Slow Cooker Ideas

Updated on November 16, 2008
K.F. asks from Hyattsville, MD
22 answers

It's that time of year that I love to break out the slow cooker and come home to a hot, delicious meal. I'm tired of all the soups and roasts I normally make and am wondering if any of you have some ideas that I haven't tried. I'm looking for a good black bean soup recpie too if any of you have a good one. Though, I am always looking for cheap meals, which are normally easier to do in the slow cooker. So anything other then beef stew or pot roast, really anything you find cheap, easy and so yummy to come home and eat, I would greatly appreciate the recpie for it! Thanks in advance ladies!

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N.F.

answers from Washington DC on

I've been following this blog from a woman who made a new years resolution to use her crock pot daily. There are tons of recipes on her site.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

4 moms found this helpful
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C.B.

answers from Norfolk on

Hi K.! I too am a huge fan of my slow cooker. I have gotten a lot of recipes from BettyCrocker.com. They are super easy and I haven't found one that I haven't liked yet!

C.

2 moms found this helpful

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S.K.

answers from Norfolk on

Hi K.!

Here are 3 chicken slow cooker recipes. My kids love them!

SOUR CREAM AND ONION CHICKEN
4 boneless skinless breast
1 120z. can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 packet onion soup mix

place chicken in crokpot
in a medium bowl mix all ingredients
pour over chicken and cover
cook on low for 6-8 hours

CHICKEN SALSA SLOW COOKER
4 bonless skinless breast
1 cup salsa
1 taco seasoning packet
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream

place chicken in slow cooker
sprinkle taco seasoning on chicken
pour salsa and soup over chicken
cook on low for 6-8 hours
remove from heat and stir in sour cream

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN (slow cooker)
4 boneless skinless breast
1 jar medium salsa, divided
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can whole kernel corn
grated cheese

mix corn, beans, and half jar salsa in slow cooker
place chicken on top and coat with remaining salsa
cook on low for 6 hours
about 10 miutes before serving, sprinkle with cheese and let melt.

I hope these are ones you can use and enjoy. They all go great with either rice or noodles or even tostitos.

4 moms found this helpful
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K.B.

answers from Washington DC on

I find a lot of great recipes on Allrecipes.com - I have included a link to the slow cooker recipes:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Main-Dish/Slow-Cooker/Main....

Allrecipes has great recipes and you can even create a recipe box on the site to tag your favorite or interesting recipes - and add your own recipes.

Good luck!!

3 moms found this helpful
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M.W.

answers from Washington DC on

I love my slow cooker, so I am looking forward to seeing the responses! Here is one of our favorites - very kid friendly. I serve it over egg noodles.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbs butter, melted
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz cream cheese, cubed
1/2 c chicken broth
1 (1oz)packet ranch dressing mix
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1 dash paprika
1/8 tsp dry oregano
1/4 tsp dry parsley flakes

Wash and dry chicken breasts and place them evenly in crock pot. Sprinkle with paprika.
Sprinkle ranch salad dressing mix over chicken.
Drizzle chicken breasts with 1 tablespoons melted butter.
Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter with minced garlic and saute slightly.

Add cream of chicken soup,cream cheese cubes, 1/2 c chicken broth, dried oregano and dried Parsley flakes. Stir on med til smooth.

Add mixture to crock pot, cover again and continue to cook on low for 1 1/2-2 hours.

3 moms found this helpful
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N.R.

answers from Richmond on

How about Chicken Pot-Pie?

3 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey
2 cans (14 ½ ounces each) chicken broth
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 stalk celery thin sliced
1 medium onion chopped
1 bay leaf ( I did not use this)
3 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 package of frozen mixed veggies (16 ounces)
1 cup milk
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp poultry seasoning (I didn’t have this)
½ tsp salt
1 9-inch refrigerated pie crust

In crock pot, combine meat(I boiled a chicken and then picked the meat off the bone), broth, 1/ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, celery, onion, bay leaf, potatoes and mixed veggies. Cover; cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 4 to 6 hours. Remove bay leaf.

Pre-heat oven to 400. In a small bowl, mix milk and flour. Gradually stir flour mixture into Crock-Pot. Stir in pepper, poultry seasoning and salt. If using a removable Crock-Pot, carefully place 9-inch pie crust over veggie-meat mixture. Place removable crock inside pre-heated oven, do not cover, bake for 15 minutes or until crust is browned. For a non- removable Crock-Pot, spoon veggie-meat mixture into a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Role out pie crust and carefully place on top of veggie-meat mixture. Bake in oven for 15 minutes, until pie crust is brown. Serve immediately. Serves 8

ALL of my kids love this one. And it is so easy for me to make. The first time may look hard and time consuming but it really isn’t. Season it the way you like. I didn’t use the bay leaf or the poultry seasoning because I didn’t have them. And it still turned out great!

Enjoy!

Take Care,
N. :) SAHM homeschooling 3 boys 13, 8 & 2 yrs old and married to my Mr. Wonderful 15yrs next month. I love to help other moms, who want to become SAHMs, reach that goal!

2 moms found this helpful
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T.B.

answers from Norfolk on

I did a whole chicken in the crock pot a few weeks ago and it was great! All I did was rinse the chicken and put it in the pot. I used about 1/4 cup of water (but you really don't need it) and some lemon juice. Season your chicken the way you like it and go. About 8 hours later (I cooked mine on high) we had a very juicy, very flavorful chicken. All I had to add was some side dishes (I used steamed veggies and mashed potatoes).

1 mom found this helpful
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T.N.

answers from Norfolk on

My absolute favorite recipe site is allrecipes.com -- check it out!!
They have every kind of recipe you can think of, plus ratings from people who have actually used the recipe.
If you type in what you are looking for, a bunch of recipes come up -- so click on "ratings" above where the recipes show & it will rank from 5 stars on down.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.J.

answers from Washington DC on

I use my slow cooker a lot too. I swear by my Fix it and Forget it cookbook. They have a 'light' version, which is what I use, as well as a diabetic version. Every single dish I have tried from this book has been EXCELLENT! I would highly recommend it to anyone!

1 mom found this helpful
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J.W.

answers from Washington DC on

If you and your family like Mexican style food, I have a great slow cooker recipe. It is super simple and tastes great! I call it shredded pork burritos.

Ingredients:
~1.5lb pork tenderloin
1 small can chopped chilis (in the mexican food isle)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 packet taco or adobo seasoning
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup enchilada sauce (in mexican food isle)

1) Rub pork tenderloin with seasoning mix so the entire tenderloin is covered
2) Place tenderloin in slow cooker, then add chilis, onion, vinegar, and enchilada sauce
3) Turn slow cooker on low for ~ 4 hours
4) Take pork out and shred meat with 2 forks then return the meat to the cooker to stay moist and warm
5) Serve pork with tortilla wraps, beans, cheese, rice and any other condiment you like in your burrito. You can let everyone assemble their own or assemble them all in advance.

Hope you enjoy the recipe!

1 mom found this helpful
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C.P.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi there. A friend just recently showed me this blog with crockpot recipes - I am SURE you will find something here you like!

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

C.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.P.

answers from Washington DC on

Okay this is the world's easiest black bean chili!!!!!
The only thing you have to prepare is the chicken, and if you are pressed for time, you can even buy the cut-up kind!

A large jar of salsa (as spicy as you want it!)
a can of black beans
a bag of frozen corn
3 diced chicken breasts (or thighs, whatever you prefer)
2 cans of v8, add another if it is too thick for your liking

put it in your slow cooker, this only takes minutes to prepare!

Top with shredded cheese, sour cream and green onion!

1 mom found this helpful
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A.F.

answers from Washington DC on

Lentil Stew

Combine 1 cup dry rinsed lentils. 3cups water, 1chopped potato, lchopped tomato, lchopped carrot,1 chopped small onion, and lchopped celery stalk.
Add seasoning according to your taste. We like salt and sage and thyme. Let simmer until the lentils are soft. AF

1 mom found this helpful
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K.K.

answers from Washington DC on

I made a really good Lasagna in the slow cooker. I made it like I would a regular lasagna and layered it in the slow cooker...cooks about 3-4 hours on low.

YUMMY!

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S.J.

answers from Washington DC on

Hey K.. I'm a BIG fan of Rachel Ray and coincidentally a few weeks ago she did a black bean soup recipe on the show that had chirizo sausage in it. I wrote it down as much as I could while she was doing it. Let me know if you want it and I'll see if I can still find it. As for other crock pot ideas...let me know if you get any GOOD ones.

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P.F.

answers from Washington DC on

I don't have the recipe with me, but Campbell's has an awesome recipe for beef stroganoff. Check you their website. My family loves it!

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B.G.

answers from Richmond on

There is a slow cooker book by Betty Crocker that you can purchase that would help you tremendously. It really has some nice recipes in it. You can buy it basically from any book store or you can go online under bettycrocker.com and order it.

GOOD LUCK.................

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J.W.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi K.,

I haven't personally tried any of these recipes because I currently live in China and don't own a slow cooker, but I am planning on trying a lot of the soup recipes from this site.

The website is allrecipes.com and they have an entire slow cooker recipe section. Hopefully you will find something new and delicious for your family.
J.

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S.W.

answers from Washington DC on

Here's one of my faves. I usually serve this over egg noodles. It takes less than 10 min. to prep.

Chinese Style Country Ribs

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup orange marmalade
2 Tbsp. ketchup
chopped garlic (to your taste)
3-4 lbs. country style ribs

Combine first 4 ingredients and brush on meat. Place ribs in slow-cooker and pour remaining sauce on top. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hrs.

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K.P.

answers from Washington DC on

Have you tried the McCormick slow cooker packs. They make some really good meals and are simple and quick to put together. You just add meat, maybe an extra ingredient i.e. mushrooms, and the spice packet. Its a time saver and I haven't had one yet that I didn't like.

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H.K.

answers from Washington DC on

Do the rubber chicken dance! I know this isnt a whole meal but great way to get 2 or 3 meals out of a chicken and is much cheaper than buying chicken breasts. Cook a whole chicken in the crockpot. Serve it with veggies and rice or mashed pots - the broth in the crockpot makes a terrific gravy yum. Chop up whatever meat you have left over and use it in enchiladas or a pot pie for the next day. Boil the frame with onion and celery for an hour to make a yummy broth for your next soup! You can freeze it if you are not ready to use it yet. I usually brown the skin of the chicken on the stove just for a min as it helps lock the juices in. I put onions and garlic in the chicken, rub it with salt/pepper and season with sage, rosemary, thyme and marjoram or you can use a poultry seasoning. I put about 1/4 - 1/2 C water. Enjoy. The other recipes up here look yummy too! Thanks for posting this question grin!

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D.K.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi K.,

Here's a chili recipe that I just concocted this year, it's my family's favorite:

Mom's Rainy Day Chili

2 lb. ground beef browned and drained
1 lg can dark red kidney beans (40 oz. or more, or 2-3 smaller cans)
2 regular cans diced tomatos
1 sm can chopped chiles (found in the ethnic food aisle)
1/2 green bell pepper chopped
3-4 slices onion diced
2-3 cloves garlic finely diced
1 cup water
1 regular can tomato sauce
1 regular can tomato paste
Seasoned salt, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper to taste

Combine in slow cooker and cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 8-9 hours.

I serve it with grated cheese and sour cream with my special cornbread on the side (to make the cornbread extra special just do what I do and use the BH&G cookbook recipe but add 1/2 can of cream style corn and 1 cup grated cheese to the recipe before baking, this is quick and easy to whip up at home right before the chili is ready). It's awesome. Hope you like it.

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