Crock Pot Freezer Meals // Freezer Meals 101

 

Baked Italian Chicken Recipe:

  • 8-12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1 cup zucchini with peel, cubed
  • 1/2 cup onion, diced
  • 24 oz. jar pasta sauce

Assembly instructions:

  1. Cut the zucchini and onion and slice the mushrooms. 
  2. Place the chicken thighs in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Add the seasoning, vegetables, brown sugar, and pasta sauce. 
  4. Remove all the air you can from the bag, seal it, and freeze.

Oven Cooking Instructions:

  1. Thaw. Put the contents of the bag in a casserole dish.
  2. Bake in the oven at 375° for 50 minutes.
Crock Pot Cooking  Instructions:
  1. Thaw. Put the bag contents into the slow cooker.
  2. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Serve over pasta and sprinkle with shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese. If you are on a gluten-free diet, you can instead serve this over rice. You can also serve this with a side salad if you want more greens.

Variations on this recipe:

  • Substitute 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts for the chicken thighs.
  • Add some crushed chili flakes either before cooking or when serving if you like to spice things up a bit. 
  • You can substitute a can of sliced mushrooms for the fresh mushrooms, but I really suggest you use fresh. It’s hardly any extra work to slice them up and it tastes so much fresher. 
  • Use whichever red pasta sauce is your favorite. By experimenting and trying different types of pasta sauce, you can change up the flavors of this meal. 

Beef Curry Freezer Meal Recipe:

  • 1 lb. beef stir fry strips
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 cup red and yellow bell pepper, diced
  • 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup curry paste*
  • 3 tsp. sugar
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

*I prefer the Madras or Spicy curry paste, but use whichever one is your favourite.

Place the stir fry strips, chopped onion, diced peppers, can of tomatoes, curry paste, sugar, and cream in a large resealable bag. Squish together to combine the ingredients. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

On the day of cooking, thaw the bag. Either stir fry the bag contents on high heat until the beef is cooked through or cook in the slow cooker for 4-6 hours on low.

Instructions

  1. Place the stir fry strips, chopped onion, diced peppers, can of tomatoes, curry paste, sugar, and cream in a large resealable bag.

  2. Squish together to combine the ingredients. 

  3. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. On the day of cooking, thaw the bag.

  2. Either stir fry the bag contents on high heat until the beef is cooked through or cook in the slow cooker for 4-6 hours on low.

Serving ideas:

  1. You can serve the beef curry alongside or on top of rice, wrapped up in flour tortillas, or on its own. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired. 


Beefy Rice Slow Cooker Casserole
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: beef, rice, slow cooker
Servings: 6
Calories: 367 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1.5 lbs cooked ground beef
  • 28 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
  • 1 cup uncooked long-grain converted rice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp chili powder
Instructions

  1. Place the uncooked rice in a medium-sized resealable bag and seal.

  2. Chop the onion and green pepper.

  3. Add the browned ground beef that you cooked the night before, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, and seasonings to a large resealable bag. Squish everything in that bag together.

  4. Remove the excess air from the bag and seal.

  5. Staple the medium bag of uncooked rice to the large bag above the seal.

Cooking Instrucitons:

  1. On the day of cooking, take the meal out of the freezer and thaw it.

  2. Carefully take out the staples and add the contents of both bags to the slow cooker. Add 1 cup of water and stir.

  3. Cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.


Beefy Rice Slow Cooker Casserole
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: beef, rice, slow cooker
Servings: 6
Calories: 367 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1.5 lbs cooked ground beef
  • 28 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
  • 1 cup uncooked long-grain converted rice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp chili powder
Instructions

  1. Place the uncooked rice in a medium-sized resealable bag and seal.

  2. Chop the onion and green pepper.

  3. Add the browned ground beef that you cooked the night before, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, and seasonings to a large resealable bag. Squish everything in that bag together.

  4. Remove the excess air from the bag and seal.

  5. Staple the medium bag of uncooked rice to the large bag above the seal.

Cooking Instrucitons:

  1. On the day of cooking, take the meal out of the freezer and thaw it.

  2. Carefully take out the staples and add the contents of both bags to the slow cooker. Add 1 cup of water and stir.

  3. Cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.


Droolworthy BBQ Shredded Chicken Freezer Meal with Garlic
Admittedly, it is messy to eat, but you won't mind having drips of garlic mayo mixed with BBQ sauce and minced onions running down your wrists because it is so worth it!
Servings: 6
Calories: 509 kcal
Ingredients
  • 3-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 3/4 cup finely minced onion
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 bottle of barbeque sauce or 425 mL of your own homemade BBQ sauce
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
Instructions
  1. Place the chicken, minced onion, minced garlic, barbeque sauce, and apple cider vinegar in a large resealable bag.
  2. Remove excess air and seal.
  3. On the day you want to serve this, take it out of the freezer and allow it to thaw.
  4. Cook it in the crock pot on low for 3-5 hours.
  5. Shred.
  6. Serve in on buns on top of garlic mayo. You can also serve this shredded BBQ chicken on nachos or in tacos.

Garlic Mayo Recipe:

  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
  • dash of salt and pepper

Mix together all the ingredients and serve on buns before topping with the shredded BBQ chicken. If there’s any leftover, you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container. We never have any leftovers though because it is lick-the-bowl good (or so I’ve heard)!

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork Recipe:

  • 5-7 lb. pork shoulder or butt
  • 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 can (11 oz.) chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
  • 2 cans Dr. Pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper

Assembly instructions:

  1. Place the pork in a large resealable bag.
  2. Toss in the chopped onion, can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.
  3. Pour in 2 cans of Dr. Pepper soda pop, holding the bag up to prevent spills.
  4. Remove the excess air, seal the bag, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Place in the crockpot. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
  3. Shred and serve on buns.

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