Freezer-friendly recipes for gift goodie bags

Festivals might be a little overwhelming, but the positive memories of time spent with loved ones make them well worth it. Well, holidays are often packed with tasks, preparations, and hosting chores on one hand. On the other, our greatest concern during any upcoming holiday gathering is running out of food, especially when it comes to feeding our demanding guests or gifting them something that they’d cherish eating long after. So, how do we balance both these concerns then? Well, a bunch of freezer-friendly recipes with a few simple ingredients can definitely rescue you at this time of the year.

Now, let’s get started with some of these freezer-friendly recipes for packing into a goodie bag.

Mince Pies

Ingredients:

• 500g pack sweet or dessert shortcrust pastry
• 1 cup of plain flour for dusting
• 300g mince meat
• 1 tsp pf milk for glazing
• Round or fluted cutter

Directions:

1. On a surface sprinkled with flour, roll out a little more than half of the pastry to a thickness of approximately one pound coin.
2. To line the holes of a 12-hole bun tin, stamp out circles of pastry; an 8-cm cutter works well for this. Continue rolling the trimmings until they line all 12 holes.
3. After filling each with a little amount of mincemeat, lay out the remaining crust using a bit more flour. Cut out 12 lids using a 6cm plain round or fluted cutter.
4. Place the pastry lids over the mincemeat, press to seal the edges, and pierce each one with one or two tiny holes to let out steam. Carefully cover the entire tray with cling film now.
5. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°F for fans). Take the mince pies out of the freezer and lightly brush each one's top with some milk. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the filling is heated and the crust is crisp and golden.
6. The delicious mince pies are now ready to serve and/ or gift to family and friends.

Cranberry and Lentil Bake

Ingredients:

• 25g dried cranberries
• 1 tbsp of red wine
• 125g cooked puy lentils
• 2 tsp of olive oil
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• ½ garlic clove, crushed or finely grated
• 1 tbsp chopped sage
• ½ tbsp chopped parsley
• ¼ tsp smoked paprika
• A pinch of ground cloves
• 1 tsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp cornflour

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C for fans or gas) and grease and place a circle of baking paper on the bottom of a 200ml ovenproof ramekin.
2. Now, place the cranberries and wine in a small pan, then simmer over medium heat for a few minutes, or until the cranberries are plump and the wine is syrupy.
3. After filling the ramekin's base, set it aside.
4. Transfer the lentils to a bowl and use a fork to coarsely mash approximately half of them.
5. In a small pan, heat the oil and sauté the onion over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it becomes tender. Add the cloves, paprika, garlic, and herbs and heat for an additional minute.
6. After removing the pan from the heat, add the lentils, tomato purée, soy, and cornflour. Mix everything together and then transfer the mixture into the ramekin, carefully pushing it down with the back of a spoon.
7. For fifteen minutes, place the ramekin on an oven tray and bake. After a minute of cooling, transfer to a platter.
8. The cranberry and lentil bake is now ready to be savored by family and friends or be gifted as a goodie bag.

Rapini and Sausage Baked Pasta

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, if desired, minced
• ½ tsp chili flakes, if desired
• 6 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 4 cups whole milk
• 2 cups Mondelez Philadelphia mozzarella cheese
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 pound of chunky, whole-wheat pasta
• 1 pound of fresh Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 bunch rapini, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 jar (370 ml) roasted red peppers, sliced
• 2 cups Mondelez Philadelphia grated mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions:

1. Make the béchamel first. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the chili flake, if using, and the minced garlic. Stir often to keep the garlic from burning, cook for 1 minute. After adding the flour to the butter, mix everything together. Cook for a further two to three minutes over medium heat, or until flour is incorporated into butter and mixture is light golden yellow. Pour the milk in gradually while stirring. Simmer sauce for 8–10 minutes, or until thickened. Add the cheese and stir until melted. To taste, add salt and pepper for seasoning. Sauce should be set aside to cool.
2. Next, to get al dente pasta, cook it in a big pot of boiling salted water for three minutes shorter than the recommended cooking time on the package. In the oven, the pasta will cook through. Once the cooking time has elapsed, transfer the saucepan into a colander and run cold water over it until it cools. To remove as much water as possible, leave the pasta in the colander in the sink.
3. Thereafter, as the pasta cools, sauté the sausage meat in a pan until it's well-browned. After removing extra fat, place the sausage aside to cool.
4. After the ingredients have cooled, mix them together; if the sauce is still hot, the pasta will absorb it and the meal will become dry. Combine the pasta, drained roasted red pepper, chopped rapini, and chilled sausage in a big bowl. After sprinkling everything with the chilled sauce, fully combine with half of the shredded cheese. Distribute among two to three foil-lined frying pans, then equally top each with the leftover cheese. Cover and freeze now.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit when ready to dine. Depending on the size of the container, bake the pasta with the lid on for 30 to 40 minutes. For the final five minutes, broil to produce a crispy and golden top. Alongside, serve a green salad.