 1/2 cup capacity) baking dishes.
When the potatoes are tender, drain well and then thoroughly mash. Whip in the milk, butter, salt and white pepper. Divide and mound potatoes on the fish mixture in each dish. Cool to room temperature, and then tightly wrap, label, date and freeze pot pies until ready to bake.
When needed, thaw the number of dishes of pot pie you want to bake in the refrigerator eight hours, or overnight. To heat, baked in a preheated 425 F 15 to 20 minutes, or until the fish mixture is bubbly and the potatoes are golden.
Cook, Slice and Freeze Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy
Flavourful meatloaf cooked, cooled, sliced, frozen, topped with gravy and at the ready to reheat and serve with mashed potatoes and vegetables.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 70 to 75 minutes
Makes: 6 to 8 (2 slice) servings
For the meatloaf
2 lbs lean ground beef
2 large eggs
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup regular barbecue sauce
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
* freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup regular barbecue sauce
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place all ingredients, except second 1/4 cup measure of barbecue sauce, in a large bowl and gently mix to combine.
With cold-water-moistened hands, divide the meat mixture in half and set on the baking sheet. Shape each half into a meatloaf that is 7 inches long and 3 1/2 inches wide. Brush the top of each meatloaf with remaining barbecue sauce.
Bake the meatloaves 70 to 75 minutes, or until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the centre of each loaf registers at least 160 F (71 C). Cool meatloaf to room temperature.
Carefully slice each meatloaf, at a slight angle, into 6 to 8 slices. Arrange the slices, in slightly overlapping layers, in your desired amount of heatproof freezer containers. Top with gravy (see recipe below), seal, label and freeze meatloaf until needed.
Meatloaf could be thawed and reheated in the microwave. If you don’t have a microwave, the meatloaf and gravy, after thawing, could be heated in a covered skillet set over medium heat.
For the gravy
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
3/4 lb. white mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups beef stock or broth
* salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a pot set over medium, medium-high. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook until tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Mix in the flour and cook 2 minutes more. While stirring, slowly mix in the stock. Bring to simmer; simmer 5 minutes. Season the gravy with salt and pepper. Cool gravy to room temperature before spooning over the meatloaf.
Eric Akis is the author of the just-published hardcover book Everyone Can Cook Everything. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.