Yom Tov Freezer Meals: A Kosher Make-Ahead Plan and Soup

Name: Big-Batch Freezer Chicken Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 20 min
Yield: About 3 quarts, 10 to 12 servings
Cuisine: Jewish
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken (3 1/2 to 4 lb), cut into 8 pieces, or 4 lb chicken bottoms, backs, and wings; 16 cups (4 quarts) cold water; 2 large onions, peeled and halved; 4 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks; 3 celery ribs, cut into large chunks; 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into large chunks; 1 zucchini, cut into large chunks; 1 small bunch fresh dill; 1 small bunch fresh parsley; 2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste; 10 black peppercorns

Yom Tov Freezer Meals: What Freezes Well, What Doesn't, and a 3-Week Cook-Ahead Plan

Which Yom Tov dishes freeze well and which don't, a 3-week cook-ahead plan for a 2 or 3 day Yom Tov, and a big-batch chicken soup built for the freezer. Meat.

A two-day Yom Tov that runs into Shabbos can mean six or seven big meals in a row. The cook who walks into that with a full freezer is a calmer cook. Not everything freezes well, though, and finding out on erev Yom Tov that your rice turned to cardboard is no fun.

Here is what to freeze, what not to, and how to spread the cooking over three weeks.

What freezes well, and what doesn’t

Freezes well	Freeze with care	Make fresh instead
Chicken soup (without noodles)	Cholent (remove eggs first)	Green salads and Israeli salad
Brisket, sliced in its sauce	Roast chicken (best in sauce)	Rice (dries out)
Potato kugel, baked	Noodle kugel, baked	Schnitzel (loses its crunch)
Sweet noodle kugel, baked	Roasted vegetables (soften)	Raw potatoes
Challah, baked or shaped and unbaked	Cooked pasta dishes	Anything fried you want crisp (except latkes, which reheat well)
Meatballs in sauce	Fruit desserts	Hard-boiled eggs
Brownies and pareve cakes		Mayonnaise-based salads

A 3-week cook-ahead plan

When	Cook and freeze	Hands-on time
3 weeks before	Two batches of chicken soup (recipe below). Brownies or a pareve cake.	About 1 hour
2 weeks before	Two potato kugels and a sweet noodle kugel.	About 1 hour
1 week before	Brisket, sliced into its sauce. Shape and freeze challah.	About 1 hour
2 days before	Move the first day’s food to the fridge to thaw. Cut salad vegetables.	20 minutes
Erev Yom Tov	Roast chicken fresh. Reheat. Set the table.	About 1 hour

Labeling saves you

Every container gets the dish name, the date, and the label: meat, dairy, or pareve. In a busy Yom Tov kitchen, an unlabeled foil pan is a kashrus question waiting to happen. Masking tape and a marker work fine.

Thawing for a long Yom Tov

Plan thawing day by day. A quart of soup needs about a day in the fridge; a pan of brisket needs one to two days. Write a short list: what comes out of the freezer each evening. It’s the difference between a plan and a hope.

Know your dates

The cook-ahead plan only works when you know exactly when Yom Tov starts and which days run into Shabbos. Our printable 2027 Jewish calendar has every Yom Tov, Rosh Chodesh, and weekly parsha with Hebrew and English dates, and the Shabbos menu planner helps you map each meal.

Matzo balls for the soup

The soup is only half the story. Cook a big batch of make-ahead matzo balls in salted water, freeze them on a tray, and drop them into the simmering soup straight from frozen.

Recipe card · Meat

Big-Batch Freezer Chicken Soup

A classic clear chicken soup with carrots, celery, parsnip, and dill, made in a big pot and frozen in quart containers for Shabbos and Yom Tov.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 3 hr
Total: 3 hr 20 min
Yield: About 3 quarts, 10 to 12 servings
Kashrus: Meat

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (3 1/2 to 4 lb), cut into 8 pieces, or 4 lb chicken bottoms, backs, and wings
16 cups (4 quarts) cold water
2 large onions, peeled and halved
4 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
3 celery ribs, cut into large chunks
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 zucchini, cut into large chunks
1 small bunch fresh dill
1 small bunch fresh parsley
2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
10 black peppercorns

Instructions

Start the chicken: Put the chicken and cold water in an 8-quart or larger pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. For the first 5 to 10 minutes, skim off the foam that rises to the top.
Add vegetables: Add the onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, zucchini, salt, and peppercorns. Lower the heat so the soup barely bubbles.
Simmer: Simmer, partly covered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Add the dill and parsley, tied together or in a soup bag, for the last 30 minutes.
Strain: Remove the herbs and chicken. Strain the soup, keeping the carrots if you like them in the bowl. Pull the chicken off the bones for another use.
Cool quickly: Divide the soup into shallow containers so it cools fast, and refrigerate within 2 hours. The next day, lift off the fat that hardens on top. Taste and adjust the salt.

Make-ahead and storage

Refrigerator: up to 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: freeze in quart containers, leaving about 1 inch of space at the top because liquid expands. Keeps up to 3 months.
Thaw in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours, then bring to a boil before serving.
Cook noodles or matzo balls separately and freeze or store them apart from the soup so they don't turn mushy.

Notes

Kosher chicken is salted during kashering, so start with less salt and adjust at the end.
Check dill and parsley according to your kashrus standard, or use frozen herbs certified as checked.
Dark meat and bony pieces like backs and wings give the richest broth.

Questions people ask

How far ahead can I cook for Yom Tov?

Most cooked dishes keep 3 months in the freezer, so you can start 3 to 4 weeks ahead with soups, kugels, brisket, and baked challah. Salads and anything crisp are best made a day or two before.

Can you freeze cholent?

Yes. Remove any eggs first, cool it quickly, and freeze up to 3 months. The potatoes get a little softer after freezing.

Can I use freezer food for Pesach?

Only if it was made with kosher-for-Pesach ingredients and Pesach utensils in a kitchen prepared for Pesach. Food from your regular kitchen is not for Pesach. Ask your rav about anything specific.

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Yom Tov Freezer Meals: What to Cook Ahead (and What Not To)

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