Freezer Meals 101

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Freezer to Crock Pot

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (freezer meal)

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As I write this, we are just coming out of a deep freeze in our town. It’s been six days of -40° temperatures and I can tell you that it has been a comfort soup kind of week! This homemade Chicken Noodle Soup recipe is exactly that. bag with chopped vegetables, broth, and raw chicken on top and black crock pot of noodle soup on the bottom with text "Chicken Noodle Soup freezer meal" #freezermeal101 #chickennoodlesoup #soupsunday There isn’t much more comforting whether it be on a cold day or nursing a cold than good old-fashioned chicken noodle soup. If you have this made ahead and in the freezer, you can eat it whenever you need it.

Having it made as a freezer meal also makes it nice to give as a gift to someone you know who is sick or going through a hard time.close up of a freezer bag of chicken noodle soup

How can I spice up Chicken Noodle Soup?

If you like a bit of kick to your chicken noodle soup or just want to try something new, there are a few routes I can suggest.

  • Italian flavor twist: add seasonings such as oregano, basil, and thyme or Italian blend seasoning
  • Thai flavor twist: add some coconut milk  (1/2 cup), lime juice (1-2 Tbsp.), lemongrass, and top with fresh cilantro
  • Tex mex flavor twist: replace the carrots with cube green or red bell peppers, add a small can of diced green chilies, and top with shredded cheese when serving. You can also serve with hot sauce. bowl of chicken noodle soup

Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 tsp. parsley
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper

Day of cooking:

  • 2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles for the day of cooking

collage of chicken noodle soup in a freezer bag, in the crockpot and in a bowlAssembly instructions:

  1. Place all ingredients except for the egg noodles in a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Remove excess air. Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw. Cook in crockpot on low for 4-5 hours.
  2. Take out chicken and cube or shred it.
  3. Put it back in the crockpot.
  4. Add the noodles.
  5. Cook another 10 minutes until noodles are tender.close up of a spoon lifting chicken noodle soup from a crockpot If you want, you can serve the soup with soda crackers and an extra sprinkle of pepper.
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Chicken Noodle Soup
Prep Time
5 mins
 
Course: Soup
Keyword: chicken noodle soup, soup
Servings: 6
Calories: 174 kcal
Ingredients
  • 2 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
  • 2 cups carrots peeled and chopped
  • 1 onion diced
  • 3 stalks celery chopped
  • 3-4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 tsp. parsley
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
Day of cooking:
  • 2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles for day of cooking
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Place all ingredients except for the egg noodles in a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Remove excess air. Freeze.
Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw. Cook in crockpot on low for 4-5 hours.

  2. Take out chicken and cube or shred it.

  3. Put it back in the crockpot.

  4. Add the noodles.
  5. Cook another 10 minutes until noodles are tender.

You may also like these other make-ahead soup recipes:

Vegetarian Taco Soupa spoon lifting vegetarian taco soup from a bowl

Hearty Sausage and Zucchini Soupclose up of a bowl of hearty sausage and zucchini soup

Instant Pot Tomato Soupbowl of tomato soup with the instant pot it was made in off to the side

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" #freezermeals101 #phillychicken #freezersandwich #makeahead #chickendinner

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

freezer bag with ingredients to make philly chicken sandwichesAssembly 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 crockpot 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 it in the oven for a short time just to melt the cheese.

collage of process to make philly chicken sandwiches, in the freezer bag, in the Instant Pot, being shredded and on a bunInstant 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: 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:

  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 crockpot 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 it 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 Muffinspile of corndog mini muffins ready for lunch

Beef and Bean Burritosclose up of beef and bean burritos with salsa and cheese on top

Make-Ahead Mac and Cheesefork lifting mac and cheese from a bowl

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 flavors. 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" #freezermeals101 #ragusausagebeef #makeahead #slowcookerThis 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.

Ragu with tomatoes, beef and sausage served on pasta with cheese and parsley on topAssembly 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.

collage of ragu with tomatoes, beef and sausage in the slow cooker, in a bowl and being lifted on a fork from a dish with pastaSlow 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.serving spoon lifting ragu beef and sausage out of a slow cooker

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!

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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:
  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 crockpot.

  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 close up of Italian sausage pasta sauce served on spaghetti

Irresistible Chicken Pasta Bake close up of irresistible chicken pasta bake with lots of noodles and herb garnish

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" #freezerneals101 #tacosloppyjoes #freezermeals

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.bowls that each contain ingredients to make Taco sloppy Joes

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.

collage of taco sloppy joes in the freezer bag, being cooked, ingredients in bowls and served on a plateAssembly instructions:

  1. Brown the ground beef. Allow it 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.

freezer bag with taco sloppy joesStovetop 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.

hamburger cooking for taco sloppy joesNote: 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

close up of taco sloppy joes with salsa and sour cream on the side

Print
Taco Sloppy Joes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: sloppy Joes, taco
Servings: 6
Calories: 174 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1 cup onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
  • 1 cup salsa your favorite 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 it 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 Stroganoffclose up of beef stroganoff garnished with parsley

Easy Cheesy Tater Tot Chicken Casseroleclose up of a scoop of tater tot chicken casserole being lifted from a dish with strings of cheese

Instant Pot Turkey Sloppy Joescollage of instant pot turkey sloppy joes with fries and pickles on the side

Ground Beef Stroganoff Freezer Meal

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Beef Stroganoff is 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" #freezermeals101 #beefstroganoff #makeahead #freezermealrecipeOur 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 flavors 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 as 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!close up of ground beef stroganoff garnished with parsley 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. close up of egg noodles pouring from a bowl on the counterIf 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

collage of noodles and a skillet of ground beef stroganoff as well as someone lifting some with a fork from a plateAssembly 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!

Course: Main Course
Keyword: beef, stroganoff
Servings: 6
Calories: 255 kcal
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 Veggiesclose up of tater tot casserole in a slow cooker with ground beef and cheese on top

Homemade Hamburger Helperclose up of a bowl with lots of noodles, creamy tomato sauce and ground beef

Beefy Rice Crock Pot Casserolebowl of ground beef with rice and tomatoes