Want delicious, easy meals with little effort? Let your slow cooker do most of the work for you!
You just add your ingredients in the morning, go about your day and when you are ready to eat…just open the lid and enjoy! How easy is that?
Come in out of the cold to a steaming hot bowl of soup!
One of my favorite slow cooker meals in Italian Meatball Soup. You only need four ingredients plus a bit of water, oh…and some fresh grated parmesan cheese for a topping, if you want.
It’s so easy, yet so delicious! I love coming home after being outside on a cold, fall or winter day to a yummy, hot bowl of this hearty soup.
Italian Meatball Soup (Slow Cooker)
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 bag Frozen Pre-Cooked Italian Meatballs (16 oz)
- 1 ¾ cups Beef Broth (I use Low Sodium)
- 1 cup water
- 1 can Aylmer’s tomatoes (Italian style) undrained (14.5 oz)
- 1 can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), drained (19 oz)
- ⅓ cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Spray 3- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
- Use food processor to puree the tomatoes.
- Mix all ingredients except cheese in cooker.
- Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.
- Garnish individual servings with grated parmesan cheese.
Did you know that you can make your own Chinese food in your slow cooker?
Another of my “go-to” slow cooker recipes that I rely on often is my Sweet Sesame Chicken. This is amazing with fried rice or even just plain white rice. I like to serve it with plain jasmine rice and a frozen Asian vegetable mix stir fried in a bit of veggie oil mixed with sesame oil. Throw a few egg rolls or spring rolls in the oven and it’s home-made Chinese food meal!
Sweet Sesame Chicken (Slow Cooker)
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup honey
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup diced onion
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- salt & pepper to taste
- 3 tsp cornstarch (for thickening)
- ¼ cup cold water
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Spray crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.
- Season chicken pieces with salt & pepper and place in crock pot.
- In a bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes.
- Pour over chicken.
- Cook on low for 3 hours, open and stir, and set on high for last two hours.
- Remove chicken with a slotted spoon, leaving the juices behind.
- Dissolve 3 heaping TBSPs of cornstarch in 1/4 cup of cold water. This should resemble a thin paste. If too thick, add a bit more water and stir until dissolved.
- Pour sauce into crock pot and stir until dissolved and sauce starts to thicken. Close lid and heat on high for another 5 to 10 minutes. Sauce should be nice and thick.
- Shred chicken with 2 forks and add back into to crockpot and stir to coat with sauce.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds when put in serving dish or on plates.
Just like Mom used to make…well, I know my Mom used to make this and we all loved it!
I don’t eat a lot of beef, but when I do, I love a gravy with it. This Easy Beef Stroganoff is so tasty with served over mashed potatoes (my favorite!) or buttered egg noodles.
One of the best parts about doing this in the slow cooker is that you can use cuts of beef that are less expensive. This is because the meat will be cooked on a low temperature for an extended time…allowing the meat to become so tender it pulls apart with a fork! How great is that?
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless round or sirloin steak cut into cubes (can use precut stewing beef)
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix
- ⅛ cup beef broth or water
- 1 cup sauteed mushrooms (Optional: add at the end of the cooking time)
Instructions
- Spray the inside of the slow cooker with non-stick spray.
- Arrange the pieces of beef on the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Mix the cream of mushroom soup, sour cream and the Lipton Onion Soup Mix in a bowl. When fully mixed, add a little of the beef broth or water, just enough to smooth out the sauce. Pour over the meat in the slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours until beef is tender and falls apart with fork.
- Add hot, sauteed mushrooms and stir. Close lid and cook for another 15 minutes.
- Serve hot over mashed potatoes, rice or hot, buttered egg noodles.
Want some Mexican inspired food done in your slow cooker?
Last, but certainly not least, this Cheesy Chicken Enchilada with Quinoa will make you feel like you are at a Mexican restaurant! Doesn’t that sound amazing?
There is a tiny bit of prep work and then just toss everything in the slow cooker. So easy to make and so tasty to eat!
Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken Enchilada with Quinoa
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken or turkey
- 1½ cups uncooked quinoa (rinsed)
- 1 can black beans (15 oz.)
- 1 cup frozen or canned corn kernels
- 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (10 oz.)
- ½ cup salsa
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- ½ cup sweet,red bell peppers (chopped into small pieces)
- 1 cup water
- 1 can enchilada sauce (19 oz.)
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese blend
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- OPTIONAL: 2 TBSP fresh lime juice, sour cream, green onions, 1 small, diced jalapeno
Instructions
- Pre-cook your ground chicken until browned through. Drain grease and place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add the uncooked quinoa, black beans (drained and rinsed), corn, diced tomatoes and green chilies (do not drain), salsa and minced garlic.
- Add onion and bell peppers to slow cooker. You can add the optional chopped jalapeno at this time if you wish.
- Add in the water, enchilada sauce, chili powder and cumin.
- Stir everything together really well. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 to 3 ½ hours or until the liquid is all absorbed into the mixture.
- Once it is done cooking, remove the lid and stir everything again. Stir in the cheese and fresh cilantro (stems removed and chopped).
- If desired, add in the fresh lime juice.
- This can be served in a bowl with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle of green onion, or you can serve it rolled in a warm tortilla.