Shanghai Stir-Fry

This is another great recipe from Fix, Freeze, Feast. It makes 3 entrees/6 servings each.

6 lbs Boneless Top Sirloin steak
2/3 cup cranberry juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tsp minced garlic
3 tsp minced ginger
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Zest of 1 orange

On hand for cooking:
Vegetable oil
1 (11-oz) can mandarin orange slices, drained
2 tsp sesame seeds

Rinse steaks and trip excess fat. Cutting across the grain, slice each steak into narrow strips. Divide beef evenly amoung 3 1-gallon freezer bags.

Whisk together cranberry juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Divide the marinade evenly over the beef. Into each bag, measure 1 tsp garlic, 1 tsp ginger, and 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper. Divide the orange zest evenly amount the 3 bags.

Seal and freeze.

To prepare, completely thaw in fridge. Heat a bit of oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and marinade and stir-fry until well browned, about 10 minutes. Add mandarin oranges and stir to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice.

Baked Pasta

1 pkg (16 oz) dry pasta
1 lb lean ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (15 oz) tomato sauce
12 oz brown gravy
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded

In a Dutch oven or large frying pan, cook and stir ground beef until brown. Add garlic, tomato sauce, gravy, cream, Parmesan cheese, oregano and basil. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Drain.

Combine the cooked pasta (we prefer ziti) and the sauce, and spread into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 350d for 20 - 30 minutes, until bubbly.

Beef Chow Mein Casserole

From the kitchen of Ruth Herrmann

1 lb ground beef
1/2 yellow or white onion (chopped)
1 cup celery (chopped)
1 can water chestnuts (chopped)
1 cup rice, uncooked
1 cup chow mein noodles
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can chicken & rice soup or chicken & stars with rice
3 - 4 cups water (if using Minute Rice, use only 3 cups)
1/3 cup soy sauce

Brown hamburger and drain. Saute onion and celery in a small amount of butter or oil. Mix all ingredients together in a greased 9 x 13 pan, add the water last.

Bake at 350d for 1.5 hours, add more noodles on the top for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Add salt and pepper for seasoning if you choose, and enjoy!

Side notes: You can easily substitue other ingredients in this recipe, such as using cooked wild rice, or different 'cream of' soups. If you don't have the 'chicken and rice' soup in your pantry, you can use some chicken stock and add a little more rice to the dish. If you want your kids (or hubby!!) to have some more veggies, add some to the casserole.

This dish may seem to be done after an hour in the oven, but baking the entire time is recommended as the flavors blend completely.

Make-Ahead Chimichangas

NOTE: Below are ingredients for (3) complete recipes (approximately 48 Chimichangas). This recipe is adapted from The Freezer Cooking Manual.

5 lbs Ground beef, cooked
48 oz Salsa (heat depending on personal preference)
48 oz Refried beans
3 Taco seasoning packets
48 8" flour tortillas
12 cups Shredded cheddar cheese

Cook ground beef until browed and cooked. Add salsa, beans, and seasoning packets to the ground beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until heated through.

Working in batches (unless you have an enormous kitchen counter!), put approximately 1/2 cup of meat mixture on each tortilla. Top with some cheese. Fold in the sides and then roll it up.

Wrap each Chimichanga in a strip of foil. Place in gallon-size freezer bags (approximately 8 fit in each freezer bag). Label and freeze.

To serve, thaw as many Chimichangas as you need. Leave on the foil and bake at 350d for 30 - 40 minutes. Serve with sour cream. If you prefer a crispier shell, you can deep fry these instead of baking.

Cannelloni with Cheese Sauce

2 cups marinara sauce
1/4 lb ground beef, browned
1/4 lb italian sausage, browned
1 cup onion, chopped and sauteed
6 cannelloni, large
1 cup white sauce
6 oz cheddar cheese, grated
2 T parmesan cheese, freshly grated

To make filling, combine browned beef, browned sausage, sauteed onion and marinara sauce. Cook cannelloni as directed, but cook for only 3/4 of the recommended time; rinse and drain. Fill cannelloni with filling mixture and pack firmly into greased baking dish.

To make cheese sauce, warm white sauce until nearly boiling; add grated cheddar cheese and stir until melted. Pour over cannelloni, coating pasta generously. Cool.

To freeze, cover baking dish with foil; place in freezer bag and freeze.

To prepare, uncover and bake frozen casserole in 400d oven for 1 hour, or until hot and bubbling. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese, return to oven for 5 minutes to brown top.

Pasta Sauce

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom sauce
1 can tomato soup
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix all together in skillet and cook until ground beef is cooked. Place in ziploc bag or other container, seal well and freeze. To prepare, thaw in refrigerator and warm in skillet. Serve over pasta.

Baked Spaghetti

1 pkg angel hair noodles, cooked
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 lb ground beef, cooked
1 jar spaghetti sauce

Mix together the pasta, butter, Parmesan cheese and egg. Place in baking pan and top with ground beef and spaghetti sauce.

Seal well and freeze. To prepare, thaw in refrigerator. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Pizza Burgers

1 lb hamburger
1 can tomato soup
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic salt
1 onion, chopped
1 lb American cheese

In hot skillet, mix everything together and heat until hamburger is cooked and onion is soft. Allow to cool, and then mix in the cheese.

Place in freezer-safe container and seal well.

To prepare, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place mixture on hamburger buns and bake for 20 minutes.

Lasagna

1 lb ground beef
1 egg, beaten
2 1/2 cup shredded Mozarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1 container ricotta cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked

Brown ground beef. Mix egg, 1 1/4 cup shredded cheese, ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and parsley and set aside.

Stir sauce into meat, and then add water. Spread 1 cup of sauce on bottom of 9x13 pan. Top with layers of 3 noodles and 1/3 of Ricotta cheese mixture, and 1 cup of sauce.

Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese and Parmesan cheese. Cover with greased foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake additional 15 minutes.

Taco Pie

2 rolls refrigerated home-style biscuits
2 lbs hamburger
1 container sour cream
2 pkgs Taco seasoning
1 pkg shredded cheese
2 cups crushed Doritos

Line a greased 9x13 pan with biscuits. Brown beef and add seasoning. Simmer and drain. Pour over biscuits. Spread sour cream over meat mixture, and then add the cheese. Top with the crushed Doritos.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

NOTE: This recipe from Fix, Freeze, Feast is meant to be frozen, and makes 6 entrees.

6 lbs lean ground beef
3 cups dry bread crumbs
2/3 cup milk
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup minced onion
2 T minced garlic
1 T salt
2 tsp black pepper

Sauce:
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 (106 lb) can pineapple tidbits, drained, juice reserved
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 1/2 cups red wine vinegar

Preheat oven to 500. Thoroughly combine beef, breadcrumbs, milk, eggs, onion, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Shape into 1 - to- 1 1/2 inch meatballs, placing finished pieces close together on a lightly greased baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool meatballs.

While meatballs are baking and cooling, mix the brown sugar and cornstarch in a large stockpot. Add pineapple juice, soy sauce, and vinegar; stir. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Cool sauce.

Divide cooled meatballs and sauce between 6 1-gallon freezer bags. Divide drained pinapple tidbits evenly among the bags of meatballs and sauce. Seal and freeze.

To prepare, thaw one entree in refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put meatballs and sauce in an ungreased baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until meatballs are heated through. To prepare in slow cooker, put meatballs and sauce in slow cooker. Cook on low for 2 - 5 hours, or until meatballs are heated through.

Fiesta Meatloaf

2 lbs ground beef
1 pkg Stove Top stuffing for chicken
1 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup salsa, divided
3/4 cup Mexican-style shredded cheese

Mix all ingredients together, except 1/4 cup salsa and cheese. Shape into oval loaf in a 9x13 pan and top with remaining salsa.

To cook immediately, bake 1 hour at 350 degrees, or until cooked through.

To freeze, cover well and freeze. To cook, thaw in refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cook until cooked through.