Freezer Meal Recipes

Instant Pot Italian Chicken and Veggies

The Instant Pot is slowly growing on me, although I have to admit that I still think of using the crockpot more often out of habit. My friend Michelle had to walk me through how to use it because I’m still new at this. It is more complicated than just plopping the food in and touching a button, but I can see how convenient it is and how much faster it makes cooking. This Instant Pot Italian Chicken and Veggies is a great one-pot meal that includes everything.

Since this recipe includes the chicken and the vegetables, it really takes the thinking out of making dinner. This is quick and easy but manages to taste good as well.

My husband was impressed by how juicy the chicken was in this recipe. The vegetables hold their texture really well in this dish. You can also change up the flavors by using different varieties of frozen mixed vegetables.

Instant Pot Italian Chicken and Veggies recipe:

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
475 mL bottle of zesty Italian dressing
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
3 cloves minced garlic
12 oz. frozen Italian veggies

When putting this together as a freezer meal, place the chicken and all the other ingredients together in a large resealable bag. Squish to combine everything and seal after removing the excess air. Freeze.

collage of freezer meal in a bag and the finished dish of chicken with veggies cooked in the Instant pot served with rice

On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer and thaw. Place the bag contents into your Instant Pot. Lock the cover and seal the steam nozzle.

Cook on manual high for 10 minutes. Allow it to natural release for 7 minutes before doing a quick release. This is what it will look like when you remove the lid:

Italian Chicken and Veggies in the Instant Pot

If you’re looking for starch to add to this meal, you can serve it with rice or potatoes.

This Italian Chicken and Veggies recipe is included in our Instant Pot Freezer Meal Menu Plan along with other delicious and easy recipes, prep lists, shopping lists, and printable labels.

Instant Pot Italian Chicken and Vegetables

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: baked chicken, Instant Pot, italian

Servings: 4

Calories: 385 kcal

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken breasts boneless, skinless
475 ml bottle of zesty Italian dressing
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
3 cloves minced garlic
12 oz frozen Italian veggies

Instructions

Place the chicken and all the other ingredients together in a large resealable bag.
Squish to combine everything and seal after removing the excess air.
Freeze

Meal Preparation:

On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer and thaw. Place the bag contents into your Instant Pot. Lock the cover and seal the steam nozzle.
Cook on manual high for 10 minutes. Allow it to natural release for 7 minutes before doing a quick release.
If you’re looking to have a starch with this meal, you can serve it with rice or potatoes.

Check out some of our other Instant Pot freezer meal recipes:

Instant Pot Butter Chicken Recipe

Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

Beefy Rice Slow Cooker Casserole

By Sharla

This beefy rice casserole is an easy family friendly freezer meal. It’s great for taking out and cooking in the slow cooker on busy weekdays.

Beefy Rice Crock Pot Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef, browned
28 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1 cup uncooked long grain converted rice

Assembly instructions:

Place the uncooked rice in a medium sized resealable freezer bag. Seal.
Brown the beef.
Chop the onion and green pepper.
Add the cooled ground beef, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, and seasonings to a large resealable freezer bag.
Squish to combine.
Remove the excess air and seal.
Staple the bag containing the rice to the larger bag above the seal.
Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Remove the staples (carefully).
Dump the contents of both bags to the slow cooker.
Add one cup of water and stir.
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

Place the uncooked rice in a medium-sized resealable bag and seal.
Chop the onion and green pepper.
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.
Remove the excess air from the bag and seal.
Staple the medium bag of uncooked rice to the large bag above the seal.

Cooking Instrucitons:

On the day of cooking, take the meal out of the freezer and thaw it.
Carefully take out the staples and add the contents of both bags to the slow cooker. Add 1 cup of water and stir.
Cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.

This family-friendly freezer meal is included in our Slow Cooker Freezer Meal Plan which has recipes, shopping lists, and printable labels.

Check out these other family-friendly crockpot freezer meals:

Beef Stroganoff Freezer Meal

Freezer to Crock Pot Beef Stew

Lemon Garlic Chicken Dump Recipe

By Sharla

Supper doesn’t get easier than this Lemon Garlic Chicken Dump recipe. It’s a quick make-ahead meal that can be cooked in the slow cooker.

Dump recipes are probably my favorite type of freezer meal to make. You can easily make ten meals in half an hour to an hour using the dump recipe method. Watch this video with complete step-by-step instructions on how to save time by making dump meals:

The dump recipe method is basically using only one protein or main ingredient, setting up all of your resealable bags on the counter, filling them with that main ingredient, then dumping the other ingredients called for in the recipes into each bag.

Lemon Garlic Chicken Dump Recipe:

3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. pepper

Since this is a dump recipe, it is just as easy to make lots of these as it is to make one. Begin by opening a large resealable bag (or as many bags as the number of meals you are going to make) and adding the chicken.

Dump the other ingredients into the bag. Remove the excess air from the bag, seal, lay flat, and freeze.

On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 45-55 minutes or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.

If desired, you can sprinkle some parsley on top. Serve with rice or potatoes and your choice of veggies. This meal is one of the many simple, yet delicious recipes included in my Chicken Dump Recipes cookbook.

Check out these other Dump Meal Recipes:

BBQ Shredded Chicken in the Crock Pot

Freezer to Crock Pot Beef Stew

Lemon Garlic Chicken Dump Recipe

The dump recipe method is basically using only one protein or main ingredient, setting up all of your resealable bags on the counter, filling them with that main ingredients and then dumping the other ingredients called for in the recipes into each bag.

Servings: 6

Calories: 271 kcal

Ingredients

3-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. pepper

Instructions

Begin by opening a large resealable bag and adding the chicken.
Dump the other ingredients into the bag.
Remove the excess air from the bag, seal, lay flat, and freeze.
On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 45-55 minutes or in the crock pot on low for 4-6 hours.
Serve with rice or potatoes and your choice of veggies.

Butternut Squash Freezer Meal Side Dish

By Sharla

One of the things I get asked about a lot about side dishes to go along with some of our other freezer meal recipes. Many of our freezer meal recipes include everything needed for a meal, but some of them such as the meat and marinade types need to be served with a side dish. Something I have started doing more and more lately is making side dishes that freeze such as this butternut squash recipe.

Having side dishes in the freezer as well allows me to pull out a main and a side dish together and have supper completely done ahead.

Butternut Squash Freezer Side Dish Recipe:

3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 cup sweet or purple onion, finely minced
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

I have a little trick for making butternut squash easier to peel and cube. I put the entire squash including the skin into the microwave for a minute or two. This softens it just enough to make peeling and cubing simpler.

Place the chunks of butternut squash into a medium-sized resealable freezer bag. There are two options for assembling this side dish. If you want the Parmesan and breadcrumbs as a topping, you can place the other ingredients into a separate medium-sized freezer bag and staple the bags together. Otherwise, you can place all the ingredients into one bag. Remove the excess air from the bag(s), seal, and freeze.

On the day of cooking, thaw. If you made it all in one bag, place the bag contents into a small, greased oven-safe cooking dish and mix. Bake, covered at 350° for one hour.

If it is in two bags, place the butternut squash in a small, greased baking dish and top with the topping from the other bag. Cover and bake at 350° for one hour.

I was so relieved to have several of these side dishes in the freezer at Thanksgiving. There is so much to do that day and so many things to cook. Having something to pull out that’s ready to cook made it so much easier.

Of course, I pulled out several bags so that there would be enough to feed our family and some extended family gathering together that day. This side dish would be great for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or any other group meal.

Butternut Squash Freezer Side Dish

Servings: 6

Calories: 133 kcal

Ingredients

3 cups Butternut Squash
2 tbsp Mayonaise
3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/3 cup Panko crumbs
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 cup Onion, Sweet or Purple

Instructions

Put the entire squash including the skin into the microwave for a minute or two. This softens it just enough to make peeling and cubing simpler.
Place the chunks of butternut squash into a medium-sized resealable freezer bag. There are two options for assembling this side dish. If you want the Parmesan and breadcrumbs as a topping, you can place the other ingredients into a separate medium-sized freezer bag and staple the bags together. Otherwise, you can place all the ingredients into one bag. Remove the excess air from the bag(s), seal, and freeze.
On the day of cooking, thaw. If you made it all in one bag, place the bag contents into a small, greased oven-safe cooking dish and mix. Bake, covered at 350° for one hour.
If it is in two bags, place the butternut squash in a small, greased baking dish and top with the topping from the other bag. Cover and bake at 350° for one hour.

Freezer to Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe

By Sharla

Some meals just have that home-cooked, hearty comfort food feel to them. This freezer to crock pot beef stew recipe is one of those meals. It’s an easy weeknight family meal.

This beef stew is a great one-dish meal full of chunky vegetables. It is especially nice to have on a cold winter’s night. There is just something about a soup or stew that brings that warm comfortable feeling.

Freezer to Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe:

2 lbs. stew meat, cubed
1 cup onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup celery, diced
2 cups beef broth
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce*
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. pepper
dash salt

*Be sure to use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce if you are wanting to make this stew gluten-free.

Before putting together this freezer meal, chop the onions, peel and dice the carrots, peel and cube the sweet potato, and dice the celery so that everything is ready to toss into the bag. I like to make the veggies in bigger chunks than what I would do for a soup, but this is a preference thing. Feel free to cut them in the size that works best for you.

To assemble this crockpot beef stew recipe, dump the beef stew meat into a large resealable bag and then add the other ingredients. Remove the excess air from the bag, seal, and freeze.

On the day of cooking, take the meal out of the freezer to thaw. Cook in the slow cooker for 5-7 hours on low.

You can serve this slow cooker beef stew with buns or on its own.

This crockpot beef stew recipe is one of the recipes included in our popular Beef Dump Recipes book.

Crockpot Beef Stew

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef, crockpot, stew

Servings: 4

Calories: 481 kcal

Ingredients

2 lbs stew meat cubed
1 cup onions chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
3 carrots peeled and diced
2 cups sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
1/2 cup celery diced
2 cups beef broth
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
1 dash salt

Instructions

Chop the onions, peel and dice the carrots, peel and cube the sweet potato, and dice the celery so that everything is ready to toss into the bag.
Dump the beef stew meat into a large resealable bag before adding the other ingredients. Remove the excess air from the bag, seal, and freeze.

Meal Preparation:

On the day of cooking, take the meal out of the freezer to thaw.
Cook in the slow cooker for 5-7 hours on low.
You can serve this slow cooker beef stew with buns or on its own.

You may also like these freezer meal recipes:

BBQ Shredded Chicken in the Crock Pot

Tex Mex Pasta Bake Freezer Meal