Dump recipes are the easiest and fastest way to stock your freezer full of meals. I’ve been making them for about a decade and though the name may not sound that appealing, it speaks to how fast these really are to make. Most of my dump recipes can be cooked in the crockpot, saving even more time.
When I wrote about my Chicken Dump Recipes, the response from busy women (and men) everywhere was overwhelming! They loved the ease of the system, but the resounding feedback was: more recipes! I have been working since then to create a book of Beef Dump Recipes for you. It contains 6 meal plans of 5 recipes each which include shopping lists for each plan and printable labels for each recipe. 
These beef dump recipes are easy to throw together and perfect for freezing. Freezer meals make a lovely gift for friends who are going through an illness or loss or adding to their family through birth or adoption. By doubling these recipes, you are able to assemble ten meals in just one hour! (note that this does not include the time to brown the beef)
The key to successful beef dump meals is to have all your ingredients out before you start assembling. This will save you time and as a result, you won’t have to run out to the store to pick up a missing ingredient!
Steps to making Beef Dump Meals:
- Brown the beef. This can be done the day before and kept in the fridge until you are ready to use it. If you like, season the beef with a bit of salt and pepper while browning.
- Get out all ingredients.
- Label resealable freezer bags (you can use a permanent marker or print labels to stick on) with the name and cooking instructions.
- Prop the bottom of the bags flat and fold the top over, allowing them to stay open.
- Add browned ground beef into each bag.
- Once the meat is in all of the bags, dump the ingredients for the recipe into the bag.
- When all the ingredients are in each bag, remove the excess air, seal the bags, lay flat, and freeze.
Below is a sample meal plan which uses ground beef for all of the recipes. Don’t forget to brown the beef before you start assembling. You can find the shopping list, labels, and other meal plans including those using other cuts of beef in the Beef Dump Recipes book.
Beef Hash
- 1 1/2 lbs. browned ground beef
- 500 grams frozen hash browns*
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp. dry onion soup mix**
- 1 cup beef broth
- dash pepper
*This amount is the equivalent of half a 1 kg bag, so if you are making two of these recipes at once, buy one large bag and split it between the two meals. **I use an MSG-free, gluten-free dry onion soup mix.
Cooking instructions: Thaw. Bake at 350° for one hour, topping with grated cheese the last 10 minutes if desired or in the crockpot on low for 2-4 hours, topping with cheese the last 20 minutes if desired.
Taco Soup
- 1 1/2 lb. browned ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 2x 14 oz. cans chili style beans
- 1x 12 oz. can kernel corn, drained
- 1x 14 oz. can tomato sauce
- 14 oz. salsa
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tsp. taco seasoning*
* store-bought taco seasoning can contain gluten, so I make my own.
Cooking instructions: Thaw. Heat in a large pot on stovetop on medium heat until the desired temperature or cook in the crockpot on low for 3-4 hours.
Sloppy Joes
- 1 1/2 lb. browned ground beef
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup chili sauce
- 14 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce*
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. dry mustard
- dash pepper
*Be sure to use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce if wanting this to be gluten-free.
Cooking instructions: Thaw. Heat in a pot on the stovetop over medium until desired heat is achieved or cook in slow cooker on low for 2-3 hours. Serve on bun halves. 
Spaghetti Sauce
- 1 1/2 lbs. browned ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/2 green pepper, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2x 14 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1x 5 1/2 oz. can tomato paste
- 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 Tbsp. parsley
- 1 tsp. melted honey or sugar
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1/2 tsp. basil
- 1/2 tsp. thyme
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- dash pepper
Cooking instructions: Thaw. Heat in a pot on the stovetop over medium until desired heat is achieved or cook in crockpot on low for 2-4 hours. Serve over pasta or gluten-free noodles.
Chili
- 1 1/2 lbs. browned ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 19 oz. can kidney beans with liquid
- 14 oz. can chili style beans with liquid
- 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 5 1/2 oz. can tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp. chili powder
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- dash pepper
- 1 Tbsp. maple syrup (this is my secret ingredient!)
Cooking instructions: Thaw. Heat in a large pot over medium until the desired temperature is reached or cook in crockpot on low for 3-5 hours.
Additional Notes:
- Provided that you plan the meals by common ingredients, it will save you even more money.
- All recipes can be made gluten-free by following the notes indicated.
- I heard from a reader who suggested using slow cooker liners. I had never heard of them, but it saves even more time because it eliminates the cleanup of the crockpot.
- Don’t forget to check out the Chicken Dump Recipes for even more options!
To get the recipes listed here along with free printable labels and a shopping list, sign up for our emails.
Be sure to check out my Beef Dump Recipes book which includes 30 recipes divided into 5 plans plus one bonus recipe. Each plan comes with printable grocery lists and printable labels. Read the list of included recipes. You can also purchase both the Beef Dump Recipes and Chicken Dump Recipes together for more meal options and savings! 
- 1 1/2 lbs. browned ground beef
- 500 grams frozen hash browns*
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp. dry onion soup mix**
- 1 cup beef broth
- dash pepper
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
-
Add browned ground beef, frozen hash browns, onion, dry onion soup mix, beef broth, and pepper to a large resealable freezer bag. Remove excess air and seal.
-
Place the shredded cheese in a medium resealable freezer bag and seal. Staple the bags together above the seal and freeze.
-
Thaw. Bake at 350° for one hour, topping with grated cheese the last 10 minutes if desired or in the crockpot on low for 2-4 hours, topping with cheese the last 20 minutes if desired.
*This amount is the equivalent of half a 1 kg bag, so if you are making two of these recipes at once, buy one large bag and split it between the two meals. **I use an MSG-free, gluten-free dry onion soup mix.
- 1 1/2 lb. browned ground beef
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cans 14 oz. chili style beans
- 1 can 12 oz. kernel corn drained
- 1 can 14 oz. tomato sauce
- 14 oz. salsa
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tsp. taco seasoning*
-
Place all ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.
-
Thaw.
-
Heat in a large pot on stovetop on medium heat until the desired temperature or cook in the crockpot on low for 3-4 hours.
*store-bought taco seasoning can contain gluten, so I make my own.
- 1 1/2 lb. browned ground beef
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup chili sauce
- 14 oz. tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce*
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. dry mustard
- dash pepper
-
Add all ingredients to a large resealable freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.
-
Thaw. Heat in a pot on the stovetop over medium until desired heat is achieved or cook in slow-cooker on low for 2-3 hours. Serve on bun halves.
*Be sure to use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce if wanting this to be gluten-free.
- 1 1/2 lbs. browned ground beef
- 1 onion chopped
- 1/2 green pepper chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cans 14 oz. tomato sauce
- 1 can 5 1/2 oz. tomato paste
- 14 oz. diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 Tbsp. parsley
- 1 tsp. melted honey or sugar
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1/2 tsp. basil
- 1/2 tsp. thyme
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- dash pepper
-
Add all ingredients to a large resealable freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.
-
Thaw.
-
Heat in a pot on the stovetop over medium until desired heat is achieved or cook in crockpot on low for 2-4 hours.
-
Serve over pasta or gluten-free noodles.
- 1 1/2 lbs. browned ground beef
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 can 19 oz kidney beans with liquid
- 1 can 14 oz chili style beans with liquid
- 1 can 28 oz diced tomatoes
- 1 can 5 1/2 oz tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp. chili powder
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- dash pepper
- 1 Tbsp. maple syrup (this is my secret ingredient!)
-
Add all ingredients to a large resealable freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.
-
Thaw.
-
Heat in a large pot over medium until the desired temperature is reached or cook in crockpot on low for 3-5 hours.
Visiting from #GTT, but already discovered this awesome post earlier this week too. Love these recipes. Plan on putting a bunch together for the new school year in August.
Thanks for sharing this! I love recipes that you can just dump in like this! Do they freeze well? Thanks for sharing and linking up at Favorite things Friday! Make sure you add a button or link back to be eligible to be featured! Hope to see you again this week 😉
I´ve never done anything like this but I’m getting so tired of cooking everyday from scratch that I will have to try this soon. Great ideas! Found you at the Hip Homeschooling Linkup
There is actually a really neat device you can buy that will hold the bag open for you 🙂 I forgot what it is called, but it is out there somewhere and it will make this a whole lot easier.
I save time by browning 3 or more lbs of ground beef in my crockpot, then drain, cool and freeze in separate freezer bags, 1 to 1 1/2 lbs each. Your recipes will help me take it one step further! And gluten-free…bonus! Thanks!
How do you brown ground beef in the crock pot? amykaminski@hotmail.com
I realize this is a very old comment, but in case anyone else wonders — I put 5 lbs of ground beef in my crock, cook it on low for 3-4 hours and then drain it.
It cooks in one big clump so after I drain it, I use a potato masher to break it up.
Hi there! I love your recipes and I’ve been using them for the past few weeks. However, I ran into one issue that I hope you may be able to help me with. Any time I use potatoes in a recipe and then I defrost the bag to get it ready for cooking, the potatoes end up turning black before the meat gets anywhere near defrosting. Last night I decided to throw everything into the crock pot before it was done defrosting, and many of my potatoes still turned black. Any ideas on what may be causing it or how to avoid this issue?
Thank you!
None of my recipes use fresh potatoes (I have one recipe that uses frozen hash brown potatoes and one that uses frozen tater tots). One of the reasons for this is because of what you are describing. If you want to use fresh potatoes in freezer meal recipes, I suggest making the freezer meal without the potatoes and then adding them on the day of cooking. Hope that helps!
Raw potatoes turn black if frozen. When you put your thawed bagged ingredients in the crockpot then you can put in your potatoes. They will cook with the rest of your ingredients
Another option is to parboil and cool your potatoes before adding them to the bag of ingredients.
When you say 1-1/2 lbs. of ground beef, is that before or after cooking? I am assuming before. Do you know how many cups of ground beef that would be after cooking? That would be helpful to know when browning a large amount of beef. I realize the answer will be somewhat dependent on the fat content of your meat. Thanks for your time, and for sharing your recipes!
Sue, the amount is based on ground beef before it is cooked. One pound of cooked ground beef is the equivalent of about 2 1/3 cups. I hope that helps!
Do you put the beef hash in ziplock bags to freeze or a casserole dish?
I put it into a large freezer bag and I put the shredded cheese in a smaller freezer bag and staple it to the back and freeze flat.
Someone suggest that the recipe should be written on the outside of the freezer bag- such as what to heat the oven to, how long to bake/cook, etc.
You can either write the instructions on the outside of the bag with a permanent marker or use labels. The book comes with printable labels for all the recipes. Hope that helps!
Is there a suggested Yield for these recipes? I’m prepping these for a family of 8
Hey Jessica, The reason that I don’t talk about how many each recipe serves is that I find that it varies so much from family to family. Most of these recipes feed our family of 9 but we double the Sloppy Joes. We have four teen and young adult boys who eat a fair bit but our three girls eat like birds so it’s hard to compare that to other families. I know my answer isn’t much help! I think you’ll find that most of these are sufficient for your family especially if you serve them with side dishes but you may want to double the Sloppy Joes recipe. Happy cooking!
If you are putting these meals in the crockpot, do they still need thawed first?
They should be thawed first. Otherwise, increase cooking time.
What is it you mean by bake at 350, are these for baking in an oven or are they slow cooker recipes? I’m confused.
Most of the recipes listed have instructions for both slow cooker and the oven. If it says “bake at 350°”, it is referring to an oven.
Can you tell me how much you spent on the groceries?
How long can you keep these in the freezer before you need to use them?
The general rule is 3-6 months.
When the recipe calls for herbs… are you referring to dried or fresh? I’m assuming dried, I went ahead and used fresh herbs from my garden. Hopefully the recipe turns out the same (I’m worried it wont).
The amount I refer to in the recipes is for dried herbs because fresh aren’t always available but I do try to use fresh when it’s in season or when it’s growing on my deck. Your recipes should turn out just fine!
I recently purchased the Beef Dump Recipes e-book and love the recipes! The simplicity and the flavor is remarkable. I was wondering if you had any comment on what to serve in tandem to the crockpot meals (i.e. side dishes).
Jamie, I am so glad to hear that you are enjoying the meals. I get the side dish question a lot (I have plans to write a big list of them and include some recipes but for now…). My side dishes include salads (we eat Greek salad, lettuce salads, bean salad mostly), cooked vegetables or raw veggies, sauteed mushrooms, roasted root vegetables, rice (I change it up by using different types such as Jasmine, wild rice, rice pilaf), or mashed, roasted or baked potatoes. When I make chili, I usually make popovers and the kids scoop the chili into the popovers. When I make spaghetti, I usually serve it with garlic bread and a Caesar salad. I hope that helps give you a few ideas.
I just found this post and got so excited! I’m allergic to gluten and chicken, among other things, and finding slow cooker recipes where at least half of them aren’t chicken is difficult. This was like a gold mine for me! I’m a teacher, mom of three, and wife of a football coach, so this time of year is crazy busy, and our eating habits usually take a bit of a hit. I don’t want that to happen this year, so thank you for these great ideas! <3
Is there a printable version?
Heather, the recipes here as well as many more as available in pdf version including the shopping lists and printable labels. You can find more information here: http://freezermeals101.com/product-category/dump-recipes/
If you don’t brown the meat first, can we just add a couple hours onto the cooking time? I would love to try these, but during the week I need something that is in the crockpot for at least 8 hours.
Most of the recipes would work for that. If you have a “keep warm” setting on your crock pot, another option is to brown the meat ahead and then put it on “keep warm” all day while you’re at work. Hopefully that helps.
I can certainly attest to the fact that this is a really yummy recipe.
We had some special visitors last saturday and
sunday so I gave it a shot. Your instructions were so good
and it did not take as long as I believed it would to get ready.
Cheers for the awesome recipe
I don’t think we have Chili Sauce where I am at, what kind do you recommend? KRLUVSU@GMAIL.com
My Crock Pot only has low settings for 8 and 10 hours (4 and 6 for high). Because I’m gone for long periods of time, I can’t be home to check on it (hence why I bought the crock pot with the timer). You mentioned putting in the meals frozen will increase cooking time. Could I put them in frozen for 8 hours on low (my shortest low setting)? I really want to try these, but the cooking times don’t seem to work for me :/
That’s what I’d do.