Making freezer meals has been the biggest time saving strategy for me in the kitchen. Although the two days of assembling that my neighbour Christie and I do every few months are exhausting, they are well worth it in not only the time saved, but also in the brain space saved in not having to think of supper ideas for more than a month.

For our freezer meals, we have a standard list of recipes that we usually stick to, like Sloppy Joes, Chicken Taco Soup, Pesto Minestrone, Garden Taco Rice, and Pizza Casserole. We always throw in a few chicken recipes and some salmon ones but we also like to try at least two new recipes every time so that we can find new favourites to add to our regulars.

Last week, we had one of our most successful freezer meal sessions yet thanks to being more organized than usual and this Mixed Bean Casserole one of the new recipes we created.

This is another recipe that can go from the freezer to the crock pot and is gluten and dairy free. Freezer to crock pot recipes are a huge time saver for me, especially on days when there are appointments to be at. I also like that this casserole is a healthy one and my kids will eat it.

The day I took this meal out of the freezer to make for the first time, something unintentional happened that created another way to serve it. I had it in the crock pot ready to serve and when my husband arrived home, I had to go upstairs to take an important phone call so he and the kids started supper without me. When I came downstairs a short while later to join them, he had brought out flour tortillas, sour cream and cheese and was using my casserole as a wrap filling!

Though serving these as a wrap had never occurred to me, the kids enjoyed them and the next day asked if they could have the leftovers in wraps. Whether you choose to serve this as a wrap filling or as a casserole, it’s healthy and hearty.

Slow Cooker Mixed Bean Casserole Recipe:

1 – 14 oz. can pinto beans (I used a can of chili style pinto beans)
1 – 19 oz. can black beans
4 Tbsp. taco seasoning*
2 1/2 cups of salsa
1 1/4 cups of frozen corn
1 sweet potato, cubed

*I prefer to make my own taco seasoning so that I can ensure that it is gluten free and low in sodium but feel free to use a store bought gluten free blend.

Mix everything together and place in a large resealable freezer bag. Remove the air and seal before laying flat and putting in the freezer. On the day of cooking, thaw, and cook in the slow cooker on low for 6 hours.

Other Family Friendly Recipes:

Beef and Corn Casserole

Crock Pot Sloppy Joes

Spanish Rice Casserole

If you are looking for other recipes that can go from the freezer to the crock pot, you can find 12 gluten free freezer to crock pot recipes here.

For other ideas and recipes, you may be interested in following my Crock Pot Recipes or Freezer Meals boards on Pinterest. Or you may want to follow my Gluten Free Recipes board.

Follow Sharla Kostelyk’s board Crock Pot Recipes on Pinterest.

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Slow Cooker Mixed Bean Casserole Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 - 14 oz. can pinto beans I used a can of chili style pinto beans
• 1 - 19 oz. can black beans
• 4 Tbsp. taco seasoning*
• 2 1/2 cups of salsa
• 1 1/4 cups of frozen corn
• 1 sweet potato cubed

Instructions

1. Mix everything together and place in a large resealable freezer bag. Remove the air and seal before laying flat and putting in the freezer. On the day of cooking, thaw, and cook in the slow cooker on low for 6 hours.

Recipe Notes

*I prefer to make my own taco seasoning so that I can ensure that it is gluten free and low in sodium but feel free to use a store bought gluten free blend.

This crock pot soup is one of my favourite freezer meal recipes. It has healthy ingredients and the flavour is one that will have you craving more. In a busy family like ours, having delicious meals that can go from the freezer to the crock pot saves a lot of time and money. When I make this recipe, I made two or four at a time and then freeze. I love having these on hand!

My neighbour Christie and I held another marathon freezer meal session last week and when we were planning it, this recipe was one of our “must-makes”. I am planning to take this soup camping with us. Bringing freezer meals will cut down on the amount of work that I have to do while on vacation and I’m planning to bring our crock pot along so this will be an easy day of cooking for me!

I have to admit that not all of these made it to the freezer in the last batch. It’s just such a good recipe that I put one batch in the slow cooker the day after making freezer meals this past time and we all thoroughly enjoyed it!

So as not to confuse you, I am giving the recipe to make one meal, but you can double or triple or quadruple it as you need.

Chicken Taco Soup Recipe:

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 14 oz. can chili style beans
• 19 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 15 oz. can kernel corn, drained
• 8 oz. can tomato sauce *
• 1 can of beer (be sure to use gluten free beer if you are wanting this to be gluten free)
• 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 4.5 oz. can diced chilies
• 2 tsp. taco seasoning (note: some store bought taco seasoning contains gluten so I make my own)
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

optional: tortilla chips or strips, sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions for serving

*for our freezer meals, I actually buy a ginormous can of tomato sauce (over 100 oz.) and measure it out for each recipe. This saves a lot of money and it cuts down on time because I’m not having to open each individual can.

Place all ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag. Remove excess air and seal. Freeze.

If you want a soupier Chicken Taco Soup, you can add a tetrapak of chicken broth on the day of cooking. If I don’t add the chicken broth, it is thick enough for my kids to spoon this into tortillas and top with cheese. They love eating it that way.

On cooking day, thaw and cook the taco soup on low in crock pot for 4-7 hours (depending on your slow cooker). You can add the chicken broth to this step if desired. Shred the chicken breasts before serving.

Serve the individual bowls of soup with toppings such as sour cream, tortilla chips, sliced green onion, and grated cheese if you want or eat as is.

To make this recipe gluten free:

Most of the ingredients in this recipe are gluten free. The only ones to be careful of are the chili style beans (read the labels and select one that does not have any fillers that may contain gluten), the can of beer and the taco seasoning. For the taco seasoning, you can either make your own (which probably tastes best anyway) or buy one that is a gluten free blend.

(thanks to a very astute reader who caught that I had originally forgotten to note that beer can contain gluten!)

If you are looking for other recipes that can go from the freezer to the crock pot, you can find 24 other time-saving recipes in my ebook Chicken Dump Recipes.

This Chicken Taco Soup recipe is included in my Slow Cooker Freezer Meal Plan which includes printable shopping lists, prep list, recipes, and printable labels. You will love having the guesswork taken out of dinner!

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Chicken Taco Soup Recipe

*for our freezer meals, I actually buy a ginormous can of tomato sauce (over 100 oz.) and measure it out for each recipe. This saves a lot of money and it cuts down on time because I'm not having to open each individual can.

Ingredients

• 1  cup chopped onion
• 1 x 14 oz. can chili style beans
• 1 x 19 oz. can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 x 15 oz. can kernel corn drained
• 1 x 8 oz. can tomato sauce *
• 1 can of beer be sure to use gluten free beer if you are wanting this to be gluten free
• 1 x 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 x 4.5 oz. can diced chilies
• 2 tsp. taco seasoning note: some store bought taco seasoning contains gluten so I make my own
• 3 chicken breasts skinless, boneless
• optional: tortilla chips or strips sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions for serving

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag. Remove excess air and seal. Freeze.

2. Thaw. Heat in a stovetop pot or in the crock pot. Shred the chicken before serving.

I like that this meal is an all-in-one and is healthy. I’ve been making it for a number of years. I make the filling as a freezer meal and then assemble it on the day of serving. I make two or four sets of the filling at a time and store each one in a large resealable freezer bag.

I’ll admit that not all of my kids are fans of the peppers so some of them scoop out the inside and leave the pepper, but I tell myself that some of the nutrients from the peppers seep into the filling!

Gluten Free Stuffed Peppers

1 1/2 pounds extra lean ground beef or Yves Mexican Meatless Ground Round*
1/2 cup diced onion
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup cooked rice
14 oz. can tomato sauce
1/4 cup taco seasoning**

on serving day:

6 large bell peppers
1/3 cup shredded jalapeño jack or cheddar cheese

Cook the rice and set aside to cool.

Brown the beef until no longer pink on the stovetop. Add the onion and garlic. Stir in the other ingredients, including the rice. If making into a freezer meal, add this mixture into a large resealable bag, remove the excess air and freeze. On day of cooking, take out of freezer and thaw.

Wash and cut the tops off the bell peppers and seed them. Fill each one with the filling. Sprinkle each with cheese. Place on a greased cookie sheet with a rim or baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

*I have not been able to find a gluten free vegetarian ground beef substitute so making it with the meatless ground round means that it won’t be gluten free.

**ensure that the taco seasoning you use is gluten free. Most are not. I use VE which is gluten free or I have found a tex mex seasoning that is also gluten free. Alternatively, you can make your own.

The filling is pretty delicious on its own and even better with some hot sauce sprinkled on so if you have any leftover filling when you’re stuffing the peppers, you can eat just the filling.

I really do recommend making this in a multiple batch and freezing as then you will only have to brown the meat, make the rice and make the filling once.

If you are interested in other recipes, you may be interested in following my Gluten Free Recipes or Family Friendly Recipes board on Pinterest.

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Gluten Free Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds extra lean ground beef or Yves Mexican Meatless Ground Round*
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 14 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup taco seasoning**

on serving day:

• 6 large bell peppers
• 1/3 cup shredded jalapeño jack or cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Cook the rice and set aside to cool.
2. Brown the beef until no longer pink on the stovetop. Add the onion and garlic. Stir in the other ingredients, including the rice. If making into a freezer meal, add this mixture into a large resealable bag, remove the excess air and freeze. On day of cooking, take out of freezer and thaw.
3. Wash and cut the tops off the bell peppers and seed them. Fill each one with the filling. Sprinkle each with cheese. Place on a greased cookie sheet with a rim or baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Recipe Notes

*I have not been able to find a gluten free vegetarian ground beef substitute so making it with the meatless ground round means that it won't be gluten free. **ensure that the taco seasoning you use is gluten free. Most are not. I use VE which is gluten free or I have found a tex mex seasoning that is also gluten free. Alternatively, you can make your own.

The filling is pretty delicious on its own and even better with some hot sauce sprinkled on so if you have any leftover filling when you're stuffing the peppers, you can eat just the filling.

I really do recommend making this in a multiple batch and freezing as then you will only have to brown the meat, make the rice and make the filling once.

Making freezer meals saves you money and using your crock pot saves time. Combine the two for the best savings of all!

I’m a big fan of freezer meals. They save money and time and best of all, eliminate that daily quandary of figuring out what to make for supper. If you are new to making freezer meals, you can learn how to easily plan, prepare and execute making freezer meals for an entire month (or two) in just one day or for a week in just one hour (click this link —>Freezer Meals 101).

I’m also a fan of my crock pot. With 7 kids, anything that makes life easier is good in my books! It is so nice to come home after running around to appointments all day and walk in the door to smell supper cooking.

Combining freezer meals and my crock pot is the ultimate in time management for me. When making freezer meals, I always make at least half of the recipes ones that are compatible with crock pot cooking.

If you are looking specifically for the meals to be gluten free, I have a guide for converting freezer meal recipes to gluten free freezer meals.

12 freezer meal recipes for the crock pot:

Chicken

Sweet and Sour Chicken (gluten free) This freezer to crock pot meal from The Nourishing Home looks delectable!

Chicken Tacos (gluten free if gluten free taco seasoning is used or made) This recipe from Sidetracked Sarah is made even easier because she uses rotisserie chicken.

Hawaiian Chicken (gluten free if gluten free soy sauce is used) This dump in a bag, freeze, thaw, and throw in the crock pot meal from Meet Penny is great for a busy day.

Better Than It Sounds Prune and Olive Chicken (gluten free)

Soup

Vegetable Pesto Minestrone (gluten free) This minestrone soup has a very unique flavour from the pesto and from the wine. Delicious!

Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup (gluten free) This recipe from Meet Penny sounds delicious and is chock full of healthy ingredients.

Beef Vegetable Soup from Sidetracked Sarah (gluten free)

Beef

Sloppy Joes (gluten free) Sloppy Joes are such a comfort meal in our house especially in wintertime.

Mexican Casserole (gluten free if gluten free taco seasoning is used or made) This family meal is from Sidetracked Sarah and can go from the freezer to a skillet or to the crock pot.

French Stew (gluten free if gluten free bread crumbs are substituted) Sidetracked Sarah’s husband loves this meal. Maybe yours will too!

Other

Pork & Peppers Crock Pot Bag (gluten free if gluten free Worcestershire sauce is used) Another simple weeknight meal from Meet Penny.

Cuban Black Beans (gluten free) This is an inexpensive family meal from Frugal Family Favourites.

Make 10 meals in one hour using the system in my Chicken and Beef Dump Recipes books or try out my Gluten Free Freezer Meal Menu Plan.

I am well aware that it is going to be an uphill battle to get my readers to want to make this recipe at home because, well, it’s called Prune & Olive Chicken! I know this because it took some real convincing to get my family to eat this the first time I served it!

I had to enforce the one bite rule, even with myself because I was a bit skeptical as well, but my kids were asking for seconds and The Husband was saying “who knew I would eat prunes…and like them?!”.

This crock pot meal can be made as a freezer meal and is gluten free. If making it as a freezer meal, I suggest doubling or tripling it and placing each meal into a resealable freezer bag, taking out the excess air and storing flat in the freezer until ready to use. On the day you use it, thaw it and then heat in the slow cooker.

Prune & Olive Chicken

Combine:

• 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 2/3 cup pitted prunes, sliced in half
• 5 oz. sliced black olives*
• 1/4 cup capers
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons dried oregano
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 cup apple juice

Place in the crock pot and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low.

*if you are really not an olive fan, you can omit the olives and the recipe still works but then you’ll have to change the name of course.

I am joining with the other iHomeschool Network bloggers today to share with you one of our family’s easy crock pot meals. There are many other delicious crock pot recipes being shared. You can also follow my Crock Pot Recipes board on Pinterest.

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Prune & Olive Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 2/3 cup pitted prunes sliced in half
• 5 oz. sliced black olives*
• 1/4 cup capers
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons dried oregano
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 cup apple juice

Instructions

1. Combine
2. Place in the crock pot and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low.

Recipe Notes

*if you are really not an olive fan, you can omit the olives and the recipe still works but then you'll have to change the name of course.

This soup is one of our family’s favourites. I think what makes it different than most is the addition of the pesto. Even I’ve been surprised at how loved it is among even my picky eaters. It is jam packed with nutrients too!

1 tsp. olive oil
1 cup diced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 ribs of celery, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
1 cup white wine (or you can use apple juice)
14-19 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
19 oz. can mixed beans
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup basil pesto

For cooking day:

4 cups vegetable broth

Saute onion in oil for a few minutes. Add garlic, celery and carrot and saute for a few more minutes until beginning to get soft. Add this to a large sized resealable freezer bag. Add wine, diced tomatoes, beans, tomato paste, seasonings, cheese, and pesto to the bag. Remove excess air, seal the bag and freeze.

On cooking day, thaw, pour into a stovetop pot or crockpot. Add 4 cups of vegetable broth and cook until desired temperature.

If you’d like, you can also add in some cooked gluten free noodles at the end of cook time.

A few things to note, when I make this, I use a jar of pre-made pesto sauce and double, triple or quadruple the recipe so that I can freeze many of these at a time. You will not be sorry that you have extras of these on hand in your stock on a cold day!

This recipe is part of my 10 Days of Gluten Free Freezer Meals series in the iHomeschool Network Autumn Hopscotch. You may also be interested in following my Gluten Free Recipes or Freezer Meals Pinterest Boards.