5 Cheap and Easy Dinners That Start with the Freezer Aisle

We all go through phases when we just don’t feel like cooking. Those weeks when I’m feeling least able to adult, I lean on dinners that start with smart finds from the freezer aisle (after first checking what can be used up from my own freezer, of course). Base your meal plan around the freezer aisle, and you can enjoy dinners with limited prep, plenty of veggies, and take out-inspired meals that are faster and less expensive than delivery.

These five dinners starting with some of our favorite frozen food staples are gentle on your wallet and easy enough to pull together when you totally don’t feel like cooking.

Frozen meatballs are one of the best freezer staples. For a low-lift Monday meal, I’ll toss them with a generous slick of my favorite BBQ sauce, sauté some greens (the recipe calls for kale, but collards, chard, or any hearty leafy green will do), and pile it all on a sub roll for a quick and easy dinner.

Get the recipe: BBQ Meatball Sub with Greens

While you’re at TJ’s picking up your Mandarin orange chicken, grab a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies and a box of pre-cooked brown rice, and you’ve got a whole meal. Three freezer aisle staples and 10 minutes on the clock is all it takes to pull together this at-home take on chicken fried rice.

Get the recipe: Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken Fried Rice

Breakfast for dinner in the middle of the week? This is always a good idea. This meatless egg bake starts with a bag of frozen hash browns and gets some extra heft from canned black beans. Serve as-is or for the full-burrito effect, cut the casserole into pieces and wrap it up in a tortilla with your favorite toppings. I like sour cream and salsa.

Get the recipe: Breakfast Burrito Egg Casserole

A bag of frozen cheese tortellini not only makes this weeknight-friendly tomato soup even more comforting, but it helps to stretch the pot a little further. Round out dinner with a simple green salad.

Get the recipe: Tomato Tortellini Soup

You know that box of puff pastry you have stashed in the back of the freezer? Move it to the fridge on Thursday, so it has time to thaw, and use it for your Friday dinner. Frozen mushrooms can also be swapped for fresh, just be sure to sauté them first, to cook off any excess liquid. There’s a blanket of shredded Gruyère under the mushrooms, but you could easily swap in something else you have on hand: goat cheese, Gouda, Fontina, or even Parm. While the tart bakes, toss together a simple salad with any leftover veggies in the crisper.

Get the recipe: 5-Ingredient Wild Mushroom Tart

This post was originally published on Kitchn. Get it there: A Week of Cheap and Easy Dinners That Start with the Freezer Aisle