Best reheated meals

[aly321]

Ok- normally I am pretty good at following my menu and making dinners. Right now we are BUILDING A NEW HOUSE!! Wahoo! It is right next to our little house we live in. So there can be anywhere from 2-8 guys to feed at night, depending on what is going on with the house. I would like to be able to make some things that could be reheated and served in a hurry, so I am not worried about getting a whole meal cooked and ready. And with the numbers varying so much, I never know how much I will need and I DON'T want to run out.

Any ideas??

[tanyiadeskins]

Chili is a good one... even better reheated, the next day, etc. If by chance there are any leftovers it freezes really well, too!:thumbup:

[BrattyMeg]

*I* think lasagna tastes much better the next day than the day I make it

Anything iwth a rice and sauce should reheat well b/c it will keep the rice moist.

what aboutlike sloppy joes in a crock pot, etc? When we moved somebody brought us lunch and it was sloppy joe meat/sauce in a crock pot..they plugged it in and I think ev1 had at least one sandwich throughout the day. Worked out great!

[BrattyMeg]

ohh yeah chili is good too! We can munch on it for days lol

[emmasmommy]

I have to agree, chili and spaghetti/lasagna are always better the second day. Also, any soup type meal would be good the next day.

[digideb]

I've got a couple casseroles that we love that are great reheated! I'll come back tomorrow & post the recipes.

[lauren grier]

I don't heat food.. LOL I hate hot food.
anyway.
I have nothing to add.. all I could think of was lasagna and that was already said LOL
/useless post

[Leila]

I make some enchiladas that reheat very well. The base recipe makes three batches (pans). I can usually get 15-16 enchiladas in a 9x13 glass pan.

Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa:
1 pound tomatillos, husked
1 white onion, peeled, sliced, quartered or whole
4 garlic cloves
2 jalapeños (or 1 can diced green chilis)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped cilantro leaves
½ lime, juiced

Enchiladas:
Extra-virgin olive oil
½ medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock, store bought
Chopped cilantro leaves
1 deli roasted chicken (about 3 pounds), boned, meat shredded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 large flour tortillas
½ pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 cups sour cream
Chopped tomatoes and cilantro leaves, for garnish


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos for 30-45 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor. Add the cumin, salt and cilantro and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky.

Meanwhile heat a 2 count of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and caramelized - this should take 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin then cook for a further minute. Sprinkle on the flour and stir to ensure the flour doesn't burn then gradually add the chicken stock to make a veloute. Continue stirring over a low simmer until the flour cooks and the liquid thickens. Turn off the heat, add half of the roasted tomatillo chile salsa, some additional fresh chopped cilantro and fold in the shredded chicken meat. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Change the temperature of the oven to 400°F and begin assembling the dish. Take a large baking dish and smear the bottom with some of the reserved tomatillo salsa. Now take the tortillas and briefly flash them over the stove-top flame (or put them briefly under the broiler if using an electric stove). Using a shallow bowl, coat each tortilla lightly with the reserved salsa mix. Put a scoop of the shredded chicken-enchilada mix on top of the tortilla followed by a sprinkle of the shredded cheese. Fold the tortilla over the filling and roll like a cigar to enclose it. Using a spatula place the tortillas in the baking dish and continue to do the same with all the tortillas. Finally pour over some more of the salsa and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes until bubbly and cracked on top. Garnish, cilantro and tomato.

Serve hot with Spicy Black Beans and Yellow Rice, the remaining tomatillo salsa, sour cream and fresh guacamole, if desired.

----------------
***The recipe calls for flour tortillas. I've found that using corn tortillas works AND tastes better than flour. The flour tortillas got gummy on reheating, the corn held up very well. Also, this is great for make ahead and bake. Prep it, cover with foil and refrigerate up to two days. For heating, either add a few minutes to the cook time above or take out and bring to room temp then cook as directed.

Oh..I just warm the tortillas in the microwave. LOL!

[Sharon Kay]

What about taco meat (would keep warm in a crock pot for quick service) ... maybe instead of taco shells...have tortillas that the could just pull out of the bag and put the meat and cheese inside? Have a bag of chips and salsa sitting nearby.

For robotics we have brought a crockpot of hotdogs in water and cooked them (don't put it on high the whole time!)...and the kids just helped themselves when they were ready to eat.

Spaghetti in a crockpot would work...mix noodles with it...again ready quick...I have an inexpensive and super easy spaghetti recipe that completely cooks (noodles too) in the crockpot (or on stovetop which was how it was designed originally) if you want it.

Soup in a crockpot...and make up some sandwiches and have in baggies in a cooler or in the frig they can just grab.

[jannylynn]

crockpot recipes are great for this type of situation. My favorites are bbq beef or pork served on sandwiches. Serve with baked beans from a can and some potato chips. Maybe some green beans too!

[jessica31876]

sandwiches/subs and chips are a good fast meal. All you have to get is some cold cuts/cheese/condiments and let them put their own subs/sandwiches together

[julifish]

The crock pot is certainly your friend! Pork Picnic can be cooked all day with different sauces and then shredded to be put on sandiwches or served over noodles with gravy. You can cook ahead of time and then shred and freeze in 4 portion servings. Easy to re-heat in the micro and then add extra sauce/gravy (or freeze with those in with the meat). Same thing with beef brisket. You can easily make the same meet taste different based on a sauce. Spaghetti sauce with the beef and some provolone cheese on buns - yum!

Frozen meatballs and spaghetti sauce for meatball subs or meatballs and spaghetti. Frozen meatballs with gravy over noodles. Frozen meatballs in crock with bbq sauce. You can always just put the meatballs in the oven to bake or microwave.

Ground beef - buy 5+ pounds and brown with onions, divide into 1-2 lb servings and freeze. Easy to defrost and mix with sloppy joe sauce; spaghetti sauce; gravy, sliced potatoes, mix veggies for hamburger stew; mac & cheese; mix with broth, frozen veggies, top with pre-made mashed potatos,...etc.

I like to grill extra steaks (rare) and/or chicken breasts and freeze whole. De-frost just enough to slice the meat. Saute in a pan with onions and peppers. Pour in a little soy sauce, lime juice, liquid smoke and you have fajitas to serve in tortillas! Do this with frozen stir fry veggies and terriayki sauce to serve over instant brown rice.

Large batches of rice can be frozen. Large batches of pasta can be frozen too (not too long though). Potatos don't freeze well.

I find that any cooked meat (for the most part) can be frozen and re-heated. I try to cook one night ahead when I can - cook the meat for the next night or pre-prep sides. Serve with easy sides such a sliced fruit that is in season and a canned veggie with some rice or mac & cheese and you have dinner. Cut veggies and dip are easy to keep on hand and re-stock as needed too.

Other fast favorites at our house - ham steak on the grill (or in the oven if it's too cold to grill), italian sausage in buns or over spaghetti (I put them in the oven in a bread pan the night before we eat them to pre-cook so I just have to warm them up to eat). Pre-baked potatos in the fridge ready to be re-heated or sliced and pan browned for home fries.

I don't have links, but those cook once get three meals or Once a Month cooking sites probably have some great recipes!

[Sharon Kay]

The crock pot is certainly your friend! Pork Picnic can be cooked all day with different sauces and then shredded to be put on sandiwches or served over noodles with gravy. Snip 8<...
I don't have links, but those cook once get three meals or Once a Month cooking sites probably have some great recipes!

Wow you go girl! Lots of ideas! I used to do a lot of that monce a month cooking...actually it was more than once a month back in the day because my freezer wasn't that big. ...now my teens are PICKY PICKY eaters and can't cook like that or it won't get eaten.

"Pork Picnic" is that a cut or meat or style of cooking?

[Sharon Kay]

If you have a smoker...throw a slab or two of ribs in there...or a brisket...or a turkey or chicken. Yum yum yum!

How about baking a turkey...slice it up... have it ready to pop in the microwave with some reheatable mashed potatoes and the turkey on bread with gravy...??? We're doing that this week...baked a 25 pound turkey! Could keep the turkey hot in the crockpot in gravy on low...

[rachaelsscraps]

*I* think lasagna tastes much better the next day than the day I make it


Same here. Lasagna, and stuffed shells... I think it's because the sauce saturates into the noodles! Yummy! :)

I'm making lasagna tonight too, how funny! :)

[julifish]

Pork Picnic is a cut of meat. Pork Shoulder works just as well if you can't find a Picnic cut.

[SeattleSheri]

lol, I will seriously reheat anything, so I'm the worst person to ask! I am very particular about how I reheat stuff, I can't stand the taste of microwaveeheated meat. blah.

I agree with the other ladies, my top pics are spaghetti, mac & Cheese, enchiladas and any other sort of casserole :) Good luck!

[julifish]

I thought of another quick fix meal last night. I take boneless pork chops, slice them into strips, cover with BBQ sauce and bake covered for 20 min. Take off cover put on more BBQ sauce and broil for a few minutes to carmelize the BBQ. Perfect with baked sweet potatos and some fruit. You could easily bake covered, freeze, defrost, and then bake until warmed through and then put the BBQ on and broil. Sweet potatos can be baked in big batches and then reheated in micro or oven quickly. They don't freeze well baked though. LOL!

[knlchevys]

I have a really easy and good Barbeque recipe. Then if they don't eat it, freeze it. You can have it in your fridge and reheat as much as you need. And no, it's not Manwich. We don't eat that at our house!!!!