Not much is better than having dinner ready to go in the freezer for busy days. These 7 dump and go slow cooker just require pulling a bag from the freezer, thawing and transferring to a crockpot. Dinner will slow cook all day for a flavorful meal with very little hands on time.
Admittedly my crockpot has been under utilized as of late, and whenever I do up a recipe in it I wonder why I don’t use it more often. Slow cooking meat makes for a tender, flavorful meal that can cook as you go about your day.
I love to have some meals ready to go in the freezer. Having some ready to eat meals or slow cooker recipes tucked away in the freezer means that we can still have a home cooked meal on nights we don’t feel like cooking.
These dump and go slow cooker meals require very little prep and even less hands on time when you’re ready to make the them. Pull one out of the fridge the night before, add it into your crockpot in the morning and dinner will be ready to go when you need it.
All these recipes are dairy free and gluten free. Just be sure to use gluten free soy sauce when called for, if needed!
Tips For Dump and Go Slow Cooker Meals
Use bone in meat. While you absolutely can use boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts and I often do, for dishes where you’d like the meat to hold its shape use bone in meat. I find it doesn’t shred apart quite as much as boneless meat does.
Parboil potatoes. Yes this is an extra step, however potatoes often will discolor if frozen raw. I highly recommend par boiling potatoes for 2 minutes before freezing. Especially if you’re using large potato varieties like russets where you will need to cube them. If you really want to avoid par boiling, I would use red baby potatoes as they’re least likely to discolor.
Add vegetables that are prone to overcooking at the end. Green beans are a staple in our house because we grow a ton of them in our garden. I freeze and pressure can many pints of green beans each year. I prefer to add vegetables like fresh or frozen green beans when there is 30 minutes left in the cook time. I typically add canned green beans when there is 15 minutes left. This way you get cooked green beans without them turning to mush. Depending what you are making in the crockpot, sometimes I don’t mind the vegetables to be softer in texture, for example if I’m making a soup or the vegetable is part of a sauce. Carrots, parsnips and potatoes all hold up well to a long slow cooking time in my experience.
Thaw the night before. It is not recommended to slow cook food from frozen because frozen food takes longer to heat to a safe temperature so risk of food borne illness becomes more likely. As a bonus, thawing crockpot meals before cooking allows the meat to marinate and take on so much good flavour.
Italian Balsamic Chicken Slow Cooker Recipe
Italian Balsamic Chicken Slow Cooker Recipe
Simple italian inspired chicken recipe that can be made ahead and frozen to thaw for an easy crockpot dinner.
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 lb fresh, frozen or canned green beans
- 1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except green beans and mushrooms to a gallon sized freezer bag. Lay flat and freeze.
- To cook, thaw the night before. In the morning add to the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours.
- If desired, add fresh or frozen green beans and fresh sliced mushrooms when there is 30 minutes left of cooking time. If using canned green beans, drain and add when there is 15 minutes left of cooking time.
Notes
You can add the green beans and mushrooms to the freezer bag, however for best texture I like to add them towards the end of cooking.
Pesto Chicken Slow Cooker Recipe
Pesto Chicken Crockpot Recipe
This easy and delicious pesto chicken recipe can be prepped ahead of time, so all that's needed is to thaw, add to the slow cooker for an easy weeknight meal.
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs chicken breast
- 1 cup pesto (dairy free if needed)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 lb baby potatoes, par boiled for 2 minutes
- 1 lb fresh, frozen or canned green beans
- balsamic reduction, parmesan cheese, or bruschetta for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except green beans to a gallon sized freezer bag.
- Lay flat and store in the freezer.
- To cook, thaw the night before and add to the crockpot in the morning. Cook on low for 6 hours.
- When there is 30 minutes left, stir in fresh or frozen green beans. If using canned, drain and stir in when there is 15 minutes left of cooking time.
Notes
You can add the green beans directly to the freezer bag, however for best texture I recommend adding towards the end of cooking
Honey Garlic Chicken Slow Cooker Recipe
Honey Garlic Chicken Crockpot Recipe
Honey garlic chicken can be frozen for a full meal ready to go in the freezer, just thaw, add to the crockpot and dinner is ready with little effort.
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs bone in chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (gluten free if needed)
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1 lb baby potatoes, par boiled for 2 minutes
- 1 lb fresh, frozen or canned green beans
- 1 1/2 tsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except green beans, arrowroot powder or cornstarch and water to a gallon sized freezer bag.
- Lay flat and freeze.
- To cook, thaw overnight then transfer to a crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours.
- Add fresh or frozen green beans in last 30 minutes of cooking time, or drain and add canned green beans in the last 15 minutes of cooking time.
- To thicken the sauce, whisk together cold water and arrowroot powder or cornstarch. Add mixture to the crockpot in last 5 minutes of cooking time.
Notes
Carrots can be used in place of green beans and added to the freezer bag. Boneless chicken thighs or chicken breast also work, however they will shred. Bone in meat tends to hold it's shape better when slow cooking.
Thai Chicken Curry Slow Cooker Recipe
Thai Chicken Curry Crockpot Recipe
Slow cooker thai chicken curry is a freezer friendly crockpot recipe that can easily be made vegetarian by substituting chickpeas in place of the chicken.
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 1 14 oz can coconut milk
- 4 tbsp red curry paste
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (gluten free if needed)
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 3 tbsp honey
- 6 cloves garlic, honey
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen spinach
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except spinach to a gallon sized freezer bag.
- Lay flat and freeze.
- To cook, thaw overnight in the fridge. Add to the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours.
- In final 15 minutes, stir in fresh or frozen spinach.
- Serve over rice.
Notes
To make this curry vegetarian, substitute canned chickpeas for the chicken. Sliced carrots can be added to the freezer bag as well.
Green Chicken Chili Slow Cooker Recipe
Green Chicken Chili Crockpot Recipe
Green chicken chili is the perfect freezer friendly crockpot recipe. No additional ingredients needed, just dump and go with this simple slow cooker recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 1/2 cups salsa verde
- 1 14 oz can navy beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- cilantro, jalapeños, or sour cream to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a gallon sized freezer bag.
- Lay flat and freeze.
- To cook, thaw overnight and add to a crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours.
- Use a fork to shred the chicken.
- Serve with cilantro, jalapenos and sour cream if desired.
Honey Mustard Pork Chops Slow Cooker Recipe
Honey Mustard Pork Chops Crockpot Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs pork chops
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb baby potatoes, par boiled for 2 minutes
- 1 lb fresh, frozen or canned green beans
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except green beans to a gallon sized freezer bag.
- Lay flat and freeze.
- To cook, thaw overnight and transfer to a crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours.
- If using fresh or frozen green beans, stir in at the last 30 minutes of cooking time. If using canned green beans, drain and add to the crockpot in last 15 minutes of cooking time.
Notes
I use bone in pork chops because that is what we receive from our butcher. Boneless pork chops will also work. Instead of green beans, carrots can be used and added to the freezer bag.
Pineapple Pork Chops Slow Cooker Recipe
Pineapple Pork Chops Crockpot Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs pork chops
- 2 cups fresh, frozen or canned pineapple
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (gluten free if needed)
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp arrowroot powder
- 1 tbsp cold water
Instructions
- Add all ingredeints except arrowroot and water to a gallon sized freezer bag.
- Lay flat and freeze.
- To cook, that overnight then add to a crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours.
- Serve with rice.
Notes
If using canned pineapple, feel free to use the leftover pineapple juice in place of the honey.
More Slow Cooker Recipes You May Like
Crockpot Creamy Chicken & Veggie Soup
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