3 Cheese Potato Soup
This soup is great by itself, but also a nice way to use up leftovers as stir-ins. I have added ham, broccoli, chicken, peas, and other sundry bits and pieces to make this a very versatile freezer staple.

3 Tbsp. butter
1 c. onion, diced
1 tsp. garlic powder
6 - 8 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cans cream of chicken or mushroom soup
2 soup cans milk
1 8oz. package cream cheese (light is fine)
1 c. shredded mozzarella
1 c. grated Parmesan or cheddar
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions, cooking until soft. Add potatoes and enough water to barely cover. Cook, covered, until potatoes are tender (15 - 20 minutes). In a medium-size bowl, combine soup and milk until smooth. Pour soup mixture into potato mixture and stir over low heat. Add cheeses, and stir until smooth. Heat, but do not boil. Add garlic and salt and pepper to taste.

To Freeze: Allow soup to cool, and ladle into 1 gallon freezer bag. Lay flat to freeze.

To serve: Reheat in microwave or over low heat on the stovetop, stirring constantly to keep from burning. Add in any additional ingredients and heat through.

Tamale Corn Casserole
Serves 10
3 c. corn meal
8 c. water
6 cups whole kernel corn
2 c. chopped olives
1 c. chopped onion
2 c. tomato sauce
½ c. green chilies (opt.)

Boil water. Add corn meal. Cook until the consistency of mush. Cook corn, olives, onion and chilies in tomato sauce over medium high heat until onion is transparent. If mixture boils down too much, add water. In casserole dish, place half of mush. Pour vegetable mixture over this. Top with remaining corn mush mixture. Cover; freeze. Place directly into 350° oven from freezer. Bake 2 hours or until hot and cooked through. This is very good!

Marinara Sauce
1 can tomatoes, peeled in juice (16 oz.) coarsely crushed
1/3 cup salad oil
6 garlic cloves -- pressed or minced
3 onions -- chopped
4 carrots -- finely chopped
2 tablespoons basil -- dried
1 tablespoon oregano -- dried
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Heat oil in a 5-quart or larger pot over medium heat. Cook garlic, onions and carrots, stirring occasionally, until soft. Stir in tomatoes and juice, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer rapidly, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 1 1/2 hours or until sauce is very thick and reduced by about half.  Ladle into freezer bag and lay flat to freeze.

Minestrone
1 Tbsp. Vegetable oil
½  c. chopped onion
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
3 ½  c. (two 14 oz. Cans) reduced-sodium chicken broth (to make Vegan, use vegetable broth)
1 ¾  c. (15 oz. Can) Great Northern white beans, rinsed and drained
1 ½ c. water
2/3 c. (6 oz. Can) Italian style tomato paste with tomato pesto
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
¼  tsp. Ground black pepper
2 c. (2 large) sliced zucchini
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables
1/3 c. small macaroni (add when reheating)

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 to 2 minutes or until tender. Stir in broth, beans, water, tomato paste, seasoning and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook, covered, for 10 minutes.

Add zucchini and mixed vegetables. Bring to a boil, stirring to break up vegetables. Reduce heat to low; cook, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes or until vegetables and pasta are tender. Freeze up to 4 months.

THAW soup overnight in refrigerator. Place partially thawed soup in large saucepan. Add macaroni. Warm over medium heat until serving temperature and macaroni is tender. Makes 6 servings.

Light Alfredo Sauce
1 ½  tablespoons butter, melted
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 ½  tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups skim milk
3 tablespoons light cream cheese
½  cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add garlic; cook and stir 30 seconds. Blend in flour; cook and stir minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from heat; stir in cheeses and parsley until cheeses melt. Toss with fettuccine.

To Freeze: Allow to cool and ladle (sauce only) into 1 gallon Ziploc bag.  Lay flat to freeze.

Fettuccine Romano
8 oz. fettuccine or wide egg noodles
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1/4 c. butter
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
2 c. water
1/4 c. grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. sour cream
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

Cook fettuccine in boiling, salted water until tender; drain well.  Meanwhile, saute onion in butter.  Thoroughly blend in tomato paste and water; heat through.  Pour over hot cooked fettuccine and toss with romano cheese.  Fold in sour cream.  Sprinkle with parsley.  Makes 4 - 6 servings.

Christy's Note:  I just tripled this and bagged it up noodles and all for freezing.  It's probably one of the easiest recipes I have tried!

Sandy's Alfredo Sauce
32 oz. cream cheese
2 c. butter (NOT MARGARINE)
3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
16 oz. heavy cream
pinch nutmeg (optional)

Melt all ingredients together over low heat, stirring constantly.

Calzones
2 loaves  bread dough,  frozen
6 oz. sliced mozzarella cheese
5 cups spaghetti sauce
Pizza toppings (to add to cheese filling, if wanted)

Thaw two loaves of bread dough.  Divide each loaf into 6 parts each.  One at a time, roll out each dough piece on a floured board or stretch with your hands, making 12 7-inch squares.  Fold each dough square over half a cheese slice to form a turnover, and pinch edges to seal (I use a fork). The book says that another option is that you can also ladle 1/3 cup sauce onto center of each square before making the turnover, but the sauce tends to seep out.

Place each turnover in a small sandwich bag, or wrap in plastic wrap.  Put 6 turnovers in a 1-gallon freezer bag.  Divide sauce in half and store in two 1-qt freezer bags; enclose bag of sauce in a bag of Calzones.  Do the same for remaining 6 turnovers.

To prepare for serving, thaw sauce; heat in a medium pan 10-15 minutes until bubbly.  At the same time, take frozen turnovers out of plastic, and place them about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet sprayed with a nonstick spray.  When thawed, preheat oven to 325.  Bake for about 15 minutes.  Turnovers will be golden brown when done.  Ladle sauce on top of turnovers, and serve.  Makes 12 servings.