One afternoon of prep turns into a full month of ready-to-cook Instant Pot freezer meals. This step-by-step system shows you exactly how to batch, freeze, and organize 30+ dump-and-go dinners with minimal stress!
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Why This Instant Pot Freezer Meal System Works
Almost a decade ago, I set out to answer a simple question: could one day of cooking completely eliminate dinner stress for weeks?
The answer is yes, but only when you stop thinking of it as random meal prep and start treating it like a system. This post (originally posted in 2017) inspired an entire freezer meal section of my shop and several other freezer meal prep sessions that are available for free on the blog.
Instead of trying to plan, shop, and cook every night, I build everything in advance using a simple assembly-line method. Every meal is portioned, labeled, and frozen in a way that is meant to go straight into the Instant Pot with zero extra steps later.
The Instant Pot is what makes this realistic. It removes the need for thawing and lets you cook straight from frozen, which is the difference between a system that sounds good and one that actually works on a busy weeknight.
So the whole thing comes down to this: one prep day, fully stocked freezer, and dinners that go from frozen to finished without the mental load in between!
Are Instant Pot Freezer Meals Actually Worth It?
Short answer: yes, if you do it right.
Here's what I've found after years of doing this:
- Prep one day = 30+ dinners ready
- Grocery cost averages $300-$500 depending on sales
- Works out to significantly cheaper than takeout or last-minute groceries
- Most meals feed 3-6 people with leftovers
This is one of the most efficient ways to stock a freezer without relying on processed convenience meals.
How Healthy Are Freezer Meals?
They're as healthy as you make them!
Freezing does not destroy nutrients in any meaningful way, especially in:
- meats
- beans
- vegetables
- broth-based meals
The real factor is what you put in them upfront. These recipes focus on:
- minimal processed shortcuts
- real proteins
- simple vegetables
- balanced sauces
Ready to get started? Let's get going making over 30 Instant Pot Dump and Go Freezer Meals!
Step 1: Prep Your Freezer Meal Supplies
Before you touch a single ingredient, set up your kitchen like an assembly line.
Essential tools:
- Instant Pot (or other pressure cooker, but my instructions will be using Instant Pot lingo)
- Round freezer containers or freezer bags - I prefer the ones linked here...they're from Dollar Tree and are super durable. If needed, you can also use these from Amazon.
- Labels (see below; print ahead of time)
- Sharp knives + cutting boards
- Large mixing bowls
- Sheet pans for proteins
Highly recommended upgrades:
- Extra inner pot insert (huge time saver)
- Silicone lid for Instant Pot liner
- Second sealing ring (for sweet vs savory-flavored meals - believe it or not, the ring can change the flavor of your food!)
- Grid-style vegetable chopper
- Cake pan for pot-in-pot rice (see pot-in-pot section below)
Pro tip: your setup determines your speed. A messy station will double your prep time!
Step 2: Master Grocery Strategy
Now, you could go through all of the recipes and make your own grocery list for this, but I've done all of that work for you!
I pulled together a complete grocery list for everything you will need for prep day, organized by category so it is easy to shop and stay on track.
This list is part of a free download pack that also includes printable labels, recipe cards, meal plans, and full prep instructions. It is available through the Lamberts Lately printable collection, exclusive to email subscribers. Sign up below to get the password and access!
Once you sign up, access instructions will be in your email inbox within a few minutes.
Don't wing this. This system only works when your ingredients are fully prepped and grouped before assembly.
I highly recommend:
- using online grocery pickup for your order
- sorting list by store section
- buying proteins in bulk when on sale
There will also be a few fresh add-ons closer to serving days (like bread, tortillas, or salad kits). Those are noted in the printable labels and instructions below.
Step 3: Print Labels Before You Start
This part is non-negotiable if you want a smooth, stress-free freezer system that actually holds up on busy nights.
Each label should include:
- Side dish suggestions so serve day is already decided
- Meal name
- Cook time
- Liquid required (this is what prevents burn notices and guesswork later)
Luckily, I've got you covered in this department too! The labels you see below are 100% free to download.
After the labels are printed, just cut them out (I love this paper cutter for making the process easier) and have them ready to attach to your containers with packing tape or freezer tape.
The key rule: apply every label before anything goes into the freezer. Once containers are frozen solid, tape loses its grip and you will end up fighting peeling edges or unreadable mystery meals later.
Step 4: Start With Tonight's Dinner (Momentum Meal)
Before you freeze anything, start with one fresh meal. This builds momentum, gets you cooking in flow, and immediately proves the system is working.
Double Batch Pulled Pork Sandwiches are the perfect launch meal.
- In your Instant Pot, add 2 tablespoon of olive oil and turn on the saute function. Rub a 3-4 pound pork butt with pork dry rub. Once the pot is hot, add the pork butt and brown on all sides.
- Once browned, add 2 cups of BBQ sauce and 2 cups of chicken stock. Lock the lid on & set the manual setting on the Instant Pot on high for 100 minutes.
- Once the cycle is finished, allow the pot to NPR (Natural Pressure Release - let it sit undisturbed) for 10 minutes. Open and shred the meat into a bowl. Add about a cup of the juice from cooking to the meat.
Half goes straight to dinner tonight and half gets portioned for the freezer.
Serve hot on buns with fries for an easy, low-effort win that kicks off the entire prep day with momentum!
Step 5: Vegetable Prep Assembly Line
Once you've got dinner for tonight going, it's time to start prep work for the Instant Pot freezer meal ingredients.
I'll go on and tell you: this is the most time-consuming part. It took me a couple of hours to prep all of the veggies. Something like a vegetable chopper will make your life SO much easier.
- Chop 2 bags (6 pounds) of onions.
- Slice 1 bag (3 pounds) of onions.
- Mince 13 cloves of garlic. (I bought pre-minced garlic cloves for this. Shhh.....)
- Chop 8 carrots into 1" pieces.
- Slice 11 carrots into 3-4" pieces.
- Slice 3 bell peppers.
- Chop 2 bell peppers.
- Chop 2 sweet potatoes into 1" chunks
- Slice the red onion into ¼" slices.
- Chop 4 stalks of celery into 4" pieces.
- Chop 4 stalks of celery into ½-1" pieces.
- Halve all of your red potatoes. Blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes or so (just to prep them for freezing...they don't have to be cooked all the way!). Slice 8 of the halves into ½" pieces.
Then, I set them all out buffet-style on my counter to make it easy to put everything together.
Step 6: Batch Cook Your Proteins
Not all of the meat needs to be cooked before you put it in the containers, but some do. Here's the order I followed...
- Cook 6 slices of bacon.
- Slice the smoked sausage into small pieces and brown.
- Brown 2 lbs of Italian sausage.
- Brown 6 lbs ground beef.
Note: I did the first four steps in the same pot, one at a time. I left the bacon and sausage drippings in for flavor, then drained everything after the ground beef. If the fats mix, it is totally fine and just adds more flavor. You will need your largest pot for the ground beef.
Also note: Some readers end up with extra ground beef since fat content varies. If you are using leaner beef, aim closer to 5 pounds to avoid running short.
- Brown 1.25 pounds of ground turkey. (Leave a little bit of grease in the pan for the next step.)
- Cut the large chuck roast in half and brown.
- Slice 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts.
- Halve 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts.
- Slice 2.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- Prepare the broths (You'll need 9 cups of beef broth and 12 cups of chicken broth. I just made mine in the microwave.)
Again, put the meats out buffet-style to make for easy assembly (preferably away from the veggies to avoid any cross-contamination).
Step 7: Build Your Instant Pot Freezer Meals
With all of your ingredients prepped, it's time to start building your freezer meal stash!
Add the ingredients for each recipe to a labeled freezer container or gallon freezer bag. If using freezer bags, freeze flat for 24 hours, then stand meals upright to maximize freezer space.
For each recipe below, you'll find:
- Ingredients to freeze
- Freezer prep instructions
- Serve day cooking directions
- Additional ingredients needed for serve day
- Recommended side dishes
Simply click on the plus sign next to each meal title to get the full instructions!
(Here, I suggest taking a break! I was exhausted by this point in the process...it probably took 3-4 hours to do everything so far, so if you're like me and powered through all of this, you deserve a few minutes off of your feet.)
You're officially done! Enjoy over a month you have of easy, stress-free dinners. 🎉
Important Notes Before You Start
Why Most Recipes Start with a 5-Minute Sauté
Most of these Instant Pot freezer meals begin with a 5-minute sauté. This helps create enough liquid in the bottom of the pot for the Instant Pot to come to pressure properly.
If you don't see about 1 cup of liquid after sautéing, add water or broth until you do. You can skip the sauté step altogether and add 1 cup of liquid from the start, but your finished meal may be slightly more watery.
Estimated Serving Sizes
Serving sizes vary by family, but here's a good rule of thumb:
- Recipes that make 2 freezer containers typically yield 3-5 servings per meal
- Recipes that make 1 freezer container typically yield 4-6 servings
For our family of three, most meals provided dinner plus leftovers for at least two people the next day.
Broth & Bouillon Tips
You'll use broth both during freezer meal prep and on cooking day, which is why the grocery list includes beef and chicken bouillon.
You can also use Better Than Bouillon. In many freezer meals, I simply add the base before freezing and stir in water on serve day.
Instant Pot Abbreviations
NPR (Natural Pressure Release)
Let the Instant Pot sit for about 10 minutes after cooking before releasing the remaining pressure.
QR (Quick Release)
Release the pressure immediately when cooking is complete.
PIP (Pot-in-Pot Cooking)
Cook a second dish, like rice or vegetables, in a separate container placed on a trivet above the main meal.
How to Use Pot-in-Pot (PIP) Cooking
Place the trivet that came with your Instant Pot over the food in the bottom of the pot. Set a separate oven-safe dish or cake pan on top of the trivet, add your side dish ingredients, then seal the lid and cook as directed. I use a simple cake pan for the PIP recipes in this post, and all PIP cook times are included on the meal labels.
Frozen vs. Fresh Cooking Times
Use the same cooking times whether your meal is frozen or refrigerated.
Frozen meals simply take longer to come to pressure, usually 20-25 minutes instead of the typical 5-10 minutes for fresh meals.
Prefer Firmer Vegetables?
These recipes produce very tender vegetables.
If you prefer vegetables with more texture, freeze them separately in a small bag inside the meal container. Add them during the final 10-15 minutes of cooking instead.
One Final Freezer Tip
Before freezing, stir ingredients together well inside each container. This helps distribute dense ingredients more evenly, allowing meals to thaw and come to pressure more efficiently on cooking day.
And if you're loving this meal plan, you will love my premium Freezer Meal Boot Camp packs! These packs include all of the info you need to prep even more freezer meals, including grocery lists, recipe cards, and labels.
Instant Pot Freezer Meals FAQs
I'd love to hear what you think of the meals! Leave your reviews ⭐️ in the comments below.
Leslie Lambert is a lifestyle writer and content creator specializing in home organization, family recipes, and intentional living. With 17 years of experience in blogging and digital storytelling, she helps busy women create calm, purposeful homes they love.
*Stands up and applauds*
Yikes! You did So. Much. Work. This is practically a public service! Thank you so much. This is terrific!!
I LOVE my IP and used it - just today - to make an upside down apple cake, hard boiled eggs, sweet tea with strawberries and baby back ribs. It's not a question of IF you neeed an IP, it's a question of if you need 2 of them.
It makes me crazy when people say they're scared of them. Make some 90 minute chicken stock so rich it'll look like chicken Jell-o and you'll throw the fears of our grandmothers' PC bombs out the window.
We have a small beach cottage and I bought one for there. I keep these meals in our feeezer there and we can have real food an hour after rolling in at 11pm when everything in the village is closed.
Thanks again!!
Fantastic resource! I appreciated the tips on the 5-minute saute and the round freezer storage containers, plus the bevy of recipes. Thank you! I've played around with a few freezer recipes meant for slow cookers, but it's always a toss up as to what will do well under pressure and what won't. I tend to pressure cook my root vegetables, but steam the other more tender stuff, like broccoli and peppers. I have a question for clarification on the Italian sausage ---- is it ground sausage or sausage left in the casing? In the Spaghetti recipe, the ground sausage seems a better fit. For the Zuppa Toscana, it might depend on the cook. Which do you recommend?
So glad you loved it, Valerie! Thanks for your sweet words. For the sausage - you could really use either one in the recipes, but I used ground Italian sausage in both.
Thank you, THANK YOU for this amazing resource! I went searching for IP frozen meals to prepare before the arrival of my DIL's TWINS and hit the JACKPOT with this ...and for FREE!!?? Wow! It was a huge project for me last weekend, but do-able because you laid it all out so perfectly. I just followed your directions and kept plugging away until it was all finished. My precious daughter-in-love and son will be taking "our" gorgeous TWINS home from the hospital tomorrow and will have all these convenient meals for any of us to throw in their IP when needed. I have already purchased your other plans, partly out of guilt that this one was free! ? I am sooo grateful that thanks to your work, I was able to do this for the kids. Thank you so much! - A grateful Grandma
Oh I love hearing that this is going to help a new mom! This would have been so great when I had my babies. And absolutely no need to feel guilty...making these is fun for me, selling them for a little extra money is just a nice bonus! 😉 Thanks for your purchase!
I LOVE this! Quick question..do you have to thaw the meals before cooking or do you cook them frozen? I'm still fairly new to the IP world!
With this set, I thaw them just enough to pop out of the container, put them in the IP, saute for a few minutes to get enough liquid to bring the pot to pressure, then cook! I've changed my method a little bit since publishing this post (for other boot camps, I recommend just adding the cup of water when you start cooking and skipping the saute step), but with this one, follow the original directions and do the saute method so your food doesn't come out too watery.
In the Beef/Sausage Spaghetti, does the meat need to be pre-cooked?
Thanks so much for all of these recipes, ideas, tips and buying guide! I can't wait to try some recipes! 🙂
Yes it is! You'll use some of the beef/sausage you brown in the prep process to assemble this meal.
I've never done IP freezer meals do we cook them or part cook them then freeze them and reheat in the IP? I want to make sure I understand before I mess things up.
You'll simply follow the instructions in this post! Sometimes you'll cook meats before freezing, but for the most part, you'll be doing the majority of the cooking part on serve day.
I've just bought all of the ingredients and am excited to start the prep work tomorrow. I have a question though about the shopping list. 1 3lb boneless chuck roast is listed twice, is this a mis-print or was I supposed to buy 2 3lb boneless chuck roasts?
Also, I noticed the week by week list might should start out with the first meal being the pulled pork sandwiches too. But that's not a big deal at all and just took me a hot second to sort out.
Thank you!
It's not! You'll need two separate chuck roasts for 2 separate recipes, I just didn't want to list them together so none of the readers were out looking for a 6lb roast. 😉
Is this by chance Lauren Rogies?
Is it relatively easy to just cut the ingredients/recipes in half for just one person? I am disabled and use a scooter to get around. Come dinner time, all my energy is depleted so I thought this might b the answer for me. Thank u for ur thorough instructions n this helps tremendously as I often get overwhelmed w preparation
Thank you
It should be fairly easy! One issue you might run into is halving canned goods - a lot of the recipes are written the way they are because they use a whole can of an ingredient. If you don't mind throwing out or repurposing a half can of something, that shouldn't be an issue!
I'm having trouble figuring out how to actually print the instructions in a printer-friendly format..... What am I missing?
Hi Julia! For this one, the instructions are all on the blog post. You're more than welcome to copy and paste them into a word document for your personal use if that helps!
Okay, thanks, I'll do that! This is amazing!!
Will this work with other pressure cookers? I have the Elite Bistro. I am worried about the plastic containers. Won't they melt with the heat?
It should! The only thing you'll need to ensure is that you have a manual, high-pressure setting. And you take the food out of the plastic containers before cooking!
Hello. Thank you so much for such a wonderful resource! I am very new to IP and I have a question. Some of the recipes have a long cook time. Is it possible for me to freeze these meals and then every few days grab a few and stick them in the fridge to defrost/ partially defrost and then reduce the cook time? Would that work? Do you have any suggestions for cooking times if everything is thawed?
Hi Cindy! Unfortunately, thawing them doesn't really reduce the cook time. You'll set the same time on the IP whether the meal is frozen or thawed. The only difference you'll see in the overall time to prepare your meal is the time it takes the meal to come to pressure - it takes much longer for the pot to come to pressure if the meal is frozen, so thawing the meals might reduce a little bit of cook time on that end!
YES it will. If you thaw the meal you might save up to 15min because it won't take as long for the meal to come to pressure! You don't change the time you set!!
i DOWNLOAD THE MEAL PLAN BUT I CANT FIND THE GROCERY LIST... PLEASE HELP.. MAYBE i AM OVERLOOKING. THANKS.
Hi Natalia! Email me at leslie at lambertslately dot com and I'll be glad to help.
Same here! I just emailed you.
Just emailed you!
Thanks! But darn, I did not receive it. Not in spam folder either. 🙁
Just tried again...you should have an email from me from about 30 minutes ago. Let me know if you got it!
This may be a silly question, but do I just assume all meat is cooked unless stated otherwise? I'm curious about the pork chops for the Brown Sugar and Balsamic Pork Chops (sounds divine!). I didn't notice it on the list of meat to cook, but just want to double check.
Under step 5 (prep your meat), you can see all of the meats that will be cooked and what you will simply chop!
Do you have sometime for vegetarians? Thanks in advance.
I don't right now, but I'm hoping to have some of those soon!
Hi! I'm excited to try these but have minimal freezer space so I'm hoping to use freezer bags and go that route. What's the best way to shape them? I saw where you said you would talk more on that later but couldn't find anything about it. Thanks!
I recommend shaping your bags with your inner pot...simply put the bags in your inner pot and pop them in the freezer! This does take awhile though since you probably only have one inner pot.
Hi I added raw ground beef to a few of the recipes before I realized they were supposed to have cooked ground beef (egg roll bowls, and veggie beef stew). I already put them in the freezer. Is that ok?
You should be ok...I would recommend testing the meals with a meat thermometer before serving though.
I subscribed but did not receive the printable shopping list password. Instead i got a link to your back to school fast batch cooking challenge.
Hi Nancy! Would you mind emailing me at leslie at lambertslately dot com? I'll be glad to help!
My mac wont let me print the downloadable labels. What am I doing wrong?
Are you opening those in a reader like Adobe Acrobat? I'd recommend doing a program like that. If you still have issues, you're welcome to email me!
I've tried and tried to request password to get shopping list or even find the grocery list in the Printables page with no success. I've gone through the list of instructions and prep in an attempt to make my own list but when I get to in structure like "half all your red potatoes" I have no idea how much the quantity of potatoes purchased should have been. Also, I purchased 2.5# of chicken thighs nut now the instructions say to slice them so I think they should have been boneless/skinless....ugh. And when I purchase chicken breasts, are they whole breasts or breast halves"???
If you'll email me at leslie at lambertslately dot com, I'll be glad to help!
SO.MUCH.INFORMATION. Thank you for all the time that you put into this! Quick question. I scrolled through to just check it out. Is there somewhere that you have all the recipes in printable form?
Thanks again! This is awesome!
I've had so many requests for that...I'm hoping to get this post converted to one of my boot camps packs soon!
Just made the Asian meatballs. I didn't have brown rice and I wasn't sure if I had a container for PIP so I just made the rice on the stove. The meatballs are moist and delicious. The veggies have pretty much disintegrated into mush, which isn't surprising. Any ideas how to improve the veggies? Otherwise sooo yummy and I was so thankful to have it ready to go in the freezer when I was exhausted.
Hi Heather...glad you loved them! I do recommend putting veggies in for just a few minutes at the end of the cooking cycle to prevent them getting too soft. You can also steam in the microwave separately if needed.
I am a newbie to instant pot cooking -- I have made a roast a couple times and have only did high pressure for 35 minutes. 100 Seems really high. Can you confirm that time?
Yes, that's right! 90-100 minutes will make your roast super tender. You might want to leave the veggies out until the last 5-10 minutes though if you don't want them really soft.
Just to confirm -- So about 5 - 10 minutes before the 100 is up I do a manual pressure release and then add the veggies then pressure again for 10 more minutes? Does it take a while to come back up to pressure?
Thank you so much. newbie here! Can't wait to try these recipes.
Yes, I'd probably set my IP for 90 minutes for the roast, let it naturally release for a few minutes, then open, add veggies, and set for 5 minutes.
So far... you have the best freezer boot camp. I have tried other and they are not as easy to follow as your... and recipes are not as tasty either. I hope you can make the Paleo-friendly boot camp soon... I cant eat half of your recipes but my family can and love them... they enjoy picking what the dinner the day before!.
Thank you!
Oh I'm so glad to hear that! I really need to get going on those specialty menus - I've had so many requests. Hopefully before the end of the year. 😉
How on earth do I get the labels off these Dollar Tree containers? Impossible.
Hmm...I don't remember having an issue. When all else fails, Goo Gone is your friend! 😉
How do you make the gallon size bags work so that they fit in the instant pot?
Hi Bonnie! If I do freeze with the gallon bags, I put the empty bag inside your inner stainless steel pot and put the contents of the meal in it, then freeze inside the pot so it maintains that shape.
Thanks for taking the time to put this together. I'm hoping this will save us lots of time and money in the long run. I've downloaded the grocery list but I am not really understanding the "Buy Every Week" section. It seems like that section's formatting is off or something. It starts off listng the meals by week and listing the "extras" needed for each meal. The odd thing is, for me, I only see two meals listed for week 1. Two meals listed for week 2 and 2 meals listed for week 3. Then 27 meals listed for week 4. There is also an extras section? I'm completely confused. I've got the prep day list under control but the weekly extras grocery list is a no go for me.
It might be printing strangely depending on your computer settings. Sometimes it helps to put it in landscape formatting when printing. You're welcome to email me at [email protected] if you need any more help figuring it out!
Are all 4 instant pot boot camps available as a pack? Or is it just the 2?
I do have that option! If you'll email me at [email protected], I'll be glad to help.
Am i missing the recipe cards for these one? I thought i read through it 2x and am not seeing it .
Unfortunately, this is the only boot camp I don't have recipe cards made for yet. I'm hoping to get those done soon!
How many people do your meal plans serve?
It kind of depends on the meal; typically 4-6, with some being a little bit more.
Ok, we have 8 people in our family... I'm wondering if I should 1.5 or double your recipes... Also, I'm new to the instant pot world... would increasing the quantity drastically change the cooking time? I have an 8 qt pot.
For 8 people, yes, I would recommend doubling. And no, shouldn't change the cook time at all! Maybe add a minute or two, but I wouldn't do anymore than that.
do you double the liquids too? I'm feeding 7 or 8 most nights too. I LOVE this resource. thank you so much!
For most, I wouldn't...you really only need 1 cup of water when you start the meal. If the recipe is a soup or more liquidy recipe, yes, I would double it!
Wow! What a wonderful resource! I’m still reading through, but have a question. I’m new to Instant Pot Cooking. Your first recipe (pork) said to set the IP to 100 minutes. Is one hundred minutes a typical cooking time period? I’ve only cooked chicken and I set my IP to 8 minutes. Thank you for your information.
Not for most things, but for larger, tougher cuts of meat, yes! I get that question all the time, but it's not a typo - I typically cook roasts and pork butts 90-100 minutes to get them fall-apart tender.
I see that some of the items are not included on the shopping list (ground turkey for the asian meatballs). The shopping list also includes 3 jars of alfredo sauce that I don't see used anywhere in the instructions. How do you recommend I best cross-check to be sure that I have everything I need to begin?
Thank you in advance!
I just realized I printed the Slow Cooker Freezer Meal shopping list. Where can I access the Instant Pot 30-meal Boot Camp shopping list? I don't see it in the Printable section. Please help! Thank you 🙂
Hi There! It's on the same page of the printable collection - I have several lists on that page, and you'll see a link to the original post for your reference above each one.
I really want to try this! But I’ve tried giving my email 3 times but for some reason it’s not working! Any ideas??
Sorry about that, Becky! Would you mind emailing me at [email protected]? I'll be glad to help!
Help! I have put in my email. When I go to the "Printables" it routes me right back to the same place. I would really like to print the grocery list and get started this weekend. This looks amazing!
Would you mind emailing me at [email protected]? I'll be glad to help!
Is there a list of abbreviations?
What does PIP mean?
NPR?
QR?
I know these are simple abbreviations (like BLSL=boneless skinless) but I cannot figure it out.
Help, please! Your site it amazing!!!
Can't wait to start using these recipes in my new instant pot. I LOVE that you include sides and make a complete meal (something other instant pot freezer meals seem to be missing). I just have a quick question on the pulled pork: you cook it for 100 minutes when you have the full roast, but then you freeze 1/2 of it for a future meal. What should the cook time be for the frozen portion? Thanks!
You'll simply thaw and serve for that second meal!
Thnak you. I prepped these meals this weekend and my portions didn't come out. I ended up with lots of I cooked bacon, but not sure what recipe it goes in and there isn't a card for the #9 Italian Beef Sandwiches (1 meal)... what did I do wrong?
Also are there recipe cards for these?
Hmm...not sure on the bacon, there are 6 slices total cooked and 3 go into each Zuppa Toscana. Sorry about the Italian Beef Sandwich card, somehow it didn't get copied correctly into the file - I just updated it in the printable collection!
As per usual, I'm a little late to the party. I got an IP for Christmas, and wasn't sure what to do with it. My husband was concerned I was going to blow up the kitchen (not really a stretch, actually)! A quick search on Pinterest brought me to your website. I CANNOT thank you enough for these wonderful recipes! I had a "snow weekend" and completed about 20 meals in 2 days (on and off...when I got bored). These recipes are so easy, and taste great! I had to modify a little - my guys are SOOO picky, but they loved most of them (which says A LOT). Curry was a little exotic for them, and grits for anything but breakfast....well....(I thought it sounded yummy - the beef ragu). So thank you so much for your hard work and generosity. My stand alone freezer went from empty to half full on about $140, and I cannot begin to tell you how happy that made me! You rock!
Lisa Williams
P.S. to Christin....If I ever have any left over cooked bacon (which is rare, because the guys in my house have a spidey sense when it comes to bacon), I wrap it in wax paper and put it in a zip-loc in the freezer. If I need a piece or two, the wax paper keeps them from sticking together, and I pop them in the microwave or a frying pan for a minute or so, and they are good to go!
Oh my goodness, I'm so glad you loved them so much!
For the asian meatballs, is the water for the PIP or does it go in the main pot with the meatballs and soy sauce?
The soy sauce will go in the bottom with the meatballs; the water goes in the PIP with your rice!
I am so excited about this! I just did the whole prep and everything last night. I posted a pic of my ready-to-freeze meals and have over 600 "likes" and a ton of "where did you find the recipes." I have referred them all back to you. Thank you for doing all of the leg work on this! I can't wait to check it all out. Tonight is the pulled pork. Tomorrow is Chicken tacos.
Oh wow, that's awesome! Thanks for the referrals. Hope you love the meals!
I'm so grateful for this post! I'm excited to spend tomorrow prepping meals for the next month or two using this resource. I'm curious though, I'm not able to download the printable resources for this. Every link I've clicked on says that it is a broken link. I've subscribed and have the printable resources for several of your other freezer meal plans, and love them. Am I missing something for this particular set?
Not sure why it wasn't working, but I had a few emails last night that said the same thing. Maybe just downtime for my server...I just tried it and it's working now! Let me know if you still can't get it to work.
So excited to try this. Just the 2 of us. We're empty nesters. I'm wondering if the large coffee cans would work to hold gallon freezer bags for filling/shaping in freezer rather than using IP insert each time or possibly round gallon milk jugs with tops cut off to hold bags. If so this would speed up freezing process considerably. I'm going to try and see if this works.
That's not a bad idea...it's worth a try!
I love your meals and recipes for the instant pot. I also love your organization! I am disappointed that I bought the pot suggested for pit in pot meals and it doesn't fit in my 6 quart with the meal in it and tribe. It sticks up an inch too tall. Guess I need to go shopping again but not sure if a slimmer pan will hold the suggested rice quantities.
Strange...I haven't heard of that happening before! I wonder if they changed the dimensions - I'll check it out. Are you using it with the IP trivet that comes with your pot?
Hello! I hope I have not missed this question/answer, if so, I apologize for repeating! The storage containers you suggest buying, either Dollar Store or Amazon, will fit the 6 and the 8 quart Instant Pots? (Your post looks as though it is 8 quart and mine is a 6 quart.) I prefer having containers to stack in the freezer rather than the bags, so hope these will fit the 6 qt!
Thanks for all your hard work...these look great!
Mine is the 6 quart, so yes, they will fit both!
Thank you so much for this! My husband and I did the mini bootcamp of ten meals and we were hooked! I just finished this doing this 30 meal bootcamp yesterday. I'm pregnant, work full time and have a two year old so these freezer meals have been a lifesaver! One question, since I work some of the longer cook time recipes are hard to do. Do you have any opinion on using the delay start on the IP? That way I could load in the frozen meal in the morning and it would be set to start around 2-3 pm. This is probably not food safe exactly but the meal would probably stay mostly frozen until is started pressurizing.
Thanks again!
So glad it helped, Heather! I've had a few questions about using delay start but I've honestly never done it. The food safety of letting it sit out all day might be an issue though - for those recipes, you're probably better off cooking it first and allowing it to sit on warm mode until you can eat it. And even then, I would ensure it had been at the minimum temperature for the meat you're eating (you can google that and get a full list of safe temperatures).
I just finished the bootcamp and made the first meal. Directions were great (as long as I read them correctly)!! I have 3-5 people for each meal so I thought this would be the perfect size. I am soooo glad I only had 3 for dinner the night I made chicken curry!! Not nearly enough chicken....when I do the next batch of chicken curry I will definitely add some frozen chicken thighs from the freezer!! Am I the only one that has had this problem?? I realized that when I was putting together the meals that required chicken breasts and I ended up doubling the chicken in each bucket!! Maybe my family is just big eaters!! 😉
That's the problem - it's so hard to estimate serving amounts because every family is so different on serving sizes! I've heard both ends of the spectrum - some people say the estimate is too small, some say it's too big. So it's a nice average, but you really have to test out a few meals to see how it's going to work for you.
I prepped all this the other day. Whew, I was tired! I'm using the pulled pork for lunches. It's great with a mustard bbq as a condiment!
I have a question though. When you are making sides for some of these, like rice or noodles, do I take the main meal out of the IP then put in, say the rice, to cook? Or does the main meal stay in and I add the rice to it?
Sometimes you'll use the pot-in-pot method to make things like rice - I include that in the instructions if it is needed. You can see more info on that in the post! Unless noted, you won't add rice/pasta to the main meal.
I have a question about the egg roll bowl. Do you empty the pot before you add the rice noodles and water?
I'm so excited to try all of these! We will be moving soonish so I wont be doing the full meal prepping so I don't end up with too much in my freezer. But I am trying a couple recipes at a time for now.
I didn't - just cook everything together!
What size instant do you use, 6 quart?
Yes, 6 quart duo!
Good evening Leslie,
First off, thank you so much for pulling this together. I’m new to instant pot , this will be a real live saver for me. I signed up at the beginning of this page with my email hoping I would get the shopping list. Hasn’t come, so I emailed you directly as I’ve see you state to others that’s having trouble getting the grocery list. I’m so looking forward to filling up my freezer & my daughters. Please let me know what else I can do to get the list. Maybe I just haven’t waited long enough, I’m sure you are swapped with requests. I did both yesterday signing up & emailing you.
Thanks again
Marie
Hi Marie, you should have an email from me!
Hi Leslie, just curious if you have the nutritional information for the meals such as calories, protein, etc? If not, I can most likely calculate it out myself but wanted to ask.
Thank you so much for this boot camp, I was so excited to have a month's worth of dinners planned!
Hi Jaime, I don't as of right now, but that's something I need to look into, great idea!
Is there an order in which ingredients should be layered…ie meat on top of freezer container so that when you put it in the pressure cooker, it’s on the bottom for better cooking??
I recommend mixing your freezer meal contents before freezing to make sure the meat is evenly distributed throughout the meal. If you have a big clump of meat frozen in the dish, it can take longer to thaw and sometimes cause the meat to be undercooked.