Freezer Meals 101

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Freezer to Crock Pot

Philly Chicken Sandwiches (Freezer Meal)

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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.

chicken and vegetables in a bag on top with shredded chicken filling and cheese on top of a bun and text that reads "Philly Chicken Sandwiches"

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:

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

Slow Cooker Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Put the ingredients from the large bag in the crock pot and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
  3. 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 in the oven for a short time just to melt the cheese.

Instant Pot Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump the contents of the large bag in the Instant Pot and seal.
  3. Cook for 12 minutes on manual and do a natural release.
  4. Shred the meat. I find it’s easiest to do this right in the Instant Pot. I use my meat masher for this.
  5. 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.

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Philly Chicken Sandwiches
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: sandwich
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:
  1. Place the slices of provolone in a medium freezer bag.
  2. Place chicken and all the other ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Remove excess air and seal. Staple the medium and large bags together above the seal and freeze.
Slow Cooker instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Put the ingredients from the large bag in the crock pot and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
  3. 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 in the oven for a short time just to melt the cheese.
Instant Pot instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump the contents of the large bag in the Instant Pot and seal.
  3. Cook for 12 minutes on manual and do a natural release.

  4. Shred the meat. Do this right in the Instant Pot with a meat masher.

  5. 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

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This Ragu with beef and sausage can be made ahead and frozen. It’s full of powerful flavours. This is a hearty meal that includes both meat and vegetables. white Crock Pot with chunky sauce and a ladle lifting some up with text that reads "Slow Cooker Ragu with sausage and beef"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:

  1. Brown the ground beef and the sausage.
  2. Allow them to cool. Add them into a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Chop the onion, zucchini, and red pepper. Mince the garlic.
  4. Add the chopped vegetables and all other ingredients to the bag. Squish to combine.
  5. 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 crock pot.
  • 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!

Print
Ragu with Beef and Sausage Recipe
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:
  1. Brown the ground beef and the sausage.
  2. Let them cool. Add them into a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Chop the onion, zucchini, and red pepper. Mince the garlic.
  4. Add the chopped vegetables and all other ingredients to the bag. Squish to combine.
  5. Remove the extra air from the bag and seal before freezing.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
  2. Dump the bag contents into the crock pot.
  3. Cook on high for 2-4 hours.
  4. 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 

Taco Sloppy Joes (freezer meal)

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Looking for a recipe that’s familiar yet new? Taco Sloppy Joes combines two comfort foods to create your family’s next favourite meal.

small bowls of lettuce, salsa, sour cream, tomatoes, green onions, seasoned meat, cheese, and buns with text that reads "Taco Sloppy Joes freezer meal"

Sloppy Joes is a meal that I’ve been eating since my childhood in the suburbs in Alberta, Canada. They remind me of wintery days when I could see big, fluffy snowflakes drifting down through our large square window in the kitchen.

And tacos? Well, aren’t tacos everyone’s favourite?!

My own kids like both tacos and sloppy joes, so I was pretty sure this meal would be a guaranteed winner. I was right.

Although we discovered after the first attempt that some of us preferred the texture with a toasted bun. The second time I made them and those of us who wanted to toasted our buns first, it was a glorious success!

Another great thing about this recipe is that everyone can customize it the way they want to by adding toppings of their choosing.

Taco Sloppy Joes Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
  • 1 cup salsa (I like to use the chunky kind)
  • 1/4 cup water

For serving:

  • buns
  • optional toppings such as shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

Assembly instructions:

  1. Brown the ground beef. Allow to cool slightly.
  2. Place cooked ground beef, chopped onions, minced garlic, taco seasoning, salsa, and water in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Stovetop cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Heat in a pot or skillet over medium heat until cooked through.
  3. Serve on bun halves with taco toppings.

Slow cooker cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Cook in Crock Pot on low for 2-3 hours.
  3. Serve on bun halves with taco toppings.

Note: I prefer the texture of this dish better if I toast the buns before adding the meat mixture, but it’s completely up to you.

Plant based option:

To make this plant based, use a veggie ground round beef substitute in place of the beef. My favourite one to use with this recipe is the Mexican ground round.

Taco Sloppy Joes Topping Suggestions:

  • shredded cheese (tex mex or taco blends work well)
  • shredded lettuce
  • diced tomato
  • sliced green onions
  • cubed avocado
  • salsa
  • hot sauce
  • black olives
  • sour cream
  • guacamole
  • cilantro

Print
Taco Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1 cup onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
  • 1 cup salsa your favourite variety
  • 1/4 cup water
For serving:
  • buns
  • optional toppings such as shredded cheese lettuce, tomatoes, etc.
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Brown the ground beef. Allow to cool slightly.
  2. Place cooked ground beef, chopped onions, minced garlic, taco seasoning, salsa, and water in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.
Stovetop cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Heat in a pot or skillet over medium heat until cooked through.
  3. Serve on bun halves with taco toppings.
Slow cooker cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Cook in Crock Pot on low for 2-3 hours.
  3. Serve on bun halves with taco toppings.
Recipe Notes

I prefer the texture of this dish better if I toast the buns, but it's completely up to you. 

Check out these other make ahead meal options:

Ground Beef Stroganoff

Easy Cheesy Tater Tot Chicken Casserole

Instant Pot Turkey Sloppy Joes

Ground Beef Stroganoff Freezer Meal

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Beef Stroganoff is a comfort food in our family. It’s one of the first meals I learned to make after I got married. My husband and I both had moms who cooked this when we were growing up, but they made it very differently. My original version was a blend of their recipes and from that, I later created this ground beef stroganoff freezer meal recipe. creamy, chunky sauce on egg noodles with green garnish with text that reads "Beef Stroganoff freezer meal recipe"Our family loves this version of beef stroganoff. It’s a quick and easy meal to assemble and has that great hearty comforting taste. Beef stroganoff originates in Russia. We like the flavours of Eastern European comfort food such as our Cabbage Roll Casserole or Borscht.

I find it easiest when making freezer meals that call for ground beef to brown it in large batches ahead of time and then make many recipes all at once. This allows me to use time efficiently and get a lot done at once.

As with most freezer meals, it’s just as quick and easy once you’ve browned the beef and chopped the onions for this to make four of these recipes at once than it is to make one. When you open your freezer and see four meals made, you will feel so accomplished and glad that you quadrupled this recipe!I want to mention something about the mushrooms in this recipe. You can substitute a can of mushrooms for the fresh mushrooms, particularly if you’re making this as a freezer meal, but please don’t. Fresh mushrooms taste so much better in this recipe than canned does. Trust me on this!

What do you serve with Beef Stroganoff?

Beef Stroganoff is usually served over egg noodles. It can also be served on rice, regular pasta, gluten free pasta, or squash noodles. I always set out some extra sour cream when serving beef stroganoff so that those who want to can stir more in as desired. If you’re looking for some side dishes to pair beef stroganoff with, here are a few suggestions:

  • apple slaw
  • coleslaw
  • green salad
  • steamed green beans
  • roasted brussels sprouts

Ground Beef Stroganoff Recipe:

  • 1 lb. ground beef, browned
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 tsp. parsley
  • dash pepper

Assembly instructions:

  1. Add the ground beef to a large resealable bag.
  2. Add all the other ingredients to the bag and squish them around to combine.
  3. Remove excess air and seal. Lay flat and freeze.

Skillet cooking instructions:

  1. On the day of cooking, thaw.
  2. Heat the beef stroganoff in a skillet on medium until heated through.
  3. Before serving, stir in another 1/4 cup of sour cream. This adds a bit of zip and freshness and livens the recipe up.
  4. Serve over cooked egg noodles or stir the cooked egg noodles into the skillet when the stroganoff has finished heating.

Crock pot cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Empty the contents of the bag into the slow cooker and cook on low for 2-5 hours.
  3. Before serving, stir in 1/4 cup of sour cream.
  4. Serve over cooked egg noodles.

This Ground Beef Stroganoff recipe is included in our Family Favourites Freezer Meal Plan along with other recipes, printable shopping lists, prep lists, and printable labels.

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Ground Beef Stroganoff Freezer Meal
As with most freezer meals, it's just as quick and easy once you've browned the beef and chopped the onions for this to make four of these recipes at once than it is to make one. When you open your freezer and see four meals made, you will feel so accomplished and glad that you quadrupled this recipe!
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. ground beef browned
  • 1/2 cup onion chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/4 cup mushrooms sliced
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 tsp. parsley
  • dash pepper
Instructions
  1. To assemble this meal, add the ground beef to a large resealable bag.
  2. Add all the other ingredients to the bag and squish them around to combine.
  3. Remove excess air and seal.
  4. Lay flat and freeze.
  5. On the day of cooking, thaw and then cook in the slow cooker on low for 2-5 hours. If you prefer, you can instead heat the beef stroganoff in a skillet on medium until heated through.
  6. Before serving, stir in another 1/4 cup of sour cream. This adds a bit of zip and freshness and livens the recipe up.
Recipe Notes

I want to mention something about the mushrooms in this recipe. You can substitute a can of mushrooms for the fresh mushrooms, particularly if you're making this as a freezer meal, but please don't. Fresh mushrooms taste so much better in this recipe than canned does. Trust me on this!

Whenever I make this, I cook up a package of egg noodles and stir the stroganoff through the drained noodles. If I'm heating this in a skillet on the stovetop, I add the noodles into the skillet towards the end of cooking the mixture.

If I'm making this in the Crock Pot, I stir the cooked egg noodles right into the Crock Pot towards the end of the Beef Stroganoff cooking time.

Check out these other make ahead recipes:

Tater Tot Casserole with Beef and Veggies

Homemade Hamburger Helper

Beefy Rice Crock Pot Casserole

3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Ribs

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These tender ribs can go from the freezer to the crock pot to create a delicious meal.

Dr. Pepper is a carbonated soft drink, sometimes called “soda” or even “Coke”. Here in my region in Canada, we call it “pop”. The pop helps tenderize the meat, making it melt in your mouth tender. In fact, I use it more for cooking than as a beverage like our Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork and Dr. Pepper Baked Beans.

 

close up of a black slow cooker filled with ribs and red sauce with text that reads "3 ingredients Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Ribs"

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Ribs Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 rack of ribs
  • 1/4 cup Dr.Pepper
  • 2 cups BBQ sauce
  • salt
  • pepper

Assembly instructions:

  1. Cut the rack of ribs in thirds so that the ribs can lay flat in the crockpot later! Place the three pieces in a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
  3. Dump in 2 cups of BBQ sauce. Pour in the Dr. Pepper. Squish to combine.
  4. Remove excess air from the bag, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Place the ribs in the crockpot.
  3. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
  4. Remove from the slow cooker once the ribs are fully cooked.
  5. If desired, top with some additional BBQ sauce before serving.

Helpful hint: If you want, you can whip up a small batch of extra sauce by mixing an additional 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce with 1 additional Tbsp. of Dr. Pepper. Freeze the extra sauce in a medium freezer bag. Staple that bag to the other bag above the seal. You can use this sauce when serving.

Can you cook frozen ribs in the Crock Pot?

It’s not recommended to cook frozen meat in a slow cooker as there is the risk of harmful bacteria contaminating the meat before it has the chance to reach a safe temperature. It is best to thaw the ribs in the refrigerator before adding them to a slow cooker.

Print
Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Ribs
Course: Main Course
Keyword: ribs
Ingredients
  • 1 rack of ribs
  • 1/4 cup Dr.Pepper
  • 2 cups BBQ sauce
  • salt
  • pepper
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Cut the rack of ribs in thirds so that the ribs can lay flat in the crockpot later! Place the three pieces in a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
  3. Dump in 2 cups of BBQ sauce. Pour in the Dr. Pepper. Squish to combine.
  4. Remove excess air from the bag, seal, and freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Place the ribs in the crockpot.
  3. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
  4. Remove from the slow cooker once the ribs are fully cooked.

Check out our other Dr. Pepper Freezer Meals:

Dr. Pepper Baked Beans

Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork in the Crock Pot