My slow cooker is my BFF. I use it several times a week, every week. Whoever came up with the idea of make-ahead slow cooker freezer meals is a genius! It’s a total time saver.
In just a few hours (including shopping time), you can put together enough meals for a few weeks. That’s a healthy, delicious dinner every night with enough for leftovers too!
20 Easy Slow Cooker Meals to Make Ahead and Freeze
Choose recipes your family already enjoys and that adapt well to being frozen first. For example, we don’t like to freeze slow cooker meals made with potatoes because they end up losing their appeal after being frozen. But other veggies and fruit (I’ve got two below!) work great.
I plan out the meals/bags I want to make and head to the store with my list. Buying some items that are already frozen and/or chopped is a great time saver. For example, frozen chicken works well because it’s easy to pull out the number I need and not have to worry about them freezing in a big lump.
When I get home, I chop all the onions (and cook them if my recipe calls for that), carrots, celery, etc. I measure out any dry seasonings I need. Then I work in a semi-assembly line until all the bags are filled.
Labeling is so, so important. It’s nice to include cooking time and any special instructions like adding water to the slow cooker or adding an ingredient, like sour cream, at the end of cooking time.
13 Meat-based Slow Cooker Freezer Meals
1. Meatballs + Tomato Sauce
- 16 to 24-ounce bag frozen meatballs (homemade are great, too!)
- 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
Place all ingredients into a gallon-size freezer bag.
Cook 3–4 hours on high. Serve with cooked pasta, green salad, and garlic bread.
2. Ginger Peach Chicken
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 12-ounce bag frozen peach slices
- 1 sliced red onion
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
Place all ingredients into a gallon-size freezer bag.
Cook 4–5 hours on high. Serve with cooked white or brown rice and steamed veggies.
3. Vegetable Beef Stew
- 2 pounds stew meat
- 1 diced onion
- 2 sliced carrots
- 1 sliced parsnip
- 1 large rutabaga (peeled and cut into cubes)
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons beef stock base or 3 bouillon cubes
- 1-1/2 cups of water
Place all ingredients except the water into a gallon-size freezer bag.
Add bag contents to a slow cooker, and add 1-1/2 cups of water. Cook 8–10 hours on low. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.
4. Teriyaki Chicken
- 2 pounds chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 20-ounce can pineapple chunks (drained)
Place all ingredients into a gallon-size freezer bag.
Cook 8 hours on low. Serve with cooked white or brown rice and green veggies.
5. Pork Country Ribs + BBQ Sauce
- 2 pounds boneless country pork ribs
- 16-ounce bottle BBQ sauce (your favorite kind)
Place all ingredients into a gallon-size freezer bag.
Cook 8–10 hours on low. Serve with mashed potatoes, veggies, and salad.
6. Salsa Chicken
- 2-1/2 to 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken (breast or thighs)
- 16-ounce jar of your favorite salsa
Place all ingredients into a gallon-size freezer bag.
Cook 6–7 hours on low. Serving suggestions include rice bowls, tacos, enchilada filling, nachos, and burritos. Serves 4–8, maybe more depending on how it’s used after cooking.
7. Sausage Lentil Soup
- 12–14 ounces sliced kielbasa sausage
- 2 cups brown lentils
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 celery rib, diced
- 1 diced onion
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 quarts water or stock
For best flavor, brown the kielbasa and diced onion and let them cool completely before adding to the freezer bag (optional, but results in a better flavor and texture). Then place all ingredients except 2 quarts of water or stock into a gallon-size freezer bag.
Add 2 quarts of water or stock to the slow cooker before cooking. Cook 4–5 hours on high. Serve with fresh bread and/or rice.
8. Sloppy Joes
- 1 pound ground meat (pork, turkey, chicken, or beef)
- 1 diced onion
- 1 diced green bell pepper
- 15-ounce can tomato sauce (or 6-ounce can tomato paste mixed with 1 cup water)
- 1 Sloppy Joes seasoning mix packet
Place all ingredients into a gallon-size freezer bag.
Cook 3–4 hours on high. Serve with buns and veggie fries.
9. Cranberry-Mustard Pork
- 3- to 4-pound pork roast (loin, shoulder, butt)
- 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon brown or Dijon mustard
- 1 diced onion
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- zest and juice of 1 orange
Place all ingredients into a gallon-size freezer bag.
Cook 8–10 hours on low. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice and steamed broccoli.
10. Beef Stroganoff
- 2 pounds stew meat
- 1 pound sliced mushrooms
- 1 diced onion
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 tablespoon beef stock paste (or 2 bouillon cubes)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Place all ingredients except water and sour cream into a gallon-size freezer bag.
Add 1 cup of water to the slow cooker before cooking. Cook 8 hours on low. Stir in 1/2 cup sour cream just before serving (do not freeze with other ingredients or add at the beginning of the cooking time, or it will curdle). Serve with rice or noodles.
11. Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- 20-ounce package of frozen meatballs
- 1/2 cup sliced onions
- 1/2 cup sliced peppers
- 10 ounces sweet and sour sauce
- 12 ounces grape jelly
- 1 cup water or stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
Place all ingredients except for water or stock into a gallon-size freezer bag.
Add 1 cup of water or stock at the beginning of the cooking time. Cook 3–4 hours on high or 4–6 on low. Enjoy with rice noodles or grain of choice.
12. Chicken Tortilla Soup
- 2–3 chicken thighs (boneless & skinless)
- 10-ounce bag of frozen corn
- 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 can Rotel
- 1/2 cup diced peppers
- 3/4 cup diced onion
- 1 taco seasoning packet
- 1 ranch dip packet
- 32-ounce carton chicken stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients except for the chicken stock, and place in a gallon-size freezer bag.
Cook 3–4 hours on high or 5–6 on low. Shred chicken when the cooking time is complete and return to the pot. Enjoy with tortilla strips and rice or grain of choice.
13. Beef Bourguignon
- 1-pound chuck roast, cubed
- 4 ounces pancetta, cubed
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 1/2 cup carrots
- 10 pearl onions
- 1 cup Burgundy wine
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sage
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 32-ounce carton beef stock
Place all ingredients except for the beef stock into a gallon-size freezer bag.
Add the beef stock at the beginning of the cooking time. Cook 6–8 hours on low. Enjoy with roasted potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, or pureed parsnips.
7 Vegetarian Slow Cooker Freezer Meals
14. Mushroom Barley Stew
- 1 pound mushrooms
- 2 sliced carrots
- 1 sliced celery rib
- 1 diced onion
- 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup uncooked barley
- 2 quarts vegetable stock
Place all ingredients except for the vegetable stock into a gallon-size freezer bag.
Add 2 quarts vegetable stock to the slow cooker before cooking. Heat for 8 hours on low. Serve with hot, crusty bread or rolls.
15. Lentil-Butternut Squash Curry
- 1 diced onion
- 2 cups red or brown lentils
- 2 cups diced butternut squash
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 14-ounce can coconut milk
- 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 cups water
Place all ingredients except for the water into a gallon-size freezer bag.
Add 4 cups of water to the slow cooker before cooking. Cook 6–8 hours on low. Check halfway and add more water if needed. If the soup is too thick at the end, add more water as needed. Serve with hot, cooked rice, flatbread, or raita.
16. Minestrone with Farro
- 12-ounce bag frozen green beans
- 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
- 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 10- to 12-ounce bag frozen spinach
- 1 cup farro
- 1 packet Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup carrot, diced
- 1/4 cup onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 32-ounce carton vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients except for the vegetable stock and place in a gallon-size freezer bag.
Cook 3–4 hours on high or 5–6 on low. Enjoy with salad or a fresh Italian baguette.
17. Southwestern 3-Bean Chili
- 15-ounce can black beans, drained & rinsed
- 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained & rinsed
- 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 packet Fiesta Ranch Seasoning
- 10-ounce can Rotel tomatoes
- 1/2 cup onions, diced
- 1/2 cup peppers, diced
- 10-ounce can green chile enchilada sauce
- 15-ounce can corn, drained
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients except for the vegetable stock and place in a gallon-size freezer bag.
Cook 3–4 hours on high or 5–6 on low. Enjoy with corn muffins, tortilla chips, or couscous.
18. Curried Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew
- 24 ounces cubed butternut squash
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup peppers, diced
- 12-ounce can coconut milk
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients except for the vegetable stock and place in a gallon-size freezer bag.
Cook 3–4 hours on high or 5–6 on low. Enjoy with Basmati rice, quinoa, or couscous.
19. Kale, White Beans, & Lentils
- 3 cups of kale chopped
- 15-ounce can white beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 2 teaspoons basil
- 1 teaspoon sage
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 32-ounce carton vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients except for the vegetable stock and place in a gallon-size freezer bag.
Cook 3–4 hours on high or 5–6 on low. Serve with a fresh green salad.
20. Greek Stuffed Peppers
- 4 large bell peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 10-ounce bag frozen spinach
- 1/4 cup pesto
- 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup pearled barley
- 3 ounces cream cheese
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 cups vegetable stock
Combine the olives, capers, spinach, pesto, tomatoes, barley, and cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Stuff the mixture into each of the bell peppers and carefully place the peppers in a gallon-size freezer bag.
Pour the tomato sauce and vegetable stock into the crockpot before placing the peppers inside to cook. Cook 3–4 hours on high or 5–6 on low.
Yes, for these slow cooker freezer meals, all you have to do is combine the ingredients, label the bags, and pop them into the freezer. When you’re ready to cook, dump the contents of the bag plus any necessary water/stock into the slow cooker, and you’re ready to go!
Want more? Check out these 25 freeze-and-dump ideas!
Slow Cooker Freezer Bag Tips + Hints
LABEL THE BAGS. You’d be surprised how easy it is to forget what is in there after a few weeks. Label them with the name of the recipe, cooking time, and any special instructions, such as adding liquid, checking halfway through, and cooking times.
Bags can be thawed out in the fridge overnight before popping the contents into the slow cooker the next day, though it’s really not necessary.
The bags can be frozen flat, but I prefer to freeze them upright to make them easier to pop into the slow cooker. If you plan on thawing the bags overnight (totally fine), then it doesn’t matter how you freeze them.
I don‘t like to freeze potatoes. I also don’t happen to like broccoli or cauliflower cooked in a slow cooker (totally my preference). But if you prefer to add these veggies, by all means, do. I recommend buying the already frozen bags and adding those instead of freezing your own. (Again, purely my preference.)
The bags won’t really take that much longer to cook if they are frozen when going into the slow cooker.
Searing the pork roast and stew meat adds flavor but isn‘t completely necessary—it’s a way to cut down on prep (and cooling time).
Some of these recipes don’t include salt. This is on purpose so that salt can be added at the end according to personal taste.
If you choose to add dairy in the form of cream, milk, sour cream, yogurt, or cream cheese, do so during the last 30 (on low) to 60 (on high) minutes, so the dairy products don’t curdle.
The cooking times I’ve given are the ones I typically use. The general rule of thumb is 6–8 hours on LOW or 3–5 on HIGH. For bigger cuts of meat, I prefer the longer, slower cooking time. It’s totally up to you and your schedule.
Broth can be substituted for the wine. I’m not sure it really cooks off because of the lid on the slow cooker.
More Make-Ahead Meal Ideas
If you love these make-ahead slow cooker freezer meals, give these meal prep ideas a try too:
7 High Protein Breakfasts You Can Make Ahead
8 Detox Meal Prep Ideas You Have to Try
7 Make-Ahead Sauces to Keep on Hand for Meal Prep
14 Ways To Make Make-Ahead Smoothie Packs Like a Champ
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What are the individual servings for each recipe?
This is amazing! I am going to prepare some for my daughter who is giving birth soon. Can you cook these in the instant pot by chance? And if so do you have any idea how long you would cook them? Great website!
Nice info see this keep up the good work.
thanks!
Glad to see this beatiful information!
Thanks alot for this beautiful information!
Are you supposed to cook the onions for the butternut squash curry before freezing? They looked cooked in all the pics but the recipe doesn’t say to cook
nice information
tres bien, merci pour le partage ^^
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nice discussion !!!
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When you are cooking a casserole, for example lasagna, why not do more and freeze half, so that during the workweek, you can eat home-made food. You can use several options for freezing: Frozen whole casserole in a dish, the bottom of which is lined with paper for freezing. When the casserole is substantially frozen, remove the dish, repackage the casserole in the freezing paper and send it back to the freezer. Plus, you can use the dish while the casserole is stored in the freezer. When you need it again, put it in the same dish and cook it. Freeze in parts. Prepare the casserole, allow to cool, cut into pieces and freeze. You can warm up in the microwave.
Hi Lindsay! When I make Teriyaki Chicken I always put it for 12-24h in the fridge after I “wash” it in the souce. After that meat really smells and taste awesome!
I already copies this recipies to my “cook notepad” with the best recipies. Thanks!
thanx alot
This is really great reading. I enjoy reading quality articles this well-written. Thank you.
Thank you for the yummy recipes!
I made two batches of this and the first I did with 4 cups and it was waaaaay too much. I couldn’t even eat it it came out to watery and gross. The second batch is in my slow cooker right now and I added half the liquid and it’s still way too watery.
the slow cooker butternut squash curry
These are great! What a fabulous idea, also, for when I travel and my family is too busy to prepare meals themselves. Do you have any low carb ideas? A lot of these sauces and vegetables have sugar/carbs we tend to avoid as a family.
Thank you boy
This is great thanks!
grocery list would be very helpful—-
Maybe she’ll come over and cook it for you also! ?????
hahahahahahahaha!!!!! seriously.
OK will just go to someone else’s site. Im sure thats the goal of the author. Thanks
I just wanted to thank you for these recipes. I was recently getting ready for knee replacement surgery and prepped 9 of your 12 recipes. My husband’s skills in the kitchen aren’t entirely non-existent, but your recipes sounded good and I thought it would be easy enough for him to ‘dump’ in the morning and turn on a slow-cooker. So far we have had the Meatballs and Tomato sauce (the first night on a roasted spaghetti squash and the second we made meatball subs out of them), the Salsa Chicken, the Sausage Lentil Soup, and the Cranberry Mustard Pork (the first night as a roast with mashed potatoes and the second night pulled, heated with BBQ sauce and served on hamburger buns). Every one of them tasted great – just really great combinations of flavors and textures. These have really made recovery so much less stressful. Thanks again for your time and effort.
Oh! I’m so glad this was helpful for you! I hope you have a speedy recovery!
I’m so glad to have found this website again as I followed your list and loved your recipes, instructions, etc. I now had an Instant Pot and want to convert where possible. Thanks for your great ideas.
Some of the recipes don’t have amounts, like “one bag of meatballs” or one can of pineapple chunks.” These ingredients can come in different size bags/cans, so having the amount would be really helpful.
I’m not a wine drinker what wine you all recommend please
If you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it.
are the lentils supposed to be cooked before freezing? or can they go into the freezer bags raw?
I was excited about this idea, but am skeptical about the results so far. The ginger peach chicken dried out, not inedible but not great. I made the Sloppy Joes with ground pork and it was disgusting. We threw them out after a mild attempt to eat. They were soupy, watered down, bland, and the pork disintegrated into the soupy sauce. I have another batch frozen that I’d like to salvage if possible but not looking forward to it. Hope the others are better!
The beef stew wasn’t that great. It was watery and the broth tasted of wine. It was more like a beef vegetable soup and the flavor was just… off. Love the salsa chicken though!
For the mushroom barley stew, do you drain the canned to,a toes before adding to the zero bag?
Nope! Just add the whole can juice and all!
What type/brand freezer bags are recommended? Especially if I’m planning on lying them flat to freeze.
I’ve used name brand and generic and they both work great. But I would use freezer, not storage bags for best results.
I am slow cooking my teriyaki chicken now, but it won’t be done for another couple of hours. Once the slow cooker has finished, I wish to put the teriyaki chicken away for later usage. I was wondering how it is recommended to store the slow cooked teriyaki chicken? Should I put it in a freezer bag and freeze it or if I’m going to use it in a couple of days, can it go into the refridgerator and if so, what do you put it in the refridgerator in? Thank you!
You can store it in the fridge for 3-5 days, or longer in the freezer. As for a container, use whatever you like the best – a glass or plastic container with lid, or a resealable plastic bag.
I can’t believe this never occurred to me! I love the idea of freezer recipes but never thought of using them with a slow cooker! Excellent idea.
Like when you read about making freezer recipes, you have to do all of the prep work first so you have a ready made meal. This idea is so much better.
I just made the cranberry pork and came home to it burnt and inedible. When freezing it I felt it wasn’t enough liquid. Should have trusted my instincts. What a waste of food.
I have made many others and frozen them from this post. I truly hope this isn’t a sign of things to come.
That’s how I feel about the Chicken and Peach recipe so I’m adding broth, it definitely needs liquid!
Oh, bummer! So sorry it didn’t work out for you. I think sometimes pork can vary in the amount of liquid it gives off as it cooks. It may also depend on your particular slow cooker too. I hope you’ll try it again and add a little extra liquid because it really is delicious!
Our daughter gave us eight of these frozen crockpot meals as a Christmas gift. We have used two of them.. the cranberry/ pork tenderloin and the butternut squash/lentil/curry one. They were delicious. I hope that the rest are just as good.
I’ve tried doing this kind of prep and recipes in my slow cooker and they are fabulous and so is the method! I always freeze the prepped meals and the night before I’m going to cook in the slow cooker I put it in the refrigerator and by the morning it is perfectly that’d enough to plop in the crockpot! Love it! It’s great for putting up meals for those having babies and surgery…very helpful to bring them a frozen prepped meal.
i’m hesitant to put frozen meat into the slow cooker- especially if the recipe calls for heating on low all day…
maybe i’ll try some of the veg ones…
Thaw it in the fridge the night before :)
What dish are you referring to? One of these? Another? Why is it secret?
I tried the curry, stroganoff and Hawaiian chicken. The chicken wasn’t bad the stroganoff was very runny. When I’ve had it in a restaurant , the sauce was more of a creamy gravy that stuck to the noodles. This recipe was more of a soup. I’d reduce or leave out the cup of water. I agree with the curry being bland. I was surprised with all of the flavored that went into it. I increased the curry and added garlic powder and red pepper flakes to kick it up. Btw, I’m not into HOT food.
I have made stroganoff many times, but never in a crock pot. I would suggest tossing the stew meat in flour and quickly searing it in a nonstick skillet, then letting it cool before adding it to the freezer bag. The flour will thicken the liquid into a gravy and the searing will add flavor. Otherwise you could mix some cornstarch and cold water together and add during the last hour to thicken the liquid.
After the stroganoff has cooked. Take 3 Tbs of corn starch and mix with 1/4 cup of water. Put the slurry in with the stroganoff and mix. Turn your slow cooker up to high for 30 minutes. Then stir and then add in the sour cream. If you need it even thicker, use cream cheese instead of sour cream or use a mixture of both.
Do you have calories per serving?
Great ideas, but why in a plastic bag? So much better in a reusable container , that way we take care of the planet:)
Those bags are the kind you can wash and reuse, so it’s still helping the environment.
Containers are bulky, the bags lay flat especially for a small freezer.
With the ground beef and stew meat, do you brown it before adding it to the freezer bag to freeze?
The curry needs way more curry powder; it came out very very bland. I’d do 3T easily. The peach chicken also could do with less onion; red onion is strong and the flavor is overpowering. That, or the onions should be sauteed before being put in the bag to mellow out the bite a little bit.
Great recipes! I’m wondering if I half the recipes for teriyaki chicken, lentil-butternut curry, and sloppy joes, if I should adjust the cook time. I’m new to freezing to slowcook; i’m pregnant and thought it would be good to have a few ready to heat and eat meals for the first month or so after i give birth because i know i will be busy and exhausted. Thank you for the yummy recipes!
Should I expend the funds for one of those freezer bag machines? Is it worth it>? I freeze food regularly. It’s better than eating frozen dinners with additives.
I love our Food Saver machine, it’s cut down on so much waste! No freezer burn!
My food saver machine is my best friend
I LOVE my Food saver machine. Had it for years. I buy my bags on Amazon. Just cooking for hubby and myself (retired) so will make larger sized meals, then split into smaller portions and seal in the bags. throw them in the freezer .
Helps with portion control, and not having to stock EVERYTHING all the time. I like to find my meat on sale from the stores (Costco, or my favorite HEB – Texas only) Right now (2016) they have been having ground beef for 2.77 pound when buying in bulk. I do the multiple dinners, but I seal them first then freeze. I feel better about the sealing than just dropping into a zip-lock bag.
HI folks, I have the small crockpot myself. For best results, it should be filled at least 2/3 full and set on low. Food is almost always done early in mine.
Also, I like to use a crockpot liner but they are so big so I have found the smaller cooking bags made for cooking a meatloaf or a chicken is just about right for the small crockpot.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
Such great ideas. Can’t wait to try them. Quick question – when you are using lentils, are they pre-cooked? I see you are using additional water, so I’m guessing maybe not…but just want to check.
@Deb and @Martika,
I also am only cooking for one or (sometimes 2), so what I have learned to do is make the recipes and then seperate them into quart freezer bags, you can freeze them for several months,so,you will have several meals all different. Have the Meatballs and Tomato Sauce one day (with the noodles) and then the Beef Strogonoff the next day with the left over noodles warmed up. You can also use a smaller crock pot just for that.
@Dixie
Thank you, thank you for all these different freezer meals. I have downsized (family wise) so I have been looking for freezer friendly meals, so I don`t have to figure out what to cook every day, again, and seperating these meals into freezer quart bags is perfect. I have a ton of freezer recipes, but none as easy as these. Thank you, again.
Sorry, but totally confused… you are saying you put the ingredients in a bag, freeze them, and put the BAG in the slow cooker whole? I don’t have a slow cooker and never have- can’t cook at all-need to get one, but I am confused as to how this works-doesn’t the bag melt? LOL You can see I don’t cook! Also, I am ONE person so what has stopped me getting a slow cooker is the huge quantity (and money!), as well as lack of recipes for one person or two I guess. Recipes for 8 or even 4 are too much for me unless they are super small servings. So I need some advice-and also would like to know how the above recipes would work for one person. If it serves 8 do I halve it twice? If it serves four or six do I halve it or divide into thirds? Help!!
You don’t put the BAG in. Only the contents. You could make the whole recipe then divide into individual servings before freezing.
You poor thing… I once had to overcome the obstacle of cooking for just myself and my son who was a toddler… It is not as easy as it looks… So I can feel your pain. Dixie made a good point about portioning your meals to suit your needs but if you’re like me…eating the same meal for a whole month isn’t very appealing. Walmart has very small crock pots you can buy for just $10…Sunbeam I believe is the brand name but dont hold me to that. You’d be able throw a chicken breast with a couple of pieces of bell pepper and onion along with some fajita seasoning in the crock pot in the morning and have fajitas for dinner… Or a pork chop with some stove top and cream of chicken soup and a little salt and pepper. Its all about practice really. To find what works and what doesn’t. P.s. you can google crock pots meals for one or two people… Good Luck!
To cute
These recipes are for freezer ready slow cooker you freeze them once all ingredients are in there and once your ready to cook them you throw them in a slow cooker. These are for slow cooker recipes
Fantastic Idea I am planning to do some slow cooker meals for my elderly parents and plan to halve the recipe shown. Would that halve the same cook time?
Are cook times from frozen or thawed? Thanks in advance!!
Frozen – just dump it in & cook!
Making your Teriyaki dish this week. Is the can of pineapple chunks a 20 oz can or an 8 oz can?
Thanks!
Might seem like a crazy question but are you freezing these in the crockpot liner or how do you “pop” the frozen meal into the crockpot? Thanks!
Hay there on #4 Teriaky chicken, do you include the juice from the can of pineapple?
I did and it was great. I figured if I found it to be too much liquid I would just add some cornstarch to thicken it.
Yes what about the red wine…or any liquid….do u put in and freeze or do u put in when cooking…
What about the spices when do u put in …do they go in bag and freeze
Hi Lindsey! In Number 12 Beef Stroganoff, what is the purpose of the sour cream and can you leave it out? If so, it’s a great non-dairy option.. Thanks in advance!
When you say that you don’t thaw these meals before popping them into the crock pot do you mean that you place the actual freezer bag into the crock pot? Won’t it melt. If not, how do you get the frozen food out of the bag without thawing? Sorry – first timer here.
It’s absolutely necessary to thaw any frozen meat before placing in the slow cooker. Every single slow cooker cook book and food safety source clearly states that putting frozen meat in a slow cooker allows the meat to stay in at an unsafe temp. for too long.
And every single person who has ever actually put the frozen food directly into the crockpot has never gotten sick. So it’s really just a matter of preference and not “absolutely necessary”. I will say I always thaw my meals when I have time but in a pinch never question throwing in a frozen meals.
I always put frozen meat in mine and never has there been a problem.
I wonder if no one has ever actually been around a real kitchen where meat is slow roasted for hours on end, which is about the same temperature as a slow cooker. When you get any kind of slow roasted meats, pulled pork, etc, etc, this is how it is done. Same with smoking meat. Prime smoking temperature is 220. A slow cooker on low is 209, average.
@AG and Stanley, I very seldom have thawed my meat when placing in a crockpot. I have used both High and Low temps and have never had a problem with anyone ever getting sick, even at high/low it cooks everything done at the same time. I have placed frozen meats and fresh veggies (carrots, potatoes, etc.) all at the same time and it`s all done together.
Is there a way to print these recipes?!
I made a word doc without the pictures. Email me and i’ll send it to you.
Hi Laurie Miller,
Could you send me the recipes without the pictures? Thanks!
Hi. Can you please email me the word document?
Onion + Coriander leaf + Egg’s mixture all of then and put into slow cooker freezer back and once it’s cooked then test it, it’s yummy, isn’t it?
These are brilliant! Sorry if this is a dumb question, but does the meat go in frozen and raw to the slow cooker from the bag? As in, do I put raw frozen chicken thighs in and it’s okay to cook with them?
Thanks!
Hey, I read all the comments and didn’t see any answer to the question:
Do you need to brown the meat for the sloppy joes? I’m assuming yes but if I can get away with being lazy then I’m all in.
Thanks
Oh, and if it needs to be browned for pouring out excess fat reasons, think I can get away with using 97% lean?
Are the Lentils in these recipes cooked or uncooked?
I just made the lentil sausage soup and put the frozen bag of ingredients into my crock pot and cooked 5 hours on high and the lentils were still not done and soft. Everything else was done, but the lentils were still hard. I scooped out and ate the sausage, but discarded the rest.
Lentils will stay crunchy if there is too much sodium in the liquid. I tried using no sodium tomatoes and adding boullion at the end of cooking worked well.
What size slow cooker for these meals?
If I were to halve the Cranberry-Mustard Pork recipe and use a 2lb pork roast (boneless??), would you suggest altering the cooking time at all? I assume it would still be enough ingredients for an average size slow cooker w/o scorching anything… Same for the Lentil-Butternut Squash Curry? Thanks a bunch!
These are fantastic! I’ve been raving about this list to all my friends and family and sharing the website. I used vegetarian sausage for the sausage lentil soup and turned out perfectly! I love having these recipes on hand in freezer now. Total lifesaver when sick!
2 more questions:
(1) Is there a way to view all comments so that I can see if you’ve already answered my question?
(2) Which slow cooker do you recommend? Or at least which one are you using? I realize many are different and so it would be great to know your secret.
Thanks! :-)
What size slow cooker do you recommend for these recipes?
Do you put the meet in the bag raw with all the vegies in the same bag as the raw meet?
I am having surgery and want to prepare some meals ahead to make it easier on hubby. Do you have grocery list with these recipes? I am overwhelmed by all the recipes out there. All of these look yummy and easy just need grocery list.
Hi Sandy! Further back in the comments, someone made a grocery list for all of the recipes. I’ve copied here for you. Good luck with your surgery!
Grocery List
Produce
• Red onion
• 1 tbls ginger
• 7 onions
• 6 carrots
• Parsnip
• Rutabaga
• 2 lbs mushroom
• 2 celery rib
• 2 cups butternut squash
• 3 garlic cloves
• Green bell pepper
• 3-4 lb pork roast (loin, shoulder, butt)
• Orange
Meat
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 lbs stew meat
• 2 lbs chicken thighs
• 2 lbs boneless country ribs
• 2 ½ – 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs
• 2 lbs stew meet
• 12-14 oz kielbasa sausage
• 1 lb ground beef
Seasoning
• 2 ½ tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp coriander
• 1 tbls curry powder
• 2 tsp salt
• Sloppy joe seasoning mix
• ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
Dry Goods
• 2 tbls brown sugar + 1 ¼ cup
• 2 tbls soy sauce + ½ cup
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
• Brown rice
• 2 cups red (or brown) lentils
• 2 cups brown lentils
• BBQ sauce
• Tortillas
• 1 cup uncooked barley
• 1 tbls brown or Dijon mustard
Canned Goods
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes
• 3x – 15 oz diced tomatoes
• 15 oz tomato sauce
• 16 oz salsa
• Pineapple chunks
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 quarts vegetable stock
• 3 tbls beef stock base or 5 bouillon cubes
• 14 oz coconut milk
• 2 quarts stock (for sausage lentil soup)
Dairy
• ½ cup sour cream (needed when beef stroganoff is ready to eat)
Frozen
• Bag of meatballs (or make homemade)
• 12 oz frozen peach slices
• 2 cups cranberries
Other
• Gallon freezer bags
• Labels
Thank you! So helpful.
For the sloppy joe, do you cook the meat before or do you put it in the bag/freezer raw? Thanks!
These recipes look great! Most freeze-ahead slow cooker meals that I’ve found are really processed-food heavy (canned soups, ranch spice mixes), but these are not and they are interesting flavors! Can’t wait to try them!
For the teriyaki chicken, do you add ONLY pineapple, or dump the whole can with juice in? I love your recipes! My hubby is the stay at home and does most of the cooking. He’s a good cook but runs out of ideas and this is ideal! Thank you!
Hey Julia! That’s a great question. You can do either thing. Having the extra pineapple juice adds more sweetness and gives you more delicious sauce for the rice to soak up. But leaving it out is fine too.
So far everything has been really great except adding 8 cups of water to the lentil butternut squash recipe was WAYYYYY too much :-/
Oh god I’ve just done the butternut squash curry and 8 cups is waaaaaay too much – can I save this dinner??? Thanks x
I’m so sorry you had problems! I made the same recipe and didn’t run into this issue, so weird! I’ll add a note in the recipe to start with less water and add more as needed, thanks for the heads up on this.
My gift bag of lentil, curry, butternut squash meal said to add 4 cups of water and not 8. the 4cups was perfect.
I made two batches of this and the first I did with 4 cups and it was waaaaay too much. I couldn’t even eat it it came out to watery and gross. The second batch is in my slow cooker right now and I added half the liquid and it’s still way too watery.
I have a possibly silly question…….Do you remove the contents from the freezer bag before cooking? I would think so, but when you commented that to freeze them standing up rather than flat so they fit better in the slow cooker, I wondered. Thank you for your wonderful recipies!
Yes you remove it from the bag! What she means is the frozen mass that comes out of the bag will fit nicely in the slow cooker.
For the cranberry-mustard pork, should I be dicing the pork or does it go in whole?
Also, am I leaving the fat on the pork?
Went to the store yesterday and bought everything for $130, (pork was on sale) came home and made everything except for the meatballs (store was out of meatballs :) Can’t wait to try them all!!! Would you ever make up another plan like this with new recipes?
I made a grocery list for making all 12 meals. This does not include all the side suggestions though.
Grocery List
Produce
• Red onion
• 1 tbls ginger
• 7 onions
• 6 carrots
• Parsnip
• Rutabaga
• 2 lbs mushroom
• 2 celery rib
• 2 cups butternut squash
• 3 garlic cloves
• Green bell pepper
• 3-4 lb pork roast (loin, shoulder, butt)
• Orange
Meat
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 lbs stew meat
• 2 lbs chicken thighs
• 2 lbs boneless country ribs
• 2 ½ – 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs
• 2 lbs stew meet
• 12-14 oz kielbasa sausage
• 1 lb ground beef
Seasoning
• 2 ½ tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp coriander
• 1 tbls curry powder
• 2 tsp salt
• Sloppy joe seasoning mix
• ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
Dry Goods
• 2 tbls brown sugar + 1 ¼ cup
• 2 tbls soy sauce + ½ cup
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
• Brown rice
• 2 cups red (or brown) lentils
• 2 cups brown lentils
• BBQ sauce
• Tortillas
• 1 cup uncooked barley
• 1 tbls brown or Dijon mustard
Canned Goods
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes
• 3x – 15 oz diced tomatoes
• 15 oz tomato sauce
• 16 oz salsa
• Pineapple chunks
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 quarts vegetable stock
• 3 tbls beef stock base or 5 bouillon cubes
• 14 oz coconut milk
• 2 quarts stock (for sausage lentil soup)
Dairy
• ½ cup sour cream (needed when beef stroganoff is ready to eat)
Frozen
• Bag of meatballs (or make homemade)
• 12 oz frozen peach slices
• 2 cups cranberries
Other
• Gallon freezer bags
• Labels
Thanks for this!! So helpful. I’m excited to try each and every one of these recipes, and you’ve saved me a boatload of time!
What a blessing! Thanks, Holli!
Thank you for the list!
Do the lentils just get frozen as dry lentils? Do they have to be pre soaked or anything?
Re: #8 above, is it a typo to add 8 cups of water? The consistency is like a soup and I’m currently trying to cook it down on the stove top. Next time I don’t think I would add any water.
Yeah, I’m having the same problem! I wish I’d read the comments first. It’s been cooking for six hours and I have a whole pot full of watery, bland soup. :(
Do we brown the ground beef for the sloppy joes before freezing it/cooking it?
I was wondering this too
For the ginger peach chicken do I add more liquid than 2 tablespoons of soy sauce?
No other liquid is necessary!
Thanks for this idea it is genius!!
Just wondering can any food be frozen? I see you have things like lentils and herbs, will they freeze without losing their effect?
Thanks
Yes, lentils freeze really well – that stew was one of my favorites!
Hi :) Love all these recipes! They sound so delicious! I’m planning on doing the Lentil-Butternut Squash Curry for my next big freezer meal swap. I’m assuming the butternut squash is raw? Don’t want to mess this up! Thanks :)
I made set this up in my slow cooker today. came home 8 hours later to find there was way too much water in it (and i only used 7 cups and half the amount of coconut milk); I’ve had to take it out of the slow cooker and it’s now on the stove top boiling off as the lentils weren’t fully cooked.
i’ve also added some baby potatoes in the hope it will thicken it up.
good luck with your attempt
It was the butternut squash curry that I attempted….
Yes, it’s raw squash – so delicious!
Gee, what a good idea. Such a great time-saver. I don’t use my slow-cooker as much as I should because a lot of the recipes are quite heavy “meaty” meals. Your selection is terrific. Thanks for all the research and prep.
One question, do you cook the onions first and add them ONLY if recipe calls for it?
Yes, cook them first if the recipe calls for it – otherwise freeze them raw and let them cook in the crockpot.
Hi, what brand of crockpot do you use? I’m looking to buy one because all of these recipes look so great!
Hi there
I absolutely LOVE these and could not thank you highly enough!
What an absolute life saver you are! :)
If you have any more of these recipes, please keep them coming.
I have 2 questions for you though.
What is the verdict on freezing chicken & cooking it froze, do we know?
and finally, I want to half the portion sizes as mine is a small family (and my son won’t eat left overs!) so how do I adjust the cooking time in each recipe please? I don’t want to overcook stuff.
Huge thanks, I am so in love with these right now <3
xxx
I’d read that it isn’t safe to put frozen food into a crockpot as the food stays at the “unsafe” tricky temperature for too long — last thing anyone needs is a family getting sick from foodborne issues ???
Hi. Just stocked up to make many of these but what size can of pineapple chunks pls for the teriyaki chicken?
Curious what size bag of frozen meatballs you used?!
Pardon if this has already been asked but are these cook times based off of thawing them in the fridge first, or frozen from the bag?
Use the lower end for thawed bags, and the higher end for frozen. I have found that it doesn’t make much of a difference either way, especially if it’s a vegetarian meal or the ones where the meat or poultry is in smaller pieces. My biggest complaint about slow cookers is that things get overcooked so easily, I feel like this kind of prevents that, but you still get the benefits of slow cooking and not having to babysit it. :)
Do you have a shopping list for all the meals? Do you remember how much you spend on average? Trying to do this kind of thing on a tight budget!
Hi Lauren, that’s a great question! I had some stuff already on hand, but I believe it was around $150-175 for everything I bought, maybe a little more. This will change depending on what’s on sale or if you buy different, more expensive cuts of meats and such. I shop the bulk bins a lot, too, which helps keep the cost down on some of the items. You can cut the budget by using less meat and chicken for sure.
Do yall have a printer friendly version of this?
I think these are all great, but I wanted to point out that chicken or poultry should never be put in the slow cooker frozen. It increases the chance of salmonella poisoning. The cook time is too slow, and the meat is in that danger zone temperature for too long. Other cuts of meat should be ok though.
Thanks for bringing that up, Denita. I’ve never heard that and never had an issue before, but I will definitely check into that! Thanks for the comment!
This is a misconception. Crock pots are made to cook at minimum of 160*F . Bacteria in chicken multiplies between 40-140*F. Also a slow cooker cooks at a minimum 200*F on high.
Yes, a slow cooker cooks at 160° on low. But the point is, if you put frozen chicken in there, it takes a long time to get up to 160°, spending too long at an unsafe temperature. Food bloggers should be aware of this information and discuss it responsibly with their readers. I love the idea of this, and your recipes look wonderful. But people should pay attention to the experts on food safety, like the USDA.
Delicious recipes! Curious how many servings most of these recipes serve. Thank you.
Hi Kim! I went in and added serving sizes under each of the recipes.
What a great idea!:)
But, does it have to be for a slow cooker? Would it work for normal stove cooking?
This is such a great idea – prep all on a weekend and on those days when you just want to relax – pop it all in the oven!
The lentil soup recipe doesn’t indicate the amount of water or stock that should be used. I can’t imagine the lentils will cook in just a 15oz can of tomatoes.
Alexis, you’re right! I totally forgot to add that in. I will now! Thanks for alerting me!
Shouldn’t we use water at the end of each recipe? Can these things just cool in the ingredients only? I am.new to this amd am afraid to leave crock pot on for 8 hours amd no water.
These are great! What a fabulous idea, also, for when I travel and my family is too busy to prepare meals themselves. Do you have any low carb ideas? A lot of these sauces and vegetables have sugar/carbs we tend to avoid as a family.
Sara, I would suggest making pork or beef roasts, or doing more recipes like the Salsa Chicken where there is a low-carb sauce. You don’t have to add in the sugar to the recipes above, and you can leave out the fruit or veggies. Or you can sub your own sauce, like in the BBQ ribs.