A common question we get about freezer cooking is, “What are some easy freezer meals for 1 or 2 people?” We’ve compiled over 80 make ahead recipe ideas from our website and first cookbooks that work to individually prepare and package for 1 or 2 people.
How to Package Freezer Meals for 1 or 2 People
Air is the enemy of freezer cooking. Here are a few tips on how to keep those freezer meals fresh!
1) If you’re making individual items like hamburgers, chicken tenders, or fish sticks, we suggest freezing them in single layers in a freezer bag or container and then divide those layers with parchment paper so they don’t stick to each other. Some recipes like sandwiches and burritos work well to wrap individually in foil. This will make it easier for you to pull out the amount you need.
2) Another trick is to flash freeze foods that you will remove individually (i.e. chicken tenders, burgers, fish sticks, etc). That just means you place them on a sheet pan and put them in the freezer until they are solid (about 2-3 hours). Then dump them in a freezer bag. They won’t stick together and will be easy to pull out for single uses.
3) As for casseroles, divide our recipes up and put into loaf pans (9 inch pans) to make about 2-3 servings. Note that the baking time will be less, since it’s a smaller amount, so keep a close eye on it. I hope that helps some.
4) I find that mason jars work really well for individual portions of soup, but remember to leave at least 1 inch of head room at the top because the food will expand when it freezes.
You might also like the Anchor Hocking dishes we mention in this article, especially the smaller ones. These are our favorites on the market as of right now.
80+ Freezer Meals That Work for 1 or 2 People
Below are well-tested recipes from that will successfully work for smaller portioned freezer meals. Some recipes require you to thaw and then cook them. Others require you to thaw and just warm them up (because they’ve already been cooked). And, still others can be cooked directly from frozen. I made notes below for you.
Breakfast: Freezer Meals for 1 or 2 People
Breakfast: Freezer Meal Recipes for 1-2 People
- Breakfast Burritos – Wrap individually. Take out however many you want, thaw, and cook.
- Smoothie Freezer Packs – 7 flavors + FREE printable of the recipes and shopping list
- Mini Bacon, Spinach, and Egg Quiches – take out however many you want, thaw, and eat.
- Make Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches – Wrap individually. Take out however many you want, thaw, and cook.
- Easy Breakfast Casserole Muffins – Take out however many you want, thaw, and eat.
- Zucchini Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies – Take out however many you want, thaw, and eat.
- Pumpkin Banana Muffins – take out however many you want, thaw, and eat.
- Baked Oatmeal – divide into two 8×8 pans. Thaw, and cook.
- Any pancake recipe – Fully cook and freeze. Take out however many you want, thaw, and eat.
Chicken: Freezer Meal Recipes for 1 or 2 People
- Herbalicious Chicken Bites – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Cheese Chimichangas -take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- On-the-Go Chicken Burritos -take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Oven Fried Parmesan Chicken Tenders -take out however many you want and cook from frozen
- Mini Chicken Burgers with Herbs -take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Taquitos: Made in the Instant Pot or the Slow Cooker – take out how many you want, thaw, and cook
Beef: Freezer Meals for 1 or 2 People
- Pesto Burgers – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Mini Meatloaf Muffins – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Slow Cooker Shredded BBQ Sandwiches -Cook fully and freeze in small portions. Then, thaw and warm up. These can also be made in the Instant Pot.
- Meatballs with Sneaky Veggies -Cook fully and freeze in small portions. Then, thaw and warm up.
- Crowd Pleaser Mexican Soup – Cook fully and freeze in small portions. Then, thaw and warm up.
- Super Sloppy Joes – Cook fully and freeze in small portions. Thaw and warm when ready to eat!
Pork and Turkey: Freezer Meals for 1 or 2 People
- Mini Turkey Cheeseburgers – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Slow Cooker Turkey Chili with Sweet Potato and Black Beans -Cook fully and freeze in small portions. Then, thaw and warm up.
- Pulled Pork with a Mexican Flare -Cook fully and freeze in small portions. Then, thaw and warm up.
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork or Instant Pot Pulled Pork – Cook fully and freeze in small portions. Then, thaw and warm up.
- Mini Turkey and Veggie Meatloafs – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Ultimate Cheddar and Twice Baked Potatoes – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
Seafood: Freezer Meals for 1 or 2 People
- Pan-Fried Catfish – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Sweet and Savory Salmon – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Salmon and Sweet Potato Cakes – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Parmesan and Cracker Crusted Tilapia – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Firecracker Asian Salmon – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
Pizza, Pasta, & More: Freezer Meals for 1 or 2 People
- Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups – freeze about 4 rolls (2 servings) in a loaf-sized pan and wrap tightly with plastic wrap and foil; note that the cook time will decrease some, so keep an eye on them.
- Whole Grain Pizza Bread – cook directly from frozen
Soup: Freezer Meals for 1 or 2 People
- All of the soups, except the ones with tortellini or noodles, would work well. Cook fully and freeze in small portions. Then, thaw and warm up.
Slow Cooker: Freezer Meals for 1 or 2 People
- Slow Cooker Turkey Chili with Sweet Potato and Black Beans – Cook fully and freeze in small portions. Then, thaw and warm up.
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork – Cook fully and freeze in small portions. Then, thaw and warm up.
- Pulled Pork with a Mexican Flare – Cook fully and freeze in small portions. Then, thaw and warm up.
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Cheese Taquitos – assemble and freeze in individual portions, thaw, and cook
- Balsamic Shredded Beef – Cook fully and freeze in small portions. Then, thaw and warm up.
- BBQ Pulled Pork – Cook fully and freeze in small portions. Then, thaw and warm up.
As I mention above, freezer cooking is incredibly versatile and useful fo all stages of life. Hopefully this resource can give you some ideas on how to make meals for not only yourself but also anyone else who could benefit from meals prepped and ready to go in their freezer.
Recipes from Our Cookbooks that Work for 1-2 People
If you have our first cookbook, From Freezer to Table, here are recipes from the book that work for 1-2 people.
NOTE: If you are looking for ideas from our second cookbook, From Freezer to Cooker, simply refer to the icon index in the back of the book (page 247) and you’ll find a list of Fully Cook and Freeze recipes that will work for 1-2 people as well! If you’re a slow cooker or Instant Pot fan, you’ll LOVE this cookbook.
Breakfast Recipes
- Blueberry Avocado or Pumpkin Muffins (p. 42 and 45)
- Breakfast Cookies (p. 47)
- Peaches and Cream Baked Oatmeal (p. 51) – divide into two 8×8 pans
- Oatmeal Pancake Mix (p.54)
- Apple Maple Sausage Bites (p. 56) – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Chocolate Zunana Waffles (p. 58)
- Scones (p.61)
- Breakfast Burritos (p. 64)
Chicken Recipes
- Chicken Tenders (p. 72) – take out however many you want and cook from frozen
- Chicken and Broccoli Foil Packs (p. 75) – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Individual Chicken Pot Pies (p. 83) – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Chicken Fried Rice (p. 91) – freeze in small portions; takes just a few minutes to warm in the microwave
Beef Recipes
- Cheddar Chive Burgers (p.98) – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Beef and Bean Burritos (p.106) – take out however many you want, thaw and warm up
- Sloppy Joes (p.110) – freeze into smaller portions, thaw, and warm up
Pork and Turkey
- Yum Loaves (p.115) – take out what you need, thaw, and bake
- 4-Ingredient Pork Chops (p. 116) – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Ham and Swiss Glazed Paninis (p.120) – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Super Stuffed Baked Potatoes (p. 121) – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Mini Turkey and Veggie Burgers (p. 127) – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Turkey Pesto Paninis (p.129) – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
Seafood
- Straight From Alaska Salmon Burgers (p. 132) – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Not So Fishy Sticks (p.134) – take out however many you want; cooks directly from frozen
- Shrimp Potstickers with Sweet Soy Dipping Sauce (p. 138) – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Mini Crab Cakes with Creamy Herb Dipping Sauce (p.144) – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Pesto and Feta Tuna Melts (p.147) – take out however many you want, thaw, and cook
Pizza and Pasta
- English Muffin Pizzas (p. 160) – remove however many you want; cook directly from frozen
- Cheesy Lasagna Pockets – remove however many you want; takes a few minutes to warm in the microwave
- Make-Your-Own Calzones – remove however many you want; takes a few minutes to warm in the microwave
- Pesto Chicken Lasagna Rolls – freeze about 4 rolls (2 servings) in a loaf-sized pan and wrap tightly with plastic wrap and foil; note that the cook time will decrease some, so keep an eye on them.
Slow Cooker
- Chicken and Cheese Chimichangas (p. 192) – remove however many you want, thaw, and cook
- Chili-Rubbed Brisket (p. 195) – We don’t offer this in the freezer directions, but you can fully cook and then freeze small portions to warm up later.
- Killer Carnitas (p. 196) – We don’t offer this in the freezer directions, but you can fully cook and then freeze small portions to warm up later.
- French Dip Sandwiches (p. 198) – We don’t offer this in the freezer directions, but you can fully cook and then freeze small portions to warm up later.
- Polly’s Signature Taco Soup (p. 209) – freeze in individual portions, thaw, and warm up
Find all our free Freezer Cooking resources and recipes here.
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