Fast and Easy Slow Cooker Recipes

Your slow cooker, also called a crock-pot because it's made of crockery (earthenware), is your chef in the kitchen while you're away. Amazing benefits are: dinner is ready when you walk through the door, the house smells wonderful and everybody feels welcomed home.

There is one item you MUST know about before you start: Lipton Dry Soup Mix. It's in the soup aisle with all the canned soups but it comes in a box that contains two envelopes. Old favorites are Onion and Onion Mushroom (I was buying those 33 years ago) but also newer ones like Herb and Garlic. I didn't find them at Walmart but Kroger had them for $1.49 a box.

The following are basic recipes as simplified as possible. Once you try the basics you'll be ready to improvise, substitute and tailor the recipes to your family's preferences. The whole idea of a slow cooker is to plop all the ingredients in it, no mixing required.

Also, no extra steps like browning the meat, sautéing vegetables, combining ingredients in a bowl although later, when you've had some experience, you may choose to do some or all of that. Here are some easy recipes to start you off.

Crock-pot Stew

Whatever recipe you're making always spray crock-pot with cooking spray for easy clean up unless you have some newer version of a slow cooker with non-stick coating. My two crockpots are easily 25 years old.

Put in a bag of soup vegetables (or do your own version of cut up potatoes, carrots, celery and onion)

Put about 1lb.beef stew meat (chuck, rump, tough cuts OK - fat trimmed off) over vegetables

Sprinkle ½-1 one envelope of onion (or onion mushroom) dry Lipton soup over top of meat

Pour 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup over top of everything (add small can of mushrooms (drained) if your family loves them)

Pour ½ cup water or dry red wine over everything

Put on crock-pot lid, turn on Low and leave for 6-8 hours.

If somebody's home during the day it's nice to stir everything but it's not required. I would recommend doubling this recipe if you have a large enough crock-pot because then you have a second portion for another time (to freeze and reheat in microwave).

The results of crock-pot cooking is lots of flavor, slow cooked tenderness and nobody working hard to pull it together at the last minute. I used to put my concoction together the night before, take it out of the fridge to reach room temperature while everyone got ready for the day, then plug in just before departure. (Note: plugging in a cold crock-pot makes it subject to cracking although mine never did.)

For faster cooking: You'll notice if you read slow cooker recipes that sometimes you see Cook on High for first hour, then Medium for 3-4 hours. It all depends on how fast you want the food done. I never had anything burn when cooked a LONG time on Low and it was always done to perfection at dinnertime.

Chicken in Bar-B-Que Sauce

Put 1 chicken portion per person in crock-pot. In our family of four I put in three breasts (for son, daughter and me) 3 thighs (husband). All chicken pieces should be free of skin. Adjust amount for your family. Cover with bottle of favorite brand of Bar-B-Que sauce. I never measured but I estimate it was about 8oz of sauce for the above chicken pieces. Cook on Low 6-8 hours.

Note: Less liquid is required in crock-pot cooking because ingredients have water and juices in them; cooking on Low heat doesn't dry recipe like oven cooking. Too much added liquid will dilute the gravy/sauce. Never fill the whole crock-pot with liquid.

Fiesta Chicken

Same plan as above only cover with favorite Salsa. How easy is that?

Chicken with Mushroom Soup and Rice

Kids (well, my kids) loved this recipe. I put in chicken pieces (skinned, of course), 1 can of Mushroom Soup, small can of mushrooms drained, ¾ cup white rice (not Minute Rice), 2 tsp chicken bouillon granules OR 2 cubes chicken bouillon, 1 ¾ cup water. If you have no bouillon use 1 ¾ cup chicken stock. Combine all ingredients in crock-pot and cook on Low about 6-8 hours.

Here's my latest variation:

4 chicken breasts or more if you like

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup (use 98% fat-free for lower fat content)

Small can/jar of mushrooms

2 soup cans of chicken stock (I used Swanson's Organic Chicken Broth)

¾ cup long grain white rice (NOT instant)

It goes against my grain to use white rice ever since Dr. Andrew Weil (my guru of good health habits) AND Oprah told me to get off white stuff i.e. white potatoes, white rice, white bread, etc so I pretended the white rice wasn't in there and served the mixture over brown rice. My husband about swooned over this recipe and begged for more the next day.

You can change up recipes for fun particularly this one. Add chopped onions, don't add chopped onions. Put in boned chicken (see my article How to Stretch Your Rotisserie Chicken into More Meals) instead of raw chicken pieces. Use what you tend to have around rather than buy something specific for one recipe.

Sam's Chili

Buy frozen chili at Sam's. It's called Chili Bowl Homestyle Chili in a 5lb.tub. Pop it out of the tub, put frozen chili in crock-pot, set it to Low and 6-8 hours later voila! Hot Chili and Cornbread anyone?

Chili Con Queso

1 can Ro-Tel Tomatoes (or generic tomatoes and green chilies)

1 lb. Velveeta cut in chunks

Cook on Low until melted through, about 2 hours. Serve over tortilla chips or Fritos.

Rotisserie Chicken

I had to close with this idea since a woman in Sam's was so thrilled with my suggestion. She saw me buying FOUR Rotisserie chickens and inquired about the size of my family. I told her it was just my husband and me these days so THREE chickens would go in the freezer. She was amazed that I would put hot chicken straight in the freezer and more amazed when I told her she could take it out whenever needed, put it in the crock-pot all day on low and have hot Rotisserie chicken without a long drive to Sam's. Since she had driven 75 miles to that Sam's she was most appreciative for the tip and bought a few more chickens herself.