Your carpool driver will be here in 20 minutes to pick you up. Since you will be ridesharing on the way home, you won’t have time to hit the store to pick up ingredients to make dinner.
To avoid picking up unhealthy fast food after work or rushing to the closest grocery store to grab ingredients for a quick meal, plan your meals with some easy set-it-and-forget it recipes to make ahead in your slow cooker.
Simple standby recipes include chili, beef stew and pot roast to name a few. Look in the spice aisle for pre-mixed spice packets to go with your meal of choice. In some grocery stores, you can pick up a prepackaged roast with the vegetables and seasoning already included.
But what if you want to expand their cooking repertoire? Try some of these easy dump-and-go recipes that you can prep ahead of time in a single bag and plop in the freezer, ready to use the next day or save for a future date. In the morning, put the ingredients in the slow cooker, turn it on and arrive back home to a hearty meal in waiting.
Chicken
Chicken works great in the slow cooker. Both breasts and thigh cook evenly in the slow cooker and have great versatility.
Honey Garlic Chicken from diethood.com
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 4 garlic cloves – minced
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 cup low sodium ketchup
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Directions
Arrange chicken thighs on the bottom of your slow cooker.
In a mixing bowl, combine garlic, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, oregano and parsley, whisk until thoroughly combined.
Pour the sauce over the chicken thighs. Close with a lid and cook for 4 to 5 hours on LOW, make sure internal temperature is 165 degrees.
If you would like to thicken the sauce, 30 minutes before the chicken is done, whisk a cornstarch slurry into the sauce; cover and continue to cook.
Other easy chicken recipes
Salsa Chicken – Cover bottom on crock pot with boneless, skinless chicken (breasts or thighs). Add a jar of your favorite salsa. Optional additions include a can of drained white corn and a can of drained black beans. Serve in a bowl, over rice, or in tacos.
Honey Teriyaki Chicken – Similar to the recipe above. Add chicken, honey, teriyaki sauce, and garlic powder to the crock pot. Cook on high for 4 hours, then shred the chicken when done. Serve over rice.
Beef and Pork
BBQ Pulled Pork from hand in the heartland
Ingredients
- 4 lb pork shoulder roast
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 4 large cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons paprika (smoked paprika preferred)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons coarse Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
Instructions
Make the rub by combining paprika, brown sugar, salt and pepper; mix with a fork.
Slice garlic into 8-10 slivers. Cut slits in pork roast and insert garlic slivers. Pat rub mixture on pork roast. Place the roast in the crockpot. Pour Worcestershire sauce over pork roast.
Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. (May take a little longer for roasts heavier than 6 pounds
After cooking time check the doneness with a meat thermometer. It should be between 195° to 205° to pull apart easily. If it’s not done enough, try extending the cooking time for 30 minutes in a slow cooker.
With 2 forks shred the pork. Add BBQ sauce and stir. Pile pork onto your bun or rolls, add coleslaw if you like for some crunch and additional flavor. Enjoy!
Mississippi Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 pound beef chuck roast
- packet of ranch dressing mix
- packet of au jus gravy mix
- 1 stick of butter
- handful of pepperoncini peppers.
Place all items in slow cooker, set to low, cook for 7-8 hours. Enjoy.
Veggies
Vegetarian Crockpot Lasagna from pinchofyum.com
- Two 24-ounce jars or cans of marinara sauce
- 9 thick lasagna noodles
- 24 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese OR cottage cheese
- 3–4 cups chopped vegetables of choice (author used kale, but carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, red bell peppers, spinach, eggplant also work)
- Pesto (to taste)
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese
- Parmesan cheese for topping
- Fresh parsley for topping
Directions
Spray the crockpot with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce to the bottom so the noodles don’t stick.
Break noodles so that they fit and mostly cover the bottom. Cover with about one third of the ricotta, veggies, pesto, sauce, cheese, and end with noodles. Repeat layers two more times for a total of three complete layers. End with a layer of noodles on top, covered with a thin layer of sauce and a little bit more shredded cheese.
Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5 to 6 hours.
Turn the cooker off completely and let the lasagna sit for at least one hour. This will keep it from being soupy.