Originally Posted by
blagosphere
What kind of stuff should I put in my slow cooker?
Anything really.
Here's a couple recipes I like:
Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients:
3 medium russet potatoes
Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 teaspoon beef flavor concentrate or equivalent base or granules
2 cans (14 to 15 oz each) green beans, drained
Shredded cheddar cheese, for topping
Preparation:
Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Scrub about 3 medium russet potatoes and cut into small chunks, leaving the skin on. (If you cut the spuds into too large a size pieces, they will take too long to cook since everything else is basically done.) This made one layer on the bottom of my 5-quart crockpot. Season spuds with salt, pepper and garlic powder to your own taste. Brown 1 pound of ground beef with 1/2 chopped onion, drain fat. Put on top of spuds. Mix one can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup with 1 tsp beef concentrate flavor. Drain two 14 or 15 ounce can of cut green beans and put in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours, stirring a couple of times. Turn to low and sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top of shepherd pie and cook for 30 minutes or so.
Makes 4 servings
Ribs
Ingredients
3 lb (1.5 kg) pork back_ribs (2 racks)
4 tsp (20 mL) mesquite or Cajun_seasoning
2 cups (500 mL) ketchup
1/2 cup (125 mL) wine_vinegar
2 tbsp (25 mL) granulated_sugar
2 tbsp (25 mL) Worcestershire_sauce
Preparation:
Trim any visible fat from ribs. If necessary, remove membrane from underside. Cut into 2-rib portions; place in large shallow glass dish.
In small bowl, stir together mesquite seasoning and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each salt and pepper; rub all over ribs. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)
Place dish with ribs under broiler; broil until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to slow-cooker.
In bowl, whisk together ketchup, vinegar, sugar and Worcestershire sauce; add to slow-cooker, stirring to coat ribs. Cover and cook on Low until tender, 8 to 10 hours.
Beef and Mushroom Stew
Ingredients
2 lb (907 g) stewing beef cubes
1/2 cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp (4 mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper
2 tbsp (25 mL) vegetable oil
2 cups (500 mL) sodium-reduced beef stock
1 onion, sliced
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme
4 cups (1 L) button mushrooms, halved
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 cups (750 mL) potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 pkg (14 g) dried porcini mushrooms
1 bay leaf
1 cup (250 mL) frozen peas
Preparation:
Trim and cut beef into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes; toss with 1/4 cup (50 mL) of the flour. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In large skillet, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat; brown meat, in batches and adding more oil if necessary. Transfer to slow cooker.
Add stock to skillet and bring to boil, scraping up any brown bits; pour into slow cooker.
In same skillet, heat remaining oil over medium heat; fry onion, bacon and thyme for 1 minute. Add button mushrooms; cook until softened and almost no liquid remains, about 8 minutes. Add to slow cooker.
Add celery, potatoes, porcini mushrooms, bay leaf and 1 cup (250 mL) water to slow cooker; stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender.
Whisk remaining flour with 1/4 cup (50 mL) water; whisk into slow cooker. Add peas. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes or until thickened. Discard bay leaf.
Pot Roast
Ingredients
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
1 1/4 cups water
5 1/2 pounds pot roast
Directions
In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and water. Place pot roast in slow cooker and coat with soup mixture.
Cook on High setting for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours.
Whole Chicken
Ingredients
1 (2 to 3 pound) whole chicken
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon paprika
Directions
Wad three pieces of aluminum foil into 3 to 4 inch balls, and place them in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Rinse the chicken, inside and out, under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels. Season the chicken with the salt, pepper and paprika, and place in the slow cooker on top of the crumbled aluminum foil.
Set the slow cooker to High for 1 hour, then turn down to Low for about 8 to 10 hours, or until the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear.
These are (most of) my bookmarked slow cooker meals and I promise they are all delicious ;-)