5-Ingredient Freezer Meals // Freezer Meals 101

 

Easy Crock-Pot Chicken Cacciatore Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 24 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
  • 1 zucchini, coarsely chopped
  • 3/4 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

Assembly instructions:

  1. Place the chicken breasts in a large, resealable freezer bag.
  2. Dump the other ingredients in the bag.
  3. Remove excess air from the bag and seal. Freeze flat.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump bag contents into the slow cooker.
  3. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Ensure that chicken is cooked through before serving.
  4. Serve over your choice of pasta noodles. We usually use penne or rotini, but a long noodle is fine too.

Baked Tortellini Alfredo Recipe:

  • 1 lb. cheese tortellini (we like the tri-color rainbow one)
  • 2 jars Alfredo sauce (I use Classico because I like to use their jars like mason jars afterward!)
  • 1/2 – 1 cup of your chosen mix-ins* (in these pictures, I used sliced mushrooms and frozen peas)
  • 1 cup shredded Mozza cheese
  • 1/4 cup shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese

*Examples of mix-ins:  

  • cooked cubed chicken and 2 Tbsp. of pesto
  • sliced mushrooms and frozen peas
  • crumbled bacon and sundried tomatoes
  • sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts
  • browned Italian sausage

The nice thing about this recipe is that you don’t have to boil the pasta. It cooks right in the dish.

Assembly instructions:

  1. Add everything except the Parmesan to a 9×13 baking dish or casserole dish. Stir. If you prefer to save space in your freezer,  you can add it to a large resealable freezer bag and squish it to combine.
  2. Top with the Parmesan. 
  3. Cover with two layers of aluminum foil, one that is directly on top of the pasta so there isn’t as much air in the container.
  4. Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Remove from freezer.
  2. Bake at 375° for 30-40 minutes or one hour if still frozen. If frozen, remove foil for the last 10 minutes of bake time.
Easiest Butter Chicken
Ingredients
  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
  • 375 mL jar of butter chicken sauce
For serving:
  • optional: cilantro for serving
Instructions
Assembly instructions:

  1. Cube the chicken and place it in a large resealable freezer bag.

  2. Pour the sauce over top.

  3. Remove the excess air and seal. Freeze.

Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. Dump the bag contents into a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.

  3. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

  4. If desired, top with coarsely chopped fresh cilantro.


BBQ Pulled Pork Recipe
Servings: 12
Calories: 399 kcal
Ingredients
  • 12-15 lbs. pork shoulder butt roast
  • 1 bottle BBQ sauce
  • 3 Tbsp. liquid smoke
  • buns for serving
Rub
  • 3 cups brown sugar
  • ¼ cup onion powder
  • ¼ cup garlic powder
  • ¼ cup paprika
  • ¼ cup salt
  • 3 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
  • 3 Tbsp. black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. ground thyme
  • 1 Tbsp. dill
Instructions
  1. Rinse the pork roast under water to allow the rub to stick better.
  2. In a mixing bowl, stir together brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, black pepper, salt, thyme, and dill.

  3. Spread the rub all over the outside of the rinsed roast. Gently place the rubbed pork roast in a large resealable freezer bag. Take out the excess air, seal, and freeze.

  4. On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw. Once thawed, place 1/2 cup of water and 3 Tbsp. of liquid smoke in the slow cooker.
  5. Place the seasoned roast into the crock pot. Cook on low for 7-9 hours. Once cooked, drain the extra fat and water from the crock pot.
  6. Use a set of tongs or two forks to pull the roast apart. After it's shredded, add 1/2 to the full bottle of BBQ sauce and mix through.

BBQ Shredded Chicken Freezer Meal Recipe:

  • 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 3/4 cup finely minced onion
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 bottle of barbeque sauce or 425 mL of your own homemade BBQ sauce
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
To put this freezer meal together, place the chicken, minced onion, minced garlic, barbeque sauce, and apple cider vinegar in a large resealable bag. Remove excess air and seal.

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