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Crockpot Recipes

Crockpot recipes and tips

Crockpots are a great piece of equipment for anyone seeking quick healthy meals. Below is a collection of recipes and suggestions from the Forum. The first piece of advice deserves a place up here at the top. Teresa says: don't overdo the liquids, you don't need that much.

Red

the crockpot is your friend! I throw a whole cut up (free range, antibiotic-free) chicken in mine on a regular basis; makes stew of various kinds while I work. I have a timer on my outlet, too; so the pot auto shuts off before overcooking if I am working unexpected hours.

My current fave is a coq au vin (chicken and wine) stew with carrots, onions, fennel bulb, garlic, lean turkey bacon, and red wine. Damn tasty enough to eat for a few days straight! If you are avoiding fat, skim your stew and remove the chicken skin after cooking. It takes too much time and loses too much flavor to skin the chicken before, I think.

Crockpot's great for bean stews, too, if you are ok with eating moderately high carb. I don't 'do' beef, but I'm sure it could cook a good beef stew, too.

Michelle

buy a shoulder roast or one specifically marked for crockpot (most stores mark them), sear the meat, use a small amount of liquid (1-2 cups) and cook for longer than you think (9-11 hours).

on searing the meat: i put a little EVOO in the bottom of a skillet and heat it up, put the meat in when the pan's good and hot and brown one side, then the other. (about 1 min each side, maybe a little longer). this helps keep the moisture and flavor in the meat.

hard veggies should go on the bottom (onions, potatoes, carrots) at least according to Good Housekeeping.

my favorite is new potatoes, pearl onions and baby carrots, a can of organic beef broth, and the roast (whatever size will fit in your crockpot). salt, pepper, crushed garlic, maybe a little fresh rosemary. cover and cook for 10 hours on low. DON'T lift the lid.

chicken breasts are only good for 3 days (they get rubbery) so on the 4th day, i throw them in the food processor and then mix with chopped celery and onion for chicken salad. crockpot roast beef--cook on sunday and it should be good for a couple of days to break the monotony of the chicken.

Manor

Didn't even do the fancy prep as Michelle pointed out, just put some water on the bottom, add the potatoes and put the meat in, turned the knob and that's it. Add flavouring to your liking if you want.

Teresa

I know that searing meat before placing it in the crockpot adds great flavor but I could never be bothered with that. It sort of negated a lot of the convenience factor of the crockpot for me.

I've learned not to overdo liquids because you really don't get much evaporation. So with, say, six boneless chicken breasts, I'll add only 1/2 - 1 cup of liquid (usually chicken broth).

The other day, I placed some skinless boneless chicken breasts in the crockpot, added a few spoonfuls of chicken broth, topped each breast half with a couple of big spoonfuls of salsa, then tossed some green olives on top. Added a bay leaf for good measure. A couple of hours on slow..... pretty tasty.

Just found a nearly-zero-prep way to cook chicken. Took one of those "family" packages of boneless skinless chicken breasts - turned out to be a bit over 3#. Put them in my crock pot with 1 cup of chicken broth. Set the crockpot to low and let them cook for about 4 hours. These are now easy to shred to put into things like soups, salads, lettuce wraps, whatever, or just eat plain (the broth gives them enough flavor so they aren't totally bland).

I've also done beef stroganoff..... put in chunks of beef (you can use inexpensive tougher cuts with the crockpot), put in 1/2 cup or so of beef broth, a bunch of sliced mushrooms, chopped onions (or shallots if you want to get a little fancy). Let the meat cook til tender (maybe 3-4 hours because they're in small chunks). Stir in some sour cream at the end and sprinkle with parsley flakes. For my husband I serve them with whole wheat noodles. For me I pour it on top of steamed broccoli.

KO

The thing about the crockpot is you get an immense depth of flavor. There is a reason our ancestors cooked things this way, and if you try these recipies you'll soon find out why. Vegetables do not fare well in a crock pot. It does make a masterpiece out of meat, however, and it provides good eating for days. Cook your vegetables separately.

Try these:

Get a pot roast, throw it in there with a sliced onion, a cup of red wine, four Tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, one cup of water, three cloves of minced garlic. Put it on low heat. Awesome. You will love me for this.

THIS tried, true and well-worn recipe is at least 30 years old. You're gonna love it. Here ya go:

Killer Chicken Cacciatore

1 whole chicken, cut up - you can add some extra favorite pieces 1 onion, sliced 2 cloves garlic 1/2 t basil 1/2 t oregano 1/2 t rosemary 1 bay leaf 1 can tomato paste 1 can tomato sauce

Add everything but the chicken and stir well. Add chicken and spoon mixture over chicken, then stir it all up. Cook on high for four hours or on low for six to eight. Serve over spaghetti.

These recipies will make you feel like you just graduated from cooking school.

I know Crock Pots remind you of your mother and the 1970s - but recipies like this are the reason why slow cooking has its place in culinary history and Crock Pots are still sold today. You'll see what I mean.

Put it on before you go to work and enjoy this incredible dish when you get home. Or throw it together on a Sunday and enjoy the aroma all day. I realize not everyone likes lamb - but this is really unique and special and you will like it.

Trust me, the recipe below works.

3-4 lb lamb shanks 1 t salt 1/2 t black pepper 1/2 t ground cumin 1 t ground coriander 1/2 t ground nutmeg 1 t ground cinnamon 2 t paprika 2 t grated zest of lemon 1 cup tomato sauce 1/2 cup red wine 1 onion, chopped finely

Brown lamb in broiler to remove excess fat. Place lamb in bottom of crockpot. Mix together onion, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, paprika, lemon zest, tomato sauce and red wine. (Don't fret about buying all these spices - you'll want to make this again.) Pour over lamb in crockpot. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Remove and slice lamb, stir sauce and serve it all over orzo pasta. A nice salad goes well to accompany this dish.

Chris Mc Clinch

the Mc Clinch Classic:

1 3-pound roast 1 pint Guinness 1 packet Good Seasons italian dressing mix

Cook on low for 8 hours.

Serve with salad or veggies.

Kyle E.

2lbs tri-tip roast, cut off the fat cap and cut into chunks(or sirloin roast, I know a lot of east coasters have never heard of tri-tip) 1/2 yellow or white onion, sliced 1/2 red onion, sliced 1/2lb small red potatoes, quartered 2 carrots, sliced (larger is better) 1 Pint Guinness Water 3 tsp beef boullion (or smaller amount of beef base if prefered) Simple Roux

Brown the meat, add salt and pepper to taste. Add the onion, potatoes, carrots, and Guinness. Add water, only to the top of the meat/veg/potato mixture. Don't overfill. Mix in the beef boullion.

Bring to a full boil, and boil for about 3 to 5 minutes. While you're waiting, mix up a simple roux. I used 1/4 cup butter with about 1/3 cup flour (you can substitute oil for the butter if you don't like the idea of using butter). You can also mix a smaller amount of roux for a thinner consitency.

To make the roux, just heat the butter and slowly add the flour, continually stirring so it doesn't burn. Cook until the texture is smooth and creamy.

After the stew has boiled for a few minutes, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 30-45 minutes, or until the meat is tender. You can add the roux at any time during simmering.

The key with this soup (other than the Guinness) is the type of meat used. Rather than using a rump roast or other stringy meat, the tri-tip keeps a solid texture so it has the feel of a steak dinner, only in a stew.

Dan Martin

A roast and your favorite BBQ sauce is splendid.

Wicked Willie

Whole chicken, throw in a cup or two of chicken broth, onions, celery and potatoes on low for nine hours. The meat will be falling off the bones and you have a very nice soup or stew. Cream of onion, chicken or celery soup works well, also.

CB

The crock pot works great for chuck roast too. Just slap the roast in it and pour 1/4 cup merlot wine over it. Dump on a packet of onion soup mix and throw in some quartered sweet onions and whole mushrooms. When it's done put some of the drippings in a sauce pan and add a packet or two of brown gravy mix and heat according to instructions. Instead of the onion soup mix you can substitute a sauerbraten seasoning mix and serve with red cabbage.