Freezer to Crock Pot

Easy Crock-Pot Chicken Cacciatore {freezer meal}

You won’t believe how easy this Crock-Pot Chicken Cacciatore is! It has only 5 ingredients but it tastes so fresh and delicious. You can make it ahead as a freezer meal. Combining a freezer meal with the crockpot is a match made in heaven. Save time and money. Win-win!

Our family likes Italian flavors. I often make a different version of chicken cacciatore when I’m making my freezer meals, but that one is a bit more involved. It requires cubing the chicken and has more ingredients. When I’m in a hurry or wanting to make as many meals as possible as quickly as possible, I opt for this easy crockpot chicken cacciatore recipe instead.

Chicken Cacciatore is traditionally served over pasta, but it can also be served over rice or polenta if you prefer or if you are on a keto or low carb diet.

We recently made this recipe again during a 5 ingredients or less freezer meal marathon that we did. You can see that in the video below:

Why is it called Chicken Cacciatore?

I have to admit that it is a unique name for a dish. The word “cacciatore” means hunter in Italian and apparently, it was hunters who first made this. It was likely made not with chicken in those early years, but with rabbit or other wild game they caught. This was back in the Renaissance so other meat would have been more commonly available.

Chicken cacciatore is sometimes mixed up with chicken parmesan. The easiest way to be able to tell the difference is that cheese is involved where chicken parmesan is referenced, whereas, with cacciatore, there is no cheese.

Easy Crock-Pot Chicken Cacciatore Recipe:

Ingredients:

3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
24 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
1 zucchini, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

Assembly instructions:

Place the chicken breasts in a large, resealable freezer bag.
Dump the other ingredients in the bag.
Remove excess air from the bag and seal. Freeze flat.

Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Dump bag contents into the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Ensure that chicken is cooked through before serving.
Serve over your choice of pasta noodles. We usually use penne or rotini, but a long noodle is fine too.

You can throw this together so quickly that you might as well make more than one at a time. Just prop the bags open by folding the top over and setting them open on the counter. Line the bags up and then add the chicken to each one before dumping in the rest of the ingredients. This chicken dump recipe couldn’t be easier!

There is a lot of versatility with this recipe because you can use your choice of pasta sauce, swap out the chicken breasts for chicken thighs, and serve it on your favorite type of pasta.

This is such a family-friendly dish. Between being able to make it ahead and just pull it out of the freezer and the fact that it cooks in the crockpot, it’s truly a stress-free dinner. When we’re in a rush, we just keep this in the slow cooker and have the kids load a bit of pasta on their plate and then scoop the cacciatore right from the crockpot®. You can use whatever variety of pasta sauce you prefer. Experiment and see which you like best. We usually just go for simple basil, but it’s also good with a pasta sauce with mushrooms or spicy or chunky vegetables. Give a few of them a try and let me know which you liked best.

Easy Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Prep Time

5 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: chicken, chicken cacciatore

Servings: 6

Calories: 274 kcal

Ingredients

3-5 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
24 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
1 zucchini coarsely chopped
3/4 cup onion chopped
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Place the chicken breasts in a large, resealable freezer bag.
Dump the other ingredients in the bag.
Remove excess air from the bag and seal. Freeze flat.

Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Dump bag contents into the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Ensure that chicken is cooked through before serving.
Serve over your choice of pasta noodles.

You might also like these easy freezer meals:

Homemade Hamburger Helper

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Bake

Easy Chicken Marsala

Chili Hash Brown Casserole Freezer Meal

By Sharla

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!

This chili hash brown casserole is perfect for potlucks or brunches. I can quickly make it the day before in the crockpot 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:

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

Chili Hash Brown Casserole Recipe

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: casserole, chili, hash brown

Servings: 6

Calories: 562 kcal

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

Preheat oven to 450 degrees (F).
In a large bowl, mix together the chili, melted butter, onion, shredded cheese, and pepper.
Once that is well combined, gently stir in the frozen hash browns.
Pour the entire mixture into a greased oven-safe casserole dish. I use a 9x13 one.
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.
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 dish.

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

By Sharla

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 crockpot on cooking day. This is a quick and easy comfort food. Our original tater tot casserole is based on 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 of 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:

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

Crockpot cooking instructions:

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

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

More family favourite freezer meals:

Tater Tot Casserole with Beef and Veggies

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: tater tot casserole

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 569 kcal

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:

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

Crock pot cooking instructions:

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

Oven cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Place contents of the large bag in a 9x13 casserole dish. Top with cheese. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes.
Serve.

Beef and Bacon Goulash (Freezer Meal)

By Sharla

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. 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 to 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 labeled that, that’s what you and your family will call it all of the 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 the 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:

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

Cooking instructions:

Remove from freezer to thaw.
Add the bag contents to the Crock-Pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
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 Broth

Lemon Garlic Chicken

Instant Pot Pork or Chicken Shawarma

Beef and Bacon Goulash

Course: Main Course

Keyword: bacon, beef, goulash

Servings: 6

Calories: 394 kcal

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 the day of serving:

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

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

Cooking instructions:

Remove from freezer to thaw.
Add the bag contents to the Crock-Pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
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

By Sharla

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 flavors. You’ll be begging for seconds! 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 carries 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 a breaded, deep-fried chicken dish with hints of both sweet and spicy. Kung pao chicken is not breaded or deep-fried and the flavors 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:

Cube the chicken breast.
Chop the peppers and slice the green onions.
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.
Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Slow cooker instructions:

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

Skillet cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Dump everything from the freezer bag into a skillet.
Cook over medium-high heat until chicken is thoroughly cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly.
Serve over rice.
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

Easy Kung Pao Chicken Freezer Meal

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: chicken, kung pao

Servings: 4

Calories: 436 kcal

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:

Cube the chicken breast.
Chop the peppers and slice the green onions.
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.
Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Slow cooker instructions:

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

Skillet cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Dump everything from the freezer bag into a skillet.
Cook over medium-high heat until chicken is thoroughly cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly.
Serve over rice.
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.