Freezer to Crock Pot

Hearty Hamburger Soup (freezer meal)

Is there anything better on a cold day than homemade hamburger soup?! This soup has all your protein, barley, and veggies in one place, making it a simple family meal. This hamburger soup recipe actually came about accidentally. Sometimes when my neighbor and I do our massive freezer meal marathons, we have some of our prepped ingredients left over at the end. Not wanting to have anything go to waste, we invent recipes at the end. Our Tex Mex Pasta Bake and Asian Rice Bowl are examples of recipes that came about the same way.

And now every time we are left with hamburgers and vegetables, we make this hamburger soup recipe. It’s become such a staple that we often cook up extra ground beef just for this. It’s also a really economical meal.

Hearty Hamburger Soup Recipe:

1 lb. browned ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup barley
1 cup carrots, peeled and finely diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup celery, diced
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf
3 cups beef broth*

*Be sure to add the beef broth last and hold the bag well while pouring to prevent spills!

Assembly instructions:

Brown ground beef.
Chop vegetables.
Place cooked beef, vegetables, and other ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag. Be sure to add the beef broth last and hold the bag securely or have someone else hold the bag for this step so that it doesn’t spill.

Stovetop Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Heat in a large pot on the stovetop over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour.
Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Crock Pot Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Cook in the slow cooker on low for 3-5 hours.
Remove the bay leaf prior to serving.

Serve soup with crusty bread or buns. If you want, you can also offer a side salad as well, but it has enough vegetables to be served without a salad.

Hearty Hamburger Soup

Course: Soup

Keyword: beef, hamburger soup, soup

Servings: 6

Calories: 107 kcal

Ingredients

1 lb. browned ground beef
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup barley
1 cup carrots peeled and finely diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup celery diced
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. parsley
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 cups beef broth

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Brown ground beef.
Chop vegetables.
Place cooked beef, vegetables, and other ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag. Be sure to add the beef broth last and hold the bag securely or have someone else hold the bag for this step so that it doesn't spill.

Stovetop Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Heat in a large pot on stovetop over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour.

Crock Pot Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Cook in the slow cooker on low for 3-5 hours.

You may be interested in these other make-ahead soup recipes:

Enchilada Soup

Corn Chowder with Bacon

Spicy White Bean and Chicken Soup

Delicious Enchilada Soup (freezer meal)

By Sharla

This delicious enchilada soup can be made either in the Instant Pot or the slow cooker. It’s hearty and healthy. I’ve been on a bit of an enchilada kick lately and this is a nice recipe for keeping that same flavor profile but changing things up a bit.

I love having soups made ahead in the freezer. Whether it’s our vegetarian taco soup, homestyle chicken noodle, or Italian wedding soup, they hit the spot on a cold winter day, but they are also a great meal to cook on hot summer days without needing to turn the oven on.

This recipe is gluten-free. It can fit into a variety of diets.

Soups are also a great way to stretch a dollar as they can feed many and still keep you on budget.

Enchilada Soup Recipe:

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. hot sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
19 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
12 oz. can kernel corn (not drained)
2 cups enchilada sauce
4 cups chicken broth
salt
pepper

For the cooking day:

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Assembly instructions:

Put everything except for the cream, sour cream, and cheddar cheese in a freezer bag.
Remove excess air. Seal and freeze.

Slow Cooker Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Cook for 4-6 hours on low in the Crock-Pot.
Shred the chicken.
Add the cream, sour cream, and shredded cheese in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
If you want, you can serve with tortilla strips and cilantro.

Instant Pot Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Dump bag ingredients in the Instant Pot. Seal.
Cook on manual for 20 minutes.
Use quick release.
Stir in the cream, sour cream, and shredded cheese.
Serve with tortilla strips and cilantro if desired.

If you want, you can top this with shredded cheddar cheese or cubed avocado. Personally, I’m partial to avocado. Serve this soup with a side of bread or buns to create a complete meal.

Enchilada Soup

Course: Main Course, Soup

Keyword: enchilada soup, soup

Servings: 6

Calories: 572 kcal

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts boneless and skinless
2 tsp. garlic minced
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. hot sauce
1 onion chopped
1 red pepper chopped
19 oz. can black beans rinsed and drained
12 oz. can kernel corn not drained
2 cups enchilada sauce
4 cups chicken broth
salt
pepper

For the cooking day:

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Put everything except for the cream, sour cream, and cheddar cheese in a freezer bag.
Remove excess air. Seal and freeze.

Slow Cooker Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Cook for 4-6 hours on low in the Crock-Pot.
Shred the chicken.
Add the cream, sour cream, and shredded cheese in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Serve with tortilla strips and cilantro (optional).

Instant Pot Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Dump bag ingredients in the Instant Pot. Seal.
Cook on manual for 20 minutes.
Use quick release.
Stir in the cream, sour cream, and shredded cheese.
Serve with tortilla strips and cilantro (optional).

Check out some of our other make-ahead soup recipes:

Vegetarian Taco Soup

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Spinach and Sausage White Bean Soup

The Best Freezer Chili

By Sharla

When we do our big freezer meal assembly days, we always try some new recipes and rotate through some of our favorites, but this Chili is one of the recipes that we make every single time. Because it really is the best freezer chili recipe of all time. I would venture to say that it may in fact be the best chili recipe ever. My neighbor Christie and I get together to do our marathon freezer meal prep sessions. I was telling her how good my chili was the first time we got together for meal assembly and I could tell that she was skeptical, but she texted me after her family tried the chili and let me know that this would be the only chili recipe we would use from now on.

I occasionally make other chilis for the freezer such as White Chicken Chili, Taco Chili, and Thick and Chunky Beef Chili, but always in addition to this one, never instead of. It’s just that good!

While I haven’t entered the recipe in a chili contest, over the years, friends and family have all asked me to share the secret to this meal and told me that it’s the best chili they’ve ever had. I often set out a Crock-Pot® of it for birthday parties and family gatherings. I sometimes use vegetarian Mexican Ground Round in place of the beef. The recipe is one that is almost as old as my marriage. It’s the first meal I attempted to make for my new husband. I used a cookbook we had gotten as a wedding gift. Over the years, I’ve adapted it and tweaked it and this is the result.

The Best Freezer Chili Recipe:

1 1/2 lbs. browned ground beef
1 onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
19 oz. can kidney beans with liquid
14 oz. can Heinz chili style beans with liquid*
28 oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid
5 1/2 oz. can tomato paste
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
dash pepper
1 Tbsp. maple syrup (this is my secret ingredient!)

*Note: The chili-style beans can be hard to find. If your grocery store doesn’t carry them, you can substitute pinto beans instead.

Assembly instructions:

Put all ingredients in a large resealable bag and squish them together to combine. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Stovetop Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Heat in a large pot over medium heat until the desired temperature is reached.
Allow it to simmer so that the flavors meld.

Slow Cooker Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Cook in the slow cooker on low for 3-5 hours.

This Chili recipe is one of the meals featured in our Soups and Stews Freezer Meal Plan. The Menu Plans include recipes, prep lists, shopping lists, and printable labels.

Recipe notes and suggestions:

To make this dish vegetarian/vegan, substitute Mexican Ground Round for the beef.

This chili is gluten-free and dairy-free.

If you want, you can top it with sour cream, shredded cheese, or cubed avocado.

The Best Freezer Chili

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chili

Servings: 6

Calories: 226 kcal

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef browned
1 onion coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
19 oz. can kidney beans with liquid
14 oz. can Heinz chili style beans with liquid*
28 oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid
5 1/2 oz. can tomato paste
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
dash pepper
1 Tbsp. maple syrup

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Put all ingredients in a large resealable bag and squish them together to combine. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Stovetop Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Heat in a large pot over medium heat until the desired temperature is reached.
Allow it to simmer so that the flavors meld.

Slow Cooker Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Cook in the slow cooker on low for 3-5 hours.

Recipe Notes

The chili-style beans can be hard to find. If your grocery store doesn't carry them, you can substitute pinto beans instead.

Check out some of our other make-ahead chili recipes:

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Taco Chili Freezer Meal

Thick and Chunky Beef Chili

Philly Chicken Sandwiches (Freezer Meal)

By Sharla

These Philly Chicken Sandwiches can be cooked in the Crock-Pot® or Instant Pot and are an easy make-ahead lunch idea. They are a nice change from the usual PB&J.

I find it especially helpful to have things in the freezer for the kids to take for school lunches. You can meal prep the week of lunches by cooking the filling for these sandwiches on the weekend and then putting the sandwiches together on weekdays. Then you can add in snacks from the freezer such as homemade granola bars and muffins to round out the lunch.

Philly Chicken Sandwiches Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 green pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1/2 an onion, sliced
2 tsp. seasoning salt
1 clove garlic, minced
8 slices provolone cheese

For cooking day:

8 hoagie buns

Assembly instructions:

Place the slices of provolone in a medium freezer bag.
Place chicken and all the other ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag.
Remove excess air and seal. Staple the medium and large bags together above the seal and freeze.

Slow Cooker Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Put the ingredients from the large bag in the crockpot and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
Shred the meat. Place the filling on the hoagie rolls and top each one with a slice of cheese. If you want, you can microwave or place it in the oven for a short time just to melt the cheese.

Instant Pot Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Dump the contents of the large bag in the Instant Pot and seal.
Cook for 12 minutes on manual and do a natural release.
Shred the meat. I find it’s easiest to do this right in the Instant Pot. I use my meat masher for this.
Place the filling on the hoagie rolls and top each with a slice of the Provolone.

Notes about this recipe:

You can substitute hot dog buns in place of the hoagie buns if that’s what you have on hand.

Sliced provolone is traditionally the type of cheese used on Philly Cheesesteaks but if you’d prefer, you can substitute cheddar or mozzarella.

This recipe and others are included in our Lunch Freezer Meal Plan. Each menu plan has recipes, prep lists, shopping lists, and printable labels to make meal planning simple.

Philly Chicken Sandwiches

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Philly chicken, sandwich

Servings: 8

Calories: 206 kcal

Ingredients

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 green pepper sliced
1 red pepper sliced
1/2 an onion sliced
2 tsp. seasoning salt
1 clove garlic minced
8 slices provolone cheese

For cooking day:

8 hoagie buns

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Place the slices of provolone in a medium freezer bag.
Place chicken and all the other ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag.
Remove excess air and seal. Staple the medium and large bags together above the seal and freeze.

Slow Cooker instructions:

Thaw.
Put the ingredients from the large bag in the crockpot and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
Shred the meat. Place the filling on the hoagie rolls and top each one with a slice of cheese. If you want, you can microwave or place it in the oven for a short time just to melt the cheese.

Instant Pot instructions:

Thaw.
Dump the contents of the large bag in the Instant Pot and seal.
Cook for 12 minutes on manual and do a natural release.
Shred the meat. Do this right in the Instant Pot with a meat masher.
Place the filling on the hoagie rolls and top each with a slice of the Provolone cheese.

Be sure to take a look at these other make-ahead lunch ideas:

Corn Dog Mini Muffins

Beef and Bean Burritos

Make-Ahead Mac and Cheese

Slow Cooker Ragu with Beef and Sausage

By Sharla

This Ragu with beef and sausage can be made ahead and frozen. It’s full of powerful flavors. This is a hearty meal that includes both meat and vegetables. This Ragu recipe makes a large amount. If you are cooking for 2 or for a small family, I would suggest splitting it into 2 freezer bags.

What is the difference between Ragu and a Bolognese sauce?

Ragu has more meat in it than Bolognese does and usually includes pork as well as beef. It also usually includes red wine and beef broth and sometimes has a small amount of heavy cream or milk in it as well.

Essentially, Ragu is more of a meat sauce with tomatoes while Bolognese is more of a tomato sauce with meat.

Ragu with Beef and Sausage Recipe:

1 lb. ground beef, browned
450 g ground Italian sausage, browned*
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 a zucchini, chopped
red pepper, diced
2x 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup red wine
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

optional:

basil and shredded Parmesan cheese for serving

*If you like things with a kick, you can use spicy Italian sausage.

Assembly instructions:

Brown the ground beef and the sausage.
Allow them to cool. Add them into a large resealable freezer bag.
Chop the onion, zucchini, and red pepper. Mince the garlic.
Add the chopped vegetables and all other ingredients to the bag. Squish to combine.
Remove the extra air from the bag and seal before freezing.

Slow Cooker Cooking Instructions:

Take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
Dump the bag contents into the crockpot.
Cook on high for 2-4 hours.
Serve over noodles or rice.
If you want, you can sprinkle fresh basil and shredded Parmesan cheese on the plates before serving.

This recipe is gluten-free and keto-friendly. Of course, you’ll need to serve it over a pasta alternative such as spiralized vegetables for it to be fully gluten-free and keto!

Ragu with Beef and Sausage Recipe

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: beef, Ragu, sausage

Servings: 6

Calories: 332 kcal

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef browned
450 g ground Italian sausage browned*
1 onion diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 zucchini chopped
red pepper diced
2 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine
1 cup beef broth
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Brown the ground beef and the sausage.
Let them cool. Add them into a large resealable freezer bag.
Chop the onion, zucchini, and red pepper. Mince the garlic.
Add the chopped vegetables and all other ingredients to the bag. Squish to combine.
Remove the extra air from the bag and seal before freezing.

Cooking instructions:

Take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
Dump the bag contents into the crockpot.
Cook on high for 2-4 hours.
Serve over noodles or rice.

Recipe Notes

*If you like things with a kick, you can use spicy Italian sausage.

Some of our other recipes you may enjoy:

Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce

Irresistible Chicken Pasta Bake