Slow Cooker - Crock Pot Recipes
Crock Pot Meal
Slow cookers
The slow cooker or crock-pot is a great all year round cooking appliance that no home should be without.
It's Autumn now, in the northern hemisphere, so what better way to cook, and always have something warm for the family when returning home, especially after Saturday mornings kids sport, everything cooked in a slow cooker, a meal all ready for lunch.
Even during the warm months, in the southern hemisphere, you can cook a meal without getting all hot and bothered while you are out enjoying the summer. Cooking in a covered crock pot with the heat on low means food remains beautifully moist. It's very economical too, as slow cooking tenderizes the cheapest cuts of meats.
By cooking food in a slow cooker, it stops the food from burning and allows intense flavors and tenderness to develop that cannot be achieved by other methods. A slow cooker can also be used to keep meals warm for those who arrive home late, a great way for a family on the go.
Cook Time
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 8 1/2 hours
Serves: 6
Spring Lamb Casserole
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 700 grams boneless lean lamb stew meat, cut in 2cm cubes
- 1/4 cup flour
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups cold water
- 1 bunch baby carrots (carrot sticks), trimmed
- 500 grams baby potatoes, halved
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen peas thawed, thawed
Instructions
- Heat oil in frying pan over a medium-high heat.
- Dust cubed lamb with flour and season with salt and pepper.
- Brown the floured lamb, in two or three batches, for five minutes in the hot oil.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove browned lamb to the bowl of the slow cooker.
- Reduce pan heat to medium. Add the sliced onion and cook for five minutes, stirring until lightly browned.
- Stir in the water, scraping up the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Transfer onion mixture to slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for six hours.
- Add the carrots and potatoes and cook for two hours more.
- Add peas and cook for a further 30 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
- Tip Browning the meat and onion before slow cooking does take a little extra time but is worthwhile because it increases the stew's richness and flavour.
How to Make Crock Pot Lasagna - Test Kitchen Recipe
Cook Time
Prep Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 2 1/2 hours
Serves: 4
Crock Pot Macaroni Cheese
- 1 1/4 cups elbow macaroni pasta
- 25 grams butter melted
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion, finely
- 200 grams bacon cooked or swap for cooked ham, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
- 3 1/2 cups low-fat high-calcium milk, hot
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- For easy cleaning, spray the crock-pot with nonstick spray.
- Turn the crock-pot on to high.
- Place the pasta in the bowl of the crock-pot.
- Pour over the melted butter, sprinkle over the flour and stir to combine.
- Add onion, bacon, paprika and grated cheese, then stir to combine.
- Pour in the hot milk and stir gently to combine.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover crock-pot with lid and cook on high for two and a half hours, stirring once every hour.
- Serve scattered with fresh parsley.
Using a Slow Cooker
Do you cook with a Slow Cooker - CrockPot
Vegetable and Bean Goulash
- 420 grams red kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 cups corn kernels, frozen or fresh (cut from 3 cobs)
- 2 sticks celery, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 290 gram can tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients except salt and pepper in a slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on high for three hours or until vegetables are tender.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with mashed potatoes, noodles or steamed rice.
- Tip - Because dried red kidney beans contain a toxin that is not destroyed by slow cooking,it is best to used canned beans when cooking in a crock-pot
Barbecue Sauce Meatloaf
- 700 grams beef mince
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 spring onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Barbecue sauce
- 1 cup tomato pasta sauce
- 2 tsp prepared mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Put the mince, egg, breadcrumbs, worcestershire sauce, spring onions and parsley into a bowl.
- season with salt and pepper and mix well to combine.
- Form into a short log shape.
- Place a sheet of foil, then a sheet of baking paper in the crock-pot so the ends extend out of the ceramic bowl.
- Place the meatloaf log in the crock-pot (this will make it easier to lift the meatloaf out).
- Combine the barbecue sauce ingredients in a bowl.
- Whisk together and pour over the meatloaf.
- Cover and cook on low for eight hours.
- Slice meatloaf and serve.
- Nice on a cold evening served with mashed potatoes and peas
What I like about a Crock-Pot
A crock-pot or slow cooker's removable stoneware and glass lid move easily to the table for serving without a lot more dishes for serving and left-overs can be placed in the refrigerator, which can-be reheated up again the next day.
Cook Time
Prep Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 4 - 8 hours 25 mins
Serves: 6
Slow Sweet and Sour Chicken
- 2 tbsp tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup cold water
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 800 g lean boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 peeled fresh pineapple cut into chunks
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Combine tomato sauce, water, vinegar,soy sauce and sugar in the bowl of the slow cooker.
- Stir in chicken pieces and cover.
- Cook on low for eight hours or on high for four hours.
- Stir in the pineapple.
- In a small bowl, combine cornflour with second amount of water, then stir this into the chicken mixture.
- Cook on high, stirring often for 20 mins or until sauce is thicken.
- Serve with a steamed green vegetable such as snow peas, beans or asparagus.
Complete BBQ Chicken Dinner in the Slow Cooker
Chicken In The Pot
This meal is not cooked in a slow cooker but a excellence one pot complete meal cooked in 1 1/2 hours.
I like this dish very much it should be easy to adapt to being cooked in a slow cooker, next time I will do it in the slow-cooker and let you know the time it took to cook.
I allowed 4 hours and it was perfect.
Ingredients
- 1.5 g whole chicken
- 200 grams rindless bacon, thickly sliced and chopped
- 8 small potatoes, peeled
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut in 5cm lengths
- 3 sticks celery or shallots, neatly peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs thyme
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- cold water
- 1 cup white wine to cover
Instructions
- Wash the chicken and dry inside and out with paper towels.
- Place the chicken in a large casserole dish, then add the bacon, vegetables and herbs.
- Season with salt and pepper and pour over the wine.
- Add enough cold water to cover the ingredients.
- Cover the casserole dish and bring liquid to the boil.
- Turn down heat and simmer very gently for 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is very tender and cooked through.
- To serve, ladle the vegetables into a serving bowl, break up the chicken and place on top of the vegetables.
- Serve surrounded by the delicately flavored cooking broth.
© 2011 Elsie Hagley
