For tasty, budget-friendly cooking, few things compare to preparing meals in a Crock Pot. That's because slow cooking makes inexpensive meats tender, stretches vegetables further, and allows for simple creativity in the kitchen. Use these 12 easy-to-make, low cost slow cooker recipes to create delicious variety in your meal plan. Each one is designed for a 6 to 8 quart appliance.
Apricot Chicken Recipe
Four main ingredients and a few common pantry spices make up this simple yet tasty dinner. Serves 6.
Ingredients
- 6 skinless chicken breasts, frozen
- 1 cup apricot jam (store-bought or homemade)
- 1 package dry onion soup
- ½ cup French dressing (purchased or scratch-made)
- 1 tsp. dried basil or thyme
- dash of pepper
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker.
- Mix the other ingredients together in a bowl, then pour over the chicken.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
- Spoon over cooked rice.
Barbecue Chicken
This is a great recipe to make ahead and freeze. Serve on its own for tasty homemade barbecue chicken plates, or use for shredded chicken sandwiches, wraps, or as a topping for baked potatoes. Serves 6.
Ingredients
- 6 skinless chicken breasts, frozen
- 1 12-oz bottle barbeque sauce, any variety (or homemade)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup Italian dressing
- 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker.
- Mix the other ingredients together in a bowl.
- Pour mixture over the chicken.
- Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours or on high 4 - 6 hours.
Cheesy Chicken
If you're looking for a Tex-Mex style chicken dinner that's affordable and easy-to-make, try this tasty casserole. Serves 6.
Ingredients
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 10 oz. can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 10 oz. can condensed Fiesta nacho cheese soup
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 16 ounces of cooked rice or noodles for serving
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker.
- Mix the other ingredients (except the rice or noodles) together in a bowl.
- Pour mixture over the chicken.
- Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours or on high 4 -6 hours.
- Serve over rice or noodles.
Simple Pot Roast
Stock up on roasts when your supermarket has buy-one-get-one-free or loss leader specials so you can enjoy this tasty recipe regularly. Serves 6.
Ingredients
- 1 3-pound roast
- 2 cups chopped carrots or whole baby carrots
- 1 pound peeled whole new potatoes or larger potatoes cut into chunks
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 14 ½ ounce can of beef broth or beef stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low 6 - 8 hours.
Shredded Barbecue Beef
It's easy to make shredded beef for barbecue sandwiches or for your own homemade barbecue plates using your slow cooker.
Ingredients
- 2-pound beef brisket
- 1 12-oz bottle of barbecue sauce, any variety (or made from your favorite recipe)
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low 6 - 8 hours or on high 4 - 6 hours.
- Use a fork to shred the meat.
Asian Beef
Make an easy Asian dinner that's ready when you come home from work. Serves 6-8.
Ingredients
- 1 pound beef round, cut into strips
- 1 ½ cups low-sodium beef broth
- 2 cups bok choy cabbage, shredded
- 2 cups broccoli, lightly steamed
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, diced
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ½ tsp. ground ginger
- 1 ½ tsp. cornstarch
- ½ cup cold water
- 1 tsp. olive oil
Instructions
- Sauté the beef strips in oil.
- Place in the slow cooker with the other ingredients except for the broccoli and cornstarch.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours until the beef is fork tender.
- Dissolve cornstarch in the cold water and stir into slow cooker.
- Cook for another 10 minutes.
- Stir in steamed broccoli and serve.
Lasagna
No need to run the oven when you can make this simple lasagna recipe in your slow cooker. Serves 6-8.
Instructions
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 (675 ml) jar pasta sauce, any variety (or homemade using an easy recipe)
- 1 cup water
- 1 ¾ cups ricotta cheese
- 1 ¾ cups shredded Italian cheese, divided
- ¼ cup parmesan grated cheese, divided
- 1 egg (optional)
- 1 tablespoon of dried parsley
- 6 lasagna noodles, uncooked
Ingredients
- Brown beef in a skillet.
- Drain beef; return to skillet.
- Stir in sauce and water.
- In a separate bowl, stir together 1½ cups of the shredded cheese, 2 tablespoons of the parmesan cheese, egg (if you are using it), and parsley.
- Break lasagna noodles to fit the diameter of the slow cooker.
- Layer the meat, noodles, cheese mixture and ricotta into the pot.
- Top with the sauce.
- Cook on low for 5-6 hours until the noodles absorb the liquid.
- Spoon into individual bowls and top with remaining cheese.
- Dinner is ready when the cheese melts.
Spaghetti and Meatballs
If you're looking for something fast, low-cost and convenient, it's hard to beat spaghetti and meatballs made with slow cooker sauce. Serves 4.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. frozen precooked meatballs (made from your favorite recipe or store-bought)
- 1 26-ounce jar spaghetti sauce
- 1 14 1/2 ounce jar diced tomatoes
- 1 onion, chopped
- 16 ounces cooked spaghetti or Fettuccine pasta for serving
Instructions
- Place all ingredients (except pasta) in slow cooker.
- Cook on high for two hours or on low for three to six hours.
- Serve sauce over hot cooked pasta.
Ham and Potato Casserole
This recipe provides a great way to enjoy leftover ham and potatoes. It's a terrific option for using up holiday leftovers, but it's also so good that you might want to purchase ham just so you can prepare this yummy dish. Serves 6.
Ingredients
- 4 red potatoes, sliced
- 2 red onions, finely chopped
- 1-1/2 pounds cubed cooked ham
- 1 can condensed cream of celery soup, diluted according to can directions
- 2 tbsp. flour
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in slow cooker.
- Cover and simmer on low for 4 - 6 hours.
Chili
This tasty dish is a great option for chilly days. Consider making a bigger batch, because it freezes quite well. It tastes great straight from the bowl, and also works well as a topping for nachos. Serves 6.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. lean ground beef
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 2 28-ounce can tomato sauce
- 3 cans kidney beans, drained
- 4 tbsp. chili powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place ground beef and onion in skillet over medium heat.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Stir to crumble.
- Cook until browned.
- Drain.
- Transfer to slow cooker.
- Add remaining ingredients to slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours.
Potato and Corn Chowder
This is a great soup to make ahead and store in the fridge for busy work weeks. Warm it up quickly in the microwave while you make a fresh salad, and you'll have a tasty dinner in just a few minutes. Serves 6-8.
Ingredients
- 3 cups potatoes, diced
- 1 16-oz. can creamed corn
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetarian broth
- ½ of a white onion, chopped
- 6 slices crispy bacon, crumbled (optional)
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except the milk to the slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 8 hours.
- Add milk and continue to cook for another 30-45 minutes.
Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup
This recipe is a great way to use leftover cooked chicken to prepare a flavorful soup recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked chicken breast, diced
- 2 cans black beans
- 1 16 oz. jar salsa (or made from scratch)
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in slow cooker
- Cover and simmer on low for 2 - 4 hours
Save Money and Time with Your Slow Cooker
These are just a few of the many simple and frugal recipes you can prepare using your Crock Pot. Get in the habit of using it a few times each week - it won't take long for you to appreciate the simplicity of this affordable cooking method.
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