Crock Pot Chicken N Noodles
On busy school/work days, when there is a chill in the air, or when you just need something simple yet scrumptious, your slow cooker can be your best sous chef. Imagine coming home to a comfort food meal that is waiting on you and only needs about 30 minutes before you can eat! Take the hour in the morning to prep while youre getting the kids out the door, and then let the Crock Pot do all the work all day!
What Type Of Vegetables To Use
You can use your preferred vegetables with the recipe, but keep in mind the long cook time. You will want to use vegetables that can withstand the low & slow cooking method of the Crock-Pot without turning to mush. Root vegetables work well. Green vegetables like green beans, asparagus, and brussels sprouts can also be used. Heres what I used: red bell pepper, onion, yellow zucchini, and green zucchini. If youre going to use a more delicate vegetable like squash, cut them into larger pieces than you normally would or cook them whole and cut them up later. I wrapped the vegetables in foil because I wanted them to cook along with the beef but I also wanted the choice to later serve them separately. I intend on using the vegetables for meal prep that does NOT include beef. As I show you below, I also added shrimp to this Crock-Pot meal.
add vegetable foil packet on top of the beef
The Best Slow Cooker Beef Stew Ever
Beef stew is a perfect way to get your protein without breaking the bank and I think it is pretty much a slow cookers best friend. The red wine just gives it such a deep rich broth, the beef is fall-apart tender, it is just well, it is just a whole bunch of awesomeness in a bowl, thats what it is.
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How Does A Slow Cooker Work
Slow cookers are basically just electric pots with stone inserts. Unlike your typical oven, slow cookers can cook food on low or high temperatures with consistently. They work by trapping heat and cooking food for a long period of time. This is why you should not remove the slow cooker lid while cooking as you will lose all that built up heat!
Slow Cooker Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
If youve ever had a soup and havent been quite satisfied at the end of the meal, this is definitely for you.
Packed full of meat, bacon, carrots, potatoes, and other ingredients, you might have a hard time going back to regular burgers.
You could even try the traditional fries with your soup and give one or two a dip into the sauce.
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Incredibly Easy Crockpot Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake
There are few desserts easier to make than dump cakes. Just as the name suggests the ingredients are dumped into one baking dish or Crock Pot with very little prep work required. The original recipe soon followed the invention of boxed cake mixes and variations of dump cakes are still the rave today. You can vary the type of fruit or flavor of cake mix you use and create your own dump cake treat.
Why Are Slow Cookers Good For Meal Prepping
Whether you’re dumping everything in the crock pot to cook while you’re at work all day or you’re just looking to more efficiently plan ahead for the week, a slow cooker will make your weekly meal prep a breeze!
You can create dump dinners that have you do all the prep ahead of time. You can even sometimes freeze all the prepped ingredients together which makes it easy to batch prep a few recipes in an afternoon. When it comes to cooking these dump dinners, all you have to do is dump in the ingredients, turn on the slow cooker and wait for it to do its magic.
Pro tip: keep an eye on the serving sizes. Slow cookers recipes sometimes make more than 4 servings, allowing you to have plenty of leftovers to freeze and reheat on busy nights.
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Sriracha Honey Slow Cooker Meatballs
This is for the sriracha lover in you. Sriracha Honey Slow Cooker Meatballs are hot, sweet, tangy and wildly addictive. A simple recipe, this dish just about cooks itself. Add the sauce ingredients, form the meatballs. Toss them in the slow cooker and voila. The best make-ahead game day or any day food. What more could you ask for?
Slow Cooker Italian Meatballs
Meatballs are great with pasta or you can throw them into a sandwich with some marinara sauce.
You can also add just about any ingredient you want inside the meatballs to satisfy your taste buds.
With a slow cooker, your meatballs will cook evenly every single time and theyll soak up all the flavors in the meantime.
Just make sure you make enough for the group because theyll go fast.
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Crockpot Chicken And Dumplings
This traditional classic does just as well in a crockpot as it does in a cooking pot.
You can stick with the tried and true recipe or add a little more herbs to kick it up a notch.
Let the chicken cook in the crockpot all day long while you get what you need done.
When you come home, all you need is the dumplings and youll be ready to feed the whole family!
Crockpot Chicken And Noodles
When youre looking for comfort food, youve come home with this chicken and noodles recipe.
Use chicken breasts to make this dish, and cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, butter to make this pasta dish super creamy.
Adding frozen mixed veggies adds tons of nutrition to this easy dish. Seasonings are garlic powder, black pepper, and poultry seasoning.
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Slow Cooker Healthier Hamburger Helper
If youre looking for cheap crockpot meals, you cant go wrong with a homemade version of Hamburger Helper.
To make this beloved comfort food dish healthier, choose whole ingredients, including whole-wheat pasta, fresh cheese, ground turkey instead of ground beef, and fresh veggies and seasonings.
Remember to add the pasta 15-30 minutes before you serve your homemade Hamburger Helper.
Its common knowledge that chicken thighs are the juiciest part of a chicken, and we love cooking slow-cooked chicken thighs.
This chicken dinner is made with balsamic vinegar and honey, so its loaded with flavor.
Serve these chicken thighs over brown rice or basmati rice. A fresh green salad on the side completes that meal.
My Favorite Crockpots And Slow Cookers
- Most often, Im using a 2.5 quart casserole style crockpot that I love. It is wider and shallow, so you dont have to stack everything up and it cooks more quickly. It is the perfect crockpot for someone cooking for 1-4 people and not doing large meals.
- I also have a 4 quart crockpot that I use when I want to do a larger cut of meat, like a pot roast, or a big batch of soup. Its everything I love about my 2.5 quart in a slightly bigger size.
- I do have a 6 quart Hamilton Beach slow cooker that is great for cooking for a large group of people, but I do find its a little cooler and sometimes large chunks of meat have to be cut down into smaller pieces for it to cook by dinnertime.
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Make Bbq Beef In A Slow Cooker
The process of slow cooking is perfect for less expensive cuts of meat, giving you optimum tenderness and flavorful results. Those are just a few of the reasons I choose to use my slow cooker when preparing barbecue. If you dont have a smoker, its the next best thing for low and slow cooking. Today Im sharing a terrific technique for slow roasting a beef chuck roast for pulled beef barbecue sandwiches.
Benefits Of Using Your Slow Cooker For Meal Prep
- it’s hands off- you can leave the slow cooker unattended while prepping other meals or ingredients
- it’s versatile- cook your meals ahead and portion out for ‘reheat meals’, or assemble freezer crockpot meals for busy weeknight dinners.
- it’s energy efficient- using your slow cooker means you don’t need to turn on your oven or stove, and this keeps your house cooler. Perfect for warm summer months!
Equipment- I use this 6 quart slow cooker, but it does cook big batches. For smaller batches I reach for my 2.5 quart slow cooker.
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Slow Cooker Beans & Weenies
This recipe came to be because the 2-year-old loves hot dogs. Now I realize some parents might be appalled by that, but he also loves all his veggies, including Brussels sprouts, plus foods that kids usually wont eat, like sushi and calamari. He doesnt turn his nose up at anything I give him. With this recipe, I served hot dogs to him in a new way, and the rest of us enjoyed something I literally hadnt eaten in years. Oh, and the fact that its a slow cooker meal is even better!
Benefits Of Crock Pot Freezer Meals
Let’s face it: for many of us, any time of the year can be busy and stressful. With work, school and busy schedules, the last thing you should have to worry about is finding time to make wholesome meals for your family.
Thankfully, slow cookers and Instant Pots are a busy cook’s best friend! No meal prep is simpler than dumping a few ingredients into a crock pot and turning it on to cook.
Crock pot freezer meals will help you:
Bookmark this post to keep returning to later you’ll find some gems below that you’ll keep returning to over and over again.
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Benefits Of Using A Slow Cooker:
- The extended cooking times allow better distribution of flavors in many recipes.
- The lower temperatures lessen the chance of scorching foods that tend to stick to the bottom of a pan or burn in an oven.
- Less expensive or tough meats, such as chuck steaks, roast, and less-lean stewing beef, are tenderized through the long cooking process. The slow cooker is an excellent choice for cooking many venison dishes.
- The slow cooker frees your oven and stove top for other uses, and it is a splendid choice for large gatherings or holiday meals. Many people swear by their slow cooker dressing or mashed potatoes.
- Theres no need to scrub several pots and pans. In most cases, youll only have to wash the slow cooker and maybe a few prep utensils.
- Slow cookers use less energy than a standard electric oven.
- The slow cooker wont heat the kitchen up the way a large oven will, a real plus on a hot summer day.
- A slow cooker travels well. Take it from your kitchen to the office or party. Just plug it in and serve.
- Convenience! A slow cooker can usually be left unattended all day for many recipes.* You can put recipe ingredients in it before going to work and come home to a meal. A slow cooker meal is an excellent choice for a busy day, whether you work in or out of your home.
*Note: Whenever you purchase a new slow cooker, use it a few times on both HIGH and LOW settings before leaving it unattended.
Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce
Not many pasta recipes involve my favorite cooking friend, my slow cooker. But this uses it! If youve never had a traditional bolognese sauce, think red sauce with meat. Thats the simple way to explain it. But oh the flavor! Once you make this tasty and super simple sauce, you will never buy another jar again!
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Slow Cooker Creamy Ham And Potato Chowder
This Creamy Ham and Potato Chowder is guaranteed to warm you up and fill you up. The recipe comes from the cookbook, Better Homes and Gardens Skinny Slow Cooker. Its a good cookbook for those of us who need more slow cooker recipes for busy family nights, and its a big-time bonus that the recipes are considered skinny.
Slow Cooker Chicken Italian Sandwiches
With a fresh tomato flavor and plenty of garlic bread, these Italian chicken sandwiches are to die for.
This chicken recipe calls for Italian dressing, tomato paste, sea salt, sugar, red pepper flakes, canned diced tomatoes, fresh basil, and provolone cheese. For the bread, you can use frozen garlic bread.
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What Meals Can I Make And Freeze
Below youll find 30+ crockpot recipes that you can get ready ahead of time and freeze. Most of the recipes you place all of the ingredients in the Ziploc freezer bag, but there are a few that you dont add an ingredient until the cook time is almost over. Also the ground beef recipes, you will need to pre-cook the meat.
Crockpot Chicken Recipes For Easy Meal Prep
I love using my crockpot for meal prep, so I wanted to share some of my favorite crockpot chicken recipes with you, all rounded up together in one place.
Ive been on a crockpot roll lately anyone else? Its just so easy and convenient!
All of these recipes are healthy, packed with flavor, and super easy to make. Definitely a win-win situation!
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How To Make This Whole Chicken Crock Pot Recipe:
You wont believe how easy it is to make this tender chicken for meal prep. Its as easy as adding everything to the slow cooker and walking away.
Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Chicken
If you dont own a slow cooker, Im here to tell you to get one! They make your life so much easier. You can cook and bake a multitude of recipes in one and it will save you some time: time making your dish and time cleaning up. This Honey Mustard Chicken is just one of those dishes! Its sweet with a slight tangy mustard flavor. Serve with your favorite pasta, potato or rice side dish.
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How To Make Crock Pot Freezer Meals
Each recipe will have different cook times and instructions to follow so make sure your ingredients are defrosted and then cook according to instructions. Healthy family dinners have never been so easy!
Which recipe will you make first?!
Slow Cooker African-Inspired Peanut Stew via The Girl on Bloor
Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole
Have you ever dreamt of waking up and having your breakfast already made for you just waiting to be served?
Well, you dont have to dream about it any longer. This breakfast casserole recipe cooks overnight so its ready to go right when you wake up.
It has everything you could want in a breakfast sausage, eggs, veggies, hash browns, and bacon. Of course, you can mix it up any way you want for something more to your liking.
Add a little side of avocado toast and youll be ready for your day.
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Quick Tips For Easy Freezer Meals
- for max efficiency – pick recipes that have no pre-cooking, use pre-chopped veggies , get an assembly line going
- for best taste – eat within 3 months
- for organization – always label your containers, group similar meals in same location , upright freezers are 1000x more easy to organize than chest freezers, take stock of your freezer regularly and eat those meals
- Batch prep – prep meals with similar or overlapping ingredients, so you can chop/trim/measure your ingredients all at once.
- Double or triple up on the recipes for maximum output for your efforts…they are good for up to 3 months in the freezer!
- Soups & stews – you can leave out stock/water/coconut milk until cook day, to prevent over-filling the bags.
- Efficiency – Use these handy baggy holders to hold your bags open, and I recommend a good quality gallon freezer bag to reduce risk of leakage during the freeze/thaw process.
- Freshness – Potatoes may brown during the freeze/thaw process. If this bothers you, consider adding them on cook day.
- For Mother Earth – avoid plastic waste by using large meal prep containers, or reusable silicone bags
Crock Pot Meals And Slow Cooker Recipes Take The Stress Out Of Scrumptious Dinner Time Favorites
We love when dinner is quick and easy, making these recipes perfect for your next weeknight dinner! We love how these recipes take advantage of seasonal ingredients and recipes that make your crock pot a year-round part of your cooking routine.
Many of these amazing crock pot recipes can be modified to the delights and special dietary needs of you and your family. These recipes often yield enough delectable goodness and save well, so you can save the excess for a quick lunch, or freeze for even easier future meals. Crock pot and slow cooker meals take the stress out of the kitchen, so you dont have to sacrifice time, labor, and effort to eat well, and feel full.
Follow us on for more easy crock pot recipes and join our newsletter for more inspiration, ideas, hacks, DIYs, and new online cooking classes!
This article has been updated from a previous post.
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