Butternut Squash in Beef Stew Crock Pot

My slow cooker is my BFF. I use it several times a week, every week. Whoever came upwards with the idea of make-ahead slow cooker freezer meals is a genius! It'southward a full time saver.

In simply a few hours (including shopping time), you tin can put together plenty meals for a few weeks. That's a healthy, delicious dinner every nighttime with enough for leftovers too!

twenty Easy Slow Cooker Meals to Make Ahead and Freeze

Choose recipes your family unit already enjoys and that adjust well to being frozen outset. For instance, 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 ii beneath!) work corking.

I plan out the meals/bags I want to make and head to the store with my listing. Buying some items that are already frozen and/or chopped is a great fourth dimension saver. For example, frozen chicken works well because it'due south piece of cake to pull out the number I need and non have to worry about them freezing in a big lump.

When I go dwelling house, 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, and so of import. It'southward overnice to include cooking time and any special instructions like adding h2o to the irksome 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 (bootleg are great, too!)
• 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• two teaspoons stale Italian seasoning

Place all ingredients into a gallon-size freezer bag.

Cook iii–iv hours on high. Serve with cooked pasta, green salad, and garlic bread.

2 . Ginger Peach Chicken

• ii pounds boneless, skinless craven thighs
• 12-ounce pocketbook frozen peach slices
• ane sliced reddish onion
• two tablespoons chocolate-brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• i tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons footing coriander

Place all ingredients into a gallon-size freezer bag.

Melt 4–five hours on loftier. Serve with cooked white or brown rice and steamed veggies.

3 . Vegetable Beefiness Stew

• two pounds stew meat
• 1 diced onion
• 2 sliced carrots
• 1 sliced parsnip
• 1 large rutabaga (peeled and cut into cubes)
• 1/ii cup ruby vino
• 2 tablespoons beefiness stock base or 3 bouillon cubes
• 1-1/2 cups of h2o

Place all ingredients except the h2o into a gallon-size freezer purse.

Add bag contents to a slow cooker, and add 1-ane/ii cups of water. Cook 8–x hours on low. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.

four . Teriyaki Chicken

• 2 pounds chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 loving cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup dark-brown sugar
• 20-ounce can pineapple chunks (tuckered)

Place all ingredients into a gallon-size freezer bag.

Melt 8 hours on low. Serve with cooked white or brown rice and light-green veggies.

five . Pork Country Ribs + BBQ Sauce

• 2 pounds boneless country pork ribs
• 16-ounce bottle BBQ sauce (your favorite kind)

Identify all ingredients into a gallon-size freezer bag.

Cook eight–10 hours on low. Serve with mashed potatoes, veggies, and salad.

half dozen . Salsa Chicken

• 2-1/two 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 half-dozen–seven hours on depression. Serving suggestions include rice bowls, tacos, enchilada filling, nachos, and burritos. Serves four–eight, perchance more than depending on how it's used after cooking.

seven . Sausage Lentil Soup

• 12–14 ounces sliced kielbasa sausage
• 2 cups brown lentils
• ii carrots, diced
• 1 celery rib, diced
• 1 diced onion
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• fifteen-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 quarts h2o or stock

For best flavor, brown the kielbasa and diced onion and let them cool completely before adding to the freezer handbag (optional, simply 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 together 2 quarts of water or stock to the wearisome cooker earlier cooking. Cook iv–5 hours on high. Serve with fresh bread and/or rice.

8 . Sloppy Joes

• one pound basis meat (pork, turkey, craven, or beef)
• 1 diced onion
• one diced green bell pepper
• 15-ounce can lycopersicon esculentum 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 three–4 hours on loftier. Serve with buns and veggie chips.

9 . Cranberry-Mustard Pork

• 3- to iv-pound pork roast (loin, shoulder, butt)
• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/2 cup brownish sugar
• 1 tablespoon brown or Dijon mustard
• ane diced onion
• one/two teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• zest and juice of 1 orange

Place all ingredients into a gallon-size freezer pocketbook.

Melt viii–10 hours on low. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice and steamed broccoli.

x . Beefiness Stroganoff

• 2 pounds stew meat
• one pound sliced mushrooms
• 1 diced onion
• 1/2 cup red vino
• 1 tablespoon beef stock paste (or 2 burgoo cubes)
• 1 loving cup water
• 1/2 loving cup sour cream

Place all ingredients except water and sour foam into a gallon-size freezer bag.

Add 1 cup of water to the dull cooker earlier cooking. Cook 8 hours on low. Stir in 1/two cup sour foam just before serving (do not freeze with other ingredients or add together at the kickoff of the cooking time, or information technology volition curdle). Serve with rice or noodles.

11 . Sugariness and Sour Meatballs

• 20-ounce parcel of frozen meatballs
• one/two loving cup sliced onions
• 1/two cup sliced peppers
• 10 ounces sweet and sour sauce
• 12 ounces grape jelly
• 1 loving cup water or stock
• Table salt and pepper to gustation

Place all ingredients except for water or stock into a gallon-size freezer handbag.

Add 1 loving cup of water or stock at the get-go of the cooking fourth dimension. Cook three–4 hours on high or four–half dozen on depression. Savour with rice noodles or grain of choice.

12 . Chicken Tortilla Soup

• two–3 chicken thighs (boneless & skinless)
• x-ounce bag of frozen corn
• 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 can Rotel
• i/2 cup diced peppers
• three/iv cup diced onion
• one taco seasoning packet
• ane ranch dip parcel
• 32-ounce carton chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to gustatory modality

Combine all ingredients except for the chicken stock, and place in a gallon-size freezer handbag.

Cook 3–4 hours on high or 5–6 on depression. Shred chicken when the cooking time is complete and return to the pot. Enjoy with tortilla strips and rice or grain of selection.

13 . Beef Bourguignon

• 1-pound chuck roast, cubed
• four ounces pancetta, cubed
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• one/2 cup carrots
• x pearl onions
• ane loving cup Burgundy vino
• one teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sage
• one tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 32-ounce carton beef stock

Place all ingredients except for the beef stock into a gallon-size freezer bag.

Add together the beef stock at the start of the cooking time. Cook vi–eight hours on depression. Enjoy with roasted potatoes, mashed sweetness potatoes, or pureed parsnips.

7 Vegetarian Slow Cooker Freezer Meals

14 . Mushroom Barley Stew

• 1 pound mushrooms
• ii sliced carrots
• one sliced celery rib
• 1 diced onion
• xv-ounce tin 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 two quarts vegetable stock to the slow cooker before cooking. Oestrus for 8 hours on low. Serve with hot, crusty bread or rolls.

15 . Lentil-Butternut Squash Curry

• one diced onion
• 2 cups ruby-red or chocolate-brown lentils
• 2 cups diced butternut squash
• 1 large carrot, sliced
• xiv-ounce can coconut milk
• 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
• ane tablespoon back-scratch pulverisation
• 2 teaspoons table salt
• 4 cups water

Place all ingredients except for the water into a gallon-size freezer purse.

Add four cups of water to the irksome cooker earlier cooking. Cook 6–8 hours on low. Cheque halfway and add more water if needed. If the soup is also thick at the end, add more than water equally needed. Serve with hot, cooked rice, flatbread, or raita.

sixteen . Minestrone with Farro

• 12-ounce bag frozen light-green beans
• fifteen-ounce tin can cannellini beans, tuckered & rinsed
• 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• ten- to 12-ounce bag frozen spinach
• i loving cup farro
• one packet Italian seasoning
• 1/iv cup carrot, diced
• 1/four cup onion, diced
• ane teaspoon garlic, minced
• 32-ounce carton vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper to gustatory modality

Combine all ingredients except for the vegetable stock and identify in a gallon-size freezer handbag.

Cook 3–four hours on loftier or 5–6 on low. Enjoy with salad or a fresh Italian baguette.

17 . Southwestern 3-Bean Chili

• 15-ounce can black beans, tuckered & rinsed
• 15-ounce can pinto beans, tuckered & rinsed
• xv-ounce can kidney beans, tuckered & rinsed
• i parcel Fiesta Ranch Seasoning
• 10-ounce tin Rotel tomatoes
• 1/two cup onions, diced
• 1/two cup peppers, diced
• 10-ounce can dark-green chile enchilada sauce
• 15-ounce can corn, drained
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• ii cups vegetable stock
• Common salt and pepper to gustation

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
• ane/two cup onion, diced
• 15-ounce can chickpeas, tuckered & rinsed
• i tablespoon curry powder
• one teaspoon ginger, minced or grated
• i teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/2 loving cup peppers, diced
• 12-ounce can coconut milk
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper to gustatory modality

Combine all ingredients except for the vegetable stock and place in a gallon-size freezer handbag.

Melt 3–4 hours on high or 5–6 on depression. Enjoy with Basmati rice, quinoa, or couscous.

nineteen . Kale , White Beans , & Lentils

• 3 cups of kale chopped
• 15-ounce tin can white beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 cup reddish lentils
• 1/2 loving cup onion, diced
• 1 loving cup carrots, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• two teaspoons basil
• 1 teaspoon sage
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 32-ounce carton vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper to gustatory modality

Combine all ingredients except for the vegetable stock and place in a gallon-size freezer handbag.

Cook three–four hours on high or 5–half-dozen on low. Serve with a fresh dark-green salad.

20 . Greek Stuffed Peppers

• four big bong peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 10-ounce handbag frozen spinach
• 1/4 loving cup pesto
• 1/four loving cup sundried tomatoes
• i/ii cup pearled barley
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• fifteen ounces lycopersicon esculentum sauce
• two cups vegetable stock

Combine the olives, capers, spinach, pesto, tomatoes, barley, and cream cheese in a mixing basin. Stuff the mixture into each of the bell peppers and carefully place the peppers in a gallon-size freezer pocketbook.

Cascade the lycopersicon esculentum sauce and vegetable stock into the crockpot before placing the peppers inside to cook. Melt iii–4 hours on high or 5–half-dozen on depression.

Aye, for these deadening 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 purse plus any necessary h2o/stock into the slow cooker, and you're set up to go!

Want more? Bank 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 in that location after a few weeks. Characterization them with the name of the recipe, cooking time, and any special instructions, such equally adding liquid, checking halfway through, and cooking times.

Numberless can be thawed out in the refrigerator overnight earlier popping the contents into the ho-hum cooker the next day, though information technology's really not necessary .

The bags tin can be frozen apartment, but I prefer to freeze them upright to make them easier to pop into the tedious cooker . If you plan on thawing the bags overnight (totally fine), and so it doesn't matter how you lot freeze them.

I don ' t like to freeze potatoes . I too don't happen to like broccoli or cauliflower cooked in a slow cooker (totally my preference). But if y'all prefer to add these veggies, by all means, practice. 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 deadening cooker.

Searing the pork roast and stew meat adds flavor but isn ' t completely necessary —it'southward a way to cut down on prep (and cooling fourth dimension).

Some of these recipes don't include common salt. This is on purpose then that salt tin can be added at the end according to personal gustation.

If you choose to add dairy in the form of cream, milk, sour cream, yogurt, or foam cheese, do so during the last 30 (on depression) 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–viii hours on LOW or 3–5 on Loftier . For bigger cuts of meat, I prefer the longer, slower cooking fourth dimension. Information technology's totally upwardly to y'all and your schedule.

Broth can be substituted for the wine . I'm not sure information technology actually cooks off because of the lid on the slow cooker.

More Make-Alee Meal Ideas

If yous love these make-ahead tiresome cooker freezer meals, give these repast prep ideas a try too:

7 High Protein Breakfasts You lot Can Make Ahead

viii Detox Meal Prep Ideas You Have to Try

7 Make-Alee Sauces to Continue on Mitt for Meal Prep

12 Genius Healthy Meal Prep Ideas

nine Salubrious Make-Alee Work Lunches for Anyone Who Wants to Eat Less Meat

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Source: https://helloglow.co/slow-cooker-freezer-meals/

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