It can be hard to make home-cooked meals all the time. But it can also save you a lot of money in the long run. Crockpot freezer meals are quick, healthy meals that you can make at home. Much healthier than most quick meals you can buy. After all, you definitely don’t want to eat fast food all the time! That’s part of the reason I have always loved crockpot meals!
But even then, there’s prep work that needs to be done. It can be hard to do that every morning when you really just want to dump it all in the crockpot and head to work. Luckily, there is another option for you that will save you time, money, and stress. Crockpot freezer meals, otherwise known as dump meals, are so quick and easy! If you have just one free day a week, or even every other week, you can get everything prepared ahead! Want to know more? Well, you’ve come to the right place! I have four easy crockpot recipes you can start with. But really, you can turn all your favorite meals into freezer crockpot meals!
What You Need to Know About Crockpot Freezer Meals
- First off, you are going to want to meal plan for your week. Know what you want to make before you go. You could even double up and make two of each meal. Just make sure to plan all of this before you go shopping so you can have an exact shopping list. Then you will only be buying the things you need. No guesswork needed!
- Go shopping for everything at one time. By having your list prepared and knowing what you want to make you can save a ton of time!
- After you have all your shopping done, you need to take one day and prepare everything. You will need gallon sized freezer bags to be sure everything fits. By taking one day to get everything done, you will save a lot of time as well. It’s going to seem like a lot of work on prep-day. But then you’ll have so much free time during the week for other things!
- No cooking required ahead of time. All you have to do is open cans or chop up ingredients to put in your bags. That way everything will be cooked for the first time when you pull it out of the freezer to put in your slow cooker! That way none of your dinners taste like leftovers.
- This is perfect for a busy schedule! Who says you can’t cook homemade meals on the go? Slow cooker freezer meals will ensure that you will have plenty of free time in your busy schedule.
- Cheap crockpot meals are the best way to save money. I always go bargain shopping, but I do it all in one trip. I love going to Aldi’s or Walmart to find the most affordable items. If you don’t have those particular stores super close to you, I definitely recommend researching the best bargain stores in your area. Even going to Costco, BJ’s, or Sam’s Club would be a great option because you can save money by buying in bulk. That way you could even prep for two weeks at one time!
- Frozen crockpot meals can be made by putting everything in a single bag. You don’t have to worry about putting your raw meats and veggies together. Since they are being frozen, bacteria and mold will not be able to grow and spoil your food. In case you were wondering, this method is perfectly safe!
4 Delicious Freezer Meals Recipes
I have four wonderful slow cooker meals to share with you! Not all of them are perfectly healthy, depending on your diet or eating restrictions. But I’m hoping these will be great options for most people! But keep in mind, if you are on a certain diet, feel free to change the recipes to fit your needs. You could even use this method for some of your own favorite crockpot recipes! Also, keep in mind that I am giving you the recipes for a single meal. But you could absolutely double or triple the ingredients to make more meals at one time.
Sausage Spinach Tomato Soup
This is a reasonably healthy crockpot freezer meal, as long as you can eat beans and pasta. But if you can’t, feel free to leave either or both out. You could also use alternatives such as gluten-free pasta. You could also add diced tomatoes if you’d like something chunky, rather than beans. It’s all up to you, feel free to get a little creative!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground sweet or spicy Italian sausage (Note: If you can only find sausage links, remove the casing before cooking.)
- 24 oz jar of pasta sauce
- One can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- One box of frozen chopped spinach
- 1/2 pound of carrots (about four large carrots), peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
- One small yellow onion, diced (about one cup)
- 4 cups of chicken broth
- 1 cup uncooked pasta (elbow macaroni or ditalini are great options)
Directions:
Add all ingredients to a gallon-sized plastic freezer bag (except chicken broth and pasta). When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and dump into your slow cooker with chicken broth. Cook on “low” setting for 6-8 hours or until sausage is cooked through. Add pasta and turn heat to “high” for an additional 15 minutes.
Honey Parmesan Pork Roast
It can be hard to find great healthy crockpot recipes! Luckily, this is one of the best! I’m made this without freezing it. I can tell you from personal experience that it’s delicious! You might want to make a side to go with it. Mashed potatoes, a fresh salad, or even garlic bread, would really round out the meal!
Ingredients:
- 1 (2-3 pound) boneless pork roast
- 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp dried basil
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
You can mix the six ingredients and put in a freezer-safe bag. You can either mix them all together in one bag or put the pork and other ingredients in separate bags. Just remember that you will need to get it out the night before so that it is thawed when you put it into the crockpot. This enables you to nicely coat the roast.
When cooking, you may want to flip the roast at some point so that you can recoat the top of the roast with the honey/parmesan mixture! This is only if you are home while it’s cooking. If you aren’t, don’t worry about it. All you need to do is cook on low for 7-8 hours, or cook on high for 4-5 hours. You can figure this out depending on how your day looks. Personally, I like to cook roasts on low; it tends to shred better in the end.
Crockpot Taco Soup
This has always been a family favorite in my house! It’s honestly so simple even when you don’t prepare it ahead of time. So whipping bags of this together on prep-day will be a breeze! I love any Tex-Mex style food. My family has always loved making most foods with extra spice, but you can always add seasonings based on what you like.
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds ground beef or boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup diced onions
- One 15 1/2-ounce cans pinto beans
- One 15 1/2-ounce can pink kidney beans
- One 15 1/4-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
- One 14 1/2-ounce can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
- One 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes
- One 14 1/2-ounce can tomatoes with chiles
- Two four 1/2-ounce cans diced green chiles
- One 1/4-ounce package taco seasoning mix (Note: you can use more if you like extra spice or even make your taco seasoning with this recipe.)
- One 1-ounce package ranch salad dressing mix
Directions:
All you need to do is mix everything together in a bag to store in the freezer. Of course, make sure to have it thaw the night before you put it in the crockpot. When it’s ready, pour everything into the slow cooker and cook on “high” for 3-4 hours. You could also cook on “low” for 6-8 hours if you are going to be away from home for an extended period.
You can also serve this with any taco toppings you like. Some great options are sour cream, hot sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, fresh diced jalapenos, or even Fritos. I love eating this with corn chips rather than a spoon!
White Chicken Chili
Ingredients:
- One 1⁄4 lbs boneless skinless chicken
- 2 (15 ounces) cans great northern beans or 2 (15 ounces) cans navy beans
- 1 (15 ounces) can white corn
- 1 (1 1/4 ounce) envelope taco seasoning
- 1 (4 1/2 ounce) can of chopped green chilies
- 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 (14 ounces) can chicken broth
- ½ cup sour cream
Directions:
All you have to do for this freezer crockpot meal is pop all the ingredients into a bag. Then store in the freezer for future use. When you do decide to use this meal, make sure to thaw it in your refrigerator overnight. The next day you can pour it all into a 4-quart crockpot and cook on “low” for 8 to 10 hours. Before serving, stir gently to break up chicken, then stir in the sour cream.
Serve topped with green onions and jack cheese, if desired. You can also add any extra toppings or seasonings to this recipe!
That’s all there is to it!
I hope you enjoyed these healthy crockpot meal recipes! They’re simple if you need ideas. But remember that you can always mix up the ingredients. You can also turn any of your other favorite crockpot recipes into freezer meals as well! All you really need to do is be creative, plan, and have fun in the kitchen. In the end, you’ll save yourself so much time, stress, and money! Not to mention you’ll look like super-mom with all your home cooked meals!
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