NOTE: I wrote this FOREVER ago – like a year I think! – and never published it.  We’re not eating much, if any, dairy now, but I still plan on sharing the plan I used during my pregnancy with Andrew since it was pretty awesome for us – and SO many of my friends are pregnant right now!

When I was pregnant with Andrew I made a ton of freezer meals to have after he was born (like 46!).  I have every intention of blogging that plan soon because I was crazy OCD organized about it and I want to share.

I found SOOOOOO many recipes that are freezer friendly as I was planning for that time.  Most were a huge hit, some weren’t!  Others have been added to our monthly rotation and will stay there forever!

I’m not a huge fan of ham typically, but Darrin is.  This seemed like a simple enough recipe and one that would freeze well.  After a few tweaks, it’s become a family favorite.  I’m already looking forward to making it with our leftover Christmas ham in a few months (less than 3 months to go actually!).

Cheesy Ham and Hashbrown Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1lb cooked ham
• 26 oz frozen hashbrowns
• 2 cans of cream of potato soup
• 8oz sour cream
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 TBSP Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp ground sage
• 1/2 TBSP Thyme
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Chop up the ham.

Combine all of the ingredients together, reserving 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese for topping.

Even spread into a prepared 9×13 dish.

(If freezing, here is where you’d wrap the dish up and put it in the freezer).

Top with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until bubbly and browned on top.

If making a freezer meal, when you’re ready to cook, remove from the freezer and thaw over night. Top with cheese. Bake for an hour at 375.  I like to write anything I need to add to the meal, plus the cooking instructions on tinfoil before wrapping so everything is right there on the meal!

The mustard and spices give it a little something special and add a unique flavor, while keeping the prep super easy!

This is totally the season for freezer meals – kids back in school, evening and weekend activities are going full steam and there is nothing nicer at 5pm than knowing all you have to do is pop something in the oven and you’ll have a home-cooked meal in an hour!