If you love the convenience of meal delivery services like Home Chef or HelloFresh—but aren’t crazy about high subscription prices and extra waste—making your own meal kits at home is a total game changer! Cooking for two or prepping as empty nesters can be tricky; standard recipes often lead to way too many leftovers or groceries going bad in the fridge. By pre-portioning and assembling your own ready-to-cook meal kits ahead of time, you get all the perks of a subscription service on a realistic budget. In my YouTube video below you will learn how to create 6 meal kits that are freezer friendly, easy to prepare and delicious!
Here are the six recipes highlighted in the You Tube tutorial
Hobo Casserole for Two
Ingredients
- ½ lb Ground Beef
- 2 T Diced Onions
- 2 T Diced green Pepper
- 1 Clove of Garlic minced
- 1 T Flour
- 1 t Tomato Paste
- 1 ½ c Beef Broth
- 2 C Diced Potatoes
- 1 c Green Beans
- ½ c Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400
- Brown ground beef, onions, peppers, and garlic
- Add Tomato Paste
- Sprinkle with flour and stir
- Add 1 ½ c Beef Broth and bring to a boil
- Mix together the beef mixture, potatoes and green beans.
- Add this mixture to the pan.
- Top with Cheddar Cheese
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes
- Uncover and bake for 5-10 more minutes until the cheese is well melted
- Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers
Ingredients
- 3 Italian Sausage Links
- 1 Onion Sliced
- 2 Bell Peppers Sliced
- 2 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 1 T Tomato Paste
- 1 c Diced Tomatoes
- 1 t Basil
- 1 t Oregano
- 1/8 t Salt
- 1/8 t Pepper
Instructions
- This first step is optional, but it really does make a difference. Brown the sausage links in a pan in 1 T of oil
- Add everything to the slow cooker and cook on High for 2-3 hours or Low for 4-6 Hours
- Serve on a hoagie roll, over rice or pasta.
- Enjoy!
Instant Pot Sausage and Lentil Soup for Two
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb Mild Italian Sausage
- 1/2 c Dry Lentils that have been rinsed
- 4 c Chicken Broth
- 1/2 c Petite Diced Tomatoes
- 4 T Diced Onion
- 4 T Diced Celery
- 4 T Diced Carrots
- 1/2 t Garlic Powder
- 1/2 t Oregano
- 1/4 t Thyme
- 1/2 t Basil
- 1/8 t Salt and Pepper
- 2 Bay Leaf
- Optional Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Using the sauté function brown the sausage.
- Add the veggies and sauté for 2-3 minutes
- Turn off the sauté function and add the rest of the ingredients
- Close the lid and cook on the soup function
- Once the cooking time is complete, allow the instant pot to naturally release for 10 minutes
- Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Enjoy!
Crockpot Tuscan Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- For the Meatballs
- 1 lb Ground Chicken
- 1 Egg
- 1 T Bread Crumbs
- 1 T Parmesan Cheese
- 1 T Greek Seasoning
- 1 T Sundried Tomato Oil
- 1 Minced Garlic Clove
- For the Sauce
- 1 c Chicken Broth
- ½ c Milk of Half and Half
- 1 c Chopped Spinach
- 2 T Chopped Artichoke Hearts
- 2 T Sundried Tomatoes
- Olive Oil
Instructions
- Assemble the meatballs by combining the ground chicken, egg, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic clove and the Greek seasoning
- Sauté the meatballs until browned in a pan with 1 T Olive Oil
- While you are browning the meatballs in the crockpot add the chicken broth, milk, sundried tomatoes, artichokes and spinach
- Once you have all of the meatballs browned add them to your crock pot with your sauce
- Cook in the crockpot on High for 2 Hours or Low for 4-6 Hours
- Serve over zucchini noodles, mashed potatoes, spaghetti noodles or rice.
- Enjoy!
Sheet Pan Lasagna
Ingredients
- 10 Frozen Cheese Ravioli per person
- 2 c Marinara Sauce
- 1 c Italian Cheese Blend
- 1 c Ricotta or Cottage Cheese
- ½ t Basil
- ½ t Oregano
- 1/8 t Salt
- 1/8 t Pepper
- 1 Clove of Minced Garlic
Instructions
- Place one cup of sauce on sheet pan
- Place Ravioli on top of sauce.
- Combine ricotta (or cottage cheese) basil, oregano, salt, pepper and garlic.
- Place Ricotta mixture on top of Ravioli
- Top with the remailing Marinara Sauce then the Italian cheese.
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes
- Enjoy!
Simple Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Casserole for Two
Ingredients
- 4 Corn Tortillas Cut in to Wedges
- 1- 1.5 C Enchilada Sauce
- 1 T Diced Jalapeños
- 1 Chicken Breast Cooked and Shredded
- 2 T Cream Cheese
- 1 C Shredded Cheese
Instructions
- Spray your 2qt Crockpot crock with a nonstick spray
- In a separate bowl, combine the chicken, cream cheese, jalapeños
- Begin to layer your casserole starting with a layer of sauce, then add a layer of tortilla wedges, then a layer of the chicken mixture, then sauce, then cheese.
- Repeat this layering process until you are out of ingredients, but be sure to sauce some sauce and cheese to finish the top.
- Cook on High for 2 Hours or Low for 4-6 Hours
- Enjoy!
Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 Chipotle in Adobo Peppers
- 1 15 oz can of Tomato Sauce
- 1 C Chicken Broth
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1/2 t Cumin
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients together and blend to combine.
If you are cooking for one these 10 meal kits are perfect for you. https://staceyssimplemeals.com/meal-prep-kits-for-one-10-easy-meals-from-just-a-few-groceries/
Need more meal prep kit ideas? Check out these 5: https://staceyssimplemeals.com/5-simple-meal-prep-meals/
Having these 6 meals assembled and waiting for you in the refrigerator or freezer is such a time saver! Let me know if you put any of these meal kits together, and did you freeze any? I’d love to hear what you think of the recipes. Be sure to let me know how they turn out!
Have a wonderful week!
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