Freezer Meals 101

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Easy Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore {freezer meal}

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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 crock pot is a match made in heaven. Save time and money. Win-win!

Our family likes Italian flavours. 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 crock pot chicken cacciatore recipe instead.

large spoon scooping out a red sauce covered chicken breast from a slow cooker with text that reads "Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore" 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.

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:

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

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump bag contents into the slow cooker.
  3. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Ensure that chicken is cooked through before serving.
  4. 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 favourite 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 crock pot, 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 crock pot. You can can use whatever variety of pasta sauce you prefer. Experiment and see which you like best. We usually just go for a simple basil, but it’s also good with a pasta sauce with mushrooms or the spicy or chunky vegetables. Give a few of them a try and let me know which you liked best.

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Easy Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore
Prep Time
5 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: chicken, chicken cacciatore
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:
  1. Place the chicken breasts in a large, resealable freezer bag.
  2. Dump the other ingredients in the bag.
  3. Remove excess air from the bag and seal. Freeze flat.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump bag contents into the slow cooker.

  3. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Ensure that chicken is cooked through before serving.

  4. 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

Unstuffed Pepper Skillet Meal

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I love meals that are like a one-stop shop. This Unstuffed Pepper Skillet meal has all your major food groups in one dish. It’s cheesy, tomatoey, deliciousness packed with flavour.

blue bowl with ground beef, peppers, and cheese a bottle of hot sauce in the background and a full skillet underneath with text that reads "Unstuffed Pepper Skillet freezer meal gluten free"We are fans around here of this type of dish. We make stuffed peppers, a stuffed pepper casserole, and this skillet version. Each has its own perks. Most of our kids prefer the unstuffed varieties, which is just fine with me since they are less work to make!

This ground beef unstuffed peppers skillet is an awesome weekday meal because it can be made ahead as a freezer meal AND it can be cooked all in one pan. This makes for an easy family meal and easy cleanup!

Unstuffed Pepper Skillet Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. lean ground beef, browned*
  • 3 tsp. cumin
  • 3 tsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 3 tsp. paprika
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 yellow pepper, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 14 oz. can tomatoes
  • 1 tsp. lime juice
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar or Tex Mex cheese

*If you want to make this meal vegetarian, you can substitute the ground beef for veggie ground round. It’s especially good with the Mexican flavoured one.

Assembly instructions:

  1. Cook the rice. Brown the beef. Chop the peppers and onion.
  2. Place all the ingredients except for the cheese in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Remove the excess air from the bag and seal.
  4. Place the shredded cheese in a medium freezer bag. Seal and staple it to the other bag above the seal.
  5. Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Place the large bag ingredients in a skillet. Cook over medium heat until cooked through, stirring occasionally.
  3. Top with the cheese the last few minutes of cooking.

For the rice, you can use whichever type you prefer. Sometimes I use Minute Rice if I’m in a hurry when assembling meals while other times, I use a long grain or Basmati rice. I prefer the texture of the long grain, but sometimes time is of the essence.

This recipe is pretty forgiving. If you would rather swap out the red and yellow peppers for green pepper, go ahead. If you want to experiment with topping it with different cheeses, give that a try. As long as you stick with the basic components, this dish will turn out.

I always serve this meal with hot sauce because we’re a hot sauce kind of family. Honestly, the flavours of this skillet meal hold their own without the hot sauce so it’s not a required pairing, but we add our favourite hot sauces to pretty much anything. This is no exception. Don’t judge it until you try it!

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Unstuffed Pepper Skillet
Course: Main Course
Keyword: skillet meal, stuffed pepper
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef browned*
  • 3 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 3 tsp. paprika
  • 3 tsp. chili powder
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 red pepper diced
  • 1 yellow pepper diced
  • 1 onion diced
  • 14 oz. can tomatoes
  • 1 tsp. lime juice
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar or Tex Mex cheese
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Cook the rice. Brown the beef. Chop the peppers and onion.
  2. Place all the ingredients except for the cheese in a large resealable freezer bag.
  3. Remove the excess air from the bag, seal.
  4. Place the shredded cheese in a medium freezer bag. Seal and staple it to the other bag above the seal. Freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Place the large bag ingredients in a skillet. Cook over medium heat until cooked through, stirring occasionally.
  3. Top with the cheese the last few minutes of cooking.
Recipe Notes

*If you want to make this meal vegetarian, you can substitute the ground beef for veggie ground round. It's especially good with the Mexican flavoured one.

 

Check out these other tasty make ahead meals:

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Spicy Crock Pot Poblano Chicken

Simplest Butter Chicken {freezer meal}

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This recipe is so ridiculously easy that I almost didn’t bother to write it up, but then I decided that it might give someone the idea who might never have considered this before. I know how much I like having simple go-to recipes to use. This butter chicken is one.

If you prefer to go the more from scratch route, I have a butter chicken Instant Pot freezer meal recipe. That one has more ingredients and takes a bit longer, but it’s tasty too.

on the top, the meal is in the bag and on the bottom, the red sauce and chunks of chicken are in a skillet with text that reads "Simplest Butter Chicken"When you go to the warehouse stores like Costco, you can buy jars of butter chicken sauce in a pack of two or three jars at once. I suggest doing that. It is more cost effective and that way, you can make double or triple this recipe. That way, you’ll have more in the freezer ready to pull out for a delicious dinner.

Another nice thing about this recipe is that you can tailor it to your liking by choosing your favourite Butter Chicken sauce. If you want to add a bit of heat, you can sprinkle in a bit of cayenne pepper.

Easiest Butter Chicken Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
  • jar of butter chicken sauce

For serving:

  • optional: cilantro for serving

Assembly instructions:

  1. Cube the chicken and place it in a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Pour the sauce over top.
  3. Remove the excess air and seal. Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump the bag contents into a large skillet and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally.
  3. Cook 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
  4. If desired, top with fresh cilantro.

Serve with jasmine or Basmati rice or with Naan.

Print
Easiest Butter Chicken
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: buttter chicken
Ingredients
  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
  • jar of butter chicken sauce
For serving:
  • optional: cilantro for serving
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Cube the chicken and place it in a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Pour the sauce over top.
  3. Remove the excess air and seal. Freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump the bag contents into a large skillet and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally.
  3. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
  4. If desired, top with coarsely chopped fresh cilantro.
Recipe Notes

Serve over jasmine or Basmati rice or with Naan.

If you like these kinds of flavours, you’ll also love:

Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

Pork or Chicken Shawarma

Chili Lime Tilapia (Freezer Meal)

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This make ahead seafood recipe has delicious flavours. It can be made with cod, snapper, or tilapia fish. This healthy meal takes just minutes to assemble and cook but tastes like you worked in the kitchen for hours.

blue plate with white rice, broccoli, cauliflower, and fish with text that reads "Chili Lime Tilapia freezer meal gluten free"When people think of freezer meals, they usually picture stews or soups, but there are so many other possibilities. Seafood dishes such as dill salmon, seafood curry, garlic butter shrimp, or breaded shrimp in the Instant Pot can also be made ahead.

Chili Lime Tilapia Recipe:

  • 1 lb. tilapia filets (you can substitute cod or snapper if you prefer)
  • 2 Tbsp. lime juice
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 3/4 tsp. seasoning salt

Assembly instructions:

  1. Place 1 lb. of fish in a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Combine the other ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the fish.
  3. Remove the excess air from the bag, seal, and freeze.

BBQ cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. Place foil on a baking tray. Place the fish and sauce on the foil and create a foil packet, sealing well.
  3. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Oven cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Preheat the BBQ to medium-high heat. Make a foil packet with the fish and sauce inside.
  3. Place foil packet on grill for 4 minutes per side until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

What do I serve with fish?

Side dishes are always a bit of a challenge to come up with on the fly. Personally, I especially like to have some make ahead side dishes in the freezer so that I can pull them out when needed. Here are some ideas of what pairs well with the tilapia:

Print
Chili Lime Tilapia
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Keyword: fish
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. tilapia filets you can substitute cod or snapper if you prefer
  • 2 Tbsp. lime juice
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1-2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 Tbsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 3/4 tsp. seasoning salt
For cooking day:
  • aluminum foil
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Place 1 lb. of fish in a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Combine the other ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the fish.
  3. Remove the excess air from the bag, seal, and freeze.
BBQ cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. Place foil on a baking tray. Place the fish and sauce on the foil and create a foil packet, sealing well.
  3. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
Oven cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Preheat the BBQ to medium-high heat. Make a foil packet with the fish and sauce inside.
  3. Place foil packet on grill for 4 minutes per side until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

You may also be interested in these other seafood freezer meals:

Make Ahead Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

Maple Dijon Salmon

Tequila Lime Shrimp

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.

Print
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