At many busy homes — my own included — a slow cooker is a fundamental part of a family’s routine. It allows you to make many delicious home-cooked meals that the family can eat together around the table, even on a busy evening, because the meal is all ready to eat when you get home. Even better, it’s far less expensive than eating out.
My philosophy is that you should be able to prepare slow-cooker meals before you leave in the morning, adding everything to the cooker and leaving it on low all day.
[Read: How a Slow Cooker Can Save Your Family Hundreds of Dollars]
Here are four great recipes my family loves to find in the slow cooker at the end of a crisp autumn day.
Slow Cooker Chili
The secret ingredient in my slow-cooker chili is a little bit of sweet potato. It adds just enough of a surprise to make the chili unique. All you need to do is combine these ingredients in your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. If you like a “runnier” chili, increase the amount of broth at the start.
Ingredients:
One 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes
Two 12-ounce cans of tomato sauce
One 15-ounce can of kidney beans
One 15-ounce can of black beans
One medium yellow onion, chopped
1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth
1 pound of ground sirloin, cooked (or a second can of kidney beans)
1 large sweet potato, diced into 1- inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder)
1 or 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons of chili powder
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1 tablespoon of molasses
2 teaspoons of paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Hearty Slow Cooker Lasagna
This has been a favorite before children even arrived on the scene, and it smells incredible when you first walk in the door after a busy day!
If I’m making a vegetarian lasagna, I’ll usually replace the meat with a frozen vegetable mix or a fresh vegetable of my choosing — often spinach. All you need to do for this recipe is make layers — a layer of the sauce, a layer of the noodles, a layer of the meat and then a layer of the remaining ingredients mixed together. Four layers of each in that order does the trick. Cook it in the slow cooker on low for six hours, and you’ll have delicious lasagna.
Ingredients:
1 large jar pasta sauce
1 pound ground beef, cooked
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon of oregano, chopped
1 teaspoon of fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
[Read: 5 Cheap Ways to Streamline Dinners for the School Year]
Slow Cooker Beef Roast
This particular recipe was a longtime favorite of my parents and has now been passed down to us. It creates an incredibly hearty meal. Almost any type of roast will work here, but I have always preferred the eye of round roast.
For preparation, brown the roast in a skillet for 15 minutes, flipping it regularly. Put the vegetables — carrots, onions and potatoes — on the bottom of the slow cooker, then put the roast on top. In that skillet, add the broth, milk, flour, butter, mushrooms and garlic and cook them all together for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Then pour that on top of the roast. Cover the slow cooker, and let the roast cook on low for eight to 10 hours.
Ingredients:
One 2-pound boneless beef roast
2 large carrots, sliced, or 24 baby carrots
1 onion, quartered
1 large potato, chopped into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon of butter
3 tablespoons of flour
½ cup beef broth
½ cup milk
4 button mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
[Read: 6 Healthy Dinner Recipes That Cost $6]
Crockpot Corn Chowder
If I were simply cooking for myself, I would make this on a weekly basis, if not more frequently. I simply can’t get enough of this chowder! Just add all of the ingredients except the cream and butter to the slow cooker, and cook it on low for eight hours. Stir in the cream and butter right before serving. I highly recommend eating with some rolls or cornbread on the side.
Ingredients:
1 pound of potatoes, diced — peels optional (though I prefer them)
One 16-ounce bag of frozen corn kernels
2 green onions, finely chopped (use as much of the green part as you like)
4-5 cups of vegetable broth
3 tablespoons of flour
2 minced garlic cloves (or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder)
½ teaspoon of rosemary
1 teaspoon of thyme
3 tablespoons of softened butter
1 cup heavy cream (you can use milk as a substitute)
Salt and pepper to taste
I hope you enjoy these slow-cooker options as much as we do! These recipes save us time and money while still providing hearty seasonal meals without shortchanging our taste buds.
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