Five-Star Crockpot Recipes
It's 5:30 in the evening, you're tired, the kids are whining because they're hungry, and you have no clue what to make for dinner. If you had used your crockpot, dinner would already be ready and waiting for you--not that that's any consolation right this minute, but think about how nice it'll be next time!
Chances are that you already own a slow cooker, but it's probably hidden away in a hard-to-access cabinet somewhere with all your other rarely used kitchen appliances, collecting dust. My small slow cooker suffered the same fate. But then I purchased a 5-1/2 quart oval stoneware slow cooker, and my opinion of crockpots was forever changed. Let me tell you--it was the best $30 I'd ever spent! [Editor's note: And you can pick really nice ones up for next to nothing at thrift stores and garage sales!]
I've since become addicted to crockpot cooking. It's great being able to wake up in the morning and prepare that night's dinner when I'm wide awake and raring to go, instead of being exhausted at 6 pm and having to spend an hour making a meal for my family. Not only is the slow cooker convenient, it also makes your home smell good all day long with the wonderful aroma of a home-cooked meal. And once dinnertime does roll around, all you need to worry about is heating up a side dish or two to serve along with the main dish. How easy is that?
Since getting hooked on using my slow cooker, I've found several recipes that my family considers to be absolutely delicious. If we were to rate them on a scale of one to five stars, these would all be five-star dishes. So hunt down your ol' crockpot, dust it off, and start putting it to good use with these recipes. You can thank me later.
This first recipe is from a fellow colleague, Shellie Hurrle. My husband and I
both enjoyed this dish, and my preschooler simply devoured it!
Makes 4-6 servings
| 1-1/2 lb. ground beef 1 medium onion, chopped 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced 1/2 tsp. salt |
2 C. fresh or frozen corn (or 15-oz can) 1 19-oz can enchilada sauce 2 C. (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese 1 2-1/2 oz. can sliced ripe olives, drained 1 C. sour cream |
Brown ground beef and drain. Add onion and garlic; cook over medium heat until tender and transparent. Add salt and pepper. Place 2 tortillas in bottom of crockpot. Place a third of the following in layers over the tortillas: meat, corn, sauce, cheese and olives. Repeat tortillas and other layers two times. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours Serve with sour cream.
This steak is extremely tasty, tender and juicy. The chili powder gives the meat a slightly kicked-up flavor, but it's not really spicy at all. Serve it up with a baked potato and a vegetable to complete the dinner. Delicious!
Makes 4-6 servings
| 1 flank steak (about 1-1/2 lbs.), cut in half if you have a small Crock pot 1 Tbsp. oil 1 large onion, sliced 1/3 cup water 1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies |
2 Tbsp. vinegar 1 tsp. chili powder 1 tsp. garlic powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. pepper |
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown steak in oil. Transfer to crockpot. In the same skillet, sauté onion for a minute or two. Gradually add the water. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Pour over the flank steak. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours or until the meat is tender. Slice meat and serve with the onion and pan juices. Enjoy!
This is a wonderful chili recipe that I found on the Web and adjusted to my liking. This one will surely warm you up on a chilly night. You can add more or less chili powder depending upon how mild or spicy you like your chili. My husband thought it was delicious and kept refilling his bowl. I like to garnish chili with a little shredded cheddar cheese on the top. Nice accompaniments are a garden salad and warm French bread. Enjoy!
Makes 6 servings
| 1 lb. 92% lean ground beef 1 small onion, chopped 2 (15-oz.) cans tomato sauce 1 (15-oz.) can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion 2 (15.5-oz.) cans pinto beans |
1 pkg. McCormick's Chili Seasoning 1/8 tsp. garlic 1/2 tsp. chili powder 1/8 tsp. pepper 1/8 tsp. salt |
Brown the ground beef with the onion. Drain if needed. Put ground beef and onion in a slow cooker, and add remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
This dish was extremely delicious. My husband absolutely loved it. I served it along with a tossed salad and French bread. Scrumptious!
Makes 8 servings
| 2 Tbsp. Canola oil 2 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 large onion, sliced 1 can (14-1/2 oz.) beef broth 1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce |
1 Tbsp. paprika 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1/2 cup cold water 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 1 green bell pepper, cut into strips 16 oz. hot cooked egg noodles, for serving |
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook beef in oil about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown. Drain. Place beef and sliced onion in a slow cooker. Mix beef broth, tomato paste, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt, and pepper; stir into beef mixture. Cover and cook on low heat 8-10 hours (I always use the longer cook time) until beef is tender. Mix water and flour; gradually stir into beef mixture. Stir in green pepper. Cover and cook on high heat 30 minutes. Serve goulash over noodles.
This chicken dish is rich, creamy, and very tasty. The chicken is cooked in the crockpot in a mixture of water and Italian salad dressing mix. The cream sauce consists of cream cheese, cream of chicken soup and mushrooms. It's delicious served over fettuccine with a garden salad on the side.
| 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves 1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix 1/2 cup water 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened (I use reduced-fat) |
1 can (10 1/2 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted (I use the 98% fat-free kind) 1 (4 oz.) can mushrooms, drained 16 oz. fettuccine, cooked and drained |
Place the chicken in the crockpot. Mix the salad dressing mix with the water and pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on low for about 3 [product] hours. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and soup until blended. Stir in the mushrooms and pour mixture over the chicken. Cook about 1 hour longer. Serve over the cooked fettuccine.
This dish gets its spice from diced tomatoes with green chilies, green peppers, chili powder, and lime juice. The flavor is quite scrumptious. It's not too spicy, but it has a pleasantly zesty taste to it. I recommend serving the turkey over rice, with perhaps a green veggie on the side.
Makes 6 servings
| 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1-1/2 lbs. Turkey breast tenderloins, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained 1 small green bell pepper, thinly sliced |
1 Tbsp. chili powder 2 Tbsp. lime juice 1 tsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt |
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook turkey in oil about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Place turkey in a slow cooker. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over turkey. Cover and cook on low heat for about 6 hours or until turkey is no longer pink in center.
You can even use your slow cooker to make desserts! This concoction is delicious by itself, but it's absolutely scrumptious served with vanilla ice cream over top. Instead of his usual carrot cake, my husband now wants this dessert for his birthday!
Makes 8-10 servings
| 1 can (21 oz.) blueberry pie filling 1 package (18-1/4 oz.) yellow cake mix |
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted 1/2 cup chopped walnuts |
Place pie filling in a slow cooker. Combine dry cake mix and butter; sprinkle over filling. Sprinkle with walnuts. Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours. Serve warm in bowls. Great topped with vanilla ice cream.
Allison Huller McAlister is a freelance writer and the Children's TV guide for About.com. She also writes a weekly recipe column, What's For Dinner? for Suite101.com.
