6 Freezer-Crockpot Meals: Recipes & Step-by-Step Preparation Guide
6 Freezer-Crockpot Meals
We're sharing 6 meals, photos, tips and reviews for:
- Creamy Garlic Chicken
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Turkey Parmesan Meatballs
- Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
- Creamy Salsa Chicken
- Chicken Noodle Soup
The 1 Hour Process
Turn on a favorite movie or TV show and get started! It is very helpful to do like tasks in a row rather than to prepare one recipe at a time. After you've decided what recipes to make and purchased the ingredients, here's our preferred method to preparing 6 Meals in 1 Hour:
- Recipes: Have all the recipes you are making on one sheet of paper posted in the area in which you are working (all you really need is a list of ingredients for each recipe).
- Label: Using a permanent marker, label a gallon size resealable baggie with the recipe name, cook time, and any notes for yourself (example: Add 1 cup pasta last 30 minutes). Set these aside.
- Ingredients: Gather ALL your ingredients for ALL the recipes you are making (including spices) and place them out on a counter.
- Meat: We buy our meat in bulk, so we separate it into 1 pound piles and clean the meat as needed (like cutting any fat off the chicken). Then, go through each recipe and cut the meat as needed (strips, cubed, halved) and place in each bag. Wash hands often!
- Veggies: Since you're already chopping, now is the time to chop any fresh veggies or fresh herbs as needed for each recipe, place in the corresponding bag. For frozen veggies, simply dump into the bag.
- Cans/Jars: Rinse any canned items if needed (like beans) and place in bag. Simply dump any items in jars (like salsa) or bagged items (like cheese) into the corresponding bag.
- Spices: This is a little tricky, so take one bag at a time and add all the spices.
- Seal: Double check that the bag has everything needed, then squeeze the extra air out and seal it closed.
- Freeze: Place flat either in one or two stacks in your freezer. It is also helpful to use a large cookie sheet and place smaller stacks on the sheet, then slide on top of any other items in your freezer. When frozen, you can stand them horizontally so they are easier to remove.
If you have a helpful tip of your process, please leave a comment at the end!
The 1 Hour Process in Photos
Click thumbnail to view full-sizeWhat Do I Do To Cook the Frozen Meal?
The night before, simply pull the meal out and place it in your freezer to thaw. In the morning, pour the meal into your Crockpot and set it for the recommended temperature and time. Enjoy!
Approximate Cooking Times
Meal
| High
| Low
|
---|---|---|
1. Creamy Garlic Chicken
| 2-3 Hours
| 5 Hours
|
2. Cilantro Lime Chicken
| 2-3 Hours
| 4 Hours
|
3. Turkey Parmesan Meatballs
| 1-2 Hours
| 4 Hours
|
4. Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
| 2-3 Hours
| 4 Hours
|
5. Creamy Salsa Chicken
| 2-3 Hours
| 4 Hours
|
6. Chicken Noodle Soup
| 3-4 Hours
| 6 Hours
|
Cooking Tips
Sometimes you may forget to thaw your meal overnight (like us), or forget to put it in the crockpot (like us), or simply want it to be cooked faster or longer. If so, here are some tips we have learned:
Want the meal to take longer?
- If you partially thaw your meal, you can break it in half, so you can put it in your crockpot in large frozen pieces which take longer to cook.
Want the meal to be ready faster?
- If you thaw your meal completely, it will be done faster.
- Place your meal, whether frozen or thawed, in a large pot on the stove. Cover and cook for 15-30 minutes.
1. Creamy Garlic Chicken
Write on Bag:
Personalize for your preferences.
LOW 5 hours/HIGH 2-3 hours. Serve with rotini and broccoli.
Want to Make Your Own Cream of Chicken Soup?
In the Bag:
- 1 pound chicken breasts, halved
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 (10 oz) can cream of chicken soup, reduced sodium
- 1 dry packet Italian dressing seasoning
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
Notes
- Serves: 4
- This is one of our favorites! We found it to be a little salty, so we will try to use reduced sodium next time. Also, it helped to mix some broccoli into the pasta to help balance the salt.
- Delicious with whole grain pasta.
2. Cilantro Lime Chicken
Write on Bag:
Personalize for your preferences.
LOW 4 hours/HIGH 2-3 hours. Shred. Serve with tortillas.
In The Bag:
- 1 pound chicken
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1-2 cups corn, frozen
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Notes
- Serves: 4-5 people (2 filled tortillas each)
- Delicious with homemade whole wheat tortillas, if you have time to make them!
- We did not taste much cilantro and would sprinkle some fresh on top at the end.
3. Turkey Parmesan Meatballs
Write On Bag:
Personalize for your preferences.
LOW 4 hours/HIGH1-2 hours. Serve with linguine.
Mix Meatballs in the Bag
In the Bag:
- 1 pound lean ground turkey (or lean ground beef)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
- To taste: powdered garlic, salt, pepper, basil
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs or crushed croutons
- 1 (24 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
Notes
- Serves 4 (3 meatballs each)
- Along with the creamy garlic chicken, this is one of our favorites. We make this often, whether or not we freeze the ingredients ahead of time.
- You can put all the ingredients in the bag except the sauce, mix together with your hands, form the meatballs, then pour the sauce in. Saves an extra bowl!
- We find it helpful to cook the pasta the night before, drizzle with a little olive oil, cool, and refrigerate. Then all we have to do is warm it up.
4. Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
Write on Bag:
Personalize for your preferences.
Spray insert. Pour 3/4 c milk on top. LOW 4 hours/HIGH 2-3 hours. Serve with green beans.
In the Bag:
- 1 pound chicken breasts, diced
- 1 bag (32 oz) frozen tater tots
- 1 (3 oz) bag bacon pieces
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Notes
- Serves 4
- It is helpful to spray the insert first as the cheese and tots tend to stick a little (that part is crunchy and tasty too). Remember to add milk too!
- The tater tots crumble as they cook, so they become more like diced potatoes.
- We like to serve this with a green veggie like broccoli or green beans.
5. Creamy Salsa Chicken
Write on Bag:
Personalize for your preferences.
LOW 4 hours/HIGH 2-3 hours. Shred. Serve with bow tie pasta or quinoa.
In the Bag:
- 1 pound chicken breasts
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 1 jar (15 oz) salsa
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 4-8 ounces cream cheese
Notes
- Serves: 4-5
- Our favorite pasta to serve this with is bow tie pasta. However, it is quite tasty with quinoa as well, which cooks up in 10-15 minutes.
- Top with fresh cilantro and cheese before serving, if desired.
6. Chicken Noodle Soup
Write on Bag:
Personalize for your preferences.
LOW 6 hours/HIGH 3-4 hours. Add 1 1/2 cups rotini last 30 minutes.
In the Bag:
- 1-2 cups diced chicken breasts
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper to taste
Notes
- Serves 4 (1 cup each)
- We like to eat this with grilled cheese or a cheese quesadilla.
- This soup can stay in the crockpot a long time because it is mostly broth, however, we actually do prefer chicken soup made on the stove, then frozen. But this is a decent alternative if you're like us and don't want to make a pot of soup over the stove in summer.
- It is important to note that the carrots do become a little mushy after being frozen then heated in the crockpot. You can add frozen sliced carrots 30 minutes before serving to avoid this.
Was This a Helpful Guide?
Which Meat Do You Prefer to Cook in Your Crockpot?
How We Use Freezer-Crockpot Meals
We find it very helpful to meal plan. When we are both working full-time, a typical week of meals for us looks like this:
- Sun: Freezer-Crockpot Meal
- Mon: Freezer-Crockpot Meal
- Tues: Leftovers
- Wed: Quick & Easy Meal
- Thurs: Leftovers
- Fri: Pizza
- Sat: Freezer-Crockpot Meal
Having meals in the freezer are great not just for a backup, but also for everyday meal-planning!
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