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Tasty Trends, Pt 3: Dump Dinners

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Abbigaile Gustafson Student Contributor, University of North Carolina Greensboro
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UNCG Contributor Student Contributor, University of North Carolina Greensboro
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UNCG chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

The name has absolutely nothing to do with the flavors of the recipes, I promise! Dump dinners are the latest and greatest in making a delicious, quick-fix meal that will last the whole week. All you have to do is put it together in a Ziploc, freeze it, and throw it in the crockpot (after thawing) whenever you need an easy dinner! The best part is that you don’t have to watch it- put the crockpot on a heat setting before you leave in the morning, and you’ll have a giant pot of delicious goodness waiting for you after a long day.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Red Lentil Curry – Different, I know, but a delicious option for our vegetarian friends!

Ingredients:

4 c. brown lentils, 2 diced onions, 4 minced cloves garlic, 1 tbsp. Minced ginger, 4 tbsp. Butter (optional- but it’s butter, people, don’t miss out on the goodness!), 5 tbsp. Red curry paste, 1 tbsp. Garam masala, 1 ½ tsp. Turmeric, 2 tsp. Sugar, 2 (29 oz.) cans tomato puree, 1 tsp. Salt, `½ c. coconut cream or milk (depending on what consistency you want- I prefer cream)

How to Make:

-Combine all ingredients and place in a Ziploc bag (put the date on the label)

-Freeze; whenever you’re ready to have it for dinner, thaw it out in the fridge overnight

-Put it in the crockpot on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours and serve over rice!

Cheesy Enchilada Quinoa – Taco Tuesday’s overrated, amiright?

Ingredients:

1 lb. cooked ground turkey, 1 ½ c. uncooked quinoa, 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, 1 c. frozen corn, 1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, ½ c. salsa, 1 tsp. Minced garlic, ½ c. onion, ½ c. bell peppers, 1 c. water, 1 can (19 oz.) red enchilada sauce, 1 tbsp. Chili powder, 1 tsp. Cumin, 2 c. shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese, ⅓ c. fresh cilantro

How to Make:

– Combine all ingredients and Ziploc it

– Freeze and thaw when ready to use

-Crockpot on high for 3 to 3 ½ hours, or low for 5-6 hours and garnish with cilantro.

3-Ingredient Ranch Porkchops – Get some mashed potatoes and you’ll have an amazing Cracker-Barrel-worthy meal.

Ingredients:

4-6 uncooked pork chops, 1 envelope dry Ranch seasoning, 2 (10 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup

How to Make:

-Combine in a Ziploc

-Thaw and cook in the Crockpot on low for 4-6 hours

Cilantro Lime Chicken – This is probably my favorite out of all of them; add some avocado, rice, quinoa, whatever ya want, and ¡buen provecho!

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts (uncooked), juice from 2 limes, 1 bunch chopped cilantro, 1 (16 oz.) bag corn, 2 minced garlic cloves, ½ chopped red onion, 1 (10 oz.) can black beans, 1 tsp. Cumin, salt to taste

How to Make:

-Ziploc all ingredients together and freeze

-Thaw and crockpot on low for 8 hours

-Shred chicken and enjoy!

There are seriously so many reasons why these are my favorite- they’re easy, they don’t take a ton of dishes, I don’t have to worry about burning myself as much as I usually do around a hot oven (it’s honestly a problem). Give them a try, and you’ll end up dumping any other dinner ideas!

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