Freezer dump bag recipes: Two make-ahead slow cooker meals you can freeze for up to three months

Dinner just got a whole lot easier thanks to a simple meal-prep trick that does most of the work before the week even begins.

Health coach and content creator Stacey Clare is back with her latest slow-cooker hack — freezer “dump bags” packed with everything you need for dinner, ready to tip straight into the slow cooker when you need them.

The make-ahead meals can be stored in the freezer for up to three months, meaning you can prep several at once and have an easy dinner waiting for even the busiest nights.

Stacey shared her recipe to show how to make two family-friendly versions: a hearty beef ragu and comforting chicken noodle soup.

Beef Ragu

Ingredients

• 1 kg gravy beef (cut into 10cm chunks)
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 stick celery, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tsp beef stock powder
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• ½ cup red wine
• 8 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 400g passata
• ¼ cup beef broth
• 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar

To Serve

• 1 x 250g thick pasta
• Chilli flakes (optional)
• Parmesan cheese

Method

1. Toss all the ingredients into your slow cooker and give it a good stir. Want to speed things up? Chop the beef into smaller pieces. But I love keeping it big — shredding it at the end adds all the flavour and texture!
2. Pop the lid on and cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 8.
3. When the cooking time’s up, pop your pasta on to cook.
4. Shred the beef with two forks (or pull it out and slice it with a knife on a chopping board) and mix it all back in. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. If you want it thicker, pull out one cup of the liquid and thicken it by whisking in a tablespoon of tapioca flour, then pour it back in. Perfect.
5. Serve the ragu over the pasta, top with a sprinkle of Parmesan and some chilli flakes for that extra kick! If you want to take it up a notch, my crew love it with baby spinach tossed in balsamic vinegar.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 bunch fresh thyme
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 brown onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 zucchinis, diced
• 2 sprigs celery, diced
• 420g tin corn kernels
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 6-ish cups broth or water
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

To Serve

• 200-300g noodles
• 1 bunch chives, diced
• ½ bunch parsley, diced

Method

1 Pop all your veggies, chicken and broth in your slow cooker. A quick note though — if your lemon isn’t organic (ie. it has a coating on it), please don’t put it in. Leave it out and just use the juice at the end.

2 Fill your slow cooker with broth/water, leaving a 2cm gap from the top. Let it slow cook for 8 hours on low.

3 When the time is up, pull the thyme and chicken out. Dump your noodles straight into the slow cooker with the corn, and then put the lid back on while you shred the chicken.

4 When your chicken is shredded, and any leaves plucked off the thyme, stir them into the soup with the diced herbs. Have a taste and season accordingly. You may want some more lemon or a touch more salt and pepper.