Slow Cooker Recipes

[Charlotte Rowan]

These cold winter days we've been having recently have inspired me to pull the slow cooker out of the cabinet, so I can stay wrapped up in my blanket as much as possible and still have a hot meal ready at dinnertime! My only problem is that I can't seem to find any good recipes. I tried a couple from Allrecipes, and they were fine, but nothing to write home about. Does anyone here have any favorite slow cooker recipes?

[Auryn]

I'm so glad you started this thread as I am in the exact same boat.
I have yet to find a recipe I love and even the decent ones are hard to find.

[lys1022]

My favorite all-purpose slow-cooker recipe is to simply put boneless, skinless chicken thighs (you can use white meat, but it gets dry with long, slow cooking) in the bottom of the crockpot, then cover with salsa and a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes.  Let cook until chicken is done through and falling apart (6-8 hours on low).  Shred chicken into the liquid that it cooked in.  Makes excellent taco filling, burrito filling, enchilada filling, taco salads, etc.

Honestly, though, I rarely use recipes for the slow cooker.  I just follow the basic formula of:

root vegetables on the bottom
protein next
some form of flavorful liquid (stock, broth, a small amount of wine, etc)
seasonings of choice

When I'm going to be at work all day, and it's going to be cooking for 8 to 10 hours, I'll use the tougher cuts of meat as they have time to render all of the connective tissue down and become tender.  If it is a day when I will be around and can do a shorter cook time, I'll use things like chicken breasts and pork chops.

I live for my crockpot.  It's a good way to make decently healthy, homemade meals without having to wait til 9 p.m. to eat!

[Escarlata]

Here's a link to the recipes tried by a lady who committed to use her crockpot every day in 2008. She gives the recipe, what modifications she did for gluten-free, how it turned out, and what her family (husband, wife, two small children) thought of the results.

Crockpot 365 Alpha List of Recipes

[edit to add:] These aren't just main dish recipes, there's also dips, desserts, etc. I've used her recipes as inspiration for quiet a few meals here at the Shadow's Hold. Like Lys, I seldom follow a recipe exactly. Instead, I modify it based on what I have on hand and what we like.

[Gwen aka Punstergal]

We use our crockpot a few times a week! I love being able to set something up during my lunch break and have it all ready when I get home from work. Here's two of our favorite crockpot meals:

Frozen meatballs, beef gravy, stew veggies (carrots, potatoes, etc in good sized chunks)- I also add a can of mixed veggies at the very end to give it more color and nutritional value (they get mushy if you cook them all day with everything else).

pork chops, whole mushrooms & a can of cream of mushroom soup.. cook till they fall apart into chunks and serve over rice- makes it's own awesome gravy .. pork chops in a can of rotel tomatoes works great too, for non-mushroom lovers (blasphemy!)

[Charlotte Rowan]

Here's a link to the recipes tried by a lady who committed to use her crockpot every day in 2008. She gives the recipe, what modifications she did for gluten-free, how it turned out, and what her family (husband, wife, two small children) thought of the results.

Crockpot 365 Alpha List of Recipes

[edit to add:] These aren't just main dish recipes, there's also dips, desserts, etc. I've used her recipes as inspiration for quiet a few meals here at the Shadow's Hold. Like Lys, I seldom follow a recipe exactly. Instead, I modify it based on what I have on hand and what we like.

This is awesome, Escarlata! Just looking through the list I can already see several recipes I'd like to try. Yay!

[gusjodi]

pork chops, whole mushrooms & a can of cream of mushroom soup.. cook till they fall apart into chunks and serve over rice- makes it's own awesome gravy .. pork chops in a can of rotel tomatoes works great too, for non-mushroom lovers (blasphemy!)

Make sure when you do this you get the boneless pork chops. We tried it once with the bones and there were little chips of bone in the food in addition to the main bone. Not good....

This is great for roast too, but for that I also add onion soup mix. Do NOT add water the juices from the meat are plenty.

[Nyneve]

OOh - here's one of my favorites...it's a hit with everybody who's ever tasted it!  It takes about 5 minutes to throw in the crock pot!

1 Beef Roast (any kind will do, but I prefer to use a sirloin roast)
Cover roast with Lipton Mushroom-Onion Soup Mix (the dry stuff in an envelope - I use 1-2 envelopes)
Splash (maybe 3/4c) of chicken, vegetable or beef stock
optional: Splash (maybe 3/4c) of red (or even white) wine

If you want, you can add quartered or largely diced/chopped potatoes, carrots, celery or other veggies the last hour and a half too and there you have it - instant meal in 8-10 hours!  With the sirloin roast, you won't even need a knife to cut it, it'll just fall apart!

[Capt. Morgan]

Good thing its lunch time or I would be in serious trouble! LOL! 

[Taffy Saltwater]

This has a few more steps but is still dead easy.  Throw a chicken in w/some salt, pepper, what have you.  Add some broth - you want lots of liquid.  Add veggies of choice about 1-1/2 hours before you want to take it out.  When cooked, de-skin & debone, chop into bite size pieces.  Strain broth & make a roux - enough for your liquid, which you kind of have to eyeball.  Throw everything back into the slow cooker & let it thicken.  Then add some quarted popup biscuits and throw those on top - do not stir in.  Cover & let steam until the biscuits are cooked - maybe 15 or 20 minutes.  Voila, chicken 'n dumplings.

[will paisley]

My wife used the boneless chicken thighs to make murgh makhani (butter chicken).  Toss chicken, water and butter chicken mix from an Indian grocery store into a crock pot, stir, and plug in the crock pot.  That's the entire recipe.

[Escarlata]

Just came across this PDF file of slow cooker recipes that includes the Weight Watchers point values for each one. Good thing for some of us.

Low Fat, Low Cal Crockpot Recipes

I can't vouch for any of the recipes yet but I'll be trying some of them soon.

[LordEustace]

thanks Escarlata! been trying to think of a weigh I can still eat and lose weight and here it is!

[Gauwyn of Bracknell]

Just came across this PDF file of slow cooker recipes that includes the Weight Watchers point values for each one. Good thing for some of us.

Low Fat, Low Cal Crockpot Recipes

I can't vouch for any of the recipes yet but I'll be trying some of them soon.

Low Fat, Low Cal - now there's a way to ruin some perfectly good chow 

[mehan]

Been trying some of the 365 recipes and she is pretty spot on.   Did the Chinese Lemon Chicken http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/01/chinese-lemon-chicken-crockpot-recipe.html and taking her suggestion to spice it up a bit made the following changes for a two adult household. 

1) Added several generous dashes of tabasco chipotle sauce
2) Tossed in 1/2 a red bell pepper cut in strips (hey, it was getting lonely in the fridge)
3) Used only two, but very plump, chicken breasts and left them whole

Served over brown rice with some added steamed broccoli - it earned a "I could do this again" from my normally quiet husband.  So I guess its time to buy her book.