Best Slow Cooker & Crockpot Recipes for Easy Cooking

Slow cookers and crock pots are both really convenient methods to prepare food because they require very little supervision and simplify the cook. In fact, most of the time you can simply put in all of the ingredients and come back after when it’s ready. Usually, that’s all you have to do for most of the recipes you will be preparing. 

They’re also very efficient for maximizing your time to let you do other things while normally you would have to stir and/or watch over your food while it’s cooking. So if you love making food in a super easy and efficient way, check out these delicious recipes below.

Great Slow Cooker Recipes

A little useful info before we get to it, if you’re interested in improving your cooking skills, Gordon Ramsay, master chef, is actually teaching cooking in Masterclass!! All classes are available for an annual membership, which allows for access to ALL Masterclass content for 1 year!

1. Chicken and Mushroom Stroganoff

Ingredients:

• Cooking oil
• 4-5 chicken fillets chopped into chunks (I normally use meat from Omaha Steaks. Yes, they have chicken, too!)
• 8-10 oz. of fresh sliced mushrooms
• 8 oz. of softened cream cheese
• 10 oz. of cream of chicken soup (canned)
• 1¼ oz. onion soup mix (dried)
• Couple pinches of salt and pepper
• 1 lb. egg noodles
• A few pinches of fresh chives or parsley on top

How to Make it:

1. Coat the inside of the slow cooker from Target with cooking oil
2. Put in the chicken
3. Add in the cream cheese, cream of chicken soup mix, and dried onion soup mix
4. Set the slow cooker to low setting and cook for 4-5 hours 
5. Roughly 15 mins before you’re ready to serve, boil a large pot of water 
6. Put noodles into the pot and cook until tender
7. Drain noodles, combine with the goodies inside the crockpot 
8. Garnish with chives or parsley and serve!

Note: Be sure that the chicken is thoroughly cooked before serving. Set the slow cooker to a warm setting to keep it hot until ready to serve.

This dish can also be taken to the next level with several red wines.

2. Apple Sugar Glazed Carrots 

This one is perfect as a side dish that’s so easy to make!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. full-size carrots chopped into 1” slices
• 1/2 cup of fresh apple juice (unsweetened)
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/4 cup of regular butter
• A pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup of pecans or almonds

How to make it:

1. First, add in the carrots and unsweetened apple juice
2. Set the slow cooker to high and cook for 3 and ½ hours
3. Take the carrots out and dump out the liquids
4. Place the carrots back into the slow cooker 
5. Add the brown sugar, salt, and butter while stirring
6. Put on the lid and cook for 20 more mins
7. Add the nuts and serve!

Note: The nuts are optional

3. The Perfect Pot Roast 

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup of flour
• A couple of pinches of salt
• A pinch of ground black pepper
• 5 lbs. beef (rump or chuck)
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 whole onions sliced into chunks
• 1 cup of red wine or vegetable broth
• 1 potato sliced
• 2 whole full-size carrots cut into chunks and rosemary or whatever herbs you prefer
• 1 cup of sliced asparagus (optional)
  

How to make it:

1. Add the salt and pepper to the flour and work it into the beef using the side of a plate
2. Brown the beef on each side in hot olive oil in a pan
3. Drain the fat and then sauté the onions (not too soft)
4. Place the beef into the slow cooker along with the onions, cover it, and cook on Low setting for around 10 mins. 
5. Put in the rest of the ingredients
6. Cook on Low setting for at least 7 hours 

4. Crockpot Thai Peanut Sauce Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 pound of chicken breast filets cut into 1” chucks
• 2/3 cup of natural peanut butter
• 1 cup of diced zucchini
• 1/3 cup of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 2 cloves of fresh garlic (minced)
• 1 red pepper sliced into thin strips
• Diced nuts to garnish
• 1 tbsp. of fresh lime juice
• 1 cup of fresh diced cilantro (keep a bit extra undiced)
• 12 oz. of linguine

How to make it:

1. Put chicken, sugar, broth, soy sauce, diced garlic, red pepper strips, peanut butter, and zucchini into the crockpot. Stir to mix them well. 
2. Cook on Low setting for at least 4 hours. 
3. 30 mins before serving, add in the lime juice and diced cilantro. 
4. Boil the linguine until tender then drain
5. Serve the linguine with the peanuts and non-chopped cilantro
6. Enjoy!

5. Crockpot Butter Chicken

Ingredients: 

• 3.5 tablespoons of butter
• 1 tablespoon of any vegetable oil
• 1 whole onion diced
• 700 grams of chicken breast (with or without bones – roughly 4 large chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger finely chopped
• A few pinches of salt
• 1.5 tablespoons of garam masala
• A tablespoon of curry powder
• 1 teaspoon of ground paprika
• A teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 2 x 14-ounce cans of chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons of brown sugar
• 5 cardamom pods
• 3/4 cup of heavy cream
• Chopped coriander to garnish

How to make it:

1. Preheat the crockpot on high
2. Add butter and vegetable oil to the pan and then cook the chicken and onions for about 6 mins or until the chicken is cooked
3. Mix in the minced garlic, curry, chopped ginger, salt, garam masala, ground paprika, and ground cinnamon and stir well.
4. Cook for an additional 2 minutes
5. Put in the chicken stock, tomatoes, cardamom, tomato paste, and sugar, and stir well. 
6. Pour all into the crockpot. Cook for at least 4 hours on High setting 
7. Take out the cardamom and stir in the cream. Let it heat through.
8. Serve with rice and garnish with coriander 

Slow cookers or crockpots are some of the best tools in your kitchen. With these awesome and easy slow cooker recipes above, you’ll be able to wow guests at holiday dinners or any other occasion!

Looking for more recipes? We have a few more, check out our articles on mac and cheese recipes and even spaghetti squash and butternut squash recipes!