Five Freezer Shortcuts to Stock Up On Right Now

Of course we love us some ice cream and frozen pizza, but it’s the freezer shortcuts that make life SO much easier on the daily! While there are plenty of articles out there with lists of what to always have stocked in your pantry, we think it’s just as helpful to always have these frozen food ingredients on hand. Here’s our list of top five freezer shortcuts, plus some recipes using these ingredients and heat-and-eat frozen entrees.

 

Frozen Fruits

We always stock our freezer with a variety of frozen fruits as they’re always in season and have a much longer shelf life than fresh. With frozen fruits there’s no washing, peeling or chopping needed, plus you can take what you need and put the rest back in the freezer for another time.

• Breakfast just got a whole lot better with this Strawberry Banana Smoothie Bowl.
• For an appetizer or brunch idea, you can use frozen peach slices to make these tasty Southern Chicken and Waffle Bites. Bonus: no peach pits to deal with!
• Lighten up your lunch time with this Mango and Kale Quinoa Salad. There’s no need to worry about whether your mango is out-of-season by buying frozen!
• We love how easy it is to make this fun Pomegranate-Blueberry Sangria Mocktail.
• By using frozen fruit in smoothies you don’t need any ice because they’re already cold! Blend up this Sweet Honey Raspberry Smoothie.
• Cutting up a whole pineapple is a thing of the past when you can pick up frozen pineapple chunks for this Polynesian Popcorn Shrimp Pizza!

 

Frozen Dough

Frozen dough – like bread dough, phyllo dough, roll dough, pie crust shells and puff pastry – is such a lifesaver. There’s no need to make your dough from scratch, so you can put your flour and rolling pin away! We also love that it’s a much easier clean-up – no leftover dough scraps to throw out.

• Calling all coffee lovers, you’ll love how easy it is to make this Cappuccino Bread!
• Give this popular appetizer a unique twist using phyllo dough sheets – Cheddar Phyllo Lit’l Smokies.
• This Barbecue Chicken Tart is packed with freezer shortcuts, starting from the puff pastry crust.
• Pick up this scrumptious Cinnamon Monkey Bread that’s ready to be heat in the microwave or oven and enjoyed for breakfast, brunch or dessert!
• Step up your dinner game with this fancy Phyllo-Wrapped Tuscan Chicken!
• Whether for breakfast or dessert, these Puff Pastry Donuts will satisfy your sweet tooth.
• For a sweet treat that just screams spring, whip up these Lemon Pinwheel Rolls using frozen roll dough!

 

Frozen Veggies 

The prep-work is already done for you when you buy frozen vegetables! You can spend less time in the kitchen slicing and dicing veggies and more time doing the things you love. Plus, the innovation in this category is truly remarkable! There are riced cauliflower and veggie varieties, spiraled vegetables, veggie-potato varieties, grilled vegetables, worldly seasoned veggies, etc.

• Say goodbye to chopping up broccoli and make Tuscan Broccoli & Cheese Quesadilla for lunch or dinner!
• It’s still soup season in our book! This tasty Chicken and Spinach Orzo Soup is easy to make, especially during busy weeknights.
• This Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner is truly a that because you don’t have to pre-chop the veggies or add Asian seasonings to the veggies since you can buy them that way!
• They’ll be no more tears while chopping onions when you use frozen pre-chopped onions to make recipes like this Baked Onion Dip!
• Customize this Breakfast Sunrise Pizza with your favorite frozen veggies.
• Vegetable noodles are all the rage these days. Put down your spiraler and let your taste buds take a journey with this Drunken Zucchini Noodles dish!

 

Frozen Pasta

Picking up dry pasta or spending the whole day in the kitchen making your own is a thing of the past. Whether you’re wanting something to boil and add to your favorite sauce or craving a complete pasta meal, the frozen food aisle has it all. There are even veggie pasta varieties and gluten-free versions for every dietary lifestyle!

• For when you’re craving pasta, but not necessarily Italian, whip up this Gluten-Free Cheese Ravioli Southwest Skillet.
• This authentic Lasagna with Sauce tastes like homemade without all the work!
• You’ll love how comforting this Farmhouse Tortellini Skillet is using frozen cheese tortellini.
• We love the combination of seafood and pasta like these Shrimp Scamp Cheese Stuffed Shells.
• For a meatless delight, make this Cauliflower Spinach Gnocchi with Mushroom Bolognese.
• For an extra cheesy meal that you can just put right in the oven, bake up this Three Cheese Baked Ziti!
• Our mouths are watering over this Cheese Manicotti Pizza Bake.

 

Frozen Potatoes

Whether you’re wanting French fries, tater tots, hash browns, etc., the frozen food aisle has all your potatoes covered. The many frozen ‘tater varieties are here to save the day for breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner. We can’t pick our favorite!

• For the ultimate convenience, use frozen shredded potatoes to make this Hash Browns Huevos Rancheros for breakfast.
• Nacho lovers will be in Heaven with these mouthwatering Waffle Fry Chicken Skillet Nachos!
• For an easy weeknight dinner, make this comforting Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Potato Casserole.
• You can say goodbye to peeling difficult sweet potatoes and enjoy mashed at your fingertips with these Creamy Mashed Sweet Potatoes!
• These potatoes are ready to throw into the skillet to make this delicious Breakfast Hash.
• Whether for #MeatlessMonday or #TacoTuesday, these Crispy Hash Brown Tacos will blow your mind!

 

What are your favorite freezer shortcuts? Share with us on social media @EasyHomeMeals.