These 5 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes make great dump dinners and can be made ahead of time for the freezer. Make sweet & sour chicken, beef & broccoli, minestrone soup and more!
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How to make crock pot dump meals
Dump meals are a meal prep lover's dream. After assembling all of your ingredients, you simply dump them in a crock pot and wait for your meal to cook!
You can prepare all of your ingredients in advance and store them in a container in your refrigerator or freezer. You can also toss them in the crock pot as you go the day you want to make the meal.
Either way, you let the crock pot do all the hard work of cooking and just enjoy the meal in the evening!
Why are they called dump dinners?
Dump dinner is just the best way to describe these simple meals. Dump it all in the slow cooker and wait for it to cook. It's really that easy!
Why slow cooker recipes make great meal prep
Do you have a dedicated meal prep day? If you have a meal prep routine already in place, dump meals can speed that process up.
With a few freezer bags or meal prep containers, you can assemble any or all of these five meals in a short amount of time – usually within an hour you can have everything assembled and ready to go. You’ll be prepared for dinners for at least a week, and that's having a different dinner every single day!
Gathering and preparing all of the ingredients is the only hands-on work for dump meals. If you do that ahead of time, all you have to do the day you want to eat the meal is throw it all in the crock pot and let it cook.
Ingredients in dump dinners
These crock pot meals have everything you need in one bag. The meat, veggies and starches can all be cooked together. If you want to make all five meals pictured below and be prepared for a whole week of dinners, your shopping list should include these items:
- 2 lbs. of chicken
- Pineapple chunks
- Red, green and yellow peppers
- Chickpeas
- Onions
- Sweet potato
- Peanuts
- Spinach
- Macaroni
- Kidney beans
- Fry steak
- Broccoli
- Frozen veggies
- Heavy cream
Other items include staple pantry items such as olive oil and soy sauce, spices such as chili powder and curry. As long as you have a well-stocked pantry you shouldn't be having to buy too many fresh items at the grocery store to make these meals.
Five different Crockpot freezer meals
Your choices for crock pot dump meals are nearly limitless. These five () are easy to prepare and taste amazing when cooked. Start with these and then start expanding your repertoire.
- Minestrone soup
- Sweet and sour chicken
- Butter chicken
- Beef broccoli
- Peanut stew
Minestrone soup
Sweet and sour chicken
Butter chicken
Beef & broccoli
Slow Cooker Peanut Stew
When do you add vegetables to dump meals?
You can put all of the ingredients into the crock pot at the same time. It’s truly a hands-off meal. If you prefer your veggies to be less cooked, you can add them a little later.
What I usually do is assemble everything in freezer bags then take out the veggies and dump the rest of the meal in the slow cooker. Let it all cook for the amount of time listed below in the recipe card, then most veggies can be added in the last half hour of cook time, especially bell peppers and broccoli.
Frozen vegetables, like the ones you see in the minestrone soup, are good to go in with the rest of the ingredients, as are heartier veggies like carrots, onions, sweet potatoes, etc.
Can you make dump dinners in the Instant Pot or stovetop?
You have several options for making these meals. If you put all the ingredients in an Instant Pot, you will cook it on high for just five minutes. If you forgot to put it in the crock pot in the morning, you can still get a healthy meal on the table quickly.
On the stovetop, you can dump everything in a large pot and then simmer the meal for 30 minutes.
The beef and broccoli is the only exception to these rules. On the stove top, you will want to cook the beef and the broccoli separately. I've got a great recipe for Instant Pot beef and broccoli here.
Freezing and reheating crock pot dump meals
The best way to use these recipes is for meal prep. Put all the ingredients together and refrigerate for four to five days or freeze for up to three months. Allow the meal to thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours before cooking.
An added bonus to preparing these crock pot freezer meals in advance is by allowing the meat to marinate in the sauce it will ensure a full flavor. After you cook these meals, you can divide them into individual portions and refrigerate for three to five days, depending on the ingredients.
You can also freeze the cooked meals for up to three months for quick and easy lunches.
What containers are best for freezing food?
My personal preference is glass. They don’t stain. They last forever. And there is no plastic to worry about. It’s also cost effective because they can be used over and over again. They are great for freezing and in the microwave.
Plastic bags are freezer safe and disposable, but should not be microwaved. I also recommend the appeal of freezer bags in that you can stack them in your freezer and save a ton of room but still have a bunch of meals prepped at once.
Other healthy slow cooker recipes
Master meal prep with your slow cooker and these five crock pot freezer meals. Now that you are an expert at making dump dinners, try some other slow cooker recipes. These ones below are great for meal prep and you can also freeze them in large Ziploc freezer bags to turn into freezer meals!
- Slow cooker chicken fajitas
- Crock pot Tuscan sausage and kale soup
- Slow cooker turkey chili
- Crockpot BBQ chicken
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Use these Ziploc bag holders to help you add your ingredients
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on refrigerating the leftovers of these dump dinners
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen
5 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes
Ingredients
Sweet & sour chicken
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb chicken breasts, diced
- 1 can diced pineapple chunks including juices
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 each red, green and yellow pepper, sliced
Peanut stew
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 sweet potato, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 (796mL) can diced tomatoes
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
- 2 cups spinach
Beef & broccoli
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb fast fry steak
- 1 head broccoli, chopped`
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
Minestrone soup
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup dry macaroni or shell pasta
- 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 (796mL) can diced tomatoes
- 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 parmesan cheese rind (optional)
- 1 cup frozen veggies
- 1/2 tsp salt & pepper
Butter chicken
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb chicken, diced
- 1 (796mL) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions
Sweet & sour chicken
- Add ingredients to a large freezer Ziploc bag if freezing or refrigerating for later, or add to slow cooker if cooking right away. Cook on low for 4 hours. You may choose to leave out the peppers and add them separately from the rest of ingredients in the last 30 minutes of cook time to avoid overcooking them. Onced cooked, serve and enjoy! If freezing, label your Ziploc bags with the recipe title and date and freeze up to 3 months. To serve, defrost the bag in the fridge for 24 hours then dump in your slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on low, following the instructions above.
African peanut stew
- Add ingredients to a large freezer Ziploc bag if freezing or refrigerating for later, or add to slow cooker if cooking right away. Cook on low for 6 hours. Onced cooked, stir in spinach then serve and enjoy! If freezing, label your Ziploc bags with the recipe title and date and freeze up to 3 months. To serve, defrost the bag in the fridge for 24 hours then dump in your slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on low, following the instructions above.
Beef & broccoli
- Add ingredients to a large freezer Ziploc bag if freezing or refrigerating for later, or add to slow cooker if cooking right away. Cook on low for 4 hours. You may choose to leave out the broccoli and add it separately from the rest of ingredients in the last 30 minutes of cook time to avoid overcooking it. Onced cooked, serve and enjoy! If freezing, label your Ziploc bags with the recipe title and date and freeze up to 3 months. To serve, defrost the bag in the fridge for 24 hours then dump in your slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on low, following the instructions above.
Minestrone soup
- Add ingredients to a large freezer Ziploc bag if freezing or refrigerating for later, or add to slow cooker if cooking right away. Add 4 cups water when ready to cook, then cook on low for 6 hours. Onced cooked, serve and enjoy! If freezing, label your Ziploc bags with the recipe title and date and freeze up to 3 months. To serve, defrost the bag in the fridge for 24 hours then dump in your slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on low, following the instructions above.
Butter chicken
- Add ingredients to a large freezer Ziploc bag if freezing or refrigerating for later, or add to slow cooker if cooking right away. Cook on low for 4 hours. Stir in cream at the end of cookj time. Onced cooked, serve and enjoy! If freezing, label your Ziploc bags with the recipe title and date and freeze up to 3 months. To serve, defrost the bag in the fridge for 24 hours then dump in your slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on low, following the instructions above.
Video
Nutrition
*Nutrition info is for the Sweet & Sour Chicken – other recipes can be tracked with Myfitnesspal though the calorie count on all meals will be similar, give or take 100-150 calories
Natalie says
Hi, I am currently making the sweet and sour chicken recipe. The sauce tastes yummy but there doesn’t seem to be much of it. Should have I added the juice of the canned pineapple too? I only added the chunks without juice.
Taylor Stinson says
Yes, you’re supposed to add the entire can in.
Mama Schick says
I’m reviewing without having tasted the recipes. I made 4 of these (all but the Peanut Stew) for my son to have on hand for a quick, ready when he gets home, meal. He works in this crazy Arizona heat all day and cooking after work isn’t happening.
Thank you for sharing these easy to prep meals that I could make and send with him. It allowed me to send some love home with him in a ziplock bag 🥰
I wished I had prepped my own meals at the same time as they were super simple and quite quick to put together. Next time 🙂
Taylor Stinson says
I’m glad they were easy to put together 🙂 Thanks for leaving your review!
Melina C Borin says
Have you tried this recepies on pressure cooker? I will make for freezing for my postpartum, and I think it will be easier to do on pressure than slow cooking!
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Melina – these recipes have been tested with the slow cooker in mind and not tested using the pressure cooker. Some I think might turn out ok like the minestrone and butter chicken but the rest I’m not sure about.
meagan cooper says
Think you could drop them into an Instant Pot and have the same outcome?
Taylor Stinson says
Unfortunately I haven’t tried them in the Instant Pot :/ However, I could see the minestrone, peanut stew and butter chicken working well. Not as confident about the sweet & sour chicken or the beef broccoli. Let me know if you try them in the Instant Pot!
Jackie Long says
I was wondering if you could put these in a food saver bag ? If so how ? It looks like some are juicy
Taylor Stinson says
I wish I could help but I have no experience with this. Sorry about that!
Ann says
If you want to put liquid food in a food saver bag, just freeze first in another container before you seal it in the food saver bag