Fajitas for Freezer
Submitted by maureend12901
Freezer fajitas: marinated sirloin steak frozen with frozen fajita vegetables for a make-ahead Tex-Mex weeknight dinner. Thaw, sear, and serve in flour tortillas with salsa.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
25 minREADY
35 minMeal prep meets fajitas. This freezer-friendly version assembles the steak in marinade and pre-cut fajita vegetables into ready-to-cook bundles you can stash away until the weeknight scramble hits. Twenty minutes from thaw to table.
The genius of freezer marinades is that the meat marinates while it thaws. Slow defrosting in the fridge over 24 hours gives the lime juice, vinegar, oregano, and garlic plenty of time to flavor the sirloin deeply. No active marinating needed.
A blistering-hot pan does the cooking. The steak sears fast in just a few minutes, then comes out to rest while the same pan cooks the frozen vegetables in the leftover marinade. Slicing against the grain matters here, sirloin is a lean cut that toughens if you slice with the muscle fibers.
The final move (folding salsa into the pan with vegetables and sliced meat) builds a quick sauce that helps everything cling to warm tortillas. Spoon into flour tortillas, top with avocado, fresh cilantro, and tomato.
Pro Tips
- Use sirloin, skirt, or flank steak. All take well to marinades and slice cleanly against the grain.
- Label bags with date and contents so you don’t lose track of what’s in the freezer.
- Sear in cast iron if you have it. The high heat gives proper Tex-Mex char.
- Warm tortillas in a dry skillet or under a damp paper towel in the microwave for 20 seconds.
Variations
- Make multiple bundles at once. Same effort, weeks of dinners.
- Swap beef for chicken thighs or shrimp.
- Add a teaspoon of ground cumin and a pinch of chipotle to the marinade for smoky depth.
Ingredients
Directions
Place steak in quart-sized freezer bag; combine lime juice, white wine vinegar, salad oil, oregano, and crushed garlic cloves; add to meat.
Freeze.
To bundle: Steak/marinade mixture; flour tortillas; frozen vegetables.
To prepare: Thaw steak in marinade.
Remove steak and pan-sear in hot pan.
Cook until medium rare; remove from pan.
In the same pan, add frozen vegetables and marinade; cover and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender.
While vegetables ar cooking, slice meat into thin slices against the grain.
Add to cooked vegetables.
Add salsa to meat and vegetables; heat through.
To serve, spoon into warmed flour tortilla; garnish with avocado cubes, chopped tomato or fresh cilantro.
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