5 Crock Pot Freezer Meals in 1 Hour – Simple and Quick Weekly Meal Prep Idea!
Prepare for the week ahead with these easy Crock Pot freezer meals! Here’s how to make 5 meals in 1 hour!
Looking for a convenient way to make dinner each night? Make these 5 meals in 1 hour!
What if I told you that you could prep-ahead five Crock Pot freezer meals for the week in about one hour? Yes, it’s true! This freezer meal prep idea is super simple and sure comes in handy during the week!
Try these five easy and delicious make-ahead meals that can be prepped, stored in the freezer, and then placed in the slow cooker when you’re in a hurry and need an easy family meal.
Print our FREE 5 Crock Pot Freezer Meals
Includes a grocery list and how to make all 5 recipes in one hour!
How to freeze Crock Pot meals…
You’ll want to use a gallon-sized freezer bag for each meal and store each bag flat in the freezer to take up less space. I recommend removing each meal from the freezer the night before you are planning to serve it so it can defrost overnight in the refrigerator, for best results.
Even if you don’t make these meals ahead of time, all 5 Crock-Pot freezer meals are deliciously simple and utilize basic pantry and fridge ingredients you’re likely to have on hand!
We’ve even included a FREE printable grocery list that you can take with you to the store. Or, if you’re like me and love shopping for groceries in your pajamas, you can click through the links on our grocery list here and add all of the ingredients to your Walmart Grocery cart for a quick and easy pickup!
Not familiar with Walmart Grocery Pickup? Check out why we love using this grocery pickup service.
Want to try making these Crock Pot freezer meals?
Download Our Master Grocery List HERE (includes ingredients for all 5 meals below)
Hip recipe tips for Crock Pot freezer meals:
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- I thought it was faster to label all the Crock Pot freezer meal bags first with a Sharpie marker to indicate the name of the meal and the date created. Then cut up all the meat and add to bags, and move on to the vegetables, sauces, etc.
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- These Baggie Racks are handy for holding the sides of a freezer bag upright while filling them.
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- Crock Pot freezer meals should last 3-6 months if stored properly in a freezer.
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- Any of these can be catered to taste and most items can be substituted (such as other veggies or spices). For instance, if you can’t find the ginger paste, use fresh or powdered ginger instead. Same with fresh garlic and garlic from the jar. Feel free to use this as a general guide and improvise according to taste and what’s in your fridge/pantry.
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- Keep in mind cooking times may vary depending on the size and shape of your slow cooker. I find Crockpot meals cook faster when I use my larger oval-shaped 6-quart slow cooker as opposed to my tall medium-sized 4-quart slow cooker.
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- Servings sizes for these meals are about 4-5 servings. We have four people in my family and we had leftovers for all of these meals.
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- You can also cook the rice ahead of time and freeze it. Consider storing cooked rice in separate freezer bags according to the amount you use in one dinner. To reheat, microwave in a bowl or place on a skillet with a little butter or olive oil. Then, sprinkle with some water and stir fry.
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- My kids LOVED the Creamy Italian Chicken the most. It’s a must-try if you don’t already make a similar version. 😊
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- These meals would make a fantastic and thoughtful gift for a new mom or someone who isn’t currently able to do lots of freezer meal prep themselves.
1.) Teriyaki Chicken
Fill a freezer bag with:
To Cook:
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- Place thawed contents in a slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Optional: To thicken the sauce at the end, whisk together 1/2 cup of the cooked sauce with 2 tablespoons cornstarch and pour back in the slow cooker.
- Turn cooker on high for an extra 10-15 minutes so the sauce can thicken. Serve on top of rice and garnish with sesame seeds if desired.
2.) Sausage with Onions & Peppers
Fill a freezer bag with:
To Cook:
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- Place thawed contents in the slow cooker for about 5-6 hours on low or 3 hours on high.
- Serve on top of rice, as desired.
3.) Creamy Italian Chicken
Fill a freezer bag with:
To Cook:
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- Place thawed contents in the slow cooker on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Serve chicken on top of noodles, and garnish with Parmesan cheese.
4.) Cilantro Lime Chicken
Fill a freezer bag with:
To Cook:
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- Place thawed contents in the slow cooker and cook on low 7-8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Shred chicken and serve on top of tortillas for tacos or serve on top of rice. Garnish with extra lime or cilantro if desired. This is one of the Crock Pot freezer meals that is easy to customize to your tastes.
5.) Chinese Beef & Broccoli
Fill a freezer bag with:
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- 2 pounds beef, sliced (sirloin works well)
- 1 can beef consomme (found in the soup aisle)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 cups fresh or frozen broccoli (separate in a smaller bag)
To Cook:
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- Place defrosted contents in the slow cooker on low 7-8 hours or high 4 hours. Consider bagging the broccoli separate and adding it in about 30 minutes before the meat is done cooking (otherwise, the broccoli tends to overcook!).
- Optional: To thicken the sauce at the end, whisk together 1/2 cup of the cooked sauce with 2 tablespoons cornstarch and pour back in the slow cooker. Turn cooker on high for an extra 10-15 minutes so the sauce can thicken.
- Serve beef and broccoli on top of rice and garnish with chopped green onion if desired.
Ready to try your hand at these Crock Pot freezer meals?
Download Our Master Grocery List HERE
Eating low carb? Check out our keto freezer slow cooker meals on Hip2Keto!
I’m super excited to try these!! Now if everyone will stop hoarding chicken I could actually make them for when work and school starts again! Thanks for the great recipes!
You’re welcome! Enjoy <3
Right?!? I haven’t been able to find chicken yet, it’s been two weeks! I even made sausage & peppers with “real” sausage instead of the turkey sausage I normally use because I can’t get that right now.
Oh shoot. I did Walmart grocery pick up yesterday and they had most things I ordered. I hope that changes for you and everyone soon! I am on the hunt for flour as that seems out by me.
Lina, have you tried Costco? When we couldn’t find flour anywhere else, were able to find huge bags at Costco, which we put into our Rubbermaid brilliance containers. 😊
Oh thanks for the tip Carrie! That comment was in March. You know where I did find some? A local bakery that was selling their flour at that time.
Since then I’ve been able to stock up, but YES I love Costco for baking supplies to!
Chicken is all we can find & I’m running out of creative ways to cook it.
Have you looked for restaurant supply places selling meat? We found one for Atlanta and they have saved us!!! We ordered meat at grocery store prices and have been absolutely wowed. If you live anywhere near metro Atl (we are an hr away) look into Farmers and Fishermen!
wow luckily never have had a problem finding chicken this week foster farms is 79 cents a pound at fred meyer/kroger …i’ve found the frozen costco chicken breasts every week.
Thank you for these. Making the cilantro lime chicken today, have all the ingredients on hand, Yay!
Oh perfect 👌 enjoy!
these look AMAZING! this is great, thank you !!! we’re getting bored w/ the same old same old. this is a nice way to perk up dinner
Oh nice! Thanks for the feedback Jill!
Thank you! I will be printing and making these 🙂
Oh I’m glad – thanks!
Looks great! Do you have an idea on cost? Thanks!
You could try a food service/ restaurant supply store that sells to the public. I found many things like frozen chicken , hot dog rolls , French fries , frozen veggies, and hamburger patties.
Lina,thx 4 the recipes. Quick question. Do you think I could use turkey ,in place of the chicken,in the creamy Italian chicken.? I just found a frozen turkey,in my freezer ..I’m trying to find a new recipe for it ?Plus I’m trying to find something my boys and I can make togather.My husband loves turkey,so when this is over, and he comes home .It can become a dinner ,to reminder us,sometimes you have to sacrifice yourself, to help others out . God bless.
What kind of turkey? Boneless? Whole breast? Tenderloin? We’re here to help with how to cook it! Any type is perfect for the crockpot as long as it fits, but it should be thawed in the fridge first.
Jen S. Hi .. it’s a frozen turkey breast.. it’s about 9 lbs.So you think I should cook it ,and then make the recipe? Thanks 4 the offer to help
Cook for 9 hours if frozen or 7 ½ hours if not frozen on low or to 170 degree internal temperature.
I found those directions for the breast- I think it would work for the creamy Italian recipe- sounds yummy!
Thx, so much for the info.. !!
Can these recipes be put in an Instant Pot? If so, how do I know how long to cook them?
Is there a link to print out all these recipes?
Yes! Be sure to click on the print option at the top or bottom of the post. There you can print the recipes. You can also select to remove any section you do not want printed by clicking on the (x). Don’t forget to click through the store list link above and print that as well! Hope this helps!
I am not able to print the recipes. I clink on the print link and it is blank. Is there another way I can print? Thank you.
Oh darn! SO sorry about that. Thanks for the heads up! Looking into this now.
Any luck with printing yet?
It seems we’re still working on it! Sorry for the delay!
Thank you for the help!
You bet! It looks like we should have this working again in the next 24 hours!
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!
Still no luck!
I am sorry to keep bothering you! I am wanting to give these bags to a family and would like to give them the printed recipes. Do you think we will be able to print any time soon?
Love this, thank you! I’m 32 weeks pregnant and looking for some good recipes for my post partum days.
Asking for a friend… You’re supposed to remove the food from the bag before cooking, right?
Yes. Pour the ingredients into the slow cooker, and discard bag.
I found chicken yesterday and just made the three chicken recipes!! Super excited!!! Thank you!!!
Oh good! Thanks for sharing ❤️
perfect timing! My husband is remodeling our kitchen and I have my pressure cooker, air fryer and crockpot to cook with!
Oh good – enjoy Alyssa!
Thank you! I am disabled and live alone. Most days I am way to exhausted to cook. This is amazing for a good day. I could eat a nice meal daily!
Thanks Hallie for your feedback. I hope you enjoy your meals ❤️
Ok I made all of these except the sausage and peppers because I was missing an ingredient. The creamy Italian chicken was good but needed more flavor, I’m going to try extra garlic and finishing with some fresh parsley next time. The cilantro lime chicken (I skipped the corn, I don’t care for it) was good served with yellow rice, as was the teriyaki chicken (I’ll add a few more veggies to this one next time). The Chinese beef & broccoli was the best! Only thing I’m changing there is doubling the recipe!! I served it over plain white rice and it was perfect!
Perfect – thanks for the feedback !
Those recipes are great! Could you post more?
Thanks for the feedback!
Lina, you are flippin’ the BOMB! I can always count on your recipes and I have to say with this quarantine stuff, day 987, I am so TOTALLY OVER cooking right now so LOVE your freezer meals and even have most of the stuff to make probably 4 of ’em. Thank you SO much and keep cooking and posting! You are a real woman/mom who makes REAL food, no foo foo ingredients and for that I am thankful!
Aw thanks Gina for the sweet encouragement! It’s a lot of days of cookingin a row – I agree! Lol 😂 Thanks and hang in there ❤️
My friends and I each picked one meal and made 5 of them, then traded them! It was easier buying ingredients and prepping 5 of the same bags than doing 5 different ones! Of course, this was before the virus.
Thanks Gail for sharing!
I’m thinking these can be cooked in an instapot….If so, what would you recommend for time?
These are soooooooo good and makes weeknight meals super easy! Thank you so much! When are you going to do another one of these articles? We need more of these simple prep and yummy meal recipes! Love the printable list too!!! Thank you!
Thanks so much Jodi for your feedback! Glad you enjoyed 💕
How would the cooking instructions for these meals translate to the instant pot? I would love to do this, but I don’t have a crockpot.
My DH & I made all 5 of these when you first posted a year or so ago; we divided them up into two bags each and ended up with 10 meals. Our favorites were the Beef & Broccoli and the Teriyaki Chicken. Along with the name of the dish on the bag, I wrote any extra things like – serve with rice and broccoli (I don’t like frozen broccoli), or garnish ideas, etc. Helped when my husband made them so I wouldn’t have Teriyaki Chicken over spaghetti noodles! haha
Thanks for posting again as a good reminder to pull out my copies and make again. 🙂
great ideas I will have to try this.
thank you, i don’t think we’ll make them ahead but was looking for some new easy to prepare recipes for my 22 year old to make…they are just learning to cook
Oh great idea! Thanks for stopping by!
I found everything and added it to my cart:
$54 in San Antonio, TX
Not a bad deal for 5 meals (with inevitable leftovers!)
-I did have a some spices and onions already-
Perfect! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for posting this again. I was just thinking today that I needed to get some freezer meals ready. Perfect timmning.
Oh nice- yes these are winners! I hope you enjoy too. 😃
This is so perfect for me. I recently had back surgery and will have more. This will be a great help.
All I can say is wow this post is amazing. I have really gotten into the rut of doing last minute unhealthy meals. I really wanted the new goal to make homemade meals more often. This post is amazing. I really said “Wow” out loud to myself when I saw the printable shopping list! I am so impressed with this post and this is so helpful!
Oh I’m glad this was helpful! Thanks for sharing Samantha!
would beef broth work for beef consomme? They didnt have any at the store.
Thanks!
Yes I would think so. It may not be as rich, but in a pinch I think ok!
I use beef broth and I’ve even used a bullion cube dissolved in water in a pinch and they’ve both been fine.
I’ve tried all of these except sausage & peppers because I already had a crockpot recipe I use for that. The cilantro lime chicken wasn’t great, I think I could tweak the ingredients to make it more to our liking though so it’s a good starting point. I’ve tweaked the creamy italian chicken and that’s become a family favorite. I sometimes sautee mushrooms to go on top when I serve it over pasta. (I’ve even made it on the stovetop with chicken cutlets and then topped with the sauce.) The Chinese beef & broccoli and teriyaki chicken are in steady rotation. I just recommend making sure you use florets instead of cut broccoli to avoid getting those hard, woody pieces that wreck a dish.
Do you have something like this for instant pot meals or direction on how to cook these in the instant pot??
Thanks for the feedback! I haven’t tested these in the instant pot but if we do will add the process.
Made all 5 for my son to take to college. He’s making the first today. Will see how he likes them! Told him to let me know so I know if I should make for the rest of us at home! Did take more than an hour to make but hopefully next time should go faster!
Wow what a great mom! That’s so sweet, love it!
I noticed the cooking time is super off if I use my 6qt oval crock pot. It cooked in about half the time. I am testing the creamy chicken in my 4qt round crock pot tonight and hoping the times are closer to what you suggested.
I have made these and given to a niece when family was not feeling well. They loved every meal. I’m about to make a batch for someone else. I really need to make them for myself so I can try them 🙂
What a great gift! Thanks Lisa!
Could these freezer meals be placed in the slow cooker frozen instead of thawing?
I bought Italian sweet sausage. Should I precook this sausage before freezing the dinner or slice them and freeze raw?
thanks
Yes if it was me I would maybe precook and brown first.
thank you for a prompt response!
Anyone know of a way to make the creamy italian chicken without a cream of chicken soup?
https://hip2save-com-develop.go-vip.co/recipes/cream-of-chicken-soup/
You can just make your own if you’d like. Hope that helps!
Hello! I am still can’t print out the recipe and hope anyone else can help me out with this issue, thanks!
So sorry! Looking into this now! Thanks so much for the heads up!
Hi there, Pamela! Amber shared that you were having trouble printing, so we added a printable to the post for you, with the grocery list + all the recipes. Hope that is helpful!
I copy and paste it into a word doc and then I can remove/format it the way I want (I try to get it on 1 page).
Thanks for sharing what works best for you, Heather. Great suggestion! 🤗
Hi Lina! If using the instant pot, could these be cooked from frozen? And if so, do you have any ideas on how to adjust the cook times, or where I could look for some guidance? Thank you so much for this beautiful post, I would really love to try prepping ALL of these! 😍
Good morning, A.B.! 💓 I shared your sweet comment and question with Lina. 🤗 Here’s what she shared with me – “We have not tested IP but found this to be suggested a few times online – INSTANT POT: From frozen, 15 minutes on high pressure + 10 minutes natural release. May need to let defrost a bit first to get out of the bag.” Hoping this might be helpful. Let us know, if you try it out!
Thanks Lina!
I’d love to see some that have very little processed foods. i.e canned
Oh Thanks for the suggestion, Amanda!