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Tasty Trends, Pt 3: Dump Dinners

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UNCG chapter.

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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