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You are here: Home / Recipes / 31 Crockpot Freezer Meals for Busy Weeknights

31 Crockpot Freezer Meals for Busy Weeknights

All Archives, Freezer Meals, Recipes, Slow Cooker    ·    June 16, 2019

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31 Crockpot Freezer Meals for Busy Weeknights

Do you need an easy dinner idea for busy weeknights? Stock your freezer with crockpot freezer meals! Here are 31 delicious crockpot recipes that I’ve tried myself (grocery list included!).

31 Crockpot Freezer Meal Recipes

Crockpot Freezer Meals

I have three young children (and a fourth on the way) so I don’t have a lot of time to cook. Instead of scrambling in the kitchen every night, I spend an hour prepping crockpot freezer meals over the weekend and that’s all the cooking that I need to do for the week.

Here’s why crockpot freezer meals are a game-changer:

  • They don’t require any cooking ahead of time, so they’re very quick and easy to prep.
  • They cook for the first time out of the freezer and don’t taste like leftovers at all. Yay!
  • You can save a lot of money by prepping a bunch of meals at once.

When I’m prepping freezer meals, I combine the ingredients in plastic baggies, remove as much air as possible, and freeze for up to three months. I’ve made hundreds of crockpot freezer meals this way and they’re all healthy, delicious, and easy to make. Since this is such a hectic time of year, I decided to compile of list of my 31 favorites that are perfect for busy weeknights.

Freezer Meals Bagged and Ready to go for 31 Crockpot Freezer Meals for Busy Weeknights

If you’re nervous about mixing raw meat and vegetables, don’t be. I did a lot of research when I was writing my No Cook Freezer Meals cookbook and, according to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, freezing to 0 °F inactivates any microbes present in food (such as bacteria, yeasts, and molds). That means freezing raw meat with vegetables, sauces, and spices is perfectly safe.

If you’re hesitant to freeze so many new recipes at once, I recommend trying a couple for dinner this week. Once you see how delicious they are you’ll want to stock your freezer ASAP. Enjoy!

To make crockpot freezer meals you will need:

These crockpot freezer meals are easy and delicious – and you probably already have a lot of items on hand.  Don’t let the process intimidate you! Here are the few things that you need every time you have a prepping session: 

  • crockpot/slow cooker – there are sooo many but I like this one.
  • ziploc bags – always have these on hand!
  • sharpie
  • baggie holders– not a necessity, but definitely helpful

31 Crockpot Freezer Meals for Busy Weeknights

For those nights that are busy, it’ll be so nice to have each of these delicious meals on hand!

  1. Cheesy Tortellini with Ground Beef
  2. Honey Dijon Pork Chops with Green Beans
  3. Cranberry Chicken
  4. Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
  5. Chicken Noodle Soup
  6. Chicken Soup with Mexican Seasonings
  7. Mexican Chicken Chili
  8. Garden Veggie Soup with Ground Beef
  9. Mexican Chili with Cornbread Topping
  10. Beef Fajitas
  11. Chicken Philly Cheesesteaks
  12. Italian Chicken
  13. Balsamic Beef Roast and Carrots
  14. Mushroom Spinach Stroganoff
  15. Party Pork Roast (only four ingredients!)
  16. Chicken Teriyaki
  17. Sausage Spinach Tomato Soup (one of our favorites!)
  18. Pot Roast with Green Beans
  19. Lasagna Soup with meatballs
  20. Garlic-Mint Pork Tenderloin
  21. Italian Sausage Subs
  22. Stuffed Pepper Soup from Once a Month Meals
  23. Banana Pepper Shredded Beef (perfect for sandwiches)
  24. White Wine Chicken with Artichokes
  25. Ginger-Peach Chicken
  26. Honey Sesame Chicken from Damn Delicious
  27. Ham and Potato Soup
  28. Italian Sausage-Stuffed Mini Peppers
  29. White Chicken Chili
  30. Beef Enchilada Casserole
  31. Sweet and Sour BBQ Meatballs

A lot of these recipes are from freezer prep sessions that I’ve done this year so I typed up exactly how I prep and freeze each meal in this printable pdf: 31 CROCKPOT FREEZER MEALS – RECIPES & GROCERY LIST. I also included a super detailed grocery list in case you want to prep all of them at once.

Other Crockpot Freezer Meals

If you love these crockpot freezer meals, you’re going to love these other freezer meals too. Please click each link below to find the ideas:

  • Kid Friendly Crockpot Meals
  • 19 Healthy Chicken Freezer Meals
  • 25 Freezer Meals with 5 Ingredients or Less
  • 7 Freezer Meals to Make This Week

Thoughts or questions? Please leave a comment below and I’ll respond as soon as I can.

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Comments

  1. Avatar for KellyErin Cox Oney says

    June 21, 2019 at 6:03 am

    My favorite freezer/crockpot trick is to buy my hamburger at costco, 6 pounds at a time and brown it all. Then I put one pound each in separate packages so I can throw the cooked but frozen meat into the crockpot with the other ingredients int eh morning and by the time I get home, dinner is ready! Try it – you’ll like it!

  2. Avatar for KellyLinda Arthur Tejera says

    April 23, 2017 at 11:59 am

    I tried the three-ingredient chicken teriyaki with the frozen stir fry vegetables. It was good but after six hours in the crockpot, the veggies were mush. At the time, I couldn’t imagine the vegetables being edible after six hours. I was close to right. They didn’t taste bad, just no texture. Should I adjust any recipe calling for frozen vegetables to wait to add them until about the last 1/2 hour?

    • Avatar for KellyKelly @ New Leaf Wellness says

      April 24, 2017 at 8:48 am

      Yes, that’s what I would do.

  3. Avatar for KellyLara says

    April 19, 2017 at 10:13 am

    I am out of the house more than 6-8 hours so I am afraid my meal would be dry and overcooked if I followed the timing exactly. What if I didn’t thaw my bag first? Not sure how easy it would be to get all the frozen items into the crock pot, but if the meat is frozen it would take longer to cook, right? What are your thoughts on this?

    • Avatar for KellyKelly @ New Leaf Wellness says

      April 24, 2017 at 8:49 am

      You’ll need to thaw them at least enough to break apart the frozen square block. I would consider using a basic light timer to turn off the crockpot an hour before you get home (any longer than that and the meal will be cold) OR buying a crockpot with a programmable timer. I bought one for about $40 and I’m obsessed with it.

  4. Avatar for KellyTheresa says

    April 13, 2017 at 3:02 am

    Is it okay to double the recipes? I have a teenage boy, 9 & 7 yr old girls, plus me and hubby. Recipes that say serves 6 is never enough…

    • Avatar for KellyKelly @ New Leaf Wellness says

      April 13, 2017 at 3:27 am

      Yes, as long as the food will fit in a bag/crockpot.

  5. Avatar for KellyMaribeth Alexander says

    April 9, 2017 at 12:09 pm

    What a wonderful resource! I’ve wanted to do make ahead freezer meals for decades and just haven’t done it. Now, we are down to two of us, Any suggestions on how do do it for 2 people?

    • Avatar for KellyKelly @ New Leaf Wellness says

      April 12, 2017 at 1:29 pm

      Yes! Check out this post: http://newleafwellness.biz/2015/09/13/20-crockpot-freezer-meals-for-two-people/

  6. Avatar for KellySophie T says

    September 22, 2015 at 6:18 am

    You made me buy a slow cooker! But when I read the instructions, they say you should never put something frozen in the pot (mine is a Kitchenaid Architect)… How do you deal with frosen stuff in your slow cooker? I really want to make those time-saving meals!

    • Avatar for KellyJessica says

      September 24, 2015 at 10:57 am

      I wondered that, too. When reading the instructions for the recipes it states to move the frozen bag to the refrigerator the night before to thaw, then place in the slow cooker in the morning. Hope that helps!

      • Avatar for KellySophie T says

        September 24, 2015 at 1:54 pm

        You are right and I should have read a little more! Moving the bag to the refrigerator the night before seems like the way to go! Thanks!

  7. Avatar for Kellyallthingscatholic says

    September 19, 2015 at 8:19 am

    Thanks for one’s marvelous posting! I genuinely enjoyed
    readimg it, you happen to be a great author.I will
    make sure to bookmark yor blog and will come back in the future.
    I want to encourage you to ultimatly continue your great
    job, have a nice weekend!

  8. Avatar for KellyJennifer says

    September 14, 2015 at 6:09 am

    Hi Kelly! Where do get 16 oz. bags of frozen veggies? All I can find are 12 oz, 24 oz, and 32 oz. Thanks!

  9. Avatar for KellyLou says

    September 9, 2015 at 7:11 am

    These are wonderful! Thank you; I just started working nights and was looking for slow cooker meals. Prepping ahead of time is a great idea.

  10. Avatar for KellyAndrea says

    September 8, 2015 at 11:10 am

    What are the three freezer meals in the photos?

    • Avatar for KellyKelly @ New Leaf Wellness says

      September 8, 2015 at 12:22 pm

      They are salsa verde chicken, garden veggie soup, and fajitas…before adding the meat. Raw meat isn’t nearly as pretty as veggies. :)

  11. Avatar for KellyCamille says

    September 5, 2015 at 4:52 pm

    i would love to know where you got the things that hold your bags upright

    • Avatar for KellyKelly @ New Leaf Wellness says

      September 6, 2015 at 12:41 pm

      Amazon!

  12. Avatar for KellyAnn Marie Carter says

    September 5, 2015 at 2:12 pm

    I’m very limited on the selection of food I can get due to difficult financial restraints, can I substitute things like hamburger and chicken for pork chops and roast?

    • Avatar for KellyKelly @ New Leaf Wellness says

      September 6, 2015 at 12:41 pm

      Yes, definitely. Just watch the cooking time because chicken is easy to over-cook and dry out.

  13. Avatar for KellyChristine Z says

    September 4, 2015 at 8:32 pm

    I bought your cook books earlier this year and they are a life saver! My husband does not like vegetables, but I just made the Chicken Chile and he used just the chicken and loved the flavor and I got my vegetables! Win/Win.

    Thanks for these additional recipes!

    Christine

    • Avatar for KellyKelly @ New Leaf Wellness says

      September 5, 2015 at 12:05 pm

      I’m so glad, Christine. Yay!

  14. Avatar for KellyPattie says

    September 3, 2015 at 9:50 pm

    I’ve made similar/identical recipes as some of these but there were quite a few new ones I look forward to trying out. :) I noticed on some of them, it seems that the ground beef should be browned ahead but wasn’t mentioned on the PDF instructions. With #1, I actually followed the link to the original post and found those instructions include browning the meat. I’ve also made the Enchilada stack before from “a year of slow cooking” which is essentially the same recipe and it has you brown the meat ahead which I imagine helps it keep the stack shape and avoid the tortillas from getting too soggy.

  15. Avatar for KellyKennett White says

    September 2, 2015 at 4:49 pm

    I am very interested in this. Do you have a cookbook in the stores?

    • Avatar for KellyKelly @ New Leaf Wellness says

      September 3, 2015 at 12:36 pm

      No, at this time I only have pdf eBooks. They are formatted to print on regular 8.5×11″ paper though.

  16. Avatar for KellyLisa says

    August 31, 2015 at 10:43 am

    I love these ideas and will most likely try this my next grocery trip. I know you said you have 3 small kids. So I’m guessing it feeds everyone. my family is 2 small kids, myself, husband, and another adult. do you usually have leftovers?

    • Avatar for KellyKelly @ New Leaf Wellness says

      August 31, 2015 at 11:24 am

      The average size is 4-6 servings. I listed the number of servings with each recipe in the printable doc. Hope that helps!

  17. Avatar for Kellykaren says

    August 31, 2015 at 8:18 am

    hello.
    Can’t wait to try these! Do you have labels to go with these I can print out? Thank you.

    • Avatar for KellyKelly @ New Leaf Wellness says

      August 31, 2015 at 11:24 am

      Yes! I send free printable labels to all of my email subscribers here: https://newleafwellness.biz/subscribe/

  18. Avatar for KellySusan Williams says

    August 31, 2015 at 12:08 am

    I want to make honey Dijon pork and green beans. I am on a low carb diet. Could I use honey mustard salad dressing instead of honey?

    • Avatar for KellyKelly @ New Leaf Wellness says

      August 31, 2015 at 11:25 am

      I think so, but I’m not sure if it will taste as good.

  19. Avatar for KellyAmy says

    August 30, 2015 at 12:03 pm

    Have you tried freezing with uncooked, dried beans rather than cooked or canned?

    Thanks for the great ideas!

    • Avatar for KellyKelly @ New Leaf Wellness says

      August 31, 2015 at 11:28 am

      If you want to use dry beans, I would soak them ahead of time and add a bit of extra liquid to the recipe. I typically use canned so I don’t have to spend time soaking. Sometimes I soak and cook dried beans and freeze them though. Then they’re ready to add to my crockpot recipes or freezer meals whenever I need them.

  20. Avatar for KellyBrandy says

    August 30, 2015 at 7:37 am

    I am definitely going to try a lot of these! There are a couple of recipes that say to cook on low for about 4-6 hours. I work 8 hour days and by the time I get home some nights it is more like 9. How would I adapt those so I don’t have a bunch of mushy food when we get home?

    • Avatar for KellyKelly @ New Leaf Wellness says

      August 30, 2015 at 11:13 am

      Chicken recipes are tricky because they’re so easy to dry out. If you have to be out of the house for 9 hours and want to make one of those recipes I would either use a smaller slow cooker (4 quarts max) or consider buying one with a timer. I bought one earlier this year and it’s a life-saver!

      • Avatar for KellyVLW says

        September 2, 2015 at 6:13 pm

        I’m not sure that is safe. My pot has a timer I can set it for 6 hours but that would leave it setting there 3 hours after its cooked.

        • Avatar for KellyKelly @ New Leaf Wellness says

          September 3, 2015 at 12:37 pm

          Yes, that is totally fine. I do it all the time.

        • Avatar for KellyAmy says

          September 7, 2015 at 3:17 pm

          Mine has the timer and then a keep warm setting. haven’t had any trouble.

        • Avatar for KellyAmy says

          September 7, 2015 at 3:17 pm

          Mine has the timer and then a keep warm setting. haven’t had any trouble.

    • Avatar for Kellymary says

      August 30, 2015 at 6:14 pm

      That’s a great question and one that’s crossed my mind. Will be watching for a response.

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