These simple and healthy freezer meals are an easy way to reduce the stress of cooking during the busy week. From cozy beef bulgogi hot pot to savory Korean royal tteokbokki, and hearty Korean army stew, you’ll be surprised that they all came from a freezer meal kit!
Freezer meal kits are the only way I meal prep now. This was my second round of making freezer meal kits that usually last us up to 2-3 weeks. We don’t eat a meal kit for every meal as every day looks different for us, but these are nice “backup” meals when we are all tired and hungry.
I talked more about how I started meal prepping this way in my previous post where I shared 8 easy freezer meals! This method of meal prepping provides our family with clean, healthy meals, without the stress of figuring out what to make for dinner during the busy week.
I hope these freezer meal kits and grocery list make your week a little easier 🙂
Download the FREE printable grocery list!
What are meal kits?
Meal kits are slightly different than your typical meal prepping. I don’t like eating the same meal in repetition and I am the worst a eating leftovers and love freshly cooked foods.
Essentially, meal kits are freezer meals that have all the ingredients prepped (vegetables chopped, meats marinated, etc) for you to “dump into a pot and cook”.
I was inspired by all the freezer meals in the freezer aisle of grocery stores, and I thought
“wait, I can make this too”.
Containers I love to use for storing the meal kits:
- Stainless Steel Food Storage Containers
- Plastic Food Storage Containers with Drainage Plates
- Zwilling Fresh & Save Vacuum Seal Containers: If you purchase the Fresh & Save 7pc Starter Set, you can get a FREE lunch box with my code “YEJI” at check out!
7 Easy Freezer Meal Kits
1. Frozen Chopped Veggies
Pre-chopped veggies are great to utilize in a variety of ways to elevate a simple meal. I prepared a combination of finely chopped onions, green onions, and carrots. You can incorporate this into congee (rice porridge), make a savory oatmeal, or add it to make simple ground meat into more flavorful healthier ground meat. I sometimes add this to my toddler’s pasta sauce or mac and cheese to make hidden veggies pasta!
How to prepare: I packed the chopped veggies in a vacuum-sealed food storage bag and divided it into 4 portions using a chopstick. This makes it convenient to pop out of the bag to cook. Store the chopped veggies in the freezer for up to 3 weeks!
How to cook: Pop out a portion of the frozen chopped veggies and add it directly to the pan when cooking your ground protein, congee, savory oatmeal, pasta sauce, or omelet. The ways to use this are endless, just use it as you would use fresh chopped veggies 🙂
2. Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Stew)
A comforting and hearty hot pot stew loaded with kimchi, sausage, SPAM, rice cakes, and more. This is a great one-pot dish to enjoy with a bowl of rice. Optionally, I like to add extra noodles like ramen or glass noodles to make it a complete meal!
How to prepare: If you’re using glass noodles, follow the package directions for soaking directions. Some brands of glass noodles don’t require presoaking, so it’s important to read the packaging of your glass noodles. Cut the onions, tofu, spam, green onions, and kimchi into bite-sized pieces. Arrange the ingredients neatly in your food storage container (here is the recipe with detailed measurements). Store the meal kits in the freezer for up to 2 weeks!
How to cook: Thaw the frozen meal kit on the counter at room temperature for 10-15 minutes or until the ingredients can break apart. Arrange all the ingredients (except the noodles) neatly in a shallow pan. Pour the broth (I used bone broth, but feel free to use your broth of choice) over the ingredients. Bring the budae jjigae to a simmer on medium heat. Add the optional noodles and continue to cook until the noodles are done. Enjoy with a bowl of rice 🙂
3. Jjimdak (Korean Soy-Braised Chicken)
A savory and hearty braised chicken stew with potatoes, carrots, and onions. It’s a non-spicy comforting dish with tender chicken braised in a savory, slightly sweet, soy sauce-based marinade. This dish is perfect for the whole family, my toddler loves eating this over a bed of rice.
How to prepare: Cut the potatoes, onions, carrots, and green onions into medium-sized pieces. In separate pots, parboil the chicken and potatoes. Partially cooking these ingredients helps quicken the cooking process in the future when you cook the meal kits. Drain the chicken and marinate it in the sauce (here’s the recipe). If you’re adding glass noodles (optional), you can prepare them now according to the package directions. Neatly arrange the marinated chicken and chopped vegetables in a large food storage container, I stored my glass noodles separately in a smaller container. Store the meal kits in the freezer for up to 2 weeks!
How to cook: Thaw the meal kit on the counter at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Add the frozen chicken to a shallow pan with 1-1½ cups of water. Bring the chicken to a boil on high heat. Add the vegetables to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. *Feel free to add more soy sauce if you prefer it to be more seasoned. My family prefers this as a soupy stew, so we don’t season it too much.*
Reduce the heat to medium and add the potatoes (this doesn’t take too long to cook since we parboiled them beforehand). Add your glass noodles and turn off the heat. Enjoy!
4. Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes)
Tteokbokki is a popular Korean street food that I grew up eating. Bouncy rice cakes are simmered in a sweet and spicy broth with onions, fish cakes, and green onions. You can optionally add hard-boiled eggs, cabbage, and even ramen to turn it into Rabbokki!
How to prepare: Cut the onions, green onions, and fish cakes into bite-sized pieces. Pack the cut ingredients along with the rice cakes and tteokbokki sauce into a vacuum sealer food storage bag. Store the meal kits in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.
How to cook: Add all the frozen ingredients into a shallow pan with 1½-2 cups of water (adjust the water depending on how soupy you like it) and bring it to a simmer on medium-high heat. It’s ready to enjoy once the rice cakes are bouncy and chewy!
5. Gungjung Tteokbokki (Korean Royal Court Rice Cakes)
Gungjung Tteokkbokki used to be a royal dish that was served to the King in the Joseon Dynasty. It’s a stir-fried dish with bouncy rice cakes, beef, carrots, onions, and mushrooms in a savory and sweet soy sauce. This is a non-spicy dish that is a perfect alternative to the traditional spicy tteokbokki and is kid-friendly too!
How to prepare: Marinate the thinly sliced beef (or ground beef) in the soy-based marinade. Cut the onions, carrots, green onions, and mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. Neatly arrange the ingredients in clusters in a large food storage container. Store the meal kit in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
How to cook: Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a shallow pan on medium heat. Add the frozen beef and about ¼ cup of water to the pan. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring and breaking the beef apart as you go. Once the beef is cooked and slightly browned, add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Continue to stir-fry until the rice cakes are bouncy, about 3 minutes. Finish the dish with a drizzle of sesame oil and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!
6. Vegetable Japchae ( Korean Stir-Fried Glass Noodles)
This is a classic Korean dish with stir-fried glass noodles loaded with colorful vegetables. My mom always makes Japchae on special occasions and holidays since it’s so festive and can feed many mouths! This can be a complete meal by adding your protein of choice, such as beef or tofu.
How to prepare: Blanch the bean sprouts for 1-2 minutes in a pot of boiling water. This prevents the bean sprouts from crumbling once you freeze them. Thinly slice the carrots, onion, and mushrooms. Add the sauce (recipe for it here) to the bottom of each food storage container. Layer the sliced carrots, onions, mushrooms, and blanched bean sprouts on top of the sauce. Soak the glass noodles according to the package directions but some brands may not require presoaking. Pack the glass noodles in a separate container. Store the meal kits in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
How to cook: Thaw the meal kit on the kitchen counter at room temperature for a few minutes, just until the frozen contents pop out. Add the frozen ingredients to a shallow pan with ¼ cup of water and cook on medium-high heat. Once the veggies have softened add the glass noodles and continue to stir-fry until the liquid evaporates by half. Finish with a generous drizzle of sesame oil, toss to mix, and enjoy!
7. Beef Bulgogi Hot Pot
A hearty and flavorful hotpot loaded with beef bulgogi, cabbage, carrots, onions, zucchini and more! You can optionally add noodles to the hot pot to make it a complete meal. This is a great dish to make at the table for the family or entertaining guests.
How to prepare: If you’re adding glass noodles to this meal kit, presoak the noodles according to the package directions. Cut the cabbage, zucchini, onions, and carrots into bite-sized pieces. Marinate the thinly sliced beef in the bulgogi sauce (here is the recipe). Arrange the cut vegetables, glass noodles, marinated meat, and broth coin neatly in a large food storage container. Store the meal kits in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
How to cook: Add all the frozen ingredients (except the noodles) into a pot. Pour 2 cups of water over the ingredients and bring it to a boil on high heat. Add the noodles and season to taste with soy sauce. Optionally, you can add puffed tofu, dumplings, and more vegetables. This is a great way to use up any veggie scraps in your fridge too!
