At this time of year nothing beats a warm and comforting family meal but as a busy parent I know it’s not always feasible to spend hours at the stove cooking dinner. This is where one of my favourite kitchen gadgets comes in… the slow cooker or crockpot!
A slow cooker is an absolute life saver when you are short on time but don’t want to compromise on being able to enjoy tasty home cooked family meals. If you don’t already have one then don’t worry, you don’t have to spend a fortune as even the simplest and cheapest model will do just as well! I bought mine for about £15 in a supermarket.
The great thing about slow cookers is that you can chuck the ingredients in in the morning and later that day you have a delicious family meal ready to dish up. It’s also great for using cheaper cuts of meat that need hours and hours of cooking, meaning you can make seriously indulgent meals on a budget!
I’ve put together a list of 20 of the Best Slow Cooker Recipes to help you too to get ahead this year!
These tasty Chicken Fajitas are so easy to make. Simply bung all the ingredients into the slow cooker and come back to a delicious dinner later in the day! Super healthy and Slimming World friendly too!
Warm, comforting and as well as sausages it’s full of good stuff like beans, peppers, tomato, onion and celery.
A super simple and delicious Beef and Broccoli recipe. This is so easy to make, simply chuck all the ingredients into the slow cooker or crockpot and leave it to cook all day.
Slow Cooker Sticky Chicky Wings
These slow cooker sticky chicky wings are perfect for sharing as a family. There’s something about those dishes that make everyone go “oooooh” when it comes to the table. Sticky chicky wings is one of those!
Slow Cooker Italian Meatball & Gnocchi Soup
A delicious, warm and comforting Italian Meatball & Gnocchi Soup recipe. A super easy family meal made in the slow cooker. Minimum effort, maximum taste!
Not your mum’s Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken
The flavours of this are delicious and it is perfect for weeknights or week days when you are home, but want to get dinner over and done with earlier…at lunch time!
A super easy slow cooker ragu recipe. Makes a great family meal that everyone will enjoy!
Slow Cooker Lentil Sloppy Joes
A money saving dish using lentils which is cheaper than ground beef, AND add in some extra nutrition with legumes which have an impressive list of goodness in them!
Did you know that you can cook Mac & Cheese in the slow cooker or crockpot? Super easy and so tasty too! Here’s my UK Slow Cooker Mac & Cheese Recipe!
Pineapple & Lime Pulled Pork Slow Cooker Goodness
Perfect to have in the freezer for quick and easy week night dinners…just defrost and have with tacos, in burgers or as your protein on a plate full of veggies.
A really easy Lamb Curry recipe made with lamb shoulder and slow cooked to make it deliciously tender.
Slow Cooker Veggie Lasagna is comforting, healthy, easy and most importantly, delicious! Plus, it isn’t runny like many veggie lasagnas. This is definitely a family fave!
An easy and tasty recipe for beef brisket, slow cooked in a red wine stock and served with kale mash.
Slow Cooker Southwest-Style Chilli over Sweet Potato Mash
Slow Cooker Southwest-Style Chili Over Sweet Potato Mash is full of hearty meats and vegetables. Cooked all day in a slow cooker, the meat is perfectly tender and the peppers, tomatoes, onions and spices are blended together forming a hearty broth.
The Easiest Slow Cooker Christmas Ham
I call it a Christmas Ham but it’s just as tasty any time of the year! Cook a large ham in the slow cooker and then you have loads left over for leftovers for the rest of the week.
Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Meatballs
Looking for a quick appetizer or dinner to throw together last minute? Try my slow cooker sweet and sour meatballs. I bet you already have most of the ingredients!
Slow Cooker Quinoa Lettuce Cups
Packed full of protein these Slow Cooker Quinoa Lettuce Cups make a delicious, healthy and fun dinner for the whole family!
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
This slow cooker chicken noodle soup comes together super quickly and then you ignore it while it cooks for supper.
This Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Chili takes just a few minutes to throw everything in together. Four hours later you have a hearty meal that is sure to warm you from the inside!
A delicious, nutrient dense, veggie packed slow cooker soup, that is also kid friendly in taste! Simple weeknight dinners just got easier!
Frances says
Amazing post! My slow cooker is probably one of the best kitchen things I’ve ever bought and I can’t wait to try some of these.
Edwina says
These all look delicious but I’m really keen to try the Apricot Chicken. I’d forgotten that recipe even existed! Time to try a new and improved version. Looks good.