Graceful Little Honey Bee

12 Easy Freezer Meals in 2 Hours

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Learn how to make 12 freezer meals in 2 hours for $50! Recipes included!

  So I finally jumped on the freezer cooking bandwagon. I’ve done freezer cooking before, but not this many meals at once. I tried to keep things as simple and frugal (I spent around $50) as possible. I feel so accomplished knowing I have a freezer full of meals to use over the next few weeks. So here are the recipes for the 12 easy freezer meals that I made in 2 hours:

 

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup (make recipe x 4)

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken (make recipe x 2)

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken & Veggies (make recipe x 1 and split into two bags)

Creamy Baked Pasta (make recipe x 2)

Chili Mac Casserole (make recipe x 2)

 

I’m pretty picky when it comes to slow cooker and freezer meals. Normally, it seems like they’re all centered around expensive meats that you still have to add side dishes to make a meal, so I picked two meatless casseroles and for the rest I used frozen chicken breasts (do not thaw!). Here’s a picture of everything before I got started. As you can probably tell I bought almost everything from Aldi and used some things (potatoes, peppers and corn) from my garden.

 

*I just want to add that everyone has access to a different set of resources so do the best you can with what you have! Also, I was able to do this in 2 hours because I’m used to making most of these recipes, but if they’re new to you then it may take a bit longer the first time.

 

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The only pre-cooking required for the recipes that I chose was boiling the noodles. So I put the water on while I was gathering all of my ingredients and labeling my freezer bags. Once I got everything together, I chopped my onions and put the Chicken Taco Soup and Teriyaki Chicken bags together.

 

Then, I chopped the veggies for the BBQ Chicken & Veggies and made those bags. Then I drained the noodles and put the Creamy Baked Pasta and Chili Mac Casseroles together. PHEW. Here are the recipes that I used:

 

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken and Veggies (makes 2 meals)
2 green peppers, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
3 onions chopped
6 red potatoes, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
4 frozen chicken breasts

1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce

1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 bottle of BBQ sauce
(Split ingredients into two bags and freeze)
Cook in slow cooker on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours

(Recipe from here.)

 

Teriyaki Chicken (make recipe x 2)
3 frozen chicken breasts
1 cup Teriyaki sauce
1 cup water
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 cloves of garlic
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Serve over rice.

(Recipe from here.)

*This recipe ended up being pretty runny because I reduced the amount of chicken from the original recipe. So I added cooked rice and veggies after it was done to make it a complete one bowl meal. These extra ingredients are not on the shopping list below.

 

Chicken Taco Soup (make recipe x 4)
2 Frozen Chicken Breasts
1 Can Black Beans
1 Can Corn
1 Can Rotel
1 Onion, chopped
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch dip mix
Cook in slow cooker on low 8 hours.

 

Creamy Baked Pasta (make recipe x 2)
16 oz pasta, cooked and drained
1 jar pasta sauce
8 oz tub sour cream
1/4 c parm. cheese
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Saute Onions
Mix all ingredients in pot over medium heat until all ingredients are combined.

Pour in casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese on top.

Bake @ 350 for 30 min (45 min – 1 hr if frozen)

(My Recipe)

 

Chili Mac Casserole (make recipe x 2)
16 oz pasta, cooked and drained
1 can chili beans
1 packet chili seasoning
1 onion, chopped
1 can Rotel or stewed tomatoes
1  15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar
Mix all ingredients in casserole dish.

Sprinkle cheese on top.
Bake @ 350 for 30 min (45-1 hr if frozen)

 

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It was quite a bit of work, especially since I chose to do it alone with a toddler and baby in the house, but it was definitely worth it! I will probably do this again sometime soon.

 

NOTE: For safety reasons all meat should be fully thawed before placing in the slow cooker.

 

Click to Download Shopping List

Click to Download Recipe List

 

 

 

If you enjoyed this, you may also like:

Learn how to make 6 frugal and healthy ground beef freezer meals in one hour! 6 Slow Cooker Freezer Meals in One Hour on gracefullittlehoneybee.com

 

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  1. Thank you so much!!! I appreciate this being FREE and EASY!!! You don't even know how many sites I went to only to find out that I would need to pay for the content. I almost started to cry at how easy your site is and as a busy mama that is a huge blessing!! Thanks from the bottom of my heart!!!
    Reply

  2. I have not tried these recipes yet but truly would love to see 2people really look forward of trying them and thank you I'm sure they'll be a great help
    Reply

  4. How would you cook the 3 slow cooker recipes otherwise? I've made the meals already but anticipate not being able to use my slow cooker to cook them and want to have another option if needed. Thanks!!
    Reply

    • The chicken and onions would need to be pre cooked for the Taco Soup and then you could just simmer it on the stove for 30-45 minutes. The other two could be cooked in a casserole dish at 350 until the chicken and veggies are cooked through.
      Reply

  5. Anything WITHOUT tomatoes, onions or chicken?? Majority of freezer prep meals contain one or all these, so it's difficult to adjust in a rush. These are my allergies and I really want to up my meal plan/ freezer meal days in the near future. Thx!!
    Reply

  6. Thank you so much for sharing these! I just went to our Aldi's and spent right around 60 for all the stuff. Although I may have made the creamy pasta bake wrong because it actually made three 9 by 13 pans full. It was enough to feed my family of 5 (3 adults and 2 little boys 5 and 6). We still had enough for leftovers for lunch the next day. When I make it again I'm thinking of adding cottage cheese or ricotta cheese to mke it more lasaganaish. I did drain my cans for the Taco soup so I'll purchase some bullion to add to the water. It was my mistake I was rushing and I'm greatly pregnant so I wasn't reading the instructions very well. Thank you again.
    Reply

  7. Hi! I have been looking at freezer meals forever but have been too scared to try it until I found this post. I love how you created the shopping list (I am the WORST shopper!). Can't wait to try. One question... the recipes are all x2 or x4, does your shopping list account for this? Or should I multiply the the quantities of ingredients on the list also by 2 and 4? Thank you!
    Reply

  8. I'm so thankful I came across this post the other day! I've been wanting to freezer prep for months, but my son was born five weeks early so I never got around to it. Last night I prepped the chicken teriyaki and the creamy baked pasta... Can't wait to try more of your recipes!
    Reply

  10. What a great post. I agree with the others about more freezer meal posts. Thanks a ton...(ton of money and time saved) =0)
    Reply

  12. This is the absolutely first list of freezer meals that I think my picky kids would eat. My teen son is autistic and prefers simple yet whole food meals. Doesn’t like fast food, convenience food, white bread (will eat rice and pasta), etc. Finances are tight and I’m so not creative. Thanks for this list. I’m doing this the next time I buy groceries.
    Reply

  13. What is all the chicken broth on your counter used for? I don't see it in any of the recipe ingredients or on your ingredient list. Thaka for getting back to me. I've prepped all the meals but am at a loss...
    Reply

  15. I need some help. Making these 38 weeks.prego lol! But the recipe.linka don't work. For BBQ chicken and veggies you used a whole bottle of sauce and then just.combined and froze everything? And the teryaki chicken is it.juat the same? Combine everything in a bag and freeze? And am.i suppose to buy casserole.tin dishes for the pastas? You never mentioned..sorry to be a pain just I purchased everything and don't want to do it wrong
    Reply

  17. Hello! This are the first freezer/crockpot meals that truly sound good to me and that i really want to try. no cans of processed soup loaded with sodium. Only one jar of pasta sauce which i assume is alfredo sauce and I bet that can be homemade. Thank you! will you tell me please how many people each recipe will feed? I only cook for myself and my sister. I wouldn't want more than four servings per meal. I hope to hear back from you soon! i am really looking forward to trying these recipes!
    Reply

  20. I don't want to be naive, but, when you say (make this recipe x 2) for example, do you mean that you need twice the ingredients or that this recipe makes 2 batches?
    Reply

  21. Hello, question - so we put everything in freezer bags after it's put together? Chicken goes in the bags frozen. Freeze till we need and then drop right in the crock pot for times noted? It's that easy? I feel like I might be missing something.
    Reply

  22. So excited to do this! The grocery list was very helpful! I have everything and am starting to make them. Perfect for this winter as I have a little boy on the way in a few weeks :)
    Reply

  24. When i cook for us two i generally make a full batch Recipe and follow up with freezing whats left after plating. Recently i made chili for four now I have a meal in the freezer with some black beans which I cooked to put in it rather than a can of beans. I've got three cans of black beans worth in the freezer for other things should I need a can. When making banana bread I double the batch freezing the other three loafs for later. Since moving I have only a nine by nine backing pan so our carrot pineapple coconut cake had to be baked in that and a loaf pan which I froze ; I cut off a piece when I make my finace's lunch. Thanks for the inspiration to batch cook by the week.
    Reply

  30. Can any of these be cooked in the Instant Pot and if so which ones and times needed. thank you these recipes sound great and I’m looking forward to trying them.
    Reply

    • I'm sure you could cook several of these in the Instant Pot, but I don't have a conversion for you. Sorry. You could always look up similar recipes for the Instant Pot on Pinterest.
      Reply