The Sweeter Side of Mommyhood

The Sweeter Side of Mommyhood

  • Blog
  • Shop
  • About Me
  • Let’s Collaborate!
  • Grace’s Story

My All Time Favorite Freezer Meal : Baked Ziti With Sausage and Peas

November 12, 2016

favorite-freezer-meals-baked-ziti-with-sausage-and-peas

Before freezer meals became such a crazy popular phenomenon, my Mom has been filling up her freezer (then mine!) with recipes that are great to keep on hand for busy nights when cooking seems impossible.  Our family favorites lean toward the italian side- eggplant parmesan, meatloaf, meatballs, and this amazing baked ziti!  I love to cook and make most of my dinners the night of, but when I really need something fast and easy I grab from the freezer! I can count on my girls all eating this baked ziti (second and third helpings too!) and it makes great leftovers…if you have any leftover that is! Serve with a salad and garlic bread and you’ve got a delicious crowd pleaser dinner you’ll be sure to make again and again.

freezer-meal-baked-ziti-with-sausage-and-peas-yummy-comfort-foodfavorite-freezer-meals-baked-ziti-with-sausage-and-peas-quick-and-easy

Ingredients:

2 lbs of penne pasta

4 cups freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 cans cream of mushroom soup + 2 cans of 2% milk (or milk of your choice- the higher fat content the creamier the baked ziti will be) use the soup can to measure the milk!

2 cans of petit diced tomatoes, liquid gently drained

6 sweet italian sausage links

2 cups frozen green peas

salt and pepper

Directions:

First, bring a large stock pot of water up to a rolling boil. Boil the pasta according to package directions MINUS 2 MINUTES. You want the past to be *almost* al dente- slightly undercooked. As it bakes out of the freezer you need some leeway for the pasta to keep cooking and not get mushy. Once it’s finished, drain the pasta in a colander and set aside.

While the pasta is boiling cook the sausage.  I like to add 1/2 cup of water to a skillet and cover for about 12 minutes or until the water is evaporated. This will steam the sausages and almost cook them through. Then remove the sausages from the pan and slice them into 1/2 inch pieces quickly while they’re still hot. Add them back to the pan (there should be no water left) and sear them on both sides until they are golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

Using the large pasta pot, make the sauce.  Add the soup, milk, tomatoes and cheese to the pot and cook on low stirring constantly to melt the cheese. Once you have a creamy sauce add salt and pepper to taste. I go easy on the pepper so I can add it fresh when I serve it!  Once the sauce is ready add the past back into the pot with the sausage and the peas. Stir it all together.  That’s it. *Shredding your own cheese is crucial to the deliciousness of this recipe. It melts so much quicker and is rich and decadent.

From this point: you can totally eat this fresh. It’s amazing and hot, delicious and creamy right from the pot.  But baking it gives the ziti that bit of crust everyone loves and just makes it that much more comforting to put on the table on a busy night. I like to separate this recipe into 4-5 foil baking pans (no clean up!) popping one into the fridge for the night I make it, and saving the other 4 in the freezer. Wrap with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil.

make-five-trays-of-baked-ziti-with-sausage-and-peas-in-under-a-half-hour

From the freezer remove the plastic wrap then bake the ziti covered at 375 for 45 minutes – 1 hour or until steaming hot. During last 10 minutes of cooking you can remove the foil to slightly brown the top. You may need to adjust cooking time based on your oven.*Remember, everything in this baked ziti meal is already cooked through so you are just heating the dish completely the day of!*

You can also thaw this in the fridge overnight or the day of to decrease the cooking time.

freezer-meal-baked-ziti-with-sausage-and-peas

Enjoy!

xoxo

J

****

Love freezer meals? See what freezer meals I brought on our family beach vacation and see how I fully stocked my freezer before having our third baby.  You can also find my absolute favorite beef and broccoli crockpot freezer meal here.

the-best-baked-ziti-freezer-meal-ever-with-sausage-and-pease

You Might Like

  • Chicken Apple Sausage and Acorn Squash BakeChicken Apple Sausage and Acorn Squash Bake
  • Super Easy Individual Chicken Pot PiesSuper Easy Individual Chicken Pot Pies
  • How I Stocked My Freezer Before Baby: Practical Tips, Tricks, Recipes and AdviceHow I Stocked My Freezer Before Baby: Practical Tips, Tricks, Recipes and Advice
  • The Best Ever Chocolate Chip Pumpkin BreadThe Best Ever Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
« The Sweeter Side Crochet Projects : 15 Patterns for Beginner Crochet Enthusiasts
DIY Dollhouse Part 2: How To Wallpaper A Dollhouse Like A Pro (this is a great easy craft for kids!) »

Comments

  1. Hillary says

    November 21, 2016 at 11:35 AM

    How long should I bake this recipe fresh after making it? (Non-frozen that is). Thanks!

    Reply
  2. Hillary says

    November 21, 2016 at 11:35 AM

    How long should I bake this recipe fresh after making it? (Non-frozen that is). Thanks!

    Reply
    • Jacquie says

      November 29, 2016 at 4:07 PM

      About 30minutes at 350 should do it!

      Reply
  3. Katie says

    October 18, 2017 at 2:15 AM

    How big are cans? Being in Australia some things come in different sizes to US.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Howard says

      November 1, 2018 at 5:20 PM

      Usually 14-14.5 ounces. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Elizabeth Howard says

    November 1, 2018 at 5:22 PM

    Do you think mozzarella might work instead of the cheddar? My hubs hates cheese other than mozzarella, parmesan or ricotta. 🙁 Guessing the flavor might be a bit different, but not sure if it would be a total bust.

    Reply
    • Jacquie says

      November 1, 2018 at 10:38 PM

      It might change the texture. I don’t think the mozzarella would melt quite the same. Give it a try, if he doesn’t like it- more for you, ha!!

      Reply
  5. Annna Marie says

    November 7, 2018 at 11:22 AM

    I love your freezer recipes but would like to print them for future use. Any chance you would have them on blog with print them?

    Reply
    • Jacquie says

      November 15, 2018 at 9:18 PM

      I don’t have them in printable form at the moment, so sorry! Someday I hope to have the time to go back and update all my recipe posts with printable formats!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Hey there! I’m Jacquie. Wife to my hockey loving sweetheart, Mama of four humans, seven chickens, and one labradoodle. I am a quilter, artist, photographer and Mom figuring out how to inspire other families to live their most creative life. Come say hi!
Read More

Subscribe

Featured Posts

The Best Buttercream Recipe Of All Time

The Best Buttercream Recipe Of All Time

March 6, 2022 By Jacquie Leave a Comment

Our Custom Home Build, All Finished! Part 1

Our Custom Home Build, All Finished! Part 1

January 29, 2022 By Jacquie Leave a Comment

Holiday Mini Sessions

Holiday Mini Sessions

December 6, 2013 By Jacquie 1 Comment

Amazon Associates Disclosure

Jacquie Dudt-Mulzet is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

Archives

Copyright © 2023 · Basil Theme by Themes Hub