If you haven’t made freezer meals before, welcome! They are going to change your life! If you’re a fan of easy meals on busy weeknights with minimal cooking time, you’ll love these delicious meals.
If you are here, you are probably looking for a way to get a yummy dinner on the table in the shortest amount of time possible.
Well, that is what we do best!!
If you are looking for MORE Slow Cooker Freezer Meals, be sure to check out our other post:
10 More Slow Cooker Freezer Meals in 90 Minutes or Less!
Some of our most popular recipes are healthy freezer meals:
Years ago, I was part of a “Freezer Meal Group Swap” in my neighborhood and once a month we would all get together and swap freezer meals.
I would usually spend a couple of hours in the kitchen one Saturday a month, cooking up a storm and in the end, it was so nice to have 5-6 meals prepared that I didn’t have to worry about for that next month.
Unfortunately, our Freezer Meal Group no longer gets together and I just have not been motivated enough to make my own meals.
With 4 kids and busy days working, I have been thinking about how nice it would be to just pull something out of the freezer and have all the work done for dinner.
I started looking on Pinterest and discovered “Dump Chicken” recipes . . . you basically “dump” 4-5 ingredients into a slow cooker and in less than 5 minutes, your dinner prep is done! However, some of the recipes that we tried were terrible.
I started thinking about how we have a lot of simple slow cooker recipes on our website that actually taste good . . . tried-and-true family recipes.
Then I started thinking about how I could prep all these meals now and throw them in the freezer and then when I needed a quick meal, I could just “dump” the contents of the bag into my slow cooker and let it cook all day.
So, I put together 8 of my favorite slow cooker meals and timed myself- I was able to prep all 8 meals in one hour and 2 minutes (I probably would have been faster had I not cut my finger and had to run to find a band-aid!).
UPDATE: These recipes now include Instant Pot cooking times!
Get a shopping list for all the ingredients that you need to make these meals,
printable recipes,
step-by-step instructions (with Instant Pot cooking times),
plus side dish ideas!
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Watch how to make these 8 Freezer Meals here:
Dinner doesn’t get any easier than this!!
So, here you go:
8 Slow Cooker Freezer Meals that can be made in 1 Hour!
(Bonus: They actually taste good and are approved by my family!)
To get started, make sure that you have a slow cooker. Any simple one will do – but this one is our favorite:
I would also recommend investing in some slow cooker liners – they make clean up a breeze!
These are not necessary, but these Freezer Meal Bag Holders make freezer meal assembly so much easier!
These bag holders are the same ones that we use in the video when we assembled these meals.
Now onto the recipes!
Slow Cooker Freezer Meal: BBQ Spareribs
Ingredients
- 2 pounds country-style pork ribs
- 1 1/2 cups ketchup
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning (or seasoned salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
Equipment
Instructions
- Place pork in resealable gallon-sized freezer bag.
- Mix remaining ingredients together in a bowl and pour over pork.
- Mix together in bag and zip closed.
- When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours.
- Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 6-7 hours.
Notes
Slow Cooker Freezer Meal: Black Bean Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, ground turkey works great as well
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 packet taco seasoning, or about 2 Tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
- 1 bag frozen corn, 12-16 ounces, or you could use a can of drained corn
- 1 can black beans, 15 ounce can, rinsed and drained
- 2 cans stewed or diced tomatoes, 14 ounce cans
- 1 can tomato sauce, 8 ounce can
- 1 can diced green chilies, 4 ounce can
Equipment
Instructions
- Brown meat and onion, drain. Let meat cool for a minute, then dump into a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag.
- Dump the remaining ingredients into the bag, mix together, and zip bag closed.
- When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on HIGH for 1-2 hours or LOW for 2-3 1/2 hours.
Notes
Slow Cooker Freezer Meal: French Dip Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2-3 pound chuck roast, (a rump roast will also work)
- 2 cans beef consomme , (find this right next to the soups and beef broth at the grocery store)
- 6-8 hoagie buns
Equipment
Instructions
- Place roast in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag and pour beef consomme on top.
- When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 8-11 hours (or HIGH for 5-7 hours).
- Remove roast from slow cooker and save extra juice for dipping!
- With 2 forks, shred roast and serve meat on buns.
- We also love to melt Provolone or Swiss cheese on top of the meat in the sandwich.
Notes
Slow Cooker Freezer Meal: Hearty Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 pound beef stew cubes
- 4 carrots, sliced
- 4 red potatoes, cut into large cubes
- 1 package dry onion soup mix
- 2 cans cream of mushroom soup, 10.5 ounce cans
- 1 can tomato sauce, 8 ounce can
- 1 bag frozen green peas, 10 ounce bag
Equipment
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag.
- Mix together and zip bag closed.
- When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours.
- Cook on LOW for 7-10 hours (or HIGH for 5-6 hours).
Notes
Slow Cooker Freezer Meal: Cilantro Lime Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast
- Juice from 2 limes
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 bag frozen corn, (12-16 ounce bag)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed, 15 ounce can
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- salt and pepper, to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Mix together and zip bag closed.
- When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours.
- Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours (or HIGH for 3-4 hours).
- Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred, then add back into the slow cooker with the other ingredients.
- Serve on top of nachos, salads, in tacos, wrapped in burritos – the possibilities are endless!
Notes
Recipe adapted from Over the Big Moon.
Slow Cooker Freezer Meal: Honey Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, about 4 breasts; thighs would work great as well
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup honey
- 1/2 cup soy sauce, (light soy sauce works as well)
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, (olive oil or canola oil work as well)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 6 Tablespoons water
- sesame seeds, optional garnish
Equipment
Instructions
- Place all ingredients (except cornstarch and sesame seeds) in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Mix together and zip bag closed.
- When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours.
- Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Pour contents of bag inside the slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high 2 to 3 hours, or just until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of cornstarch in 6 tablespoons of water and pour into crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce. Replace lid and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes or until slightly thickened.
- Cut chicken into bite size pieces or shred using 2 forks, then return to pot and toss with sauce before serving. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- You can also sprinkle more red pepper flakes on top if you want more heat.
Notes
Slow Cooker Freezer Meal: Salsa Verde Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
- 1 jar green salsa, 16 ounces (I used this one)
- 1 can chicken broth, 14 ounce can
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can green chilies, 4 ounces
- salt and pepper, to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- To make this a freezer meal, place all ingredients into a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Lay bag flat in the freezer.
- When ready to use, remove bag from the freezer and place in the fridge and let it thaw for 24 hours.
- Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Dump the contents of the bag into the slow cooker and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3 hours.
- Shred the chicken using two forks and mix with remaining liquid in the slow cooker. Serve as filling for tacos, burritos, salad, nachos – anything goes!
Notes
Slow Cooker Freezer Meal: Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 10.75 ounces
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoons A1 steak sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 bag frozen homestyle meatballs, 28 ounce bag
- 1 cup sour cream
Equipment
Instructions
- To make this a freezer meal, place all ingredients except for the sour cream into a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Lay bag flat in the freezer.
- When ready to use, remove bag from the freezer and place in the fridge and let it thaw for 24 hours.
- Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Dump the contents of the bag into the slow cooker and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10.
- Mix in sour cream the last 30 minutes of cooking.
Notes
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Putting the meals together is actually pretty fun.
The first thing that I did was label all my bags with what was going inside and how long to cook them in the slow cooker.
I then placed all the meat inside each bag (I don’t really like handling raw meat, so I figured that I would just get it over with).
I then printed off the recipes and just added the ingredients called for to each bag.
You might find it easier to chop and prepare all your produce and other items, but I like doing it one recipe at a time. Just do what works best for you!
And less than 1 hour later, I had 8 freezer meals all ready to go!
Other tips and suggestions:
- Don’t forget to add Ziploc gallon-sized freezer bags to your shopping list!-All of these recipes can lay pretty flat, making them easy to stack in your freezer (they really won’t take up much room).
- They seem to work best in the slow cooker if you can let them thaw in the fridge for about 24 hours before serving them. If you are not able to thaw them beforehand, plan on them cooking for a lot longer in the slow cooker.
- Each of my recipes feeds a family of 4-6 (I have 2 adults and 4 kids) for dinner and then we usually have two leftover lunches for the next day. If you are only making food for 2, you could easily split these meals in half.
- Slow Cooker Liners will make clean up a breeze!
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask!
This post was updated April 2016 and again in September 2020 and three of the recipes were changed. If you would like the old recipes that were included in the first post, CLICK HERE.
Next time you need a delicious dinner in just a few minutes, check out these freezer crockpot meals. They’ll save you so much time, and it’s a great way to prepare your month in advance! You’ll see your grocery bill go down, these are perfect for new moms, it’ll save you a lot of time, and the prep work will be so worth it. You should eat the meals within 60 days to avoid freezer burn – this will ensure that your frozen meal will taste nice and fresh. This is the perfect easy dinner option, so next time you’re at the store, grab a few gallon-size freezer bag boxes and get to work slow cooking!
You can even get your young children involved by doing freezer prep sessions. Not only are they a great time saver, but you’ll get some great bonding time in too. Try these easy crockpot freezer meals today!
If you need an easy recipe to whip together on a weeknight, try these freezer recipes! It only takes a bit of prep time, but freezer dump meals are going to be your new best friend. Make cooking dinner fun for you and your entire family!
Smiles,
Carol
Thanks,
Angie
But I have to tell you a story....
My kids went NUTS for the taco soup, both requested it in their school lunch the next day (they never do this!) My 4-year old's teachers got such a kick out of him stirring in his sour cream, sprinkling on his cheese, then putting a bite on a tortilla wedge!!! They all gathered around my husband to tell him the story at pick-up time!
BBQ Spareribs (296 cal/svg)
Taco Soup (305 cal/svg)
Chicken Broccoli Alfredo (259 cal/svg)
Hearty Beef Stew (372 cal/svg)
Maple Glazed Chicken (213 cal/svg)
Cilanro Lime Chicken (240 cal/svg)
Hope this helps others- I make menus planned out 3-4 weeks in advanced and do my shopping that way with smaller trips inbetween for milk/produce. We are also following a diet, so we have to count our calories as well.
And good news- we are actually going to be launching another website in about 60 days that has all our recipes along with the nutrition facts and weight watchers points per serving . . . so stayed tuned! :)
Thanks for the recipes, list, etc..
Just wondering how many servings you based each calculation on? Was it 4 or 6?
Thanks
Again thank you!
BTW the beef consomme was in with the soups in my store not over by the broths.
Thanks for putting in the time to post these recipes!!
Thanks :)
Haven't cooked any yet but I look forward to having something when back to school rolls around and I am too tired to care about dinner :)
thank you so much for these awesome and simple meals!
Thank you for putting this all together including the shopping list! You have removed a lot of stress from my life this week. :) :) :)
I am supposed to be teaching a freezer crockpot meal class for RS and was starting to stress that I haven't had any luck. So I am super excited to try your recipe's. If all goes well, do you mind if I use your site as a reference for recipe's
Thank you
Black Bean Taco Soup: Delish, probably my favorite! My boyfriend even loved it, and he doesn't like beans or corn in his soup. We ate it with tortillas, and it lasted two nights.
Chicken Cacciatore: This was great, but there was something missing. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, neither could my boyfriend. It was really good, just a spice missing.
Hearty Beef Stew: This was also delish! He said it was probably his favorite stew!
Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken: Thiswas a disappointment, to us both. The chicken was very dry. This could be because I used the high heat one, since I forgot to put it in that morning. I made it with baked potatoes, and without the potatoes, I probably wouldn't have eaten any of it. Marc said he couldn't tell if it was supposed to be sweet or tangy but the mix between the both was not good. Neither of us finished our chicken. :( We both agreed, at least I didn't spend hours, after a long day at work, making this meal and then hating it :)
I also still have frozen the Cilantro Lime Chicken, I haven't made it yet. I'm writing this review prior to making it because I have a feeling I won't care for it. Marc likes Cilantro, not myself.
From someone who is the ultimate rookie at cooking, here is my revised timeline :)
- an hour for trying to find everything at the (very busy) grocery store - never did find the beef consomme or liquid smoke.
- two hours to prep and put everything together.
- another hour to clean up completely.
Still, four hours total to have all of these meals ready is worth it. Can't wait to try them out!
But these meals! WOW! The beef stew is amazing, the black bean taco soup is UNREAL and so husband-approved it's scary (he specifically requested I make at least 6 more of those ones) and the cacciatore is fantastic. I can't wait to try the others!
Awesome awesome job!! Thank you. I've printed these out and put them in my cook book. For just the two of us, these meals as written can make sometimes 3 separate meals that make us dinner for the night and two lunches for the next day!
Just out of curiosity, if you were going to halve these recipes, would you still use a 6-quart?
You should NEVER put frozen raw meat in a slow cooker / crockpot. Because of the slow cooking time, that leaves a huge window of low temps open for bacteria and other nastiness to grow. Always completely thaw raw meat before you put it in a slow cooker.
Other than that, all these recipes look really good. A few are definately making it into my freezer!
thank you!
Question, the cilantro lime chicken isn't liquidy at all. Do I need to add some liquid to the crockpot? I will be making these while I am away at work and won't be able to check on it regularly. Thanks.
My only tip would be to brown the meat for the stew. Without it, there is a weird smell in the crockpot (very gamey) and the stew looks less appealing. It tasted great, but my husband and son are really picky and don't like things that "look weird".
Great set of recipes... saved me a ton of time. Plus my husband is doing low carb, so I could do this for him and just add rice for the kids for most of the meals.