12 Easy Freezer Meals in 2 Hours

ByMissy Rakes
12 Easy Freezer Meals in 2 Hours for $50 on gracefullittlehoneybee.com

Check out this list of 12 easy freezer meals that you can make in under two hours. Also, be sure to download your free printable shopping and recipe lists to get started.

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

 How to Make 12 Easy Freezer Meals in Two Hours:

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 and I know you’re going to love these recipes. 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.

IMG_2196

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 (this recipe 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

 

Teriyaki Chicken (you will make this 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.

*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 (you will make this 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 (you will make this 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)

 

Chili Mac Casserole (you will 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)

IMG_2202

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

 

Similar Posts

181 Comments

  3. Hi there! Just wanting a clarification. Under Creamy Baked Pasta, you said, "Mix all ingredients in pot over medium heat until sour cream is combined" Was that supposed to say something else? Otherwise, awesome job!
    Reply
    1. Maybe I should have said, "until sour cream is mixed in" or "until all ingredients are mixed"? I just meant until its all mixed together. How would you word it to make more sense?
      Reply
  5. As others have stated, I'm inspired. We have been in a cooking rut since hubby changed jobs. This would help us to get different meals on the table each evening until we figure out his sporadic schedule!
    Reply
  7. Great post! This post inspired my mom and I to begin freezer cooking- keep the recipes and tips coming :) Thanks a bunch for sharing this!!!! Blessings to you!
    Reply
    1. I'm so glad you were inspired! It really is nice to have a freezer full of home cooked meals and not have to worry about what's for dinner every night! Have a great weekend!
      Reply
  8. So just to clarify, the first meal you have listed says to combine all those ingredients then split it into two bags. The other meals don't say to do this. So does that mean that you need to double the ingredients listed for these other meals in order to make multiples of that meal? For example, if you need to make 2 of the Teriaki Chicken meal, do you need just 3 chicken breasts or do you need 6?
    Reply
    1. The first recipe is already doubled because that's how it was written from the website I got it from. The other recipes would need to be doubled. Does that make sense? So the Teriyaki Chicken has 3 chicken breasts per meal.
      Reply
      1. Got it, thanks so much!!! I'm having a baby soon so I'm going to be making some of these meals to have on hand for after he's born.
        Reply
  9. I am going to print this up and get shopping. These are just the meals I need to get my freezer back in action. I freezer cook frequently, mostly cooking the meat and portioning it and freezing for recipes. Wonderful job!!!
    Reply
  10. It's early and I'm reading this, so you go ahead and cook all and then place in freezer ? I see some are...just wondered about the crockpot ones.
    Reply
    1. You just place all ingredients in the bags for the crockpot meals and freeze without cooking. Then thaw and place in crockpot whenever you are ready to make them. With the casseroles, you cook the noodles and then assemble them and freeze before cooking as well.
      Reply
    1. I don't use a broth. The canned beans, corn and rotel have some liquid and the chicken will also release juices as it cooks. You could add some water and bouillon cubes if you wanted too. And "Rotel" is the name brand for a can of diced tomatoes and peppers.
      Reply
      1. I think I messed up and drained/rinsed my black beans... that must be why the soup ended up dry and burned! Would you suggest that I just add some bouillon cubes and water to make it soup again? Like, 2 cups or so? Thanks for your help!!
        Reply
  12. Way to go!! This was so inspiring I'm going to try it today! My biggest complaint while trying to get dinner ready is having an 18 month old hanging on my leg. Crockpot meals are becoming my new favorite thing. Thanks for the recipes and direction-I'm looking forward to trying them!
    Reply
  13. I love freezer meals. I am trying to be more organized and thus truly helps. Thanks for sharing. I would appreciate any other meals of this type you would like to share.
    Reply
  14. I LOVE Aldi's too! We had one here in our small town but it went out of business?!? Now we travel 50 miles round trip to an Aldi store. Please find more freezer meals,these are great. Maybe more that don't have tomato in them as a more varied choice. Thanks for sharing Missy.
    Reply
    1. I haven't cooked the potato recipe yet so I'm not quite sure. I know some people have success freezing potatoes and some don't. Maybe it's the type of potato?
      Reply
  16. Thank you for this meal ideas! I'm planning a freezer cooking session for November and these are perfect ideas! Featuring you at Mom2Mom Monday over at The Purposeful Mom this week as well :)
    Reply
  17. Thanks for the freezer meal ideas. I was looking for some to stock pile my freezer. Sure makes its easier when you work all day to have supper ready and waiting for you. Keep them coming. I would be interested in some more ground beef or other beef recipes.
    Reply
  19. While these were easy, it took me 4 1/2 hours and $120. I just finished (whew)! I'm excited to try these. They sure did look yummy when I was all done!
    Reply
  20. just want to clarify before i buy ingredients...by (x2) and (x4), do you mean serves 2 adults and 4 adults for one meal or does this mean enough for 2 meals/freezer bags and 4 meals/freezer bags. I'm assuming the first because the ingredients don't seem like enough for 4 meals, for example, the taco soup.
    Reply
    1. Hi Shayla! Each recipe will serve 4-6 so when it says x4 you will take the recipe and multiply it 4 times to make 4 separate bags/meals. The BQQ chicken and veggies is the only exception because you separate the ingredients into two bags at the end of the recipe. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions!
      Reply
  22. i am just starting to investigate this. Does the Liquid leak out of the freezer bags? What kind of freezer bags are best to use? How long can u leave it in the freezer before you make the meals?
    Reply
    1. Hi Stacey! I've never had a problem with the bags leaking, but you will want to make sure you're using freezer bags. I like Ziploc the best. The meals should last 3 months or more in the freezer.
      Reply
  24. Hey missy, thanks for sharing. i found you on pinterest and decided to make all of these recipes today. i started around 11 and finished maybe a half hour ago but i wasn't pushing myself to do it fast. i got my ingredients from walmart and grocery outlet and didn't double any recipes (except the taco soup because that looks delicious) and spent around $50. is aldi a much cheaper option? either way, thanks for sharing these easy recipes. my freezer is now stocked for the next few weeks and i am excited about each recipe. Cassie PS one other question, can you reuse those disposable pans? i bought 4-5 at grocery outlet (a buck a piece) but they seem thick enough to maybe use more than once. not forever, but more than once.
    Reply
    1. Hi Cassandra! I hope you enjoy the recipes! Yes, Aldi is normally cheaper than Wal-Mart. If you have one in your area I would highly suggest checking them out! It's an easy way to save money on basic food items without having to mess with coupons. They especially have awesome produce deals every week. I'm not sure about reusing the pans since the food is pretty stuck on them after use.
      Reply
  25. Cassandra, I've had some success with re-using foil dishes. I would suggest you spray the pan with no-stick spray/oil before putting your food in. It also generally depends on the recipe and how hard you wish to work at it! If I soak the pan and do an initial scrub, the dishwasher usually does the rest. I guess you have to decide for yourself if it's worth it.
    Reply
  26. These are awesome! With the holidays coming up this will save lots of time and $$. Printing my list out now and going to Aldi ! Thank you! Can't wait to see more freezer meal posts!
    Reply
  27. I'm trying this this weekend....I have a family of 7 so I'm sure it will cost me a bit more...I have quite a bit of stuff already In my cupboards so that will help....
    Reply
  28. 1/2 regular tub sour cream? What size tub????? They come in multiple sizes. I'm going to assume the smallest size....
    Reply
  29. This is great! I tried monthly freezer cooking years ago but we didn't like all the recipes. Lately I just pprecooked lots of chicken and freeze for casseroles, but you've motivated me to do a little more. Can you just clarify how many ounces are in the pasta sauce and sour cream containers that you use? Thanks so much!
    Reply
  30. Thanks so much! It's hard for me to find meals that I can make ahead that my family will eat because they are a meat and potato kind of family. But I think some of yours will work. And the ones I make that my family won't eat I can share with others!!
    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.