Freezer to Slow Cooker recipe inspiration needed...

onedayiwill

I'm looking for inspiration for freezer slow cooker recipes ...

I want to basically prepare the ingredients in advance (at the start of the month) and freeze them in bags - then take the bag out of the freezer the night before as part of my evening routine, defrost in fridge overnight and bung in slow cooker in the morning - ideally without having to do anything else but switch the slow cooker on and eat when I get home.

I'm looking to have four or five recipes so that we have a different one for each week of the month (to save boredom...). They should serve 4 people - there are only two of us, but basically I need to eat quickly on a Tuesday when I get in before I go out again, and on the Wednesday I don't get home at all so would like to take leftovers to work and reheat in the microwave there before heading off to my evening activity (meanwhile my husband and can reheat his leftovers at home).

I'm very new to the slow cooker, having only dabbled with it a couple of times because in the end I really don't have time or inclination to chop veg and brown meat and stuff like that in the morning.

I have seen some recipes online, but I thought I'd try and create some mixes today or tomorrow with the ingredients I currently have, so maybe more experienced folk can give me some ideas. I currently have:

- raw diced chicken
- raw diced casserole beef
- onions
- parsnips
- turnip
- carrots
- potatoes
- leeks
- cabbage (not convinced about this in a slow cooker!)
- fresh beetroot
- frozen peas
- garlic
- fresh ginger
- 1 orange bell pepper (needs to be used soon!)
- a good selection of stock cubes, herbs, spices, oils, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, might have some wine somewhere etc.


Thanks for the inspiration!

Linda32

onedayiwill wrote: »

- raw diced casserole beef
- parsnips
- carrots
- leeks
- a good selection of stock cubes, herbs, spices, oils, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, might have some wine somewhere etc.
Thanks for the inspiration!

I use the above items, leeks plus celery sliced in bottom of dish. Meat on top. Then root veg cut into sticks. Make up a stock cube, I use OXO or Sainsburys own and Mixed herbs.

I don't do chicken casserole, for no reason what so ever, I usually roast a chicken.


I don't use a slow cooker, (I do have one in the form of a gas setting on my oven, but never use it) I batch cook two casseroles instead and freeze these in portions.

I understand the ingedients would be much to same thing.

You can put in whatever veg you like, I personally like root veg.

I used to brown the meat, but didn't once and couldn't tell the difference so now I never so.

HTH

PipneyJane

If it's any help, I don't bother to brown or fry anything before I bung it in the slow cooker and it usually comes out fine.

My favourite slow cooker recipe at the moment is my version of the Spicy Sausage & Lentil Casserole from The Really Good Life. In my version, I put all the raw ingredients in the slow cooker, switch it on and walk away. I don't brown the sausages. I don't fry the onion. I do use the full quantity of liquid specified because the lentils soak it all up. Oh, and I modify it by adding sliced carrots. The other frequent mod that I do is to use a teaspoon of dried chillies instead of the scotch bonnet chilli specified.

ETA: you could follow the recipe but substitute your stewing beef for the sausages. Worth a try.

HTH.

rosie383

PipneyJane -thanks so much for that recipe. I am definitely bunging that lot in the SC tomorrow!!!

joedenise

I regularly do this. I make up "stew veg" packs, ie root veg including carrots, leeks, onions, swede, turnip. I don't add potatoes because I don't think they freeze very well. I also buy say stewing steak, stewing lamb, chicken thighs etc and freeze these in usuable portions.

The night before I then get out a pack of stew veg, pack of meat and peel some potatoes and chop up but leave them in water overnight. In the morning I just bung everything into the SC, sprinkle some flour over the meat, pour on some wine, stock, water etc to about half way up and switch on. You can of course add lentils, beans, dried soup mix etc but you will need extra liquid if you do.

If you find the liquid is still runny when its cook, take some out and boil rapidly to reduce.

Certainly makes evening meals a lot quicker and easier to do.

Denise

peachyprice

Have you got a tin of tomatoes?

If yes use the beef, bell pepper and onion with tinned toms and a squirt of tom puree, (no additional liquid required, even though it doesn't look like they'll be enough) bung all it in for a great goulash.

onedayiwill

joedenise wrote: »

I regularly do this. I make up "stew veg" packs, ie root veg including carrots, leeks, onions, swede, turnip. I don't add potatoes because I don't think they freeze very well. I also buy say stewing steak, stewing lamb, chicken thighs etc and freeze these in usuable portions.

The night before I then get out a pack of stew veg, pack of meat and peel some potatoes and chop up but leave them in water overnight. In the morning I just bung everything into the SC, sprinkle some flour over the meat, pour on some wine, stock, water etc to about half way up and switch on. You can of course add lentils, beans, dried soup mix etc but you will need extra liquid if you do.

If you find the liquid is still runny when its cook, take some out and boil rapidly to reduce.

Certainly makes evening meals a lot quicker and easier to do.

Denise

Thanks Denise - looks like you are the only responder who actually understood and answered my question so far .. thanks muchly. How much veg do you do in you "stew packs" and to serve how many? Just trying to get a rough idea... I have a habit of either doing way too much or way to little veg (or so I think) so I'm curious how much others would do for a stew of this type...

And thanks everyone else for your recipes ... just not quite the technique I was looking for. The spicy sausage and lentil casserole sounds tasty for the future if I can figure out how to do a straight from freezer to crock pot version. Like I said - I want to do ideally all the prep way in advance and just defrost then bung in slow cooker in the morning without having to do anything else.

Anyone got anything with diced chicken?

sunnyone

peachyprice wrote: »

Have you got a tin of tomatoes?

If yes use the beef, bell pepper and onion with tinned toms and a squirt of tom puree, (no additional liquid required, even though it doesn't look like they'll be enough) bung all it in for a great goulash.

+ paprika, any version for a goulash.

Sparklyfairy

I know what you mean...& someone on this board mentioned this website. It was so so easy & I'm totally hooked (the recipes she used were so easy, too!) Hth, SF

onedayiwill

Sparklyfairy - that's a brilliant site! Thanks. Just to check - most of the recipes on that site seem very "dry" at a glance ... do you ever need to add liquid or do they all just seem to generate enough themselves? (like I said .. *really* new to this so all tips appreciated )

peachyprice

sunnyone wrote: »

+ paprika, any version for a goulash.

Oh burger, I knew I'd forgotten something