Freezer Meals 101

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101 Crockpot Freezer Meals

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The only thing that can make life in the kitchen easier than having freezer meals on hand is having those meals be able to go from the freezer to the crock pot. These 101 crockpot freezer meals will make getting supper on the table a piece of cake.

101 Crockpot Freezer Meals:

I know, I know…101 is a lot of recipes! But I love the convenience of freezer meals and the only thing that makes supper easier than having them made ahead and ready in the freezer is being able to plop them in the slow cooker and have them ready when you get home.

I wanted to include a lot of recipes all in one list so that you would have a variety to choose from. You can choose which recipes to make based on cooking times or based on the ingredients that you know your family will love.

Freezer Crock Pot Chicken Recipes:

These recipes use chicken as their main ingredient. That is about the only similarity they share though. These are not your standard everyday boring chicken meals. They pack a lot of flavour.

Droolworthy Shredded BBQ Chicken with Garlic Mayo. from here on Freezer Meals 101

Lemon Garlic Chicken Dump Recipe from right here on Freezer Meals 101

Our Chili Chicken Dump Recipe

Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos here on Freezer Meals 101

Chicken Cacciatore from here on Freezer Meals 101

This Lemon Mustard Chicken Dump Recipe is super easy to assemble.

Lemon Garlic Chicken at Gwen’s Nest

Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken from Crystal & Co.

5 Chicken Dump Recipes on The Chaos and The Clutter including Caribbean Chicken, Sticky Chicken, Lemon and Garlic, Cantonese, and Chicken Hurry

5 More Chicken Dump Recipes on The Chaos and The Clutter including recipes for Teriyaki Chicken, Lemon Mustard, French Canadian Chicken, Pepper Lime Chicken, and Cindy’s Chicken

Freezer to Crock Pot Chicken Taco Soup from The Chaos and The Clutter

Better Than it Sounds Prune and Olive Chicken from The Chaos and The Clutter

Sesame Orange Chicken from Make Ahead Meal Mom

Freezer Meal Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings from Slow Cooker Gourmet

Crockpot Chicken Posole Freezer Meal at Coffee with Us 3

Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken from A Sweet Pea Chef

Freezer to Crock-Pot Chicken Fajitas at The Humbled Homemaker

Slow Cooker Lemon Pesto Chicken at The Magical Slow Cooker

Easy Garlic Chicken over on Living Well Spending Less

Cashew Chicken Recipe from Eating on a Dime

Sweet and Spicy Chicken from The Nourishing Home

Cilantro Lime Chicken from Thriving Home

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas from Crystal & Co.

Honey Garlic Chicken by Spend with Pennies

Slow Cooker Chicken A La King Recipe from Happy Money Saver

Slow Cooker Kung Pao Chicken Recipe from Six Sisters’ Stuff

Chicken Cauliflower Curry on A Sweet Pea Chef

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings from Slow Cooker Gourmet

Chicken Enchilada Soup from The Magical Slow Cooker

BBQ Chicken and Vegetables Recipes from Taste and Tell

Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken from Chef in Training

Honey Sesame Chicken at Fabulessly Frugal

Freezer Crock Pot Beef Recipes:

Beef is another popular main ingredient for freezer meals. From ground beef to stew meat to roast, these recipes cover it all.

Easy Asian Meatballs from here on Freezer Meals 101

Ground Beef Stroganoff from here on Freezer Meals 101

Freezer to Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe from here on Freezer Meals 101

Beefy Rice Slow Cooker Casserole from here on Freezer Meals 101

Beef Curry from right here on Freezer Meals 101

Easy Make Ahead Crock Pot Meatballs on The Appetizer Chick

5 Beef Dump Recipes on The Chaos and The Clutter including recipes for Beef Hash, Chili, Taco Soup, Sloppy Joes, and Spaghetti Sauce

Sloppy Joes Recipe from The Chaos and The Clutter

Chinese Beef and Broccoli from Mommysavers

Crock Pot Taco Chili from Stockpiling Moms

Delicious Mississippi Pot Roast from Life at Cobble Hill

Pasta Fagiola from Sidetracked Sarah

Ropa Vieja from Lauren Greutman

Korean BBQ Beef on Pinch of Yum

Beef Sirloin Tips and Gravy at Six Sisters’ Stuff

Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce from Heidi’s Home Cooking

Broccoli and Beef Slow Cooker Freezer Meal from Large Family Table

Taco Pot Roast from Plain Chicken

Freezer Meat Loaf on Sidetracked Sarah

Crock Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup from Eating on a Dime

Ground Beef and Veggie Stew at Raising Clovers

Beef Enchilada Soup from Plain Chicken

Chihuahua Chili from Good Cheap Eats

Moroccan Meatballs from Skinny Taste (you can also use turkey instead of beef)

Crockpot Freezer Meals with Pork:

BBQ Pulled Pork here on Freezer Meals 101

Corn Chowder with Bacon from here on Freezer Meals 101

Crock Pot Pizza Casserole on The Chaos and The Clutter

Spiced Cranberry Pork Roast from Make Ahead Meal Mom

Country Style BBQ Ribs with Peppers and Onions on The Magical Slow Cooker

Easy Creamy Ranch Pork Chops over on Large Family Table

Boneless Country Style BBQ Ribs from Happy Money Saver

Sausage, Peppers and Onions from Grace and Good Eats

Easy Crock Pot Sausage Gumbo on Happy Money Saver

Smothered Pork Chops from Eating on a Dime

Slow Cooker Sweet Pork from Six Sisters’ Stuff

Cranberry Pork Chop Recipe from The Frugal Girls

Easy Smokey Pulled Pork at Make Ahead Meal Mom

Crock Pot Ham and Northern Beans from Stockpiling Moms

Slow Cooker Honey Parmesan Pork Roast on Sidetracked Sarah

Amish Pork Chops from Raising Clovers

Vegetarian Freezer to Crock Pot Recipes:

Meatless freezer meals are not only for vegetarians. They are great for lighter fare, saving money, cutting down on fat, and of course for those who really are vegetarians!

Chickpea and Vegetable Curry here on Freezer Meals 101

Freezer Spinach Artichoke Dip over on The Appetizer Chick

Crock Pot Tortellini Soup on The Chaos and The Clutter

Vegetable Pesto Minestrone from The Chaos and The Clutter

Pinto Tortilla Soup over on The Chaos and The Clutter

Slow Cooker Mixed Bean Casserole on The Chaos and The Clutter

Freezer Meal Sweet Potato Stew at Pinch of Yum

Freezer Meal Veggie Chili Recipe from Real Food Real Deals

Crockpot Vegetarian Fajitas over on the Pieper Life

Freezer to Slow Cooker Veggie Lasagna at Slow Cooker Gourmet

Quinoa Chili with Three Chiles from Good Cheap Eats

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Gumbo from Oh My Veggies

Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup from Sidetracked Sarah

Creamy Tomato Soup at Family Freezer

Stuffed Quinoa Peppers on Pinch of Yum

I know that these crockpot freezer meals will help you make weekday dinners so much easier! It is such peace of mind knowing that you can just open the freezer and pull out supper.

Can I put a freezer meal straight into the crock pot?

A freezer meal can go directly in the slow cooker from the freezer, however, there are a few things to consider.

Most recipes are designed to be thawed first so the cooking instructions are made accordingly. You will need to adjust cooking times if you put the meal in while fully frozen, particularly if there is raw meat involved to ensure cooking safety.

If your meals are frozen in square or rectangular bags or containers, they won’t fit in the crockpot while fully frozen. You can solve this problem very easily by placing the bag or container in a sink or room temperature water for 20 minutes. This will thaw the contents and allow you to dump them into the slow cooker.

If you are looking for a simple way to make freezer to crock pot meals, our Slow Cooker Freezer Meal Plans include prep lists, printable shopping lists, recipes, and printable labels. They take the guesswork out of slow cooker freezer meals.

Lemon Mustard Chicken Dump Recipe

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When we are making freezer meals, the chicken dump recipes are the fastest to assemble. Because of that, we tend to choose to make many chicken dump recipes to speed things up. Not wanting to eat the same thing over and over, we have come up with a lot of variations. This lemon mustard chicken dump recipe is a nice one. Lemon Mustard Chicken Dump Recipe #crockpotrecipes #freezermeals101 #freezercooking #makeaheadmeals #slowcooker #chickenrecipes #dumprecipes

With this recipe, I prefer to use chicken thighs because I find that they come out juicier, but it works with either thighs or breasts.

One of the other things I like about this particular recipe is that it uses ingredients that I always have in the house. I buy a huge pail of local honey each year and lemon juice and dijon mustard are just fridge standards in our house.

That means that this recipe is often one that gets made at the end of our freezer meal sessions. I like to buy extra chicken so that we can make extra chicken dump recipes since they are so easy to put together.

Lemon Mustard Chicken Dump Recipe:

  • 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/2 cup honey, melted
  • 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice (fresh lemon juice or from a jar)
  • 2 tsp. lemon pepper
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

To assemble this meal, open a large resealable bag, fold down the top and prop the bottom so that it stays upright on the counter. It’s easiest to make several of these meals at one time. Prop open as many bags as the quantity of meals you want to make.

Melt the honey. Place the chicken pieces in each bag. Dump in the rest of the ingredients including the melted honey. Squish everything together to combine. Remove the excess air from the bag(s). Seal, lay flat, and freeze.

On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer. Thaw. Bake at °350 for one hour, covered, uncovering the last ten minutes or cook in the crock pot on low for 4-6 hours. This freezer to crock pot recipe is included in our Chicken Dump Recipes book. Check out all the recipes included. 

Lemon mustard chicken is gluten free and of course, dairy free. This makes it quite allergy friendly.

If you are on a keto diet, you can make this recipe without the honey. I have made it without the honey and it still tastes amazing.

What side dishes go with lemon mustard chicken?

The flavours of lemon mustard chicken go well with a variety of side dishes. Here is a list of ideas of side dishes to accompany this meal:

You may be interested in some of our other easy chicken freezer meals:

Instant Pot or Crock Pot Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos Lemon Garlic Chicken Dump Recipe Make Ahead Chicken Marsala 

Print
Lemon Mustard Chicken Dump Recipe
Course: Main Course
Keyword: chicken dump, freezer meal
Ingredients
  • 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/2 cup honey melted
  • 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 2 tsp. lemon pepper
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Instructions

  1. To assemble this meal, open a large resealable bag, fold down the top and prop the bottom so that it stays upright on the counter. 

  2. Melt the honey. Place the chicken pieces in each bag. Dump in the rest of the ingredients including the melted honey. 
  3. Squish everything together to combine. Remove the excess air from the bag(s). Seal, lay flat, and freeze.

  4. On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer. Thaw. 

Oven instructions

  1. Bake at °350 for one hour, covered, uncovering the last ten minutes.

Slow cooker instructions

  1. Cook in the crock pot on low for 4-6 hours.

Instant Pot Pizza Casserole

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I love recipes my whole family will eat. Pretty much anything with “pizza” in the title is a sure fire winner! This Instant Pot Pizza Casserole is no exception. Freezer to Instant Pot Pizza Casserole #freezermeals101 #freezercooking #pastarecipes #instantpotrecipes #freezermealsMy kids like pizza casserole so much that I make several varieties of it so that I don’t get bored. They never seem to tire of it though!

We started with this crock pot pizza casserole and sometimes vary things with our Tater Tot Pizza Casserole.

One of my daughters prefers this version because of the beef in it. I, of course like that it combines two of the easiest methods of cooking: freezer meals and the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Pizza Casserole Recipe:

  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 2 tsp. butter
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1 lb. garlic sausage, sliced
  • 2 tsp. garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 jar pizza sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 25-30 slices of small pepperoni
  • 8 oz. uncooked pasta
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
  • salt and pepper to taste

For cooking day:

  • 1 cup water

Set your Instant Pot to sauté and add the butter and olive oil.

Add the ground beef and sausage and cook about 4-5 minutes or until the beef is no longer pink. Stir with a wooden spoon to break up the chunks of beef so that it cooks evenly.

Alternatively, you can brown the beef in a skillet.

Allow the meat to cool slightly. Place the cooked ground beef and sausage in a large resealable freezer bag.

Add the onions, garlic, tomato sauce, pizza sauce, Italian seasoning, pepperoni, and beef broth to the bag. In a medium sized bag, add the pasta. Place the shredded cheese in another medium bag.

Take any extra air out of all three bags and close. Staple the bags together above the seal.

On the day of cooking:

Take the meal out of the freezer. Thaw. Place the contents of the large bag into the Instant Pot. Add the pasta. Stir to make sure the pasta is covered with the liquid. steps for making Instant Pot Pizza CasserolePut the lid on the Instant Pot and set it to high pressure for 8 minutes. Release the pressure and wait for the steam to completely stop before opening the lid. Stir in the shredded cheese. Allow to sit for 1 minute before serving. Serve with garlic bread.

You might also be interested in these recipes:

Tater Tot Pizza Casserole

 

Print
Instant Pot Pizza Casserole Recipe
Course: Main Course
Keyword: Instant Pot Pizza Casserole
Ingredients
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 2 tsp. butter
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1 lb. garlic sausage sliced
  • 2 tsp. garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup onion chopped
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 jar pizza sauce
  • 1  Tbsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 25-30 slices of small pepperoni
  • 8  oz. uncooked pasta
  • 2  cups cheddar cheese shredded
  • salt and pepper to taste
For cooking day:
  • 1 cup water
Instructions
  1. Set your Instant Pot to sauté and add the butter and olive oil. Add the ground beef and sausage and cook about 4-5 minutes or until the beef is no longer pink. Stir with a wooden spoon to break up the chunks of beef so that it cooks evenly.
  2. Alternatively, you can brown the beef in a skillet.
  3. Allow the meat to cool slightly. Place the cooked ground beef and sausage in a large resealable freezer bag.
  4. Add the onions, garlic, tomato sauce, pizza sauce, Italian seasoning, pepperoni, and beef broth to the bag. In a medium sized bag, add the pasta. Place the shredded cheese in another medium bag.
  5. Take any extra air out of all three bags and close. Staple the bags together above the seal.
On the day of cooking:
  1. Take the meal out of the freezer. Thaw. Place the contents of the large bag into the Instant Pot. Add the pasta. Stir to make sure the pasta is covered with the liquid.
  2. Put the lid on the Instant Pot and set it to high pressure for 8 minutes. Release the pressure and wait for the steam to completely stop before opening the lid. Stir in the shredded cheese. Allow to sit for 1 minute.

The Best Freezer Meals for Fall

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These are the perfect freezer meals for Fall. You’ll be so glad you made these ahead and have them on hand for those busy weekdays.

Our Best Fall Inspired Freezer Meals:

Apple Pork Chops

Apple Maple Chicken

Beef Curry

Chickpea and Vegetable Curry – The colours in this one scream autumn!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Other Freezer Meals for Fall:

Honey Curried Chicken from Simply Stacie – To make this into a freezer meal, just dump the chicken and all of the other ingredients (be sure to melt the honey first) into a freezer bag, seal and freeze. On the day you want to cook it, thaw and cook according to her instructions.

Be sure to also check out our extensive list of make ahead soup recipes for the fall. 

The Best Freezer Meals for Fall

Red Lentil Dahl from Veggie Desserts

7 Chicken Marinades for Chicken Breasts from Recipes from a Pantry

Instant Pot Chili also from Recipes from a Pantry

Easy Keto Crab Cakes Recipe with Pork Rinds from Low Carb Yum

Quick & Easy Chicken Noodle Soup with Rotisserie Chicken from Two Healthy Kitchens

Pumpkin Soup over on Goodie Goodie Lunchbox

Make Ahead Southwestern Shepherd’s Pie Recipe at Thrifty Jinxy

Parmesan Meatballs with Garlic at Dancing Through the Rain

Chicken Soup on The Soccer Mom Blog

Healthy Keto Low Carb Breakfast Casserole Recipe with Sausage and Cheese (gluten free) from Wholesome Yum

Easy Chicken Pot Pie Hand Pies from Two Healthy Kitchens

Pizza Pockets on Picklebums

More Freezer Meals for Fall

Low Carb Stuffed Peppers topped with Cheese on Low Carb Yum

Scalloped Potatoes from Recipes from a Pantry

Slow Cooker Three Bean Chili (gluten free and vegan) also from Recipes from a Pantry

Leftover Baked Potato Casserole from Supermom No Cape

Slow Cooker Whiskey Beef Stew from Food Meanderings

Quick & Easy Pork & Beef Stovetop Chili also on Food Meanderings

Eggplant Chickpea Peanut Curry Vegan from Rhian’s Recipes

Easy Hamburger Stew Recipe with Crock Pot Option from Low Carb Yum

Freezer Shrimp Stir Fry from Consumer Queen

Lasagna Roll Ups on Supermom No Cape

Need more ideas? Check out our Pinterest freezer meal boards.

Tater Tot Pizza Casserole Freezer Meal

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Freezer meals don’t get much more kid friendly than combining tater tots and pizza flavours. This Tater Tot Pizza Casserole can be made as a freezer meal or layered and cooked immediately.This Tater Tot Pizza Casserole is super kid friendly #freezermeals101 #kidfriendly #casserolerecipeThis recipe bakes in a square casserole dish, but can easily be doubled and made in a rectangular casserole dish.

In a family our size, we always double it. Our kids love tater tots and they love pizza. This one is always a hit!

Tater Tot Pizza Casserole Recipe:

  • 2 cups frozen tater tots
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp. basil
  • 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, optional
  • 1/4 cup pepperoni slices
  • 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Freezer meal instructions:

Place the frozen tater tots, tomato sauce, seasonings, pepperoni, and chopped green pepper in a large resealable bag. Remove the excess air and seal.

Measure out the shredded cheddar cheese into a medium sized freezer bag and seal. Staple the bags together above the seal. On the cooking day, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw. Dump the contents of the large bag into a square baking dish. Sprinkle the cheese on top.

Cover with tin foil. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes. If cheese is not fully melted, remove the tin foil and cook for another 5 minutes. 

Cook immediately instructions:

Lay the frozen tater tots in an even layer on the bottom of your casserole dish.

In a small bowl, mix together the tomato sauce and seasonings. Spread the tomato sauce over the tater tots.

Sprinkle the cheese on in an even layer and finish with your choice of pizza toppings. Cover with tin foil. Heat oven. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes.

This recipe is so versatile. You can add sliced mushrooms, finely cubed ham, crumbled bacon, chopped onions, or diced tomatoes. Whichever flavours you like on your pizza you can add to the tater tot casserole.One of the greatest things about this recipes is that it’s so easy for little ones to help with it. They can dump the tots in the pan, spread the tomato sauce over the tater tots, and sprinkle on the toppings.

If you made it ahead as a freezer meal, they can pretty much assemble the whole thing. Depending on their age, they may need help putting it into the oven. This recipe is a great way to give kids a bit of independence in the kitchen.

Here are some other kid friendly make ahead meals:

Instant Pot Turkey Sloppy Joes Make Ahead Pancake Mini Muffins 

Print
Tater Tot Pizza Casserole Recipe
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Keyword: tater tot pizza casserole
Ingredients
  • 2 cups frozen tater tots
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp. basil
  • 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes optional
  • 1/4 cup pepperoni slices
  • 1/4 cup green pepper chopped
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
Freezer meal instructions:
  1. Place the frozen tater tots, tomato sauce, seasonings, pepperoni, and chopped green pepper in a large resealable bag. Remove the excess air and seal.
  2. Measure out the shredded cheddar cheese into a medium sized freezer bag and seal. Staple the bags together above the seal.
  3. On the cooking day, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw. Dump the contents of the large bag into a square baking dish. Sprinkle the cheese on top. 
  4. Cover with tin foil. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes.
Cook immediately instructions:
  1. Lay the frozen tater tots in an even layer on the bottom of your casserole dish.
  2. In a small bowl, mix together the tomato sauce and seasonings.
  3. Spread the tomato sauce over the tater tots.
  4. Sprinkle the cheese on in an even layer and finish with your choice of pizza toppings.
  5. Cover with tin foil. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes.
Recipe Notes

This recipe is so versatile. You can add sliced mushrooms, finely cubed ham, crumbled bacon, or diced tomatoes. Whichever flavours you like on your pizza you can add to the casserole.