Free Meals in a Jar by Julie Languille

(2-tablespoon) packets
    4 (1-pint) jars Home-Canned Beef ( page 48 ) or 8 cups freeze-dried beef or TVP
    4 (1-pint) jars home-canned crumbled Italian sausage or 8 cups freeze-dried sausage
    24 (1-pound) bags pasta
    4 (1-pint) jars home-canned meatballs
    4 (6.5-ounce) cans store-bought canned clams
    4 (6-ounce) cans store-bought black olives
    Instructions
    For spaghetti sauce: Most commercial sauce is sold in quart-size jars or cans. This is enough to sauce 2 pounds of pasta and serve 8, so if you use store-bought sauce, you might choose to make meal kits to serve 8 instead of 4. Muir Glen and Eden Organic both package commercially canned spaghetti sauce in 16-ounce cans, which are a perfect size.
    For cheese: You’ll need 24 (4-ounce) servings of Parmesan to create all 24 ready-made meals. The cheese can be finely grated Parmesan vacuum-sealed into 4-ounce servings, or you can vacuum-seal or wax 4-ounce chunks of cheese and grate the cheese at time of use.
    For salt: Divide the salt into 24 (2-tablespoon) portions and package each in a small zip-top bag.
    For beef: If using freeze-dried beef or TVP, in each of 4 vacuum bags, add and then seal:
• 2 cups freeze-dried beef or TVP
    For sausage: If using freeze-dried, in each of 4 vacuum bags, add and then seal:
• 2 cups freeze-dried sausage crumbles

    Ready-Made Meal Assembly
    In each of 8 Mylar bags, tote bags, or vacuum bags, store:
• 1 pound pasta
• 1 packet salt
• 1 pint spaghetti sauce
• 4 ounces Parmesan cheese
• 1 jar or bag each of beef, meatballs, sausage, clams, and olives (or omit for plain)

    Label each bag:
    Fill a large pot two-thirds full with water and add salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and add the pasta. Cook until almost al dente, 6 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, warm the pasta sauce with any included meat or olives over medium-low heat. When the pasta is almost done, drain off most of the water (reserve about 1 cup in case you need to thin the sauce). Add the sauce to the drained pasta and stir to coat and finish cooking together. Serve the pasta topped with grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 4 .

Macaroni and Beef in a Creamy Tomato Sauce aka Beefaroni
    Yum, tender beef and pasta in a creamy tomato sauce. Every kid’s favorite and loved by adults as well.
    Makes 6 (6 to 8-serving) meals
    Ingredients
    6 pounds macaroni or other pasta shape
    3/4 cup salt
    6 (1-pint) jars Home-Canned Spaghetti Sauce ( page 74 ) or 6 (16-ounce) cans store-bought spaghetti sauce
    6 (1-pint) jars Home-Canned Beef ( page 48 ) or 12 cups freeze-dried beef, sausage, or TVP
    3 cups sour cream powder
    Instructions
    For pasta: In each of 6 vacuum bags, add and then seal:
• 1 pound pasta
• 2 tablespoons salt
    For freeze-dried meat (if using): In each of 6 vacuum bags, add and then seal:
• 2 cups freeze-dried beef, sausage, or TVP
    For sour cream: In each of 6 vacuum bags, add and then seal:
• 1/2 cup sour cream powder

    Ready-Made Meal Assembly
    In each of 6 Mylar bags, tote bags, or vacuum bags, store:
• 1 pound of macaroni or other pasta shape and salt
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 pint home-canned beef or 1 bag freeze-dried meat
• 1 bag cream powder

    Label each bag:
    Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Cook the pasta until al dente, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate pot over medium heat, warm the sauce and meat. When pasta is done, drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking water. In a small bowl, mix the sour cream powder with 1/4 cup of water. Combine the pasta, sauce, and sour cream, toss to combine, and serve. Serves 6 to 8 .

Baked Pasta Ready-Made Meals
    The most basic yet satisfying of all casseroles is baked pasta. There are two ways to make this: You can boil the pasta on the stovetop and serve it casserole-style from the skillet, either baked in the oven or not; or, you can assemble a baking dish of all the ingredients, adding the pasta raw, and adding 2 cups of water. The pasta will absorb the extra water and