Crockpot Freezer Meal
This looks like a lot of ingredients but I assure you this is easy!
*You can substitute beef, pork or chicken
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- Dash crushed red pepper
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 lbs lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tbs olive oil, divided
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbs ginger, grated
- dash cinnamon
- 1 c chicken stock or broth
- 3 c tomato sauce
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 can garbanzos (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
- 1 c small potatoes, halved
- 1 c spinach, chopped (optional)
Take a plastic disposable crockpot liner and place in a bowl just slightly smaller than your crockpot. This is important!
Pat the lamb dry with paper towels and salt lightly. Heat a large pan over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil.
Add the lamb to the hot pan. Be sure to avoid overcrowding even if you have to seat the meat in two batches.
Add the browned lamb to the bag. The lamb does not need to be cooked through as it will finish in the crockpot.
Next, add the onions, garlic & ginger to sauté stirring occasionally. Add the spices once the onion has softened.
Pour in the broth and stir well to deglaze the pan. Pour the onion mixture into the bag.
Add all remaining ingredients to the bag. Then secure the bag. Squish it a bit to blend the ingredients.
Place the bowl with the bag of ingredients in the freezer. You can take back your bowl once the bag is frozen solid. You need to freeze in the bowl because it serves as a mild so the frozen bag will fit in your crockpot.
You can remove the bag the night before but if you forget you can still cook this stew from fully frozen. On the day you want to enjoy it just place the bag of ingredients in the crockpot. I allow the stew to cook on low all day.
Serve with fresh herbs, couscous or rice
