It’s very satisfying to pull out a freezer bag full of soup or a lasagna on a busy night when you are too tired to cook. The only downside, in my mind, is that frozen meals can sometimes taste a little lackluster. The meals I prep ahead and freeze never have quite tasted as delicious as the fresh version but I’ve never really been able to put my finger on why. 

I was reading on the blog for America’s Test Kitchen that explained that the longer food is in the freeer, the more flavor it loses. The good news is there are ways you can save it! Here are a few tips on how to revive your freezer meals to make them taste as perfect as they are when you make them fresh the first time.

1. Add a splash of acid. Adding a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of vinegar can do wonders to brighten flavors in a soup or other meal. But know that a little goes a long ways so start small and keep adding to get the flavor you want. Don’t forget to season again with plenty of salt and pepper as well.

2. Add a swirl of olive oil. Similar to the acid, adding olive oil can add a lot of flavor back into your meal.

3. Add fresh herbs or chopped vegetables. You can always add some garlic or onions or any other chopped veggies that sound good into your meal. You can add chopped onions or minced garlic into the food when it’s about halfway done cooking on the stove and it will go a long ways to make it taste really fresh. 

4. Don’t forget to get the consistency right again. Your soup might have gotten a little thicker in the freezer so don’t forget to bring it back to the right consistency again by adding a splash of water or broth, if you’ve got it.

And now for some fun, I wanted to share some 5 fun ideas to upgrade freezer food and make it more gourmet.

1. Add veggies, proteins and condiments to frozen mac and cheese.

You can add things like broccoli, sun dried tomato with a drizzle of truffle oil to your regular mac ‘n’ cheese to make it taste like a million bucks. Or you could go with something like bacon and mushrooms if that is more your thing.

2. Turn chicken nuggets into little chicken parmesan bites.

Cook ordinary chicken nuggets according to package instructions and top with a little marinara sauce and a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese. Stick them under the broiler for a couple minutes and have plenty of warm marinara sauce to dip in on the side.

3. Easy wonton soup.

Make super easy wonton soup with frozen wontons, chicken broth and any veggies you have on hand like red bell peppers, green onions, bok choy, carrots and mushrooms.

4. Make enchiladas from frozen taquitos.

Top frozen taquitos with enchilada sauce from a can and shredded cheese and any of your other favorite Mexican food toppings like sour cream, pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, etc. 

5. Make cheater fish tacos.

You can whip up super easy fish tacos with frozen fish sticks and really dress them up with tartar sauce, chopped cabbage and shredded cheese, if you’ve got it.

Do you have any other tips for how to make freezer meals taste better when reheated? Are you a fan of prepping and making freezer meals for you and your family? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.