Inexpensive slow cooker recipes?

HeidiMightyRawr

I'm looking for any ideas on some slow cooker meals I could make that aren't too expensive. Getting better with my planning meals, but not as good as I'd like! I love how easy it is to use the slow cooker, I don't have to do much and it's perfect for taking stuff to work! At the moment I do take food there most of the time, but sometimes I don't plan enough or take enough with me, and I buy stuff there too, and it's getting expensive!

I just don't have that many ideas. My ideas mainly consist of beef/stew type meals, and I like variety! Fire away any suggestions you may have :flowerforyou: I'm not fussed about calories at all (gaining). Thanks.

Danielle_2013

Chicken cacciatore with skinless chicken thighs, onions, garlic, green pepper, fire-roasted tomatoes (canned), olives, a little worchestershire, pepper, bay leaf, italian seasoning...

AprilKill

Buy a whole chicken, add your onions/peppers/seasonings/clean your chicken off put it in the crockpot for over night (to have to work that next day ) or before work to have in the evening...that boy will be falling off the bone good and it last a couple of days for lunch and dinners....and don't put water in it b/c it makes it own juices and it will over flow if you do (trust I had enough broth for days)

singledj

Check out some of the recipe sites... like Allrecipes.com, skinnytaste.com to name a couple. You could do a google search for more, those are just the ones I could think off the top of my head. Also if you belong to Pinterest there are some good recipe links on there for the slow cooker as well.

Good luck, hope this helps a little bit!!

SpecialSundae

Check out beef cheeks and pork cheeks. They're UBER cheap (really good quality beef cheeks from Waitrose or a butcher will be about £6-7kg and pigs cheeks even cheaper) and come out really tender.

You can also chop them up a bit to make a really wonderful ragu (bolognese).

Another easy slow cooker dish is pulled pork. Pop a fat-trimmed loin (or shoulder, but that's fattier) of pork in the slow cooker with some vinegar and seasoning of your choice; leave for 8 hours; shred the pork and mix with the juices and then add barbecue sauce or Sriracha. NOM!

teenio7

Got this off of skinnytaste. It was really good!

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings:
8 servings •Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 3 pts •Points+:4 pt Calories: 190 • Fat: 1.5 g Fiber: 5.6 g • Carbs: 23.1 g • Protein: 21 g

• 24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast
• 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
• 15 oz can black beans
• 8 oz frozen corn
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
• salt to taste
Combine all ingredients in crockpot except chicken.
Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top.
Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving,
remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in.

maddymama

Anything that utilizes dried beans.... black beans, black bean soup, split pea soup (using a ham bone from holiday cooking), pinto beans, baked beans, etc.

Also, many crock pot recipes use frozen veggies which can be less expensive than fresh veggies at times. I also use tougher cuts of meat which tend to be less expensive than others.

krickeyuu

(1) Pork Boston butt (shoulder)
S&P
Garlic Poweder
(1) green bell pepper
(1) sweet onion
(1) bottle of your favorite BBQ sauace or (2) cups of homemeade

Layer half of the pepper and onion on the bottom of the Crock-Pot. Season pork butt with salt, peper and garlic salt. Sear the pork on all sides in about 2 tbsp canola oil. Place in Crock-pot and pour BBQ sauce over pork butt. top with remaining onion & bell pepper. Cook on low about 8 hours. Pull pork with two forks and remove any large pieces of fat. Serve on buns or rolls or by itself. A 4 lb pork butt will cost around $5.00. BBQ suace around $3.00. It makes a lot of pulled pork.

cheri0627

40-clove garlic chicken (slow cooker)

3-4 pounds chicken
1 large onion sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon pepper
20-40 garlic cloves, peeled, but intact

The Directions.
6 quart slow cooker

Place onion slices on the bottom of the stoneware insert. In a large mixing bowl, toss chicken parts with olive oil, salt, paprika, pepper, and all of the garlic cloves. Pour into slow cooker, on top of the onion.

Do not add water.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6. The longer you cook chicken-on-the-bone, the more tender it will be. If you use drumsticks, the ones on the side will brown and may stick to the sides of the crock, burning a bit. If this bothers you, you can rearrange them with tongs an hour before serving.


I made this with chicken leg quarters. They were on sale for $0.49/lbs. My husband was worried about it being too garlicky and whined about my dinner choice the whole day. Cooking the cloves whole like this gives them kind of a nutty flavor, not garlicky at all. When we were done eating, he said, "A+, definitely will eat again."

HeidiMightyRawr

Thank for the ideas, keep 'em coming!

Check out beef cheeks and pork cheeks. They're UBER cheap (really good quality beef cheeks from Waitrose or a butcher will be about £6-7kg and pigs cheeks even cheaper) and come out really tender.

You can also chop them up a bit to make a really wonderful ragu (bolognese).

Another easy slow cooker dish is pulled pork. Pop a fat-trimmed loin (or shoulder, but that's fattier) of pork in the slow cooker with some vinegar and seasoning of your choice; leave for 8 hours; shred the pork and mix with the juices and then add barbecue sauce or Sriracha. NOM!

I'd forgotten about those! My bf works for a butchery so I have tried them before when he's brought home beef cheeks Also, shoulder of pork = yum!!!

cheri0627

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

bpreteroti

bump for later!

Yanicka1

Bump need ideas

Chobbes1985

A good thread on crockpot recipes... http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/749400-any-one-reccomend-a-great-crockpot-recipe

agulamali

Along the lines of recipe websites, one of my favorites is paleopot.com. This one is especially great if you're trying to eat low-carb!

sak90027

this is a very easy recipe. a package of skinless boneless chicken breast or thighs. a jar of your favorite salsa in the pot for 4 -6.

you can add in some corn and a can of black beans too. season to taste.

somigliana

My favourite at the moment is:
> Pack of chicken breasts
> Tin of kidney beans
> Tin of black or cannellini beans
> Tin of tomatoes
> Tin of corn
> Cumin, Chilli, Paprika (or whatever spices you like).
It makes work lunch a breeze and it's especially cheap when beans on are a multibuy special.

SToast

Chicken or pork (doesn't matter what cut)
1 c salsa
1/2 c brown sugar

great over rice, on tacos, on salads, alone, on a bun, rolled up in lettuce leafs.

sls1989

Just doing some chicken mixed pieces in my slow cooker now, buy enough to fill your crock pot up and cook either on low all day or on high for 4-6 hours. My favourite flavouring is to slice up a couple of lemons, n sprinkle the chicken with dried chives, paprika salt n pepper and then throw in a whole head of garlic. The chicken meat can be used for heaps of different things, wraps/salads/soups and if you do a big batch with some simple flavours you can use it in heaps of ways. You can chop up a heap of veggies and after you take your chicken and any chunky bits of lemon/garlic add some stock and veg and cook on low overnight to make a yummy soup.

IronSmasher

I thought that half the point was that you could buy the nastiest gnarliest bits of meat and make them edible by cooking them forever?
That and pack it out with the beans and pulses that are so cheap because nobody has the patience to cook them, and voilà!


I've just checked and the OP is in Englandshire, so you can check out the aisles near the spices or at the cooking sauces in Tesco or Asda and they'll have a load of sachets and sauces that you just have to add the meat and veg to for a choice of at least a dozen dishes.

rompers16

8 can taco soup - found on pinterest - I would change out the canned beans for dried and make your own taco seasoning otherwise the sodium is too high.