I love the idea of freezer meals.  As a stay at home mom I’d like to be able to  cook a real meal every night by using the twins’ naptime as meal prep time – but about 3 days in to this motherhood thing I realized that was never going to happen. So freezer meals help me out a lot.  The thing I don’t like about freezer meals, is that many of the recipes out there are for heavy, stick-to-your ribs dishes like Shepard’s Pie, Meatloaf, and Beef Stew.  Neither Chris nor I are big on those dishes – so I was thankful when I uncovered a few options on Pinterest for lighter, more flavorful dishes.

Once a Month Meals has tons of options – including a recipe for Freezer Cajun Jambalaya.  I made a few adaptations from the original dish – mostly just eliminated the okra (we’re not big fans….too slimy!) and upped the spice a bit.

We’ve eaten both frozen portions and gobbled them up every time.  Freezer to the rescue!

Freezer Cajun Jambalaya with Shrimp and Sausage

(Makes 2 8×8 casserole dishes)

1 cup dice Onion
1 diced Bell Pepper, Green
1 diced Bell Pepper, Red
1 cup dice Celery
4 teaspoons mince Garlic, Cloves
2 ½ cups slice Andouille Chicken Sausage, Pre-Cooked
1 pound Shrimp, Fresh
3 cups cooked Brown Rice*
½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Black Pepper
1 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
1 tablespoon Hot Red Pepper Sauce

In a large pan or dutch oven, saute onion, green pepper, celery, garlic and sausage, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp, continue cooking about 5-7 minutes until shrimp is cooked through. Add cooked rice to sauteed mixture and add salt, pepper, cayenne and hot pepper sauce. Divide into two 8×8 of baking pans. Cover with foil, affix label and freeze.

Serving directions: Defrost in refrigerator for 24-48 hours. Bake, covered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until heated through.

*When cooking the rice for this dish – I recommend undercooking it slightly.  That way when you reheat the dish, the rice will be the proper texture instead of mushy.