Freezer Meals 101

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Freezer to Crock Pot

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!

Print
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

3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Ribs

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These tender ribs can go from the freezer to the crockpot 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" #freeermeals101 #makeahead #slowcooker #drpepperribs

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 Dr. Pepper and squish to combine.
  4. Remove excess air from the bag, seal, and freeze. collage of ribs, ingredients and crockpot for Dr Pepper ribs

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 the 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. close up of Slow cooker with Dr Pepper and ribs

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: Dr Pepper, ribs
Servings: 4
Calories: 329 kcal
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 and 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 Potclose up of slow cooker Dr Pepper pulled pork with salad on the side

Freezer to Crock Pot Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole Recipe

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This Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole is a really simple recipe that you can go from the freezer to the crockpot. Those are my favourite kind of crockpot meals! You’ll find the end result is cheesy and gooey. It’s sure to become a new family favourite.

The nice thing about making this as a casserole is that you get all the same flavours without the finicky work. Traditional Chicken Cordon Bleu includes a crispy coating on the chicken, so I used boxed stuffing to create that same concept but without all the work of breading the chicken.white oval casserole dish heaped with stuffing and chicken and strings of melted cheese with text that reads "Freezer to Crock Pot Chicken Cordon Bleu" #freezermeals101 #chickendinner #makeahead #cordonbleuchicken #chickencordonbleu

We love hearty, family-friendly meals that can be made ahead and cooked in the Crock-Pot like our Beefy Rice Slow Cooker Casserole, Easy Cheesy Tater Tot Chicken Casserole, or Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore.close up of chicken cordon bleu casserole in the crockpot being lifted with a fork

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
  • 16 oz. deli ham
  • 10.75 oz. can cream of chicken soup
  • 1 box of instant stuffing
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese, divided

Assembly Instructions:

  1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Place it into a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Melt the butter. In a small bowl, combine the cream of chicken soup with butter and milk.
  3. Pour half of the soup mixture over the chicken.
  4. Cut the lunchmeat into bite-sized pieces. Add half of the ham on top of the chicken.
  5. Top with 1 cup of Swiss cheese.
  6. Add ½ the box of stuffing on top of the cheese.
  7. Layer the remaining ham, cheese and stuffing into the bag.
  8. Pour in the rest of the soup mixture.
  9. Remove the excess air from the bag and seal.
  10. Put the remaining 1 cup of Swiss cheese in a medium freezer bag. Seal the bag and staple it to the large bag above the seal.
  11. Freeze.collage of chicken cordon bleu casserole in the crockpot and in a bowl

Cooking instructions:

  1. Take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
  2. Dump into the slow cooker.
  3. Cook on low for 4 hours.
  4. Top with remaining Swiss cheese in the last 30 minutes.

Being able to skip the steps of stuffing and breading the chicken saves a lot of time. It allows you to introduce your family to the flavours of chicken cordon bleu in an easier more mom-friendly way.

Additional tips for this recipe:

As with all freezer meals, it takes almost no extra time to make several bags of this at once to stock up your freezer or to keep some and gift some. This makes a wonderful gift for a new mom or someone going through a hard time.

If you prefer not to make this as a freezer meal, simply layer the ingredients directly into the slow cooker and follow the rest of the instructions.

Swiss cheese has a strong flavour. If you absolutely cannot stand it (but I suggest that you try it once in this recipe because it really does blend well with the other flavours), you can substitute provolone or mozzarella.

Print
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: French
Keyword: chicken, chicken cordon bleu
Servings: 6
Calories: 467 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cubed
  • 16 oz. deli ham
  • 10.75 oz. can cream of chicken soup
  • 1 box of instant stuffing
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese divided
Instructions
Assembly Instructions:

  1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Place it into a large resealable freezer bag.

  2. Melt the butter. In a small bowl, combine the cream of chicken soup with butter and milk.

  3. Pour half of the soup mixture over the chicken.

  4. Cut the lunchmeat into bite-sized pieces. Add half of the ham on top of the chicken.

  5. Top with 1 cup of Swiss cheese.

  6. Add ½ the box of stuffing on top of the cheese.

  7. Layer the remaining ham, cheese, and stuffing into the bag.

  8. Remove the excess air from the bag and seal.

  9. Put the remaining 1 cup of Swiss cheese in a medium freezer bag. Seal the bag and staple it to the large bag above the fold.

  10. Freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
  2. Dump into the slow cooker.
  3. Cook on low for 4 hours.

  4. Top with remaining Swiss cheese in the last 30 minutes.

What side dishes go with Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole?

Since this particular casserole includes the stuffing mix, you don’t necessarily need another carb like rice, potatoes, or bread, but you will want to serve this with vegetables or a salad to round this out to be a balanced meal.

Some specific side dish ideas:

close up of chicken cordon bleu casserole in a bowl with garnish

Check out these other family-friendly freezer to crockpot meals:

Tater Tot Casserole with Beef and Veggiesclose up of tater tot casserole in a crockpot with cheese

Rustic Crock Pot Beef Stewclose up of rustic crockpot beef stew with meat and carrots

Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatorea spoon is lifting chicken cacciatore from a crock pot