Creating crock pot freezer meals not only saves you time in the kitchen on those busy weeknights, it also saves money by helping you avoid the temptation to order takeout. Here are 5 recipes that only take a couple of hours to assemble, and you’ll end up with 8 crock pot freezer meals!
Crock Pot Freezer Meals Menu:
- Ham with Pineapple (via Allergy Free Cooking)
- Carolina Style Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- Barbecued Hamburgers
- Crockpot Tangy BBQ Chicken
- Mediterranean Pork Chops
Ingredients:
Assembly:
First, I printed off the crock pot freezer recipes that I was going to make. Next, I took a gallon freezer bag and wrote the cooking instructions and what to serve it with directly on the bag with a black Sharpie.
To help me keep the bags upright while I was filling them with the ingredients, I used my handy Baggy Rack. You can find them on Amazon.com or at bricks-and-mortar stores like Menards. If you don’t have a Baggy Rack you can use a gallon water pitcher by placing the freezer bag inside it and folding the top of the bag over the edges of the pitcher.
Crock Pot Freezer Meals Recipes:
Crock Pot Freezer Meals Recipe #1: Ham with Pineapple
- 2.5 lbs. Ham (I used turkey ham that weighed 2.16 lbs.)
- 2 cans pineapple chunks (undrained)
- Rice (I used white)
- Optional: I also served this meal with fresh peas from my garden
Write on Bag: Cook in crock pot on low 6-8 hours or on high 4-5 hours. Serve with rice.
Directions: Slice ham into serving sized portions. I was able to get 16 slices out of my ham. Divide the ham slices between 2 freezer bags and put them in it. Next, add 1 can of pineapple chunks with juice to each bag. Freeze.
Crock Pot Freezer Meals Recipe #2: Carolina Style Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- 3 lb. Pork roast, boneless (I used a bit small sized pork roast that was roast flavored. I bought this because I was able to get it at a reduced price of just $3.98 for the whole roast)
- 1 tbsp. black pepper
- 1 tbsp. paprika
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 c. cider vinegar
- 3/4 c. ketchup
- 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- Buns
- Optional: You can serve this with cole slaw or another type of salad and beans.
Write on Bag: Cook on high 6-7 hours or on low 8-9 hours. When done remove the pork from crock pot and shred, add it back to the juices in the crock pot. Serve on buns with salad and beans.
Directions: Combine all of the ingredients into the freezer bag. Do not add the buns, beans or salad. Freeze.
Crock Pot Freezer Meals Recipe #3: Barbecued Hamburgers
- 3-4 lbs. ground beef, enough to serve your family (I bought the pre-made patties because it was cheaper)
- 2 (12 oz) jars of beef gravy
- 1 c. chili sauce
- 1 c. ketchup
- 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp. mustard
- Buns
- Optional: Serve with french fries
Write on Bag: Cook on low 5-6 hours. Serve with french fries.
Directions: Grill hamburger patties on grill or cook on your stovetop while getting the freezer bags ready. Divide all ingredients between 2 freezer bags, when hamburger patties are done, let cool a bit and then add to ingredients already in the bags. Do not add the buns or fries. Freeze.
Crock Pot Freezer Meals Recipe #4: Crockpot Tangy BBQ Chicken
- 4 Chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 1 bag baby carrots
- 1 chopped red onion. medium sized
- 1 (20 oz. can) pineapple chunks, undrained
- 2 chopped garlic cloves
- 1 c. teriyaki sauce
- Buns
Write on Bag: Cook on high 4 hours or on low 8 hours. When done shred chicken and serve on buns.
Directions: Put everything into a freezer bag. Do not add buns. Freeze.
Crock Pot Freezer Meals Recipe #5: Mediterranean Pork Chops
- 6-8 Pork chops, semi-thick cut
- 1/4 c. olive oil
- 2 c. chicken broth
- 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 2 tbsp. paprika
- 1-1 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- Optional: Serve with rice or noodles
Write on Bag: Cook on low for 8 hours. Serve with rice or noodles.
Directions: Divide all the ingredients between 2 freezer bags. Do not add rice or noodles. Freeze.
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*With all of these recipes each meal will feed a family of 4.
*According to Crock-Pot.com you can cook frozen meat in a Crock-Pot® Slow Cooker, but suggested cook time may need to be increased. To ensure meat is cooked through, use a meat thermometer. Meat should be well above 165°F to be tender.
*I don’t defrost any of these bags prior to putting them into the crock pot. I do however run the bag under hot water until the frozen chunk is loose from the bag and then I put the frozen chunk into the crock pot and let it cook.
For more crock pot recipes and freezer-friendly meals check out our Kitchen Chatter Forum.
Be sure to follow our Crock Pot Cooking and Freezer Cooking boards on Pinterest.
Kathy says
I saw your little bag holder in your photos! Isn’t that just the most helpful thing? I found one at Menard’s, of all places. I use it any time I need to fill a bag because I never have enough hands to do the job without making a mess! I love crocking and freezing and new recipe ideas. These sound great! Thanks 🙂
Betty819 says
Where can you buy that bag holder? We don’t have a Menard’s in our area of the country. Would Target, KMart or Walmart sell it?
Mary says
I bought mine online at Solutions
J.walsworth says
I put my baggies into large cups of even a bitter container (like a trash can liner! Lol) very sturdy
Megan says
Great recipes. I am looking forward to trying a few. I would recommend adding to your instructions, however, to pull the meals from the freezer to defrost in your fridge a day or two ahead of time. The USDA, FDA and countless food safety specialists say to never, ever put frozen meats in your slow cooker. The inside does not defrost fast enough at the low temperature to prevent harmful bacterial growth. A quick morning defrost in the microwave works, too, if the meat is going straight to cooking after defrost.
Patricia Collette says
A question? I have to cook just for myself so how would you cut down these recipe’s for one person. This would help me greatly to make sure I have good meals since I am diabetic.
Talyor says
Hi Patricia!
You could make the entire recipe then divide it up into 4 single bags. Or…you could prepare the original recipe in its entirety and preportion the dish into individual servings after its cooked, whereas you can freeze it and reheat it as needed. You could also have a party with three friends or double the recipe and have a party for seven friends! Parties are a great way to share food. Have you thought about dessert? Also, there is a website called Allrecipies.com, in which you can put in the number of servings and it will give you exact amounts for the dish.
Patricia Collette says
Thank you so much for your reply, yes i ended up mixing the whole recipe together and then my son helped me to weigh each bag to get about the same amount in each bag. I started at 8:00 pm and ended at 11:00 pm and ended up with 18 meals. Hopefully, this will help to keep me from eating out so much and get me to eat healthier since i am diabetic. thanks for all the great recipes will be back next month for new recipes.
Lori says
Hi. Thanks for the recipes! I’m a little confused. Each of your recipes fill 2 gallon sized bags correct? So when you go to make a recipe, do you put both bags in the crockpot? Or does one bag feed your family of 4?
jen says
i have to admit that these freezer meals that are always touted on pinterest are rarely tasty or use ingredients that i don’t use. but these look amazing and different than what i usually see. thank you for posting them!!!