Slow Cooker Freezer Meals: Make 8 Meals in 1 Hour!
- Posted on
- 203 Comments
If you are looking for MORE Slow Cooker Freezer Meals, be sure to check out our new post:
10 MORE Slow Cooker Freezer Meals
in 90 Minutes or Less!
Well, this baby has still not made her appearance yet . . .
But the extra days are giving me time to be a little more prepared!
About a year 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.
But as my due date has gotten closer, 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!).
And I am going to make it super easy for you!
I have included a shopping list that you need to make these meals,
the recipe for each meal,
step-by-step instructions,
and side dish ideas!
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!)
Slow Cooker BBQ Spareribs
Ingredients:
1-2 lbs of country-style pork ribs
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 1/2 Tablespoons seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
Directions:
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.
Serve with Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole (which can also be made in advance and frozen) and a bag of frozen corn.
Black Bean Taco Soup
Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey works too!)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package mild taco seasoning mix
1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
1 (16 oz) can black beans drained and rinsed (you could use kidney beans or pinto beans)
2 (14 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilis
1 package mild taco seasoning mix
1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
1 (16 oz) can black beans drained and rinsed (you could use kidney beans or pinto beans)
2 (14 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilis
Directions:
Brown meat and onion, drain. Let meat cool for a minute, then dump into a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag.
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.
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.
Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.
Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds chicken breasts
1 (16 oz) bag frozen broccoli florets
2 (16 oz) jars Alfredo sauce (I use light)
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag and mix together.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.
Serve with cooked fettuccine noodles, green salad, and Easy Parmesan Knots.
Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breasts
1 (26 oz) jar of chunky vegetable-style spaghetti sauce
1 zucchini, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag and mix together.
Garnish: chopped black olives, shredded Parm cheese
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
Serve with cooked spaghetti noodles and garnish with olives and cheese. Also would be delicious with Cheesy Garlic Sticks.
French Dip Sandwiches
Ingredients:
2-3 lb beef chuck roast
2 cans (14.5 oz each) beef consomme (it is right next to the soups and beef broth)
6-8 hoagie buns
Directions:
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.
Serve with Baked Potato Wedges and fresh fruit.
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 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (10 oz) package frozen green peas
Directions:
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).
Serve with 3 Ingredient Parmesan Rolls.
(I double-bagged this stew because it stuffed the freezer bag to the brim! Better safe than sorry!)
4 carrots, sliced
4 red potatoes, cut into large cubes
1 package dry onion soup mix
2 cans 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (10 oz) package frozen green peas
Directions:
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).
Serve with 3 Ingredient Parmesan Rolls.
(I double-bagged this stew because it stuffed the freezer bag to the brim! Better safe than sorry!)
Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
1 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Mix together and zip bag closed.
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 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours). Sprinkle with fresh or dried rosemary for serving.
Serve with Oven Roasted Vegetables.
Cilantro Lime Chicken w/ Corn and Black Beans
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
Juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin
Juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
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 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours).
Serve with tortillas and toppings such as with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and cheese.
Recipe adapted from Over the Big Moon.
Now that you have the recipes, it’s time to get shopping!
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 my family of four (2 adults and 2 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!
-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 my family of four (2 adults and 2 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! We will be able to respond quicker if you send us an email: SixSistersStuff@gmail.com.
Looking for more freezer meal ideas?
Check out some of our latest posts here.
Thank you so much for sharing these great recipes. My DIL & I have been planning to make lots of make ahead meals for the fall & winter. This will be a great help to us!
Smiles,
Carol
What a great idea! I’ve been looking for something just like this for a while! thanks for sharing and making my life easier!
Perfecto!! My crock pot does not leave the counter from about now until spring!! Thanks so much!
This is fantastic! Thank you!!!
LOVE this list my family would eat all but 1 I think. I can’t wait to try them out.
I hate handling raw meat too, so I buy gloves called “Clean Cuisine” at the grocery store… They are great when hand mixing something messy…
Carla- I have to look into those!!!! Thanks for the suggestion!!
Wow, these look great. I like that you make a full menu suggestion. Thanks
This might sound really stupid, but I never thought to do ribs in my crockpot like that. Also never thought to try maple and dijon together. But the black bean soup sounds like what I make and call chili.
Awesome!!!!
I have something to add to the Roast Beef sandwiches. In Illinois, we serve Italian Beef which is really roast beef sandwiches like this with Italian seasonings. To switch up this meal, you could add 1/2t of garlic powder and 2T of Italian Seasoning or 2 teaspoons each of basil, oregano, and thyme. What really sets this off though is the addition of some pepperoncinis (the small, light green peppers sometimes served with/on pizzas) and 1/2 c of the liquid. All this could be added before freezing.
Do you add the peppers to the crockpot or to the sandwich during assembly? Thanks – and how many?
we do a whole jar of the pepperoncinis in the crock pot with the meat… all of the liquid and all of the peppers. Then when you assemble the sandwich, you can decide if you want the peppers on it or not. I choose not to.
Thanks so much for sharing! I just started freezer cooking a few weeks ago. I am super picky, and these recipes look great!
Very impressive! Thanks for sharing! I can’t wait to try these recipes.
Yum! We’ve been looking for some recipes to try in this way. And these actually look good – so many were really just basic sauces to poor over something else. I do have a question – I noticed in the pictures that the meat wasn’t cut up before you put it in the freezer bags. Is there a reason for that? Would it be bad to cut up the meat first? Thanks for the help!
Most meat sort of breaks up on its own when cooking in the crock-pot. It’s just another reason to use the crock-pot! Easy prep, yummy dinner.
These look great, but I didn’t see any mention of how many people these recipes serve. Did I miss that?
Thanks,
Angie
Angie, it’s down at the very bottom of the post- pretty much the last line! Ha ha! Anyway, these recipes feed my family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids) for dinner, and then we always have at least 2 servings leftover (that we usually eat for lunch the next day). So each recipe will easily serve six. The French Dip recipe actually serves 6-8.
Thank you so very much for putting this post together. Now one request….MORE PLEASE!!!
Thanks Lisa! The response to this has been overwhelming! I promise that there are more in the works!
Stay tuned! 
My girlfriend and I put all of these together, plus the Beef Stroganoff. My entire family LOVES your recipes and by default, ME! Now another 2 girlfriends are joining us next week to do it again with more I hope will prep just as easily. We’ll only take recipes from your site, though, we’ve had too many lumpy messes from random sites.
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!
I am so thrilled to have found your blog. I am always looking for wonderful “make ahead” meals. You have a lot of great info here.
Super!! Is it possible to prepare these meals without a slow cooker?
I’m not exactly sure, but the reason why i commented on this is because I was going to mention that a crockpot is a great investment…and the cheap ones are only like…$20. No need for an expensive one.
Hope that helps.
I’ve been looking for freezer/crock pot recipes, THANKS! Especially looking forward to the beef stew, which is a family favorite. One thought; if the frozen peas make the bag almost overflow, why not just put them with the baggie of other ingredients? Staple or tape them together? Just wondered…
Awesome job! Thank you! I often don’t know what to serve with a slow cooker meal, the sides were helpful!
This is the best freezer meal post I have seen, I am all about easy! I have some picky eaters in my house, but I think all of these will be definite keepers. Can’t wait to try them out. Thanks for posting! Love the blog too!
Oh thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou I’ve been looking for something like this!!
Just thought of a question, how long do these keep in the freezer?
You are awesome! How great to have the printout of the recipes AND grocery list! Thanks for making it so easy!!!!!!!!
I’ve never been interested in trying freezer meals before now! Thanks for posting these super easy looking recipes. Love the blog you and your sister’s have made! (And so does my families tummies!!)
Does anyone know what the serving size for these recipes are? I have a family of 5 with two teen boys YIKES! Wondering if I should double?
These recipes serve my family of 4 (2 adults and a 5 year old and 3 year old) for dinner, plus give us at least 2 meals for the next day (my husband and I usually eat them for lunch). However, with two teen boys . . . you might want to double it!
I have heard how teen boys can eat!! Growing up with all girls though . . . I don’t know much personal experience. 
Thanks so much! I’ve tried making my own freezer meal plan before and it takes a lot of time/planning. This is WONDERFUL with the recipes all in one place (love that I didn’t have to print out 8 different recipes) and the shopping list already done. Plus, everything looks really good! THANKS!
All I can say is: thank you. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I’m about to cry. I’ve been looking all over for something like this, and I’m just so thankful!!!!! You guys rock.
Thanks Megan! Your sweet comment makes it all worth it! Have a great night!
Thank you for sharing this. I have a small group of friends that are doing a freezer meal exchange in a couple weeks and this will be very helpful!
Great recipes! How long can they stay in the freezer?
If sealed well, freezer meals will last two to three months.
hope this helps!!!
I love these ! I have a question or comment, I guess. I, personally, would rather bag everything up together except the canned items..i.e. cream of whatever soups and or the canned veggies and put them in the crock pot just before setting the timer. Creamed items just break down in the freezer and I see no point in freezing canned item, unless it is just to make sure you actually have them for the dish that you want to use them in. Hopefully, though, we each have enough ‘storage’ to not let that be a problem. There ya go. My thoughts. I will definitely use some of these recipes and put together some meals ! Thanks. Denise
THANK YOU THANK YOU! I can’t wait to try these. Please add more as you find them.
Oh. My. Word!! I just love you guys. I love this! Thank you soooo much! I am a huge fan.
My first time here, and what an amazingly helpful post of so many great freezer meals this is–thank you! I want to thank you for sharing your e-books as part of a giveway at A Delightsome Life–appreciate it!
Just a friendly comment to Denise..I think the addition of the canned creamed items will keep it all from getting any freezer burn and also it would help marinate all the flavors together! IMHO
Thank you! My friends & I get together every 2 months and have a freezer meal swap. I’ll definitely include some of these in our freezer meal swap next month! I’d love to see more freezer meal posts!
This is super helpful for busy moms. Thank you!
I can’t wait to try these!!!! We have 7 kids (4yrs-12yrs), so I should probably double the recipes, right? I think you have just made my life easier! Thank you!!!
I can’t wait to try these!!!! We have 7 kids (4yrs-12yrs), so I should probably double the recipes, right? I think you have just made my life easier! Thank you!!!
I can’t wait to try these!!!! We have 7 kids (4yrs-12yrs), so I should probably double the recipes, right? I think you have just made my life easier! Thank you!!!
I can’t wait to try these!!!! We have 7 kids (4yrs-12yrs), so I should probably double the recipes, right? I think you have just made my life easier! Thank you!!!
Thank you for posting recipes that actually be dinners my family will eat! Just had baby #2 so this will be a huge help.
These recipes sound like ones we’d really enjoy eating. Thanks!
I have been thinking about getting into freezer cooking for a while and these recipes are the perfect way to start, the all sound delicious! I am going to do it this weekend. Thank you for all the hard work you put into it.
Thank you so very much for this collection of recipes and how user friendly you have made it!! Can’t wait for even more crockpot/freezer recipes!!
if I want to cook in the oven what temp and time do you reccomend?
I just did all 8 took me an hour and a half still pretty good plus I was dealing with a 2 year old. Keep them coming I’m looking forward to dinner all week no fuss no mess sign me up!
I just prepped all 8 meals for my sister in law who recently had a baby. Took me about 35 minutes!! Awesome resource! Thanks for sharing!
You are speedy fast!!! I am so impressed!
I am glad that they worked!
Thank you so so much for posting this! I can’t wait to try these recipes out
Just a quick question… I could not find consomme at the store for the french dip sandwiches. Would same amount of beef broth work ok? Thanks!
I was just going to write the same question. I read online that the consomme is a bit thicker than broth/stock, but I can’t find consomme either.
Beef Consomme is just a little bit thicker . . . I think that beef broth would work okay, but you might want to add a little bit of cornstarch to thicken it up. I have also used a condensed French Onion soup and they turned out yummy too!
I also had a hard time finding the beef consomme, I had to google it at the store. Campbell’s has a beef consomme and I found it in the Campbell’s section.
I made all of these recipes plus two or three of my own regular crockpot meals this weekend in anticipation of our little girls’ birth. I hope you decide to compile another selection of recipes like this- it was so handy for my first foray into freezer cooking!
Thank you!! I am happy to hear that you made them! And good luck with your little girls! (Twins?!) I am actually working on another list of recipes right now!
In your shopping list it said rosemary… but I don’t see it used in any of the recipes! Am I missing something. I just don’t want to leave it out if it is crucial to some recipe!! What do I use it in??
It’s a garnishment for the Dijon Maple glazed chicken (which I have on my crockpot right now.
) I don’t think it’s crucial though.
We just put these together today with some friends. It was so easy and fun! Thanks bunches!
Has anyone figured out calorie counts on these fabulous looking crockpot meals? Every since doing the 6 sisters 8 week challenge, I count every calorie.
I just entered all the ingredients for each recipe in on myfitnesspal.com and came up with the following:
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.
Courtney! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Seriously… I am super grateful.
Courtney, that is awesome! Thanks for doing all that work!
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!
Hi Courtney
Just wondering how many servings you based each calculation on? Was it 4 or 6?
Thanks
Made taco soup tonite for hubby and father in law. So delish! Thank you for the recipe! I will def. Be making this again. Can’t wait to try more recipes!
Made taco soup tonite for hubby and father in law. So delish! Thank you for the recipe! I will def. Be making this again. Can’t wait to try more recipes!
Thank you so much for sharing.
When the potatoes and carrots are frozen & then cooked does the consistency turn out ok? I always thought you had to flash freeze or blanche certain types of produce before freezing to keep them from breaking down. I have seen so many freezer meals where all types of produce are just thrown in a bag and frozen, but there is really a limited list of items that can be done like that. Thanks in advance!
I read online that some people recommended flash freezing, but I was in too big of a hurry and just went ahead and made them . . . and I have had no problems! I actually just ate the hearty beef stew from the freezer last night and after 24 hours of thawing and 10 hours of cooking, they weren’t mushy at all! They were definitely soft, but after cooking for that long, I would expect them to be.
Anyway, they worked fine for me, but I would be interested to hear if anyone else had problems. I will keep you posted if I hear anything else!
I recently did this with different recipes I found. Did you find that the recipes when cooked were a bit watered down? I found that with a Savory Chicken recipe and meatball one. How would you correct that? besides thickening the sauce with cornstartch?
So far I haven’t had any problems with these recipes being watery. I wonder if it is from the freezing and thawing process? I guess it just depends on the recipe and the liquids that are added . . . I would definitely cut back on the liquids. I use cornstarch as my default thicken things up, but I have heard that instant potato flakes also do the job! Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for these. I have hand surgery coming up soon and it’s a 10 day recovery so these will be perfect and there is nothing on here my husband and I won’t eat.
THANK YOU!! These are amazing – I can’t believe what a gift to have the recipes, sides, shopping list – wow, the time you put in and the willingness to share is suck a huge blessing to others!!
You make it so easy! Thank you from a busy and frazzled mom of 3!!
Thank you JUST what Ive been looking for…and I cant believe you put together the shopping list and recipes in a way that made it so easy….THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!
Just finished all the prep and put them in the freezer – cannot tell you how good that feels!! Super excited to have this. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! I will be keeping up with your blog looking for another installment of these meals!! LOVE IT!
Just finished all the prep and put them in the freezer – cannot tell you how good that feels!! Super excited to have this. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! I will be keeping up with your blog looking for another installment of these meals!! LOVE IT!
This is a great idea – I made several of them today! Quick question – any reason not to freeze the meat raw for the taco soup and cook longer vs. browning the meat before freezing? Thanks!
To be honest, I am not sure! In every recipe that I have ever seen that deals with ground beef in the slow cooker, it says to brown it before putting in the crock pot. I guess that I would just be nervous about it not cooking all the way through? I tried to google it, but nothing I found answered my question. I am so sorry that I am not much help!
I think it’s because ground beef turns into mush if you throw it in raw. I made taco soup once without browning the meat and it was inedible. So.. brown that meat! Lol.
That black bean taco soup is already one of my favorites! A friend of mine brought it to me when I was recovering from surgery and now it has become a favorite with my family. I can’t wait to try all the other recipes! I often want to cook a meal for someone else but I am already a pretty busy person and have trouble squeezing in that bit of outreach for someone else, but this might be an easy way to do that. Thank you so much for these ideas. Now I can help someone else and still get dinner fixed for my family too!
That black bean taco soup is already one of my favorites! A friend of mine brought it to me when I was recovering from surgery and now it has become a favorite with my family. I can’t wait to try all the other recipes! I often want to cook a meal for someone else but I am already a pretty busy person and have trouble squeezing in that bit of outreach for someone else, but this might be an easy way to do that. Thank you so much for these ideas. Now I can help someone else and still get dinner fixed for my family too!
These all sound delicious!
Thanks for the recipes, list, etc..
omg! I’m so glad i found you on Pinterest! I always have a busy schedule and always too tired to think what to make for dinner! i also live that you have a shopping list for us. thank you!
Made the taco soup tonight (one to eat and one in the freezer). SO GOOD!!! We will be making this one again!
For the spare ribs, could you just use a favorite BBQ sauce instead? DH is not a fan of the liquid smoke and would rather have his BBQ sauce on it.
Of course!! That would be delicious (and oh so easy!).
This is amazing! We don’t eat much meat so this would be perfect for a whole month’s worth of meat meals and then fill in with out usual vegetarian meals. The hardest part about cooking with meat for me is all the extra prep and being able to do it all ahead of time and throw in the crock makes life way easier. Great post!
This is amazing!!! This is just made my week so much easier. Getting ready to go grocery shopping now! Quick question, does the shopping list include the side dishes? Thank you!
I am so sorry, but the shopping list does not include the side dishes. I should have thought about that!! I will definitely add them to my next post with freezer meals!
Do we need to add water to any of the recipes that call for cans of soup (consomme and cream of mushroom for example)?
I didn’t add any water to them and they cooked fine . . . I think that I would just watch as they cook and if it seems like they are burning or drying out you could add a little bit of water, but I have made these recipes many times and have never had to add water.
I made the taco soup last night and the beef stew tonight, both were a big hit in my house! Thank you for making my night easier. I was able to come home eat dinner with the kids, work on homework myself and the kids and have time to go on a walk before it got dark.
Again thank you!
BTW the beef consomme was in with the soups in my store not over by the broths.
I have seen SOOOOO many different freezer crockpot cooking posts the past few months but this is the FIRST one that I actually think all the recipes look good! I’ve been cautioned about raw potatoes in the freezer – they often turn black, so I’ll probably reserve those until the stew hits the crockpot, but the rest look fantastic! I think I’ll definitely go with this collection of recipes.
I’m working through these recipes the last two weeks and so far they are all good! I have the alfredo chicken one in the crock pot for tonight.
I have to say that this has been a lifesaver… just found out I am pregnant and I can’t handle even going to a grocery store without getting super sick! I loved being able to print your grocery shopping list, add a few staples to the bottom, and then hand the sheets to my hubby! He did a great job finding everything (except the beef consumme), and now he is happy to have substancial meals even when I’m too sick to cook. Thank you!!!
How many servings does each bag make? We are a family of 12 so I’m trying to figure if I need to double or triple each one. Thank you, these recipes look great!
Camille, thank you so much for this! I have made these meals twice already and they have all been a hit. Well a couple were not hits, but I knew making them that they would be misses because they contain ‘yucky’ things according to my kids. But seriously I made them once with a friend and then we made them all again last week with a whole group of women. It took a lot longer when there were 6 of us because we kept chatting. But the first time we timed it and it was an hour and 5 minutes plus maybe 10 minutes clean up
I made the maple dijon chicken and it turned out insanely salty which I don’t like very much. It tasted like it had marinated in sea water. I don’t recall adding very much salt to it so it must be the mustard? I was wondering if anyone else had this problem and could recommend a variation or maybe some special sort of mustard.
I made the maple dijon chicken today and it was terrible. I used the proper amount of mustard and maple syrup but all I could taste was the mustard and it wasn’t good. I won’t be making it again. French dip sandwiches on the menu for tomorrow. Hope to have better luck with them.
Otherwise, I loved these recipes. I used some from a different blog before but these are less bland and were a lot simpler and quicker to make.
I’ve frozen veggies before(carrots,celery,green peppers)and they get very mushy and gross hen thawed. What is the correct way to freeze veggies
Hi Joanna! I am so sorry- I hate mushy veggies. I haven’t had problems with mushy veggies in these recipes, but if you were worried about it, you could just wait to add all the veggies until you put the food in the crock pot- that way they would still be fresh and crispy.
I was worried about overcooked veggies too, like in the stew. But it actually turned out great, really happy with the flavor and consistently of everything I tried.
I could kick myself for never thinking of stuff like this.. I will definately be adding these to my menus for up coming weeks.. With 4 kids, 2 cats, and a husband to take care of I always find it hard to think of new meals and ones that you can “dump”, cook, and serve… THANKS!!!
My sister and I got together and made these meals about a month ago, and we are currently working our way through them. I have to say I am SO glad we tried this. Having something ready to go is such a gift during a stressful work week. Tonight we had the chicken alfredo, which turned out well, but a little watery. My husband sure didn’t seem to mind though as he had two helpings. I do prefer crunchier veggies, but having something ready like this without hassle far outweighs my veggie issue. We love the cilantro lime tacos and the taco soup; those have been favorites for sure. Thanks for sharing. I know we will do this again.
My husband was just laid off and money is VERY TIGHT! Thank you, I am so grateful for this post. This fits in my budget and allows me to cook healthy meals for my family. I can’t wait to share how they turned out!
I saw this about the same time I got word that my knee replacement surgery was a “go”. Using the 8 meals as a base, I picked up more from your site, added a few of my own recipes, and a few lazy day dinners (chili dogs, hamburgers, etc.) and filled the freezer. My husband and son ate healthy while I was hospitalized; I am eating healthy now that I am home; and it took a lot of stress off my guys to not have to think about “what’s for supper”. No more surgeries, but lots more freezer loading in my future. Thank you!! Becci
My son and I have tried out a few of your freezer meal recipes…we both loved the Chicken Cacciatore and the Hearty Beef Stew. Added those to our regular weekly meals. Love that I only have to make a mess in the kitchen periodically and have a hot meal waiting for me when I return home after a long day at the office. My son doesn’t have to ask “What’s for dinner”? as often, cause he sees and smells what’s cooking while I’m at work…Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for posting this I’m 37+4 n was wondering how to feed my family when I’m in hospital trying to deliver.don’t believe in fast food and hubbies cooking sucks though we try to stomach what he makes i need to be she my daughter is actually eating instead of mg did to look likes it plus i am not going to be in the mood to cook once i come home with baby. THANKS SO MUCH!!!!
Oh this is amazing!! My very first google search and it’s exactly what I need! My husband works nights and two days out of the week i’m not home to cook so this would be great for him! I’m expecting a crockpot for Xmas (that I’m not suppose to know about, hehe) and I can’t wait to break it in with these recipes! I was curious though, how boneless chicken thighs would fair in the crockpot rather then breast, such in the dijon recipe…
Thighs actually work awesome in the crock pot. Breasts tend to dry out quickly, but thighs stay moist and tender. Feel free to sub in thighs for any of the recipes. I recommend boneless thighs so that you don’t have to pick bones out, but do whatever you like.
These freezer meals are AWESOME and I NEED MORE!!!!
Thanks for putting in the time to post these recipes!!
Thank you so much! I am working on another one and should have it ready right after the new year!!
This post is AWESOME! I am not a “cook” but I have a family of 6 and seriously need to get it together and this is a wonderful start! I have a question, probably dumb, but do you start out with the meat frozen when you add everything to the ziploc bag to freeze? I have lots of frozen meat and now that I finally know what to do with it, I don’t want to mess it up! Thanks!
I should clarify, the meat I have is frozen, uncooked meat.
YAY!!! I have been looking for simple slow cooker meals! Other ones I have run across either have crazy ingredients, tons of ingredients, or don’t even sound good. The males in my household are picky, but they would eat each one of these recipes! Thank you!!!!!!!!
I’m expecting my first baby in February and trying to prepare myself to not have much time to make dinner. I can’t wait to try the maple dijon chicken.
A terrific Idea that stopped my family from eating unhealthy at fast foods. We were spending so much money as well! Not only that, but not having dinner together at the table was killing me. My husband is a full time nursing student and I work the nights at the hospital. We are in no mood of preparing a meal on a daily basis. This made our lives much more “normal” for us. It’s so important to make time with the family. Thank you!
great recipes! these are the best ones I’ve found to freeze so far!
you guys are inspiring! thanks for the ideas! will try some of them.
As a mom of 5 month old quadruplets, I can’t wait to try these! It is not easy getting a decent dinner on the table and I think this will help. I am shopping tonight while hubs babysits!
Oh my goodness! You have your hands full! We hope these really help you. Best of luck with your quadruplets! What a blessing. Have a Happy New Year! -The Six Sisters
So I’m not a domestic type of gal at all! My husband and I are both working nights and I was thinking this would be a great idea to throw in when I get off of work and then we’ll have food for dinner or to take to work! I just finished prepping all of the meals and I’m way excited to have FOOD!!
Thanks
I have a low attention span, so I have not made all the recipes yet. But I did get all the ingredients, and have made 4 of the recipes so far, 2 of each, because I believe in having a backup!
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!
Fabulous!! I just made all 8 meals and put them in my freezer. As someone who works 60+ hour weeks, it’s a relief to know that I have so many dinners stocked up.
Thank you for putting this all together including the shopping list! You have removed a lot of stress from my life this week.
I have used some online freezer crockpot meals as well and most of them tasted terrible. Your recipe’s look simple and “normal”
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 so much for posting these! My new years resolution is to try and cook every night, because my husband and my eating habits have been HORRIBLE. I decided tonight to start my own blog to just monitor our eating, and act as a motivator because I know I have to post and review what we ate. I linked you on the blog, because I used some of your frozen recipes. Hopefully that is okay
I am new to the blog world.. so I don’t know how that all works. xoxoxo. Keep the awesome ideas coming!
Does the Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken have a strong mustard taste? My husband doesn’t like mustard so I am debating on adding this one to our list. Any insight would be great!
Hi there! Thanks for the comment
I am glad you enjoyed the blog postings so far. We are having the Maple Dijon tonight.. and I made the Cilantro Chicken leftovers into a mexican..salsa… tortilla.. soup.. thing.
http://squishyskitchen.blogspot.com/2013/01/rib-follow-up-plus-what-to-do-with.html
Let me know what you think of the idea! I had limited ingredients, but its actually super tasty!
xoxox
Love the cilantro lime chicken. I had recently found this recipe for it and made it in my slowcooker last night: http://www.pipandebby.com/pip-ebby/2011/11/18/slow-cooker-cilantro-lime-chicken.html – I will definetly try YOUR recipe next as it looks like a much fuller meal. I have an almost 4 month old and I usually have to put her in her bouncer in the kitchen while I cook but after about 25 minutes she gets fussy so I’m stuck w/ quick meals. Can’t wait to try a few of these so I can just stick them in my slowcooker during her morning nap. Wish I had my slowcooker before I had her, I would’ve made meals for a month !
Silly question, What size crockpot do you use for your recipes? 4qt? I just want to make sure I don’t dump the ingredients into the wrong size cooker. Thank you SO MUCH for all your amazingly hard work and sharing.
We have 6 quart crock pots!
So good to know! I have a 6-quart-er too, and some of the recipes I’ve tried didn’t turn out very well. I wasn’t sure if that was because of the recipe, the crock, or the user! Ha!
Just out of curiosity, if you were going to halve these recipes, would you still use a 6-quart?
Hmm . . . I probably would, just because my other one is like a 2 quart and it’s so tiny. I don’t know why hers didn’t turn out very well . . . could be that it cooked too hot/too fast.
This is just exactly what I was looking for to stock my Daughter-in-law’s freezer before I leave after helping out with their third baby.
Thank you for all your hard work and sharing! I have been doing OAMC for many years, but I started working full time outside the home last year, so I’ve been searching the interwebz for freezer to crockpot recipes — found ‘em! And even better, you give serving suggestions for side dishes! Keep up the great work, sisters!
This has been a lifesaver for us. Would love to see more!
Thank you
I’m going to try making these up tomorrow! I’m quickly searching for meals while my 5 month old sleeps and will get a chance to go to the store and be in the kitchen while my MIL watches him for a bit tomorrow. So excited!
headed to the grocery store now to try this out – Could be my saving grace for the 2013 year! Thanks for sharing this!
These recipes are awesome! Thank you so much for sharing!
I have a question. I am not a fan of mustard. Does the dijon chicken recipe taste mustardy? Please answer asap as I am assembling as we speak. Thanks so much.
We may be too late, but you can taste the dijon mustard since there is one cup in the recipe.
Of these, I made the following and have some reviews!
We both agreed, at least I didn’t spend hours, after a long day at work, making this meal and then hating it 
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.
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.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fabulous idea! My son has a severe dairy allergy. So nice to see recipes without dairy! Look forward to trying some of these out. Thanks again!!
Tried making the chicken Alfredo today- so gross! It wasn’t creamy at all and the brocolli was mushy! Ended up getting takeout…
Thank you SO much for posting this! I’m trying to figure out what I have to do to get ready for baby’s arrival, and this is PERFECT! The meals look delicious, and it is uncomplicated! Thanks again and again!
Hey 6 Sisters — Have you tried your Crockpot pineapple/teryaki recipe with this freeze-ahead approach? I saw it on here and was curious – it looked like it might be a good one-bag option and I thought I’d check! I, like others, am looking forward to the new batch you share with us soon!
Sure! I think that it would work fine!
Can I just say Thank you!! I have a sick 4 month old, I’m in grad school, and my husband is doing his undergrad. I feel like there is never time to cook! This post makes my life so much easier. Thank you.
Love this!! I made all eight and froze them yesterday.
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!
I sure like the fact that it looks so easy to do. Ive seen other sites and I fear Ill spend all day in the kitchen and less time with my bunny and fiber.
What a great idea for those Church & family gatherings when asked to bring a hot & cold dish. The HOT DISH? Done ahead, thawed, poppped into the crockpot & ready to head out to our destination. One ?: are there any easy nutritous desserts that can be made in a crockpot?
We have some crock pot desserts if you click on our recipe index on our main page. Then click on slow cooker. There are some tucked in our spread of slow cooker recipes. As far as nutritious….sure!? I guess if the serving is small! Check them out and have a great day! -The Six Sisters
What is a substitute for Ketchup?
Not sure which recipe you want to replace ketchup with. Depending on the recipe, you could use BBQ sauce, spaghetti sauce, etc.
Okay… I’ve tried everything but the Chicken Alfredo (husband is not too fond of alfredos), and they are fantastic! Thank you so much. New baby coming in June, so I’m starting to collect these types of recipes. Anyone else have some good ones?
My husband and I have tried a few of these and all I can say is OMG! They’re so delicious. I have tried freezer meals in the past, and crockpot meals, and always came home so excited only to be let down by food that wasn’t exactly what I was expecting (read: not delicious).
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!
Sorry if this is a repeat comment…didn’t want to read all 165.
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!
Wow I just discovered this site today! Haven’t had a chance to check everything out yet but I love these 8 slow-cooker meals you can make in one hour! I am single and love to have a meal ready when I come home from a 11 hour day, I do that on a regular basis. I am sure I will love the rest of your site as well, I made the Reeses Brownies yesterday and they are fantastic. I will write again and perhaps contribute, if that is allowed. Peace
IndyDave
love these so much! was wondering if i cut the ingredients in half should cut the cooking time in half as well? only two of us for now.
thank you!
You would need to reduce the cooking time, but not by half. Watch it closely. -The Six Sisters
Anyone had the cilantro lime chicken not turn out right? Mine may have cooked too long, but it was very very dry. Any suggestions?
Ours was too….and some of the cor and things were a little burned. I had it on LOW, and checked it at 4 hours too.
Me too! I noticed it and managed to save it by adding about half a carton of chicken broth.
What a gem you are! Thanks! Our third baby is due in May and we have a busy schedule already with church and school activities! I am making a couple of batches and some frozen pot pies for the freezer ahead of time. Anything to make a third baby coming home easier! This could be a nice gift for someone else in similar situations too. I think most people own a crock pot…. betterment, new baby, busy family…. Very Nice!! Thanks
I shared this on my facebook fan page too. http://www.facebook.com/kingdomcovenantministries – any other ideas like this or things for gardening, DIY, blog posts are very welcome to be shared there.
*betterment? = bereavement
I made the cilantro lime chicken that you serve on tortillas. Well mine turned out watery. How do you fix that? Most of my freezer meals turn out real watery. Was just wondering what I was doing wrong.
So sorry, not sure what is happening. Ours wasn’t watery at all.
My chicken/broccoli fettucini did not turn out at all. I (maybe incorrectly) thought that you shouldn’t freeze certain creamy things, like mayo and I don’t know if the jars of sauce I bought would fall into that corner but they totally broke down in the crock pot. Everything is very liquidy and not at all like something I would put on noodles and call alfredo… I’m pretty bummed but followed instruction to the letter.
I was wondering has anyone had a good turn out with using a frozen chicken breast to start? Or do I need to have a defrosted chicken breast to mix with the Cilantro lime chicken before putting the assembled mix into the freezer? Same question with the Chicken Broccoli Fettucini?
I used frozen breasts (from our Costco run) and they turned out. great. The chicken broccoli fettucini was fine, it didn’t clump or break apart. Use low heat and I kept it on for about 6 hrs I think. It was not our usual tastes but we all liked it.
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.
We always use frozen and it works perfectly!
No need to thaw.
I made up a few of these today to try in the next week or two and for my step daughter as well who is about to have a baby, any day. Looking forward to seeing how they turn out.
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.
Thank you for sharing these meals. I bought all the ingredients today (the shopping list was a life saver). I’m making them up to give to my pastor’s wife who is taking chemo for breast cancer. I thought these would be super-simple for him to prepare when she is not feeling up to cooking.
Did anyone have any issues with the potatoes in the Beef stew? This took 3-4 days to thaw out but when I went to throw it in the crockpot this morning, the potatoes were black! I took them all out and I’m hoping the rest of it is fine to cook. I know sometimes potatoes will turn a little brown after sitting out, but I’ve never seen them turn black.
We have never had this happen and have no idea why it did! So weird!
this is awesome! thanks sooo much!!!
Thank you so much ladies! I will be working on these tonight! I love your site!
The recipes look good! I’m going to try them as soon as I find enough space in my freezer to store them! Also, thank you for including instructions to thaw in your refrigerator first. Most of these freezer crockpot meals that I’ve come across ignore the fact that it is not safe to put frozen meat in the crockpot. Always bothers me! Thanks again!
This comment has been removed by the author.
For the stew, I am wondering…do your potatoes do ok being frozen, or do they come out black or mushy? I’ve heard some say potatoes don’t freeze well, but haven’t ever tried it. ?
Our potatoes were fine when we made it, but a few comments say their potatoes went a little dark.
Ok. Thank you! I think I’ll give it a try.
Oh my.. the stew and the maple dijon chicken were awesome!!! cant wait for the taco soup tonight!! thank you for sharing!
Made the Cilantro Lime Chicken w/ Corn and Black Beans for dinner last night, but with a few changes to it. I don’t cook chicken in my crock pot unless I’m home (I’m gone for up to 10 hours during the week, and I can’t stand over cooked chicken!), so I cooked it in bite-sized pieces on the stove top. I totally forgot to add the lime juice (duh), and I added about 1/2 cup or so of salsa, and cooked it over med high heat for about 25 minutes. Totally spaced out tortillas, too, so I served it over rice, and with additional salsa, guac, and shreddded cheddar. Very good!! This recipe is a keeper for sure!!!
Just made all of these this week! We moved into a new house and it made the week stress free when it came to dinner! We loved all except the chicken Alfredo, but I think it was because I just didn’t like the canned sauce.. I will definitely be using homemade sauce next time! Thanks for the recipes!!!
What size crock pot is everyone using?
We use 4 quart up to 6 quart crock pots.
Hi,
Just made the slow cooker bbq spareribs and I’m wondering if the 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Seasoned Salt is actually supposed to be 1 1/2 tsp?
I used 1 1/2 Tablespoons as per the directions and it came out really salty.
Thanks!
P.S. Made the Black Bean Taco Soup and it was really easy and tasty!
Sorry about that, should be 1 1/2 tablespoons of Old Bay Seasoning, not salt.
I have just printed a few of the recipes. They all sound delicious. I was wondering if any you have ever tried storing in the food saver freezer bags. I use that constantly and they can lay flat as well and keep out the frost. Please reply. Thanks:)
That would work great!!