I discovered the liberating goodness of crockpot freezer meals not long ago. If only I had tried them sooner!
In hindsight, really wish I would have taken the time to prepare some freezer meals in those postpartum days with new babies in the house.
What a blessing that would have been.
I think the thought of standing on my feet to make a bunch of food at once was just overwhelming at the time.
However, I’m learning the value of “prep once, eat all week”, and it’s a wonderful thing.
The timesaving truth about make-ahead meals
If I had known I could actually make a weeks’ worth of freeze ahead crockpot meals in about one hour total, I would have at least made the effort!
As my life got busier and busier over the last year with work + life in general, I started looking at ways I could be more efficient in the kitchen.
Meal planning has always been a lifesaver.
But recently, I wanted to try meal planning PLUS freezer cooking to up my game.
It’s true that crockpot meals in general are my go-to favorite. Somehow I knew that finding a few tried-and-true crockpot freezer dump meals would save even more time.
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Practical freezer meals for families
When I started searching for the best freezer meal recipes online, it was quite a time consuming task.
I had to scroll through countless pages before I found a combination of recipes my family would actually eat plus those that were fairly budget-friendly.
As a family of 6, we definitely adhere to the waste-not-want-not philosophy in the kitchen!
Not only do we feed 6 people (or more), we like recipes that provide a few leftovers to keep us from eating out during the week.
It took a while, but I finally found success with the recipes below.
Some of them are actually meals I’ve been making for a long time and I just adapted for the freezer.
I’ve provided links to the other recipes.
Versatile Freezer Meals
Easy Crockpot Freezer Meals: the Roundup
First, here are a few longtime crowd pleasing dinners that I realized I could easily make as crockpot freezer meals.
In case you’re wondering, we live in the Midwest – hence all the beef!
(And I like my chipotle seasoning, so judge not – and I promise it will change your life for the better.)
Before you start, don’t forget to pick up:
Freezer bag racks (optional, but they help the process along much faster!)
1| Homemade Sloppy Joes
If you’re like me and CANNOT STOMACH Manwich – try this homemade version instead.
It’s so much better!
Bonus- you can sneak in some extra veggies and the kids won’t notice it.
Sloppy Joes
Homemade Sloppy Joes (Crockpot Freezer Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra lean ground beef (I prefer grass-fed beef)
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 1/2 med bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cup Spaghetti Sauce
- 1 med zuchinni, shredded
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 garlic clove, minced (or 1 tsp jarred minced garlic)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients including the raw ground beef into a gallon freezer bag. Separate the beef a little by squishing it with your fingers in the sealed bag. Make sure to get as much air out as possible.
- Label bag; freeze.
- Thaw out in refrigerator overnight; add contents to slow cooker the next morning.
- Add 1/4 cup water and cook approximately 6-8 hours on low. *Cook times will vary greatly depending on your slow cooker.
- You may need to add more water towards the end of the cooking process for desired consistency.
- Spoon mixture into hamburger buns and serve with sweet potato fries (optional).
2| 3-Bean Chili
I’m all about seasoning foods myself rather than using packets, most of the time.
It’s more economical and I can adjust the spices to suit the heat level and flavors that we prefer.
3-Bean Chili
3-Bean Chili (Crockpot Freezer version)
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 Tbsp dried minced onion
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp chipotle seasoning
- 1 /2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 can dark red kidney beans
- 1 can light red kidney beans
- 2 cans pinto beans
- 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 can diced tomatoes
Instructions
- Rinse and drain all beans in a colander.
- Add beans and all other ingredients to a gallon ziplock freezer bag. Separate ground beef a little by squishing the sealed bag with your fingers. Make sure all the air is out of the bag before sealing; freeze.
- Defrost bag in fridge overnight.
- Dump contents of bag into crockpot / slow cooker and add enough water to cover the mixture plus about a 1/2 inch more.
- Cook on low approximately 6-8 hours. *Cook times vary greatly according to slow cooker. Check frequently and add more water if necessary.
- Spoon into bowls and top with shredded cheddar, sour cream and chopped green onions. Serve with cornbread.
3| BBQ Chipotle Ribs
Easy, tender boneless ribs with a mild kick (don’t forget the chipotle!).
With the time you save on the main dish, you can whip up a batch of my Thrifty Homemade Bread to go along with.
BBQ Chipotle Ribs (Freezer Crockpot Version)
Ingredients
- 1 package (approx. 10 ribs) country style pork ribs (boneless)
- 3/4 bottle your favorite BBQ sauce
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1.5 tsp chipotle seasoning
Instructions
- Add ribs to a gallon ziplock bag along with all other ingredients; freeze.
- Thaw in refrigerator overnight before cooking.
- Cook on low approximately 6-8 hours. *Cook time will vary greatly depending on your particular slow cooker.
- Serve with green beans and biscuits or homemade bread.
4| Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
This recipe is adapted from this recipe, with a few modifications.
(We did NOT like the dried egg noodles, it had a strange gummy flavor when cooked in the crockpot!)
On the day of cooking, you could also add a Bay leaf to the crockpot for extra flavor – just remember to remove it before serving!
Chicken Noodle Soup
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup (crockpot freezer version)
Ingredients
- 6-8 med boneless skinless chicken breast tenders (or 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 med carrots, sliced
- 2 celery ribs sliced
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
- 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 32 oz carton of chicken broth or stock (add on day of cooking)
- 1 24-oz pkg Reams frozen homestyle egg noodles (add on day of cooking)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients EXCEPT egg noodles and chicken broth to a gallon size freezer bag. Freeze until ready to cook.
- Thaw in refrigerator overnight.
- Add to slow cooker with broth on low for approximately 6-8 hours. *Cook times will vary greatly depending on slow cooker.
- Remove chicken tenders and shred/chunk with two forks once cooked through. Add back to crockpot.
- Add frozen egg noodles the last 15-20 minutes; serve once noodles are cooked through.
Related Post: Super Simple Roasted Chicken Recipe
5| Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken
This recipe from New Leaf Wellness is great and super simple.
I like to serve it with a fresh side salad and a baked potato.
Pro Tip: After washing your potatoes and drying them, poke holes with a fork and then rub them down with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and cook in microwave.
Get the recipe for Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken here.
(You’ll have to click on the red bar in the center of the page that says: “CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE RECIPES AND GROCERY LIST”)
Related post: Honest Review of ButcherBox Meat Delivery Service
6| Cheesy Tortellini with Ground Beef
This was one of my personal favorites of all the freezer meals for crockpot that I’ve tried.
It is adapted from the recipe on this page, so that it would feed my family of 6, plus leave some leftovers.
Cheesy Tortellini
Cheesy Tortellini with Ground Beef (Freezer Slow Cooker Version for 6+ people)
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra lean ground beef (I use organic, grass-fed beef)
- 1 small white or yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 2 tsp jarred minced garlic)
- 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes and green chiles (drain slightly if you want less heat)
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 19-oz packages frozen cheese tortellini (add on day of cooking)
- 8 oz mozarella cheese, shredded (add on day of cooking)
- 4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded (add on day of cooking)
- 1 cup water (add on day of cooking)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except for tortellini, cheeses and water; add to gallon-size ziplock bag.
- Break up the raw ground beef by squishing the sealed bag slightly with your fingers. Freeze until day prior to serving.
- Defrost in refrigerator overnight before the day of cooking.
- Add all ingredients from freezer bag to slow cooker; cook approximately 8 hours on low until ground beef cooked through. *Cook times will vary greatly depending on slow cooker.
- Add 1 cup water; stir.
- Add the 2 packages of frozen tortellini, stir.
- Top with the shredded cheeses and cook until tortellini is cooked through, approximately 40 minutes.
7| Crockpot Beef Fajitas
This is another recipe from New Leaf Wellness- and it ranks #1 on my personal list of best slow cooker freezer meals!
I really like the recipes on this site because they use a lot of whole-food ingredients without preservatives.
Get the recipe for Crockpot Beef Fajitas here.
Crockpot Beef Fajitas
8| Taco Soup
This is one of those throw-together-what-you-find-in-the-pantry kind of meals that can be EASILY adapted for the slower cooker.
The vegetable stock gives it a really nice, fresh soup base.
Taco Soup (Crockpot Freezer Version)
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can corn
- 1 32-oz box vegetable stock
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp dried cumin
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp dried minced onions
- 1 tsp chipotle seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Add all ingredients EXCEPT for the vegetable stock to a gallon-size freezer bag.
- Break up the raw ground beef in the sealed bag by squishing slightly with your fingers. Freeze.
- Defrost in refrigerator overnight prior to cooking.
- Empty defrosted ingredients into slow cooker; add vegetable stock.
- Cook approximately 6-8 hours on low until ground beef is cooked through. *Cook times will vary greatly depending on your slow cooker.
- Monitor liquids and add more water towards the end of cook time, if needed.
Next: Check out our Money Saving Meal planner to start eating on a budget- know what’s for dinner, every night of the week!
Stocking up to stock your freezer meals
There you have it! Over a weeks’ worth of crockpot freezer meals to give you at least a week off from cooking.
With all the leftovers, you may even get a two-week break from the kitchen!
One last tip, to keep the momentum going for from-scratch freezer meals: learn how to keep your pantry and freezer well-stocked.
We like to shop from Azure Standard Co-op once a month for many bulk food items, which makes this type of meal planning even easier.
Take a look to see if there is a “drop” location in your area.
Don’t forget to pin this post for later!
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