Crockpot cooking is convenient. You throw everything in, set it, and then you do not have to think about it again for hours. With the world shifting back to normal and people going back to work and school, using the crockpot to make one of these crockpot recipes can help make the transition back to the way things used to be easier. Whether your family is heading back to the office and school or you are staying home for a bit longer, these are 10 of the best crockpot recipes to make getting dinner on the table easier than ever.
Best Crockpot Recipes for Soup
Italian Wedding Soup
Italian Wedding Soup is so delicious. Meatballs, carrots, celery, and acini de pepe pasta (or a similar small soup pasta) come together to make a hearty meal. This recipe has both stovetop and crockpot instructions and although it includes directions for making meatballs from scratch, you can just as easily throw in some premade, frozen meatballs to make your life even easier. If you do decide to use frozen, there is no need to brown them first. You just add them at the beginning of the cooking process and let them thaw out and cook with the rest of the soup base.
French Onion Soup
This French Onion Soup is one of the best crockpot recipes because not only is it simple, but your house will smell so wonderful when you walk in the door after a long day. The recipe requires you to cook the onions until they are translucent, so it takes a little prep time beyond just throwing everything in the crockpot. However, if you use the slow cooker function of an Instant Pot to make this recipe, you can use the saute function first to cook your onions and then switch over to the slow cooker function and add the rest of the ingredients.
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Spaghetti and Meatball Soup
Think of this Spaghetti and Meatball Soup as a homemade, grown-up version of the Chef Boyardee Spaghetti and Meatballs you used to have for lunch as a kid. It is one of the best crockpot recipes because it is easy and your kids are bound to love it. Again, if you do not have time to make the meatballs from scratch like in the recipe, add frozen meatballs at the beginning instead. It is easy, yummy, and a major time saver.
Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
So creamy and decadent, this soup will have you and your family coming back for seconds. This is one of the best crockpot recipes for soup because most of the hard work is done by the crockpot. In the end, you remove the chicken from the broth and shred it before returning it to the pot and thickening the soup with milk and half and half. This soup would be great for a cold winter day, but also just as good any night of the year no matter what the season!
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Best Crockpot Recipes for Meat
Slow Cooker Chili
Chili is one of the best crockpot recipes because it always seems better when it is made in the crockpot. Maybe that is because it has all that time to simmer at a low, even temperature and develop flavor. Once you saute the onions for a few minutes and brown the ground beef, everything goes into the crockpot and you do not have to think about it again for five or six hours. Serve this Slow Cooker Chili with your favorite accompaniments like shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, or corn chips and your family will not leave the table hungry.
Crockpot Salsa Chicken
Need something super simple yet tasty? Give this Crockpot Salsa Chicken a try. This recipe uses only four ingredients. Seriously! When it is ready, the chicken is so tender and juicy it falls right apart. Serve it for dinner over rice, on buns, or as tacos. You can even put your own spin on it by using a different salsa or adding in black beans just before it is ready to serve.
Balsamic Roast Beef
For this Balsamic Roast Beef recipe, you literally throw all the ingredients in the crockpot, cook it for four hours on high or six to eight hours on low, and then remove the roast beef when it is done and shred it with two forks. It is one of the best crockpot recipes and one of the easiest roast beef recipes you could ever imagine. This recipe makes plenty of leftovers (unless your family cannot help themselves from gobbling it all up in one night!) so you can get a couple of tasty meals with one day of crockpot cooking.
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Slow Cooker Chicken Curry
Curry is one of the best crockpot recipes because the flavors come together so well while everything simmers on low all day. This curry recipe includes chicken, chickpeas, and sweet potatoes to make a filling and delicious stew that is as simple as putting everything into the crockpot and letting it cook. All you need to do is make some rice to serve it over when you are ready to eat. It makes excellent leftovers too because it is one of those dishes that seems to taste even better the next day.
Best Crockpot Recipes for Trying Something Different
Slow Cooker Stuffed Shells with Spinach
Everyone thinks of soups, stews, and hunks of meat when they think about things to cook in the crockpot, but some of the best crockpot recipes might just surprise you. Take this recipe for Slow Cooker Stuffed Shells with Spinach for instance. Fill uncooked jumbo pasta shells with a delicious cheesy mixture, cover with sauce, and cook them to perfection in the crockpot. Who knew slow cooker pasta could be so delicious?
Crockpot Mushroom Risotto
Risotto is notoriously hard. If you watch any of those chef competition shows, it is often the thing that sends chefs home. Take out the guesswork and cook it in the crockpot! This recipe does require a little bit of prep work, but nothing that takes more than 10 minutes. Once you saute the mushrooms, onions, and garlic for five minutes or so, add in the rice for a minute, and then pour it all into the crockpot. It cooks less than most crockpot recipes – just under three hours on low or just over an hour on high.
You can set it and forget it. It wondrously decreases your dishwasher loads. It is the secret to that good old “fall off the bone” tender meat. What is this magical appliance you ask? It is the infamous crockpot! These nifty devices not only simplify your life but they yield some of the most delicious meals. The best crockpot recipes allow you hours of freedom to run errands and make sure your family has a fulfilling dinner. This winter, you’ll want some savory ideas to test out that will warm you up from the inside out. Whether you’re vegetarian, a soup, beef, or chicken lover, there is something for everyone among these 10 winter crock pot recipes that you will love.
The Best Cold Weather Crockpot Recipes To Try This Winter
Vegetarian: Slow Cooker Winter Vegetable Soup with Split Red Lentils
This dish is definitely a winner when it comes to the best combination for warming your body and soul on a cold winter day. The soup is truly packed with vegetables, making a very fulfilling meal. It’s also a great healthy option as the split red lentils are high in fiber and protein. Begin by sauteing some onions and celery over the stove and transferring it to the crock pot. Throw in all the veggies, stock, and seasonings and stir. You’ll have a warm, tasty meal ready to go in 4-6 hours on high heat.
Find the full recipe on A Beautiful Plate.
Vegetarian: Tuscan Bread Soup
Like most of the best crockpot recipes out there, with this one you’ll have to do some low heat cooking to prep before setting your crockpot on high heat. Once you’ve prepped, most of your soup ingredients will need to cook in the crock pot for only about 3-4 hours. After that time has passed you’ll stir in the good stuff – cavolo nero (Italian kale), parmesan, and bread! Let it cook on high heat for 30 more minutes and there you have it, a hearty, healthy, vegetarian soup.
The full recipe can be found on Taste.com.au
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
The beauty of cooking meat in the crockpot is in the transformation that happens over time. A once tough, chewy piece of meat becomes amazingly tender just by slow cooking it. This chicken and wild rice soup recipe does just that to some whole chicken breasts that you shred after the slow cooking process. While your meat, rice and veggies are prepared in the crockpot, the milk mixture that will thicken the soup should be made on the side, over the stove.
You’ll want to head over to Simply Sisson for all the steps to create this tasty soup.
French Onion Soup with Meatballs
Being a classic on its own sure helps to make this one of the best crockpot recipes. Combine your favorite fully cooked meatballs, onions, broth and your essential seasons in your crockpot and you’ve got this classic dish that will warm your soul. There is also the option to substitute some of the beef broth for some ale. After you set it and forget, the only step left is to add your bread and cheese to the top. This really adds the comfort factor.
Check out the full recipe at Taste of Home.
Read More: 50 Instant Pot Soup Recipes
Something for the Beef Lovers
Beef Chili
Here’s another classic favorite done crockpot style. While beef is the common ingredient, feel free to substitute with ground chicken or turkey. You’ll start with caramelizing the onions and then browning your choice of meat in a skillet. While still over the stove add in your seasonings and let it cook for a couple more minutes. Next it all goes into the crockpot along with some broth and the remaining ingredients. Depending on how much time you’ve got you can cook on high for as little as 4 hours or on low for up to about 8 hours. Don’t forget your choice of toppings when serving!
You can find the full recipe over on Half Baked Harvest.
Winter Warm-Up Beef Simmer
Now this is one the best crockpot recipes because this meal is perfect to come home to after a long chilly day. The recipe uses a combination of beef and bacon along with some hearty vegetables that are sure to warm you up from the inside. Start with the ingredients in saucepan over medium-high heat, allowing the meat to brown. Once that is achieved, your veggies will go into the crockpot along with the meat mixture. After about 8 hours it is ready to serve!
Find the full recipe right on the Land O’ Lakes website.
Balsamic Pot Roast
This recipe conveniently calls for many ingredients you probably already have on hand, such as olive oil, garlic cloves, onion, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar. You may have to grab some dry red wine, carrots, potatoes and chicken broth. You’ll begin with searing the chuck roast on all sides before placing it into the crockpot. The secret to the flavor here is sauteing your onions and garlic, then adding the balsamic vinegar to them. At this point everything is ready to go into the crockpot and cooked on low for 6-8 hours.
The recipe with all the deets you need can be found in full on Delish.
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The Best Crockpot Recipes Chicken Lovers Can’t Deny
Cambodian Chicken Curry
This very tasty chicken curry dish is ready in as little as 6 hours on low heat. While you can use other parts of the chicken to create this one, using the thighs will be your best bet to retain some juices in the meat. All your ingredients begin and end in the crockpot. After those 6 hours you have a delicious chicken curry to put over some steamed rice and enjoy!
The full recipe for this hearty meal can be found on Taste.com.au.
Chicken with Vegetables
Beginners, this one’s definitely for you! This is one of the best crockpot recipes to start your crockpot journey with. Add carrots, celery, potatoes and your whole chicken into the crockpot. Rub the seasonings all over the chicken. On low heat, your meal will be prepared in just 6-8 hours. That chicken will be ready for carving and your vegetables nice and tender.
Find the full recipe at Taste of Home.
Chicken Supreme
Suprême de volaille, the origin of the title of this meal, is actually French for boneless, skinless chicken breasts. What makes this one of the best crockpot recipes is the fact that this is actually a classic crockpot recipe, perfect for when you’rey in the mood for a filling dinner that will be ready in as little as 4 hours!
Start by frying some bacon in a skillet, browning your chicken breasts, then creating a creamy soup in the same skillet one after the other. Along with the chicken and soup you’ll add some mushrooms to the crockpot and have those cook on low heat. Then comes the best part second to consuming this delicious dish, sprinkling some cheese and the bacon from earlier over the top. Mouth watering to say the least!
The full recipe for this “supreme” dish is over at The Spruce Eats.
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Wintertime or not, these meals are tasty all year round. The crockpot and these recipes will definitely come in handy when time isn’t on your side. The best crockpot recipes require minimal prep and will give you plenty of time to knock things off of your to do list during your day to day hustle and bustle. The end result is always an absolutely delicious, comforting dish that your friends and family will rave about. You’ll be a crockpot pro in no time after giving a few of these recipes a try. Bon appétit!
Using the crockpot means less to think about after being back in the office all day – nothing to worry about cooking when you get home, a perfectly cooked meal waiting for you and your family, and fewer dishes to clean up when it is all over. Even if you are at home, throwing everything in the crockpot in the morning lets you go on about the rest of your day without having to think about dinner later. These 10 best crockpot recipes are so delicious that your family will be asking you to make more dinners in the crockpot!
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