Freezer Meals 101

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Freezer to Crock Pot

Chili Hash Brown Casserole Freezer Meal

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This is an amazing chili hash brown casserole that I completely and utterly stumbled into! The reason? Well, I was missing ONE ingredient from a hash brown recipe that I really wanted to make.

I had to get creative and came up with this one. And oh my! It turned out amazing!

a chip scoops up the food out of a white bowl. The text reads "Chili Hash Brown Casserole Freezer Meal"This chili hash brown casserole is perfect for potlucks or brunches. I can quickly make it the day before in the crock pot and then put it in the fridge overnight or throw it in the oven 45 minutes before eating.

In the morning, I take it out of the freezer and let it thaw for a few hours. If I’m in a hurry, I simply put it in a sink full of water for about 20 minutes.

We have a large family, so I have developed a fair amount of easy breakfast recipes for large families or groups over the years and this one fits that perfectly.

This recipe is actually an old one that I have been making for many, many years, except for the new change with that one ingredient.

It’s one of those tried and true ones that many of my friends now make too because every time I’ve brought it with me to a potluck, I get asked for the recipe.

Now that I have discovered this renewed recipe, I can’t wait to start taking it to potlucks and get togethers so my friends can be wowed. Yes, it really is that easy and that delicious!

To save time, you can make this as a freezer meal (make several at one time) and put them in large resealable freezer bags. Take the air out before sealing and freeze flat. On the day you want to make this, thaw the bag and bake.

Chili Hash Brown Casserole Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 10.5 oz. can chili (chili alone or chili with beans, whatever you prefer)
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese*
  • pepper to taste
  • 1 kg frozen hash browns

*Note: you can also try this recipe with a variety of other cheeses. I often use a combination of cheddar and jalapeño jack cheese to give it some extra kick.

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450°.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the chili, melted butter, onion, shredded cheese, and pepper.
  3. Once that is well combined, gently stir in the frozen hash browns.
  4. Pour the entire mixture into a greased oven safe casserole dish. I use a 9×13 one.
  5. If thawed, bake for about 30 minutes. If still frozen, bake for about 45 minutes. Or cook in a crock pot on high for 3-4 hours.
  6. Serve this chili hash brown casserole as any meal as it is so versatile. It is perfect as breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.

Note: I like to serve it with corn chips, but if you really want to go fancy, then you can bake up some cornbread muffins and serve them as a side.

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Chili Hash Brown Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter melted
  • 10.5 oz. can chili chili alone or chili with beans, whatever you prefer
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese*
  • pepper to taste
  • 1 kg frozen hash browns
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees (F).
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the chili, melted butter, onion, shredded cheese, and pepper.
  3. Once that is well combined, gently stir in the frozen hash browns.
  4. Pour the entire mixture into a greased oven safe casserole dish. I use a 9x13 one.
  5. If thawed, bake for about 30 minutes. If still frozen, bake for about 45 minutes. If you have several hours to spare and prefer to use a crockpot, then you can cook it on high for 3-4 hours.
  6. Serve this chili hash brown casserole as any meal as it is so versatile. It is perfect as breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.
Recipe Notes

*Note: you can also try this recipe with a variety of other cheeses. I often use a combination of cheddar and jalapeño jack cheese to give it some extra kick.
Note: I like to serve it with corn chips, but if you really want to go fancy, then you can make some cornbread muffins and serve them as a side.

Other freezer meals you might enjoy:

Beefy Rice Slow Cooker Casserole

Tater Tot Casserole with Beef and Veggies

Taco Chili Freezer Meal

Tater Tot Casserole with Beef and Veggies

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My kids will eat pretty much anything as long as it involves tater tots. This tater tot casserole with beef and veggies is an easy all in one meal that can be made ahead and then popped in the crock pot on cooking day. This is quick and easy comfort food. a black crock pot is filled with a cheesy casserole and a spoon scooping some of it out with text that reads "Tater Tot Casserole with beef and veggies"Our original tater tot casserole is based off the Duggar recipe except that we use ground sausage instead of turkey and don’t use the chicken soup (so I guess it’s totally different!) is most of our kids’ absolute favourite thing to eat, but it’s not all that healthy. We love our tater tot pizza casserole, but I wanted more variety. I’ve been trying different ideas for a new one and this one fits the bill.

This has meat and vegetables and my kids all love it. Healthy AND something my kids will actually eat gives this recipe major points!

I make this tater tot casserole as a freezer meal, but if you prefer, you can always cook it the same day instead. Better yet, make two. Eat one and freeze the other so you’ve got an easy weeknight meal for next week!

Tater Tot Casserole with Beef and Veggies:

Tater Tot Casserole Ingredients:

  • 750 g bag frozen tater tots
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef, browned
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
  • 10.5 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 tsp. dry mustard powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups of cheddar cheese, shredded

Assembly instructions:

  1. Brown ground beef and cool slightly.
  2. Place beef in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Add the chopped onion and mixed vegetables.
  4. In a mixing bowl, stir together soup, evaporated milk, garlic, and seasonings. Pour into the bag over the other ingredients.
  5. Place the shredded cheese in a medium freezer bag.
  6. Remove the excess air from both bags, seal, and staple together above the fold.
  7. Freeze.

Crock pot cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump the contents of the large bag into the slow cooker.* Cook on high for 3-4 hours or 6 hours on low.
  3. Top with cheese near the end of cooking.
  4. Serve.

*This casserole tends to stick to the sides of the slow cooker making it hard to clean afterwards, so I suggest using Crock Pot liners. They are food safe and can be thrown out after use making clean-up a breeze!

Oven cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Place contents of the large bag in a 9×13 casserole dish. Top with cheese. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes.
  3. Serve.

More family favourite freezer meals:

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Tater Tot Casserole with Beef and Veggies
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: tater tot casserole
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 750 g bag frozen tater tots
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef browned
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
  • 10.5 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1/4 tsp. dry mustard powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Brown ground beef and cool slightly.
  2. Place beef in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Add the chopped onion and mixed vegetables.
  4. In a mixing bowl, stir together soup, evaporated milk, garlic, and seasonings. Pour into the bag over the other ingredients.
  5. Place the shredded cheese in a medium freezer bag.
  6. Remove the excess air from both bags, seal, and staple together above the fold.
  7. Freeze.
Crock pot cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump the contents of the large bag into the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or 6 hours on low.
  3. Top with cheese near the end of cooking.
  4. Serve.
Oven cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Place contents of the large bag in a 9x13 casserole dish. Top with cheese. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes.
  3. Serve.

Beef and Bacon Goulash (Freezer Meal)

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My husband started doing Keto this year. It’s made freezer meals more of a challenge as I’ve had to find make ahead recipes that are keto friendly. This Beef and Bacon Goulash is one I made last time we did meal prep and he was very happy with the results. chunks of beef, bacon, mushrooms, and thin slices of onion in a brown sauce are in a white bowl with multicoloured polka dots. The text read "Bacon Beef Goulash freezer meal crock pot"This is an easy freezer to crock pot recipe with just 5 ingredients. And it’s healthy, using real food. So whether you’re on a low carb diet or not, this recipe can be one you add into your dinner arsenal.

It’s not the prettiest looking thing, but the taste is there!

Apparently, a goulash is supposed to be seasoned with paprika and this one isn’t, so technically, I guess I should be calling this a stew, but we named it Bacon and Beef Goulash. Once your bag is labelled that, that’s what you and your family will call it for all of time!

Beef and Bacon Goulash Recipe:

  • 2 lbs. beef stew meat, cubed
  • 1 1/4 cups mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 5 slices bacon, sliced into bite sized pieces*
  • 1 onion, sliced

Optional for day of serving:

  • 2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Note: *If you want crunchier bacon, you can fry it before adding it to the freezer bag.

Assembly instructions:

  1. Cube the beef. Slice the onion, mushrooms, and bacon.
  2. Add the beef, bacon slices, mushrooms, onion slices, and beef broth to a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Remove the excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Remove from freezer to thaw.
  2. Add the bag contents to the Crock Pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
  3. If you want to thicken up the gravy, mix together 2 Tbsp. of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and stir into the beef mixture in the slow cooker 20 minutes before serving.

You can serve this on mashed potatoes, rice, or cauliflower rice. Or if you’d rather, you can serve this beside vegetables or with buns. My husband likes to eat his with cauliflower rice fried up with lots of garlic. It’s actually pretty delicious.

Check out these other keto friendly freezer meals:

Instant Pot Keto Bone Brothketo bone broth made in the Instant Pot in a bowl

Lemon Garlic Chicken

Instant Pot Pork or Chicken Shawarma

Print
Beef and Bacon Goulash
Course: Main Course
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs. beef stew meat cubed
  • 1 1/4 cups mushrooms sliced
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 5 slices bacon sliced into bite sized pieces*
  • 1 onion sliced
Optional for day of serving:
  • 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Cube the beef. Slice the onion, mushrooms, and bacon.
  2. Add the beef, bacon slices, mushrooms, onion slices, and beef broth to a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Remove the excess air, seal, and freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Remove from freezer to thaw.
  2. Add the bag contents to the Crock Pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
  3. If you want to thicken up the gravy, mix together 2 Tbsp. of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and stir into the beef mixture in the slow cooker 20 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes

*If you want crunchier bacon, you can fry it before adding it to the freezer bag.

Easy Kung Pao Chicken Recipe

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There’s no need to order takeout when you can make easy kung pao chicken this delicious at home! This make ahead meal is full of amazing flavours. You’ll be begging for seconds! a plastic bag filled with chicken, sauce, and vegetables is on top with a plate of rice covered in cubed chicken, red sauce, and vegetables is on the bottom with text that reads "Kung Pao Chicken freezer meal"Since this recipe is so simple to put together, I suggest making several at one time which takes only a minute or two longer than making just one. You’ll then be able to have this whenever you want to in less time than it would take to have food delivered. Or you can heat it in the slow cooker and have it ready when you get home from work. The Kung Pao sauce can be a bit hard to find. Neither of my usual grocery stores carry it. If you can’t find it near you, you can always order it online from Amazon. I buy mine at WalMart. Since WalMart isn’t usually where I get my groceries, it means an extra stop, but this recipe is so worth it!

I make several of these at once, so when I do go, I buy 4 or 6 bottles, so that makes the extra stop more worthwhile.

What’s the difference between kung pao chicken and General Tso’s chicken?

While there are a few similarities between kung pao chicken and General Tso’s chicken, they are far from the same dish. They both are usually served over rice and are an Asian inspired chicken dish, but the parallels pretty much  end there.

General Tso’s chicken is breaded, deep-fried chicken dish with hints of both sweet and spicy. Kung pao chicken is not breaded or deep fried and the flavours are sweet and sour, giving it a more tangy taste. Kung pao chicken also usually has other ingredients such as peppers, water chestnuts, and peanuts, whereas, General Tso’s is generally just the chicken.

Easy Kung Pao Chicken Recipe:

Kung Pao Chicken Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. chicken breast, boneless, skinless, cubed
  • 18.75 oz. (554 mL) bottle Kung Pao sauce
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 8 oz. can water chestnuts, drained
  • 1 bunch green onions, sliced

For serving:

  • peanuts (optional)

Assembly instructions:

  1. Cube the chicken breast.
  2. Chop the peppers and slice the green onions.
  3. Place the chopped chicken, peppers, green onions, and water chestnuts in a large resealable freezer bag. Pour the bottle of kung pao sauce over everything.
  4. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Slow cooker instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Place everything from the bag into the Crock Pot.
  3. Cook on low for 3-5 hours.
  4. Serve over rice.
  5. If desired, sprinkle some peanuts on top.

Skillet cooking instructions: 

  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump everything from the freezer bag into a skillet.
  3. Cook over medium-high heat until chicken is thoroughly cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly.
  4. Serve over rice.
  5. Sprinkle some peanuts on top if you like.

Note: If you want to make assembling this much faster, you can put the chicken breasts into the freezer bag whole and then cube them on the day of cooking either before or after cooking. I find that way is messier so I don’t like it, but if you’re wanting to assemble a lot of freezer meals at once and just going for speed, that is an option.

Check out these other asian inspired freezer meals:

Asian Rice Bowl

Easy Asian Meatballs

Mahjong Chicken

Print
Easy Kung Pao Chicken Freezer Meal
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. chicken breast boneless, skinless, cubed
  • 18.75 oz. 554 mL bottle Kung Pao sauce
  • 1 red pepper diced
  • 1 green pepper diced
  • 8 oz. can water chestnuts drained
  • 1 bunch green onions sliced
For serving:
  • peanuts optional
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Cube the chicken breast.
  2. Chop the peppers and slice the green onions.
  3. Place the chopped chicken, peppers, green onions, and water chestnuts in a large resealable freezer bag. Pour the bottle of kung pao sauce over everything.
  4. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.
Slow cooker instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Place everything from the bag into the Crock Pot.
  3. Cook on low for 3-5 hours.
  4. Serve over rice.
  5. If desired, sprinkle some peanuts on top.
Skillet cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump everything from the freezer bag into a skillet.
  3. Cook over medium-high heat until chicken is thoroughly cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly.
  4. Serve over rice.
  5. Sprinkle some peanuts on top if you like.
Recipe Notes

If you want to make assembling this much faster, you can put the chicken breasts into the freezer bag whole and then cube them on the day of cooking either before or after cooking.

Taco Chili Freezer Meal

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This hearty taco chili combines the flavours of Mexican-American food with classic chili. It’s an easy dump recipe that can go from the freezer to the Crock Pot. This is a very non-traditional chili however, in that it does not have any beans in it.

So if you are not a fan of beans, but love the flavours of chili, this is the one for you!a blue bowl that's white on the inside is filled with corn, ground beef, tomatoes, red sauce that is topped with shredded cheese and green herbs with text that reads "Taco Chili Freezer Meal"The nice warm feeling from a bowl of chili is such a nice lunch or dinner to curl up with in winter or fall.

This is already a budget friendly meal, but there are ways that you can make this even more affordable. If you want to stretch this recipe further, you can use the taco chili as a topping on baked potatoes, stuffed inside green and red peppers, or add a tetrapak of beef broth to turn it into taco chili soup.

Taco Chili Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. ground beef, browned
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 15 oz. can kernel corn, drained
  • 8 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 4 oz. can green chilies
  • 1 Tbsp. chili powder
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper

Assembly instructions:

  1. Prep by browning the ground beef until it is no longer pink and chopping the onion.
  2. Place the cooked beef, chopped onion, and all other ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag. Remove the excess air, seal, and freeze.

Slow cooker instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Cook in the Crock Pot on low for 3-5 hours.
  3. Optional: Top with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, chopped green onions, cilantro, and/or sliced avocado.

Stovetop instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Heat on the stovetop on medium-low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.
  3. Optional: Top with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, chopped green onions, cilantro, and/or sliced avocado.

Check out some other tasty make ahead chili recipes:

Thick and Chunky Hearty Chili

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

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Taco Chili Freezer Meal Recipe
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. ground beef browned
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 15 oz. can kernel corn drained
  • 8 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 4 oz. can green chilies
  • 1 Tbsp. chili powder
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Prep by browning the ground beef until it is no longer pink and chopping the onion.
  2. Place the cooked beef, chopped onion, and all other ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag. Remove the excess air, seal, and freeze.
Slow cooker instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Cook in the Crock Pot on low for 3-5 hours.
  3. Optional: Top with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, chopped green onions, cilantro, and/or sliced avocado.
Stovetop instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Heat on the stovetop on medium-low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.
  3. Optional: Top with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, chopped green onions, cilantro, and/or sliced avocado.