Freezer soup packs
Drop a frozen pack in the slow cooker before practice and walk into dinner.
The afternoon is full and you will not be home to cook when hunger hits.
You simmered this chili on a calmer day, so a pack reheats on the stove or waits in the slow cooker for you.
Ingredients
Gather the food for freezer turkey chili packs before the clock starts crowding the kitchen.
- 1.5 pounds ground turkey
- 1 diced onion and 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cans (15 oz each) beans (kidney, black, or pinto), drained
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, salt
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
How to Make It
For freezer turkey chili packs, use the steps as a handoff note as much as a cooking method.
- Brown the turkey with the onion and garlic.
- Stir in the chili powder and cumin and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the beans, tomatoes, and broth; simmer 20 to 25 minutes.
- Season with salt and cool completely.
Freeze It
Chili is a near-perfect freezer meal because reheating only makes it taste better. Freeze it flat so it thaws fast.
- Freeze in flat, labeled bags or quart containers, leaving room for expansion
- Lay bags flat to freeze, then stand them up like files (best within 3 months)
- Single-serve portions thaw faster than one giant block
Thaw and Reheat on Practice Night
Reheat from frozen on the stove or drop a pack into the slow cooker before you leave for practice.
- Stovetop from frozen: covered pot with a splash of water, medium heat, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring
- Slow cooker: frozen pack on low for 4 hours while you are at practice
- Microwave a single portion from frozen, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring
- Serve with: shredded cheese, tortilla chips or cornbread, a dollop of sour cream
Parent Tip
Spoon leftover chili over a baked potato or hot dog for a second, different dinner.
Make It Fit Tonight
Small Tweaks That Help This Dinner Land
Ladle it over spaghetti for chili mac
Cincinnati-style: the chili becomes a sauce over noodles and cheese.
Spoon it onto hot dogs for chili dogs
Turns one freezer pack into a second, totally different dinner.
Make it with ground beef instead of turkey
Richer chili using the same beans and tomatoes.
Go vegetarian with a third can of beans
Drop the turkey and add beans for a meatless pot.
Top a baked potato with it
Chili and cheese over a potato is a filling no-bread meal.
Plan The Next Step
Freeze a batch
Add a chili-cooking session to the planner and portion it into single packs.