Slow cookers are great multi use cooking appliances that allow you to put delicious home cooked meals on the table with very little effort or time spent slaving over a stove. Most meals simply involve placing the ingredients into the slow cooker, switching it on and leaving it to do its thing. You can also leave these magical appliances unattended safely, even when you leave the house, so you can get on with your day while dinner cooks away all by itself. Another huge bonus of cooking with a slow cooker is that this style suits cheaper, tougher cuts of meat, which can reduce your grocery budget significantly.
JUMP TO:
5 Easy Slow Cooker Recipe Ideas
If you are short on time or are into meal prepping then a slow cooker is your best friend. You can either prep the meals and freeze the prepare ingredients for a later day or cook the meal and freeze after the fact so you can pull them out on a busy day without compromising on your dinner quality. The range of dishes that you can execute in a slow cooker is limitless and, for the most part, simple. So here are some of our favourite simple slow cooker dishes that you can try at home.
Please note all these recipes are designed for a 6L slow cooker.
1. Slow Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- Whole chicken
- Lemon slices
- Half a lemon
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Olive oil
Method
- To prepare the chicken rub it down with oil and then rub the salt and paprika into the skin covering the entire bird.
- Now take your lemon slices and gently slide them under the skin of the chicken, placing the half a lemon into the cavity for extra flavour.
- To prep the slow cooker roll some balls of tin foil and place them in the bottom of the cooker.
- Place the chicken on top of the tin foil and replace the lid.
- Cook on high for 3-5 hours until the chicken falls apart only removing the lid to check that the chicken is ready.
2. Honey Mustard Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 500 grams breast chicken
- 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups stock
- 2 tablespoon cornflour
- 500 grams pasta
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Parmesan cheese
Method
- Place all the ingredients, besides the pasta and the corn flour into the slow cooker. Place on the lid and cook for 5-8 hours until the chicken pulls apart with a fork.
- Remove the chicken and shred using two forks.
- Mix the corn flour with a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid and make a slurry. Add to the slow cooker and mix well.
- Place the pasta in the slow cooker and return the chicken to the cooker on top of the pasta. Close the lid.
- Cook on high for 30 minutes until the pasta is cooked the whole way through.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and a generous helping of parmesan cheese.
3. Spicy Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 500 grams bone in pork shin
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 500ml stock
- 1 tin tomatoes
Method
- Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker and turn on low for 6-8 hours or until the meat starts to fall apart.
- Remove the meat from the slow cooker and shred using two forks when it is hot enough to handle.
- To create a sauce separate a cup of the cooking liquid and transfer to a frying pan. Bring to the boil and cook until thickened.
- Mix the meat in with the sauce.
- This can be served in tacos, burritos or with rice as a chili
4. Creamy Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 1 punnet of mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 onion
- 1 stick celery
- 1 large carrot
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 liter stock
- 1/2 cup cream or milk (or milk substitute)
Method
- Dice the onions, carrot and celery and place in the slow cooker with the minced garlic.
- Now place the rest of the ingredients, apart from the cream or milk into the slow cooker and place on the lid.
- Cook on low for 3-5 hours until the mushrooms are soft.
- Remove the lid and allow to cool before blending.
- Reheat the blended soup in the cooker and add the cream or milk.
- Season to taste and serve with crusty bread.
5. Slow Baked Garlic And Rosemary Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 500 grams flour
- 1 sachet (10 grams) instant dried yeast
- 375ml water
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Method
- In a little oil, fry the garlic and rosemary over a medium high heat until fragrant, set aside.
- Combine the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the water and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Add the garlic and rosemary.
- Knead in a mixer or by hand until the dough is elastic and passes the windowpane test. Cover and leave to prove in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.
- The next day; line the slow cooker in greaseproof paper and place the roughly shaped into it.
- Cook on high for 2 hours.
- The crust will remain light but if you want to darken it pop it under the grill for a few minutes.
Easy Slow Cooker Recipes: Summing Up
And there you have it; some supremely tasty, melt in the mouth meals that you can serve up with relative ease. Even bread baking becomes more approachable with the use of the old faithful slow cooker.
Once you have a few of these easy recipes under your belt you can continue building on your newfound knowledge to create even more delicious recipes that are both time and budget efficient. These delightfully wholesome family meals are approachable, tasty and nutritious suitable for the whole family.
