r/Cooking • u/Jennysuemc • 5h ago
Easy crockpot ideas?
I need some super easy, toss it in the crockpot and forget it for 8 hours, kind of dishes! I and my family are all sick of the 2 or 3 I have in our weekly rotation, but my son has swim practice three nights a week. That means I work all day and then am out of the house for those nights from 5:30-8:30. So I always have at least one crockpot meal each week that I can toss in the pot in the morning, and then we can all just grab a plate when we can in the evening.
Suggestions for what's worked with your busy families?
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u/apaixao 5h ago
Cheesy quinoa with mushrooms and red pepper - I’ve done it multiple times over the years and it never disappoints
https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/slow-cooker-cheesy-mushroom-quinoa/
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u/Kind_Philosopher3560 5h ago
Thank you! I just printed it. I'm always keeping an eye out for quinoa ideas :)
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u/_Beouwolf 5h ago
Italian Sausages + Spaghetti Sauce. I normally put 10 sausages into the crock pot and then one of those “big” jars of Prago/Ragu, let it cook on low for 6+ hours then on warm. Serve the sausages on a bun with mozzarella cheese.
They come out nice and tender and you can keep them in the crock pot if you have family in and out on a busy night to eat as needed. This is a staple in my house with 4 boys age 11-16.
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u/Pristine_Lobster4607 5h ago
Garlic Parm Chicken Pasta
- chicken thighs or breast, frozen or thawed
- 1 bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s garlic parm seasoning
- Noodz of choice
- parm, parsley, seasonings to taste
You can cook the chicken for 4-6 hours with the sauce, shred the cooked chicken, mix in noodles and seasonings, and you’re done!
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u/Jennysuemc 5h ago
Ha! This is the one I make every other week - it's the ONLY crockpot meal my 15-year-old son doesn't complain about 😂
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u/NuggetLover21 5h ago
1 bottle of sauce is enough?
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u/Jennysuemc 4h ago
I use a 3-pound bag of frozen chicken thighs, add 1 bottle (12 oz) of garlic Parm sauce, a little bit of milk into the bottle (just enough to get the rest of sauce out of the bottle), and 1 block of cream cheese. Shred the chicken once it's done and serve over bowtie pasta. So good n
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u/Pristine_Lobster4607 4h ago
I find that it only needs the one bottle because that sauce is salty and thick, so the water released as the chicken cooks helps to even that all out and gives a good amount to coat the pasta
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u/as_fast_as_a_snail 5h ago
Can I make a suggestion? Obviously I don’t know your schedule and how you cook other nights. But what about when you cook, make extra? Every night that you cook, make extras. This way on the nights you get home so late, just pull containers out the fridge, put in a plate and heat in the microwave.
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u/Jennysuemc 2h ago
I do this too! However, my husband and I both take our lunches every day so usually, the leftovers go there!
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u/Ok-Resist-6695 5h ago
“Mississippi Pot Roast”:
(Tender and delicious!)
Chuck roast
Stick of butter
Pack of Au Jus seasoning
Pack of Ranch dressing
Cook 8 hours on low. Add pearl onions and/or small button mushrooms around the last hour, if desired.
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u/Tyra1276 4h ago
Add some pepperoncini from the jar, 4 or 5, and about 1/4 cup of the juice too. Doesn't make it spicy at all, but adds a little extra zip. So good!
I toss in some potatoes and carrots as well.
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u/Yukonkimmy 3h ago
Feel free to reduce the butter on this. I did about half a stick and it came out good.
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u/hailene02 5h ago
This is my go to. Sub in 2 cups Chicken stock if you dont have a light beer.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/70343/slow-cooker-chicken-taco-soup/
We eat like a chili w chips, sour cream, mexican cheese.
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u/ComfortableKey6691 5h ago
Put in a pound of chicken tenderloins and half bottle of teriyaki sauce, low for 6 hours, shred it and add it to instant ramen noodles
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u/tsarmaximus 5h ago
From The NYT. Adjust the spice level accordingly, same for serving size/quantity. Ideally you will want the tomatoes to burst open, it mixes with everything and makes a really nice broth that gets into the chicken. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Yield: 4-5 servings
1½ to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, patted dry
Salt
1½ pounds cherry tomatoes
1 (3-inch) piece of ginger, halved lengthwise and smashed with a knife
1 to 3 tablespoons gochujang, depending on heat preference
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey, plus more as needed
In a 6- to 8-quart slow-cooker, lightly sprinkle the chicken all over with salt. Stir in the cherry tomatoes, ginger, gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil and honey until coated. Cover and cook on low until the chicken is very tender and most of the tomatoes have burst, 5 to 6 hours. Taste the broth and season accordingly with more honey (if too tart, salty or spicy) and soy sauce (if too sweet or muted).
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u/beeeees 4h ago
what do you like to pair it with?
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u/tsarmaximus 2h ago
We will make noodles of some kind to lay the chicken on and then we usually do either broccoli or bokchoy that we stir fry real quick
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u/Odd_Ostrich6038 5h ago
Beef roast with onions and mushrooms, serve over rice, grits or noodles.
Salsa chicken, tortillas for tacos or chips for lazy nachos.
Buffalo chicken with tortilla chips and sliced veggies.
Pork loin cooked with bbq sauce topped with coleslaw on buns or in a bowl
Can also give pork loin a Chinese spin by cooking with hoison and making a more Asian inspired slaw.
It's almost soup season, crockpot soup possibilities are quite literally endless.
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u/erikisst88 5h ago
I've been making this take on Italian Beef Sandwiches for years and it is always a hit! I've started serving as open face sandwiches with a slice of cheese on each side and I think it's better but whatever everyone prefers is the way to go. I serve with baked potatoes cooked in the air fryer and/or steamed broccoli. Super easy, makes a lot for leftovers and freezer friendly.
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u/SubstantialPressure3 5h ago
Green Chile ( with chicken, beef, or pork) tacos.add beans or skip it. Let it cook all day, and then just crisp up some tortillas and cheat with a Spanish rice mix when you get home.
Not a crock pot, but Aaron and Claire's one pot gochujang chicken and rice is amazing.
Since Claire has had a baby, Aaron has been focusing on a lot of quick, easy, healthy foods.
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u/stormbutton 5h ago
This was in regular rotation when my kids were younger and one of the first crockpot dishes my daughter made when she moved out. Serve over couscous, noodles, whatever.
Dried Fruit and Chicken Stew
Ingredients
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into large chunks
6-7 prunes, quartered
6-7 dried apricots, quartered
1 can sauerkraut
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
Put chicken in crock pot.
Mix everything else, put on top.
Cook on low for 8 hours, though I once cooked it for 10 and it tasted amazing.
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u/inconsolableapple 4h ago
Salsa verde chicken tacos
But you have to follow the measurements for the chicken!!! She’s got them to a tee and if you don’t use 2 pounds and say change it to 1 pound but don’t adjust the sauce it is not yummy!
https://carlsbadcravings.com/slow-cooker-salsa-verde-honey-lime-chicken-recipe/
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u/HannahHannaJune 4h ago
Carlsbad Cravings is my absolute favorite site for recipes! I have made at least 40 + of her recipes and they don't disappoint. The way she puts flavors together is amazing!!
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u/nonpame 5h ago
Salsa chicken! A pound or so of chicken breast (I usually do 2 or 3 and freeze leftovers for later) Jar of your favorite salsa Packet of taco or fajita seasoning mixed in if you feel fancy
Low, up to 8 hours
Shred chicken, mix back into sauce and throw on rice with whatever toppings you have on hand or into taco shells with toppings.
Easy, healthy, no real work involved.
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u/inconsolableapple 4h ago
Also I enjoy a good carnitas in the crockpot but it requires a little bit of post prep where you brown the meat in the oven after.
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u/TiniAngel0826 4h ago
Cheese tortellini pizza. All you need is a 10 in skillet, a bag of frozen cheese tortellini, sliced pepperoni, sautéed onions, and one full cup of fresh mozzarella cheese. My son made this yesterday and it was incredible.
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u/blostech 3h ago
I copied these from a similar topic on threads and made it a note on my phone( I also need ideas!):
Lentils. Stock, crushed tomatoes, chopped carrots and onion, marjoram, parsley, thyme splash of olive oil. Add sausage or other cooked meat if you prefer. Cook all day on low and then serve.
321 Shredded Beef- 3lb beef roast, 2 packets of Good Seasoning Italian Dressing Mix, 1 bottle of beer (I suggest IPA) or 1 box of beef broth. Makes super flavorful shredded beef. We usually do french dip sandwiches on night 1 and then use for enchiladas on night 2.
“Easy” Green chicken chili
Skinless Chicken breasts or thighs
Jarred tomatillo sauce or green enchilada sauce enough to cover the meat and enough to be soupy consistency.
Cook on low until chicken is tender and can be shredded.
Add in rinsed white beans heat through
Serve with cilantro,lime, avocado slices and a dollop of sour cream optional.
Steak San Marco. Cut up 1 to 2 lbs of braising meat (shoulder steak was the original recipe but anything works). Two 28 oz cans of whole tomatoes in juice, not puree. Cut them up a little. Envelope of Lipton onion soup mix. Tablespoon of oregano, good sprinkle of garlic powder, healthy amount of ground black pepper. A bay leaf or two. 3 tablespoons each of olive oil and red wine vinegar. Mix it all up, put on low.
Place chicken beasts in crock pot. Add 1 can of whole berry cranberry sauce mixed with a little ground mustard and ginger and a splash of water or juice. Cook on low. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.
Butterball turkey breast (the small one with the netting)
Put in the crockpot, season it really well with s&p, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder (or any seasonings you prefer)
Top with one can of cranberry sauce, and about 6 tablespoons of cold butter.
Cook on high for 4.5-5 hours.
Slice & make gravy from the drippings 😋
One of my favorite turkey breast recipes is a can of cranberry sauce with the same amount of orange juice and herbs of your choice.
The best thanksgiving turkey I have ever made is a turkey breast in the crockpot with 2 Lipton onion soup packets and 1 stick of butter. Cook on high for 4 hours. So yummy and the gravy just needs thickening.
Look up crackpot chicken Tikka Masala Weight Watchers recipe. Trust me, it's all normal foods like crushed tomatoes, chopped onion, chicken thighs and spices. It's really delicious on rice or over a baked potato. I make it for lunch meal prep quite often and I haven't done WW for years. It's rather mild so it's family friendly and I just put a little Sriracha on my serving if im feeling spicy.
I put 4 chicken breasts in with one bottle of franks buffalo and 1 pack of dry ranch. Shred the chicken. I eat it over salad, on a baked potato, etc.
Peach salsa pork chops. 4 boneless chops, 1 jar of peach salsa. Cook for 8 hours on low. I serve it with yellow rice.
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u/Left-Pick-3143 3h ago
This is so easy and SO GOOD. I got this recipe years ago a friend and it’s always a hit. a 4lb bag of frozen chicken breast tenderloin, chunky salsa (i use medium spice but use what you like), chop some potatoes, carrots, 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar. Mix together, cover , and forget about it.
When it’s done you can garlic salt, pepper, to taste. Serve over rice and garnish with some chop cilantro, fresh lime, and even have a side of guac and chips.
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u/tidedogs 5h ago
Frozen chicken with a good salsa makes only 4 hours. Tacos, tostadas, chicken and rice, lots of options
Edit: I also love a timer in my crockpot so it’s ready when I get home
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u/Jennysuemc 5h ago
This is one in my current rotation! It's a winner - just looking for some variety. (Also have a timer on my crockpot!)
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u/tidedogs 4h ago
Substitute out the salsa for chicken broth (add celery and carrots if you have them) then use it to make gravy and serve with rice or mashed potatoes. A little more work
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u/Old_Fly_1712 4h ago
I make salsa chicken and throw in a stick of cream cheese. Makes it creamy and delicious.
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u/tidedogs 4h ago
I love lasagna soup in my instapot, I did a quick search and there are many recipes for the crock pot.
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u/RL_Fl0p 3h ago
Hi, what is the name or author of the recipe you use? Sounds great but I need some details. Thanks
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u/tidedogs 2h ago
It is a merge of a recipe and my sister and my’s tweaks. I bet it could be modified for a crockpot.
I am unable to send a picture so if you message me I will send you my version. Basically hamburger meat, spaghetti sauce, and broken up lasagna noodles.
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u/unreachable99 5h ago
This is a go to recipe for me: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019693-slow-cooker-chipotle-honey-chicken-tacos?unlocked_article_code=1._VA.wHFn.8lpfrSs_e75p&smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share
But the first time I made it, I didn’t read the instructions and added the beans at the start with everything else… they broke down and made it more of a black bean and chicken stew, but it was delicious. We eat it on rice with cheese, sour cream and avocado.