Category: Seasonal

Posted in Kitchen Tips, Preservation, Seasonal

Put a Little Back: Green Beans for Future Dinners

Posted on by simplegoodfood

There is something satisfying about looking at a basket of fresh green beans and realizing that today’s harvest doesn’t have to be eaten today.

Maybe you found a great price at the farmers’ market.

Maybe your garden is producing faster than you can keep up.

Or maybe you simply bought more green beans than your household can reasonably eat this week.

Instead of letting the extras sit in the refrigerator until they’re past their prime, put a little back.

Today, we’re putting green beans in the freezer—not just to preserve them, but to give ourselves an ingredient for future dinners.

Why Green Beans Are Worth Putting Back

Green beans are one of those wonderfully useful vegetables.

They can be a side dish, but they don’t have to stay in the side-dish category.

Frozen green beans can become part of:

  • Chicken and green bean skillets
  • Vegetable soup
  • Casseroles
  • Rice bowls
  • Pasta dishes
  • Pot pies
  • Simple vegetable sides

That’s exactly what we’re looking for when we build a freezer for a small household.

We aren’t simply collecting frozen vegetables.

We’re collecting future meal ingredients.

Start With Good Green Beans

For the best quality, start with fresh, tender beans.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation’s guidance for freezing green, snap, or wax beans recommends selecting young, tender pods.

Give the beans a good wash in cold water. Trim the ends, then leave them whole or cut them into pieces that make sense for the meals you expect to make.

For my purposes, I like pieces that are easy to scoop into a skillet, soup pot, or casserole.

That’s one of those small decisions that makes future cooking easier.

Blanch Before Freezing

This is the one part of the process where I don’t recommend improvising.

Green beans should be blanched before freezing.

Blanching briefly heats the vegetables to slow enzyme activity that can otherwise affect flavor, color, and texture during frozen storage. The National Center for Home Food Preservation explains why blanching matters and provides the recommended times for different vegetables.

For green beans, the NCHFP’s specific instructions call for 3 minutes of water blanching.

A Simple Green Bean Freezing Process

  1. Wash and trim the beans.
  2. Cut them into useful pieces, or leave them whole.
  3. Bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil.
  4. Add the prepared beans and blanch for 3 minutes.
  5. Cool them promptly in cold water.
  6. Drain them thoroughly.
  7. Package, leaving the recommended headspace.
  8. Seal, label, and freeze.

The NCHFP blanching guidance recommends cooling vegetables promptly and thoroughly after blanching, using cold water or ice water, and cooling for approximately the same amount of time as the blanching period. Thorough draining is important because excess moisture can reduce quality during freezing.

And if you’re doing a larger batch, don’t try to blanch an enormous amount at once. The water needs to return to a boil quickly, and the NCHFP recommends using about one gallon of water per pound of prepared vegetables for water blanching.

Freeze Them in Meal-Sized Portions

Here’s where I want to depart a little from the traditional idea of “putting up” food.

If you’re cooking for one or two people, you don’t necessarily want one giant bag of green beans.

Think about how you’ll use them.

If your typical recipe uses about two cups, freeze approximately two cups together.

If you regularly add a handful of vegetables to a soup or skillet, make some smaller portions.

You might end up with:

2 cups — Chicken & Green Bean Skillet

2 cups — Vegetable Soup

1 cup — Side Dish

1–2 cups — Rice Bowls

You don’t actually have to write the intended meal on the package, of course. But thinking this way while you’re packaging the beans helps you decide what portion sizes will be most useful.

Label Them Before They Go Into the Freezer

This is one of those little tasks that’s incredibly easy to skip when you’re standing in the kitchen with a pile of freshly blanched vegetables.

Don’t skip it.

Label each package with:

  • Green beans
  • Amount
  • Date

For example:

Green Beans — 2 cups — Sept. 2026

Future-you will be very happy you did.

And if you’ve been following this week’s freezer theme, you may already see where we’re going.

We’re not just putting green beans into the freezer.

We’re beginning to build a freezer inventory.

What Will Those Green Beans Become?

This is my favorite part.

A package of frozen green beans isn’t particularly exciting sitting on a freezer shelf.

But give it a purpose and suddenly it’s different.

Chicken & Green Bean Skillet

Combine your frozen green beans with cooked chicken, a little broth or sauce, and whatever other vegetables or seasonings fit your pantry.

That’s dinner.

Vegetable Soup

Green beans are right at home in a pot of vegetable soup.

Add carrots, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, broth, and whatever other vegetables need using.

That’s dinner.

Casseroles

Frozen green beans can add color, texture, and vegetables to a simple casserole.

That’s dinner.

Rice Bowls

Add green beans to rice with chicken, turkey, or another protein and finish with a simple sauce.

That’s dinner.

A Simple Side Dish

Sometimes you really do just want green beans alongside the main course.

Season them simply and serve.

That’s dinner, too.

Don’t Forget the Bigger Picture

This is why I like the phrase “put a little back.”

You don’t have to preserve twenty pounds of beans.

You don’t have to spend an entire weekend filling the freezer.

You don’t have to turn September into a marathon of food preservation.

You can put away a few meal-sized packages at a time.

And if you do that with several foods throughout the season, those little packages begin adding up.

A handful of green beans.

Some cooked chicken.

A container of broth.

A few portions of corn.

Some peppers.

Maybe a little fruit.

Suddenly, the freezer is working for you.

Keep the Freezer at the Right Temperature

For food safety and best quality, the USDA recommends keeping your freezer at 0°F or below. An appliance thermometer can help you verify that your freezer is maintaining the proper temperature.

And remember that freezing doesn’t make food immune to quality loss. Proper packaging and keeping foods frozen consistently help protect the food you’ve taken the time to preserve.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation’s freezing guidance is a good resource to keep bookmarked when you’re preserving different foods because preparation and freezing recommendations vary from one food to another.

Today’s Green Beans Are Tomorrow’s Dinner

That’s really the whole point.

You aren’t freezing green beans because having a freezer full of vegetables sounds virtuous.

You’re freezing them because you can already imagine using them.

Maybe next week they’ll go into a chicken skillet.

A few weeks later they’ll become part of soup.

Later in the fall, they’ll find their way into a casserole.

And one evening when you’re standing in the kitchen wondering what on earth you’re going to make for dinner, you’ll remember that little package sitting in the freezer.

You already did some of the work.

You already bought the vegetables.

You already prepared them.

You already put them away.

Now you just have to turn them into dinner.

That’s what successful preservation looks like to me.

Today’s harvest. Tomorrow’s meal.

And that’s why we’re putting a little back.

Posted in Chicken Meals, Seasonal, Skillet Meals

Chicken & Vegetable Pot Pie Skillet

Posted on by simplegoodfood

There are nights when you want chicken pot pie, but you don’t necessarily want to make an entire pie.

That’s where this Chicken & Vegetable Pot Pie Skillet comes in.

Tender chicken and vegetables are tucked into a simple creamy sauce, then topped with golden biscuits and baked right in the skillet. It has all the cozy appeal of pot pie without rolling out a crust or making a full-size casserole.

And it’s exactly the kind of meal that makes a well-stocked freezer worthwhile.

Those vegetables you put away when they were plentiful? This is one of the dinners they were waiting for.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • All the comfort of chicken pot pie without making a pie crust.
  • Uses convenient cooked chicken, making it a great way to use meal-prepped or leftover chicken.
  • Frozen vegetables work beautifully here.
  • Everything starts in one skillet and finishes in the oven.
  • Makes 4 servings, so it works for a small household with leftovers for lunch.
  • Easy to adapt based on what’s in your freezer.
  • Mildly seasoned rather than heavily spiced.
simplegoodfood's avatarsimplegoodfood

Chicken & Vegetable Pot Pie Skillet

There are nights when you want chicken pot pie, but you don't necessarily want to make an entire pie.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 390
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Filling
  • 2 cups cooked chicken shredded or chopped
  • 2 cups mixed vegetables such as carrots, peas, corn, and green beans
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup finely diced onion
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
For the Biscuit Topping
  • 1 cup baking mix
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese optional
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley optional

Equipment

  • 1 10-inch Oven-safe Skillet

Method
 

Prepare the Skillet
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Heat a 10-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and diced onion. Cook for about 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften.
Make the Sauce
  1. Sprinkle the flour over the onion and stir well. Cook for about 1 minute to remove the raw flour taste.
  2. Gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
  3. Add the milk, thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking for 3–5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Add the Chicken and Vegetables
  1. Stir in the cooked chicken and mixed vegetables.
  2. If you’re using frozen vegetables, there’s no need to thaw them first. Allow the mixture to heat through for several minutes.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
  1. The filling should be creamy but still loose enough that it can bubble around the biscuit topping. If it seems too thick, add another splash of broth or milk.
Make the Biscuit Topping
  1. In a small bowl, stir together the baking mix and milk until just combined.
  2. Don’t overmix. A few small lumps are perfectly fine.
  3. If using them, gently stir in the Parmesan and dried parsley.
Add the Biscuits
  1. Drop the biscuit dough by spoonfuls over the chicken mixture, leaving a little space between the biscuits so steam can escape.
  2. You don’t need to completely cover the filling. In fact, leaving a few little windows of creamy chicken and vegetables showing makes the finished skillet look especially inviting.
Bake
  1. Carefully transfer the skillet to the preheated oven.
  2. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown and cooked through and the filling is bubbling around the edges.
  3. If the biscuits brown before they’re completely cooked inside, loosely cover the skillet with foil and continue baking until done.
Rest and Serve
  1. Let the skillet rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
  2. That gives the filling a chance to settle while the biscuits finish soaking up a little of that creamy sauce.
  3. Spoon directly from the skillet and enjoy.

Notes

Make It Your Own

This is exactly the kind of recipe where your freezer can do the heavy lifting.
Use whatever vegetables you have available, as long as they’re suitable for cooking in a creamy filling.
Good choices include:
  • Green beans
  • Peas
  • Corn
  • Carrots
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Diced zucchini
  • Mixed vegetables
You can also substitute cooked turkey for the chicken.
And if you have leftover roasted vegetables, don’t be afraid to use them. Just remember that already-cooked vegetables may need less time to heat through.

Using Your Freezer Chicken

This recipe is especially useful if you’ve cooked chicken ahead and portioned it for future meals.

A freezer package containing about 2 cups of cooked chicken is practically an invitation to make this skillet.

Thaw the chicken safely in the refrigerator before using, or use chicken that has already been thawed and refrigerated.

The same goes for your frozen vegetables: keeping them portioned in meal-sized amounts means you can pull out exactly what you need without thawing an entire bag.

That’s the whole idea behind this week’s freezer theme.

You’re not just putting food away. You’re putting future meals away.

What to Serve With Chicken Pot Pie Skillet

Honestly, this skillet can stand on its own.

You’ve already got protein, vegetables, a creamy sauce, and biscuits all in one dish.

If you’d like something alongside it, keep it simple:

  • A green salad
  • Fresh fruit
  • Steamed vegetables
  • A small side of cranberry sauce

You don’t need to turn a cozy skillet supper into a production.

Storing Leftovers

Refrigerate leftovers promptly in a covered container.

For the best quality, enjoy refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days.

The biscuit topping will soften as it sits, but reheating individual portions in the oven or air fryer can help bring back some of the crispness.

If you’re cooking for one or two, leftovers make an especially good next-day lunch.

A Little Future Dinner

This is one of my favorite reasons to preserve food.

A bag of frozen vegetables doesn’t look particularly exciting.

Neither does a container of cooked chicken.

But combine them with a few pantry staples, and suddenly you’ve got a warm, bubbling chicken pot pie skillet coming out of the oven.

That’s the payoff.

Today’s harvest becomes tomorrow’s dinner.

Recipe Details

Yield: About 6 cups, 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: About 35 minutes
Equipment: 10-inch oven-safe skillet