Dinner Recipes Using the Crock Pot

The reason we resort to fast food throughout the week is convenience and the fact that no one wants to be in the kitchen right after spending all day in an office and then sitting in traffic to get home.

Lately though, I've found the hidden joy of using a crock pot to prepare meals. You just throw all of the ingredients into the pot and allow to sit for about an hour or two. Then it's done.

So, here's a list of five ways to use your crock pot to get you through the week.

Monday - Cream of Chicken

This is good served over white rice. Plus, rice is easy and quick to make.

Ingredients you need: 2 to 5 cans of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup (depending on how many you are cooking for), 1 to 2 cans of green peas and 1 to 2 pounds of chicken either sliced or pulled apart into big chunks.

Your chicken can be boiled or cooked - boiling is faster. I just throw it in a pot of hot water with salt, pepper and large chunks of onion. If you wanted to save even more time, you could just pre-cook your chicken (and all other meat in the recipes that follow at one time before your week begins).

Once your chicken is cooked, add everything to the crock pot, and allow to heat. Serve over your rice.

Tuesday - Spare Ribs

You can cook your spare ribs by broiling them for about 5 minutes. Then cut them into serving sizes and brush with barbeque sauce (like KC Masterpiece). Then throw the ribs in the crock pot and let sit for an hour or two. Why bother using the crock pot, you ask? The reason is that the ribs come out much juicier and tender. But if you leave them in the crock pot too long, the meat is practically falling off the bone and difficult to eat.

After you've placed the ribs in your crock pot, throw in a can or two of diced pineapples and a little bit more barbeque sauce. Serve with asparagus and corn bread.

Ingredients you need: Rack of St. Louis style ribs, 1 bottle barbeque sauce, 1 to 2 cans of diced pineapples, pre-cooked cornbread and asparagus.

Wednesday - Fish Stew

This is the cheap version of how to make Cioppino - an Italian fish stew. This isn't really anything like what you would be served at a restaurant, so just think of it as a seafood soup.

Ingredients you need: 2 to 5 cans Campbell's tomato soup (depending on how many you are cooking for), shrimp, any white fish (try halibut), salmon, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 carrot sliced and one stalk celery chopped. Traditional Cioppino also includes mussels and crab, but that of course ups the price of this meal.

Everything can be combined in your slow cooker. If you're not interested in cooking the fish the same day you make this stew, trying making it before the week begins, such as on the Sunday evening before. The shrimp, halibut and salmon can all be pan fried and then saved until the day your make your stew.

You can serve the stew with garlic bread or throw it over pasta, if you really wanted to make this a full on meal. Usually, the soup alone is filling enough.

Thursday - Beef and Potatoes

I've always been a fan of Dinty Moore beef stew, but if you would prefer something a little more homemade, try this beef and potatoes crock pot meal.

Ingredients you need: 1 to 2 pounds of beef cubed, 1 can diced tomatoes, carrots cubed, red tomatoes cubed and some white onions.

After slicing the tomatoes, place those on the bottom of the crock pot, because those take the longest to cook. Then place your meat on top followed by the rest of the ingredients. You can also add half a can of gravy if you wanted some moisture, but as the meats and vegetables cook, it will steam in their own juices. If you didn't want to cook the meat and potatoes ahead of time, this is something that would need to sit for about 4 hours (if on high) or a whole 8 hours (if on low). Unless you or someone else is at home all day, it isn't safe to leave an appliance on all day with no one around, so it may be best to just pre-cook the meat ahead of time.

This can be served with some french bread or over white rice similar to the above, Monday recipe.

Friday - Taco Soup

Everyone has their own recipe or derivation of this dish. It's pretty simple, and something kind of fun and easy to do for a Friday.

Ingredients you need: 2 pounds ground beef cooked, 1 can kidney beans, 1 can chili, 1 can corn, 1 can diced tomatoes, diced white onions (add as much as you like), 1 packet Lawry's taco seasoning (or whatever brand you are partial too - the flavoring tends to be about the same), one bag tortilla strips and one bag of shredded cheddar cheese.

Combine everything except the cheese and the tortilla chips, into your crock pot. Let sit for about an hour, or until thoroughly heated. Nothing needs to be cooked in the crock pot (since your hamburger is already pre-cooked).

When finished heating, serve in a bowl with cheese sprinkled over and the chips.