Here are 25 freezer meals that don’t require any cooking ahead of time. That’s right. NO COOKING. Simply combine the meats, vegetables, sauces and spices, and freeze!
Since none of these freezer meals need to be cooked before freezing them, the prep process is super fast. They’re the perfect recipes for busy moms who struggle to get dinner on the table, let alone stock their freezers too.
Prep a couple of these freezer recipes while your kids are napping (or watching TV) or set aside a few hours on the weekend to stock your freezer. Whatever works for you.
All of these freezer meals cook for the first time in your slow cooker or oven. That means they taste just as good as freshly-prepared meals – not like leftovers at all!
Curious how it all works? Check out the recipes below!
Twenty-Five Freezer Meals that Don’t Require any Cooking Ahead of Time
- Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
- Garden Vegetable Soup
- Beef Roast with Carrots
- Slow Cooker Party Pork
- Slow Cooker Cranbery Pork Roast
- Shredded Pork Tacos
- Slow Cooker Shredded BBQ Chicken
- Ginger Garlic Chicken
- Slow Cooker BBQ Pork
- Slow Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut
- Chicken Fajitas
- Slow Cooker Chicken Curry
- Brown Sugar Meatloaf
- Bean & Cheese Burritos
- Slow Cooker Curried Pork Chops
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Ham & Veggie Breakfast Strata
- Vegetable Barley Soup
- Ham & Broccoli Calzones
- Mexican Chicken Calzones
- Slow Cooker Spicy Pepper Beef Roast
- Breakfast Oatmeal
- Spiced Carrot Bread
- Oatmeal Chip Cookies
- Slow Cooker Sweet & Spicy BBQ Chicken
The recipes without links are from my Complete Freezer Cooking Bundle.
If you’re brand-new to freezer cooking, check out my freezer meal tips to learn how to convert a regular recipe to a freezer recipe. My freezer-to-slow cooker tips are also very helpful.
Happy quick freezing, Ladies!
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PS For more recipes and tips, you can find me on Pinterest @kellymcnelis.
I read your original recipe for party pork. And am curious if you put all the ingredients in to your freezer as a freezer meal, does it increase the cook time or temp from the original recipe. Your original recipe shows cooking times for cooking with fresh unfrozen meat…. but your freezer meal idea would start from frozen. Please let me know as I want to try some of these recipes for the freezer, but think you should make it a little more clear for people to follow on cook times 🙂 Thanks so much for posting…
I recommend thawing the freezer meal overnight in your refrigerator. The cooking time will depend on the size and strength of your slow cooker. Meals that were frozen take about 10-12 hours to cook in my Hamilton Beach 4-quart slow cooker and about 8-10 hours in my 7-quart Crockpot. Hope this helps!
What kind of Slow Cooker are you using. I am in the market for a new one and would love a really nice one. So many out there, not sure which to choose…
I have two: A Hamilton Beach 4-quart slow cooker and a Crock-Pot 7-quart slow cooker. They’re both very basic models. If you’re looking for something really nice, I’ve heard the All-Clad Stainless Steel 6.5-Quart Slow Cooker is the best. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the recipes and for the sharing. I am a little taken aback though, have to say, in this year 2013, plus the fact that you are a psychologist, that you say your mission is to make life easier for moms, and Happy Quick Freezing Ladies! What about the Dads, Husbands? My partner cooks almost as much as I do, we are as busy as each other juggling child, home, and work life. Please, maybe it’s a small thing to you, but wording and language is important, and every time someone in your position limits women to the kitchen… Read more »
I think it’s great when men are active with cooking, childcare, and all other household responsibilities! Marriage is a partnership and we need to support one another, for sure!
Also for elderly parents. I’m thinking of buying a crock pot for my parents, then making up lots of freezer meals for them.
I like to try to remember not to take offense when none is given. If her wording doesn’t fit your situation, her advise and recipes can still be valid and useful. Just take what you need from it and leave what you don’t. There are enough things in life to be upset about without adding to them by worrying about things that were never meant to be offensive to anyone.
AMEN Mandy!!!
Good reply, Mandy! I completely agree with you.
I believe if a woman is sure within herself that she is important, that her position as a woman, and wife and mother, is worthwhile work, I don’t think she’s going to be bothered by “wording” or “labels” or what the rest of the world thinks. She KNOWS she’s a valid, contributing, member of society, and of her household. I don’t think the world has trouble identifying a strong, complete, woman. We know who we are. It’s in the knowing that the world around us takes their cues from… I am woman, hear me ROAR! The kitchen, (or the house,… Read more »
I’m a dude. Father of 4. Married to the most beautiful woman in the world who also happens to be a lot smarter and stronger than me (yes, she can kick my ass at any given moment). And there is one thing I can tell Gillian about strong, smart, beautiful women like my wife: they couldn’t give a rat’s ass about whether or not a a strong, beautiful, smart woman like Kelly was or was not 100% politically correct in delivering a very helpful, thoughtful article. Gillian, I gotta to tell you, sweat-heart: You are a pain in the ass.… Read more »
Telling someone they need to get laid in order to think clearly is disgustingly misogynist, as is the demeaning label of “sweat(sic)-heart.” As a man who also married the most beautiful woman the world (maybe we should compare notes), I was taken aback the conclusion as well. Not enough to comment until I saw your slime, but as someone who cooks the majority of the week, I feel there is no reason to continue the stereotype, even in written language. The article is greatly appreciated, but your demeanor is not. P.S. my wife does care about making sure that those… Read more »
*applause* @Will
Thank you for your comment, Will. When I first read the article the first thing I noticed was how sexist it sounded. I wasn’t turned off enough to comment but when I saw how people reacted to Gillian I felt obligated. Saying “busy parents” is just as easy to write as “busy moms.” My father cooked (and cleaned) as much or more than my mother and my husband cooks a little more than I do now. As someone expecting their first child I am even more aware now of these gender expectations and sterotypes. I actually hear more sexist comments… Read more »
Anyone who thinks this article sounds sexist looks at the world through jaded shades. Seriously, I bet those who think this article sounds sexist slam every single article that is geared at a specific gender group. There is seriously one word in the entire article that talks to one group, and that’s the line “Happy cooking ladies.” This blog author writes to MOMS. Sure, there are dads and singles and men and teens that can benefit from some of her articles… but she writes to moms. Get over it! Is it seriously that big of a deal? Woodworkers blog to… Read more »
as a wife, mother and job holder who was born in the 50’s, I didn’t even know to be offended at “sexist” articles or language until the 90’s when all the little girls of the world were told to be offended. Yes you can stand up for your rights as a woman, but nit-picking every article isn’t the way to do it. My husband used to help me clean house, did 60% of the cooking when I had to work late, and also held down a 60-hr a week job. I believe he would have been incensed at the attitude… Read more »
Boaztelling somebody to get “laid” sounds too close to rape culture language for my taste. I would hate for somebody to say something like that to my daughter, sisters, friends. It’s an offensive, aggressive, and suggestive comment.
Also, the original poster’s comment on using gender-neutral language was worded very tactfully and politely. I don’t think it’s fair for people to write personal attacks, it’s her opinion, and it’s a good suggestion.
You’re awesome Boaz!
Dude, I love your comment!! Freakin love it. I am a stay home, homeschooling, homesteading, bad-ass hay haulin’ mama who is an amazing and supportive wife, my husband deploys often. I AM a woman and a girl all at once, and I do not WANT to be the same equal. In some ways I am smarter and more capable, but when my engine oil is low, or my clutch master cylinder goes out-I do love that my husband is quick and happy to fix it. And when men say sweet heart, I think awww… He is a nice guy!
Bahahahahaha! Well said.
SPOT ON Boaz!!!
Gillian sounds like one those feminazis that hates everything in the free world!
Yes, I think we all understand…. you’re nit-picking.
If you have a partner that cooks, good for you! And kudos to him! But most of us either 1. don’t, or 2. have a partner that, when cooking, makes either hot dogs or nachos. I didn’t even THINK about this article being sexist (especially since there is only one word in the article that speaks specifically to ladies, and that word is “ladies” in the closing sentence) until you said something about it. I only thought “Wow, this sure would make basketball Wednesdays easier!” You are the one who made this article sexist, not the author. If you’re referring… Read more »
P.S. It is SO STUPID that this FANTASTIC post with GREAT ideas for frozen meals turned into a gender language battle.
What the heck? No one CARES if you say ladies or guys. I could care less if a paper says “he” or “she.” Lame and terribly annoying. Why does every single article I read have to turn negative in the comments? Get. Over. It.
I agree, Get Over It People. She said “Busy Moms” because she is one…. You people have way to much time on your hands if your offended by that. You need more important things in your life to worry about.
Thank you for the recipes.
You’re welcome! 🙂
I agree with you Jessica. It is just that so many people are filled with hate the last few years. We all eat, we all need meal ideas, and busy moms appreciate this article.
As a man who does the majority of the cooking in our household, I’d like to say I wasn’t offended by your choice of vocabulary, Kelly!
Thank you!
Cheers, Gillian. I hope your words at least inspired some others to think about gender roles and how language forms the framework upon which we build our reality. I think you made your point very respectfully and succinctly. Thanks for speaking up. If we, who notice these things, continue to point them out, perhaps one day we won’t need to anymore.
I really like the post, by the way, and will be sharing it with my husband.
No offense intended to anyone.
Please, please, please, gillian, if you are offended by any words in this blog, just simply move on to another blog that suits you. There are thousands to choose from. Google “dad’s cooking” or something similar. Kelly is talking to busy Moms. That does not mean that Dads, children, grandmas and granddads can not take something away from it. When I want to learn how to do something that is considered a “man’s job,” I don’t get offended when the tutorial is obviously talking to males. I take and learn from it what I want. Kelly, I noticed that you… Read more »
I don’t think of it as limiting women to the kitchen. I think if it as adding something else we can do, increasing learning, improving a skill etc… My husband does more than 50% of the cooking these days (I used to do almost all of it). Being a housewife is not demeaning. I have been one nearly 30 of our 37 yrs of marriage. I very much enjoy it. 🙂
Thanks, Donna!
WOW leave it to the internet to take offense over a post- giving away FREE recipes. I’m printing these for my husband and I both- as we are both busy professionals and I take no offense. No one is perfect, and if you’re concerned about PC, stay off the internet, tv, and every other form of communication. Word to the wise, you cannot and should not control others or enforce your opinions on them. When you decide to make a site giving away free recipes, by all means include as many pc terms as possible, and please brush up on… Read more »
Give it a rest. So tired of people knit picking on others language. This is about recipes, not equality in the home. And for the record, my husband does his share of housework.
Don’t forget that many Dads are cooking the meals, while Mom works or attends classes; or they just like to do the cooking. These meals are good for kids learning to cook as well. Good ideas.
How do you go about finding how to make these meals?
Each one links to its recipe or where it can be found in my cookbooks.
[…] out the original post for more […]
Should you really be putting meat and vegetables in a single package and freeze them? Don’t you worry about cross contamination as it thaws or freezes? Not so sure I would do that. However, I used to do this for my husband years ago because he and a construction crew lived 200 miles away during the week in a RV. I would package everything together in a gallon bag is separate other zip locks, but did take some precautions with the meat packages so as they thawed and froze, there was little risk of cross contamination.
No, I’m not sure what kind of contamination could take place. Don’t you cook your meats and vegetables together in your slow cooker and your stovetop?
There is nor need for worry of cross contamination. All of the food, meat and veg are going into a slow cooker. They are going to be cooked together . You only need to worry about cross contamination if you are eating raw foods. Like cutting raw chicken and then cutting lettuce on the same cutting board. If you cook it the bacteria is gone.
you need a pin it button my dear!
You can pin/tweet/FB/like using the little icons at the top of the page!
My husband will be glad to know that you count cookies as a meal as well! 😉
🙂