29 Crockpot Freezer Meals New Parents Can Dump, Start, and Forget (Mostly)

The first few weeks with a new baby can leave you feeling drained in ways that are hard to describe. It’s a series of difficult days with no clear end in sight. Between constant laundry and meals, it can be easy to forget to eat. This is where those hours spent prepping freezer meals come into play.

You can do a single meal prep session, and because you packed some portions away, you can level up your meals for weeks to come. I’m talking about the type of meals that you can start with one hand, while holding a baby. And, yes, that means meals that you can mindlessly prepare. Here’s a list of 29 crockpot meals so you can run on three hours of sleep and still eat like a champ.

The freezer-meal method I use: I chop everything, prep it, and throw all the raw components in the labeled bag, freeze it flat, and thaw it in the fridge the night before I plan to make the meal. I then put it in my slow cooker in the morning on LOW for 6 to 8 hours and the chicken shreds itself. If your slow cooker runs hot, check on it a little earlier than that. Some cookers do tend to run hotter than others.

1) Beef Chili

Chili can survive being forgotten about in your freezer, which isn’t something you can say about most other freezer meals. For chili, you can freeze all the ingredients together, including browned ground meat (beef or turkey), onions, garlic, crushed tomatoes, canned beans, and chili spices. On serving night, I like to add a little lime or vinegar to chili to make it more interesting. The addition of tortilla chips makes it feel like you’ve really accomplished something.

2) Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love this soup when I want something bright and colorful but I’m out of ideas. You just need to throw chicken breasts, onion, garlic, diced tomatoes, corn, black beans, chicken broth, and some taco spices together and freeze it. Right before you eat it, cook and shred the chicken and throw in some crunchy tortilla strips. Even without toppings it’s good; the toppings just add a festive touch.

3) Salsa Verde Chicken

With salsa verde chicken, you can enjoy three meals featuring the same protein and no one will suspect a thing. Just freeze chicken thighs with salsa verde, a bit of cumin, and sliced onions, then cook and shred. Use the leftover chicken in burrito bowls or quesadillas. The zesty green sauce does all the work for you (even if you didn’t).

4) Honey Garlic Chicken

It almost tastes like you got takeout but didn’t want to pay the delivery fee. For this, you have to marinate chicken thighs in honey, soy sauce, a ton of garlic, and a little bit of ginger and then freeze it. The sauce becomes oil like in the crockpot and perfectly covers the rice. I even somehow finished it while half asleep and it still looks pretty good which is all I ask for in my early weeks.

5) Lemon Chicken

I call this a freezer meal, but let’s keep it a bit more vague than that and call it “Sunday Dinner.” Freeze chicken (I use thighs), lemon juice, garlic, oregano, and halved baby potatoes. The potatoes soak up the lemony broth and create the illusion of more work than you actually did. If you want to feel more virtuous, you could add a bit of spinach at the end.

6) Pulled BBQ Chicken

Here’s the secret: mix some BBQ sauce, sliced onion, and chicken and freeze it. That’s it. Cook it, shred it, and put it on buns. If you have pickles, feel free to throw those on there too: instant crunch, instant happiness. One time I paired that meal with regular potato chips, and I like to think I had some form of adulting wisdom there.

7) Italian Beef

This one is designed for the evenings when you want something a little more substantial and a little messy. Take a beef chuck roast, slice some peppers, add onion, garlic, beef broth, and Italian seasoning, and freeze. Once cooked, shred it into the broth and serve on rolls. If you’re feeling like choosing a bread is one step too many, this is also phenomenal over mashed potatoes.

8) Barbacoa Beef

This dish will make you come alive! Freeze a little beef chuck with chipotle (or smoked paprika for a milder version), a vinegar-based seasoning mix, garlic, and cumin. When done, shred beef and make tacos/rice bowls with it. You can have a rewarding meal while your baby is taking a nap.

9) Meatball Marinara

I am certainly pro-meatball because you get two meals instead of one, and it requires nothing from you during the day. Just take frozen store-bought meatballs, some onions, and some marinara out of the freezer, then throw them in the crockpot on warm. You can serve them with pasta or on sub rolls. It makes the house smell like Italian grandma is over which is a great vibe.

10) Stuffed Pepper Soup

I like stuffed peppers in theory. I think stuffed peppers wouldn’t work in practice. I find the idea of stuffing a bunch of peppers really intimidating to do in the middle of the night after I haven’t slept at all!

The great thing is, you still get all the classic stuffed pepper flavors (ground beef, bell peppers, tomatoes, and rice). If you want to avoid having a mushy dish, make sure to add cooked rice at the end. The soup base freezes really well and it’s still warm and reheats really well. The base is made of meat, peppers, tomatoes, broth, and seasonings.

11) White Chicken Chili

This is my ‘I can’t take another red sauce thing’, chili. The ingredients you will need are chicken, white beans, green chiles, onion, and garlic. Also grab some broth, cumin, and oregano for seasoning. After cooking, I recommend shredding the chicken and for a richer taste, add some cream cheese or sour cream. It’s gentle and unexpectedly cozy, perfect for 8 pm when you have a long day.

12) Chicken Enchilada Soup

Enchiladas are wonderful meals but rolling them isn’t really fun, I wouldn’t call that my love language. The ingredients you need to freeze are chicken, enchilada sauce, broth, beans, corn, and spices of your choice. Once you are ready, prepare the meat and shred it. It’s really great if you top it with cheese, avocado, crushed chips, and any other stuff you have lying around.

13) Butter Chicken

This is not an exact copy of the restaurant, but this does remain true to the classic comfort dish. Chicken is frozen with tomato sauce, garam masala (or curry powder), ginger/ garlic and some butter, it’s pure comfort. When you’re done cooking, stir in the cream or coconut milk for a silky finish. You will feel overly prepared if you also store naan in the freezer.

14) Chickpea Curry

There are meals you can prepare that will make you feel like the whole universe is better now. It will all store great in the freezer: chickpeas, diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, coconut milk (yes, it’s fine frozen!), curry spices, and for the last few days you can toss in fresh spinach. It is filling without being overly so, and believe it or not, the leftovers get even better.

15) Lentil Stew

A good pantry staple is lentils. They are inexpensive and reliable. Lentils, diced carrots, celery, and onions, garlic, crushed tomatoes, broth, and thyme. Cook until it is tender; if it becomes too thick, add a splash more broth and don’t feel bad about it. This type of bowl gives one both a sense of skilled confidence and of good fortune.

16) Split Pea Soup

This reminds me of the best old-fashioned kitchens. Warm, smoky, and most importantly, cozy. This soup is no joke. Split peas are tough, and not easily trifled with. To make, freeze some peas along with diced onion, carrot, celery, garlic, broth, and some diced ham (or smoked turkey). Go ahead and make it fancy by using an immersion blender if you want a smoother texture.

17) Chicken Noodle Soup

This isn’t an exaggeration, but I really think of this as a hug from the freezer. For the base, freeze chicken, broth, some herbs, chopped garlic, celery, carrot, and onion. Try to add the noodles close to when you are going to serve it, as you don’t want them to get mushy. This soup is an also a great way to use that celery that you forgot about and is starting to wilt.

18) Chicken Rice Soup

Wild rice has a certain texture and gives off the impression that you made an intentional decision. Cook the wild rice until tender with frozen chicken, mirepoix, herbs, and broth. You can add cream or half-and-half at the end if you want it to be more rich (it’s still great if you skip the dairy). When the weather changes and I feel a dip in my energy, this is the soup I crave.

19) Classic Pot Roast

I find pot roast to be quite comforting with its old-fashioned qualities. Just throw together a chunk of frozen roast, carrots, potatoes, onion, garlic, beef broth, and a bit of tomato paste. Cook on low for hours until it pulls apart at the slightest touch. This is a good option for when you’re entertaining but don’t really want to hold a conversation because you’re tired.

20) Onion Pot Roast

This one tastes like you put in all that time making caramelized onions. We know you didn’t, but still, coat the roast with sliced onions, beef broth, thyme, and a dash of Worcestershire. After cooking, those onions transform into a sweet-savory sauce. To really soak up the false sense of leisure, serve on egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

21) Chicken Cacciatore

I would be a liar if I said I didn’t enjoy the strong smell of garlic and herbs. If you want to add them, go ahead, but otherwise, freeze chicken thighs with crushed tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, garlic, and oregano. The sauce is wonderful to use over pasta or polenta and the longer you cook it, the better it will get. If someone gives you a loaf of bread, you will be dipping it like there is no tomorrow.

22) Sausage and Peppers

This meal has character! Enjoy the savory flavor of sausage balanced with the sweetness of peppers and the tenderness of onions. Slice and freeze the bell peppers and onions along with Italian sausage (raw is fine for the crockpot), garlic, and a splash of broth or crushed tomatoes. Cook until the sausage is finished and the vegetables collapse into sweetness. I enjoy it in a roll, but it’s also really good over rice if you think bread is too much.

23) Red Beans and Rice

Of my many food and human appreciations, the qualities I most resonate with are the forgiving, the patient and the deeply satisfying. Like red beans. Onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, smoked sausage, broth, and Cajun seasoning can be frozen together with cooked or canned kidney beans. Cook until all the ingredients have combined their flavors. Serve over freshly cooked rice so it stays fluffy and not sad.

24) Turkey Meat Sauce

This is my “tiny bit healthier” version of the sauce which still has the feel of real comfort food. If your crushed tomatoes taste sharp, add a pinch of sugar, then freeze. Brown ground turkey with onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning. After it’s cooked, you can serve it over pasta, spoon it onto baked potatoes, or tuck it into a quick lasagna. It is certainly adaptable, and that is pretty much the only virtue you need at the moment.

25) Black Bean Chili

I love this more than I thought possible. I have frozen cubed sweet potatoes, black beans, corn, crushed tomatoes, onion, garlic, and chili spices. The end product is a thick stew-like chili with a hint of sweetness. You can add some cilantro or lime if you have it (though I normally don’t).

26) Peanut Chicken

This is for the nights when you get tired of having a tomato and want something different. Many people freeze the peanut butter, I prefer to stir it after cooking. You have to freeze the chicken with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, a little brown sugar and lime juice. When the chicken is paired with rice, the sauce feels both nutty and comforting. It somehow feels celebratory if you can top it with a few chopped peanuts.

27) Teriyaki Beef

I love the idea of beef and broccoli, but I want to avoid the stir-fry sprint. Right now, slice the beef and marinate it with teriyaki sauce, garlic, ginger, and some onions. Then freeze. Cook the beef until tender, then add the broccoli during the last 30-60 minutes so that it doesn’t turn army-drab. This is food that you can eat on busy weeknights without feeling guilty for being exhausted.

28) Minestrone Soup

Minestrone is like an upgraded version of pantry soup. You can pack and freeze your individual portions of onion, carrot, celery, zucchini, bean, crushed tomato, broth, and tomato Italian seasoning mixture, then add the pasta later topping to prevent it from turning your soup into a casserole. Feel free to add a Parmesan rind as it cooks for a nice flavor boost.

29) Egg Casserole

My wild card means I don’t have to pick soup or shredded meat. Egg casserole kits can be made by preparing your cooked crumbled sausage, chopped frozen spinach, pepper/tomato mix, and shredded cheese base (eggs need to be kept in the fridge until cooking day of course) and freezing.

In the morning, you will mix the eggs with a little bit of milk, and then add the thawed mixture. Finally, you will want to set your crock pot on LOW and let it cook. After those nights where you’ve been living off of granola bars and pure adrenaline, this meal won’t disappoint.

Freezer Labeling Tips

Label your bags with a meal name, date, and cook time so that you won’t have to guess what “red-ish sauce” is in two weeks. I also include notes for what should be added after cooking, such as pasta, rice, cheese, or crunchies. Lay your bags flat like books in your freezer for easier stacking and thawing later. If you are giving meals to new parents, a note with serving suggestions is a small kindness that will be appreciated.