18 simple things to make in a slow cooker

Meals for every occasion, and some just for fun too

By Anthony van Poppelen

Slow Cooker/Crock Pot

One of these will run you anywhere from $20 to $50. It doesn’t matter which model or make you get, just be sure to get one large enough for however many people you typically feed. Mine is a 5 quart with low, high and warm settings. Every university student should have at least one of these.

Potato Wedges

These are my favourite. Just chop some potatoes, add some seasonings and let them sit on high for 4 hours. Super simple and they go with anything, not to mention they are cheap.

Roast Beef

This one is a classic. It takes a while to cook but it tastes great. Just throw your beef and vegetables in the cooker and let it cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. If you want something different you can add a can of coke and a can of chili sauce. Sounds weird but it’s so juicy.

Beef Stew

This is similar to the roast beef, but use cubes of meat and beef broth. Add paprika, mustard, black pepper and garlic so the beef taste doesn’t overwhelm everything. This gets cooked on low for 8 hours so again preparing in advance is key.

Turkey Brisket

I like thanksgiving, but I really don’t like the horribly dry and tasteless turkey my relatives cook. Just put the turkey, some garlic and paprika. 3 hours on high usually does cooks this one.

Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped potatoes are always such a pain to make, but with a slow cooker you can just add the ingredients and forget about them. Potatoes, a can of cream of mushroom soup, water and cheese are all that’s needed. 3 hours on high and then an hour on low to make it crispy.

Green Bean Casserole

For those that don’t like meat there’s plenty of vegetarian options like this one, that I will actually eat. Peppers, green beans, cram of mushroom soup, spices and almonds if you feel like them. Most important to this recipe is a half teaspoon of salt, the difference is night and day without it. 3 hours on low and it’s ready to eat.

Chorizo Chili

You can’t own a slow cooker and not make chili. This one calls for ground beef, raw chorizo sausages, a can of chili beans and a can of diced tomatoes. Depending on the sausages you get it can be quite spicy. Cook on low for 7 hours, just remember to skim the fat before you eat it.

Chocolate Pudding Cake

Yes, you can cook dessert with a slow cooker. This isn’t my preferred way of making cake but it works quite well. Add milk and cake mix, plus anything else you want in there, crushed mints are good. Cook for an hour and a half on high and then eat it all to yourself.

Cherry Delight

In keeping with the dessert theme, this is an amazing recipe I recently discovered. A can of cherry pie filling, a bag of cake mix, butter and walnuts. This gets cooked for an hour and a half on high. Definitely serve this with whipped cream.

Cherry Rice Pudding

This is actually the only rice pudding I’ll eat. I’m not normally a fan of it, but cherries make everything taste good. It’s your standard rice pudding recipe, so eggs, rice, milk and sugar but add dried cherries and some nutmeg. This gets cooked for 5 hours on low.

Apple CrumbleThis one’s a little bit more difficult but well worth it. The difficulty lies in not overcooking the apples. Just your standard apple crumble recipe, but in a slow cooker for 2 hours on high. Don’t forget the allspice and cinnamon though.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This is another difficult dish to make. I won’t go into specific details, but you essentially make your chicken cordon bleu, brown it in a pan, put in in the slow cooker for 2 hours on low, then add oil, wine and broth. Once cooked, coat with cornstarch and put it in the browning pan. It’s a bit more prep work but it’s so good.

Italian Sausage Soup

One of the better soups I’ve come across is this one. Again, this has a little more prep work involved than other recipes. Make sausage meatballs out of the Italian sausages and add them to chicken broth, tomato paste, spinach, parmesan and garlic. Cook on low for 5 hours. Add pasta half an hour before it’s done if you want pasta in it.

Mushroom Barley Stew

Another sort of coup, this one takes a while to cook but doesn’t have much in the way of prep. Olive oil, onions, carrots, barley, wild mushrooms, vegetable broth and some black pepper, then cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. If you want it more soupy then add a bit more broth.

Parmesan Ranch Snack Mix

This is a good snack you can make in very little time. Just add any combination of pretzels, nuts, cereal squares and crackers and then add parmesan cheese, butter, dry ranch salad dressing and some garlic powder. This gets cooked on low for 2 hours, be sure to cover everything with the liquids though.

Chicken Teriyaki

This is another quick and easy recipe. Throw boneless chicken, pineapple juice, soy sauce, sugar, rice and tomatoes, as well as spices such as garlic and ginger into the slow cooker and cook on low for 2 hours. You’ll find yourself making this at least once a week.

Honey Ribs

If you’re a ribs fan you’ll like these. Making them isn’t too messy either, an added plus. A can of beef consomme, some water, soy sauce, honey, maple syrup, barbeque sauce and some pork baby back ribs. Let it all cook for 6 to 8 hours on low. The meat will just fall off the bone.

Macaroni and Cheese

Why make this when you can just make a box of KD? Because this tastes much better, and you know exactly what’s in it. Add macaroni, a ton of cheese, some milk and some salt and pepper and let it cook on low for 2 to 3 hours, stirring every half hour or so. Add ham chunks if your diet is lacking protein, or even if the mood just strikes you.