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Crockpot Easy Recipes: One Pot Family Cooking

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Pinched for time and pinching pennies? Why not take out your crockpot and make one of these easy recipes for your family? We got a crockpot for a wedding gift many years ago. However, it wasn't until our kids were about 3 or 4 years old that we really started to use it. How easy is it to create crockpot easy recipes? So many meals require only that you pile the ingredients in, then walk away for 4-8 hours (depending on the recipe). Even if you have a longer time frame for cooking your meal, you may be able to lower the temperature on your crockpot to extend the time.

In this hub, I'll share my favorite crockpot easy recipes. These are tried and true with my four young children. Really, if my kids will eat it, you should rest assured that your efforts slaving over a crockpot will not be in vain.

Don't have a crockpot? I guarantee that you can find one cheap at either a yard sale or your local Goodwill store. If not, you can expect to shell out about $40-$50 on a new version, which is well worth the amount you'll save on dinner bills in about 2 months!

Its time to explore the easier and cheaper side of crockpot cooking! And if you want even more cheap and easy meals, you can feed your family a hearty dinner for less than $3 per serving.

Beef Stew in a Crockpot
Beef Stew in a Crockpot

Beef Crockpot Meal

Delicious Stew Recipe

This crockpot easy recipe for stew comes from my aunt in Burbank, California. I promise you, it is not only easy, but makes your entire house smell delicious!

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound stew meat, trimmed
  • 1 can Campbell's Cream of Celery Soup
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 packet of onion soup mix
  • 1 cup bourbon (it bakes off)
  • 1 can (14 oz) green peas
  • 1 t. chopped garlic
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1/2 t. pepper
  • 1 cup chopped green peppers (optional)
  • 1 cup chopped mushrooms(optional)
  • 12 oz. boiled and drained egg noodles

Instructions:

Take out stew meat and trim off excess fat

Place raw meat into crock pot

Add garlic (if desired)

Add soup mix, soup, water and bourbon

Stir well

Turn crock pot onto medium heat and cook for 6-8 hours

One hour before serving, add canned peas, peppers and mushrooms, if desired

Boil egg noodles and drain. Serve Crock pot stew over egg noodles.

Crockpots in all sizes and shapes
Crockpots in all sizes and shapes

Hamburger Casserole in a Crock Pot

Another super crockpot easy recipe is found right here. When I was growing up, my Mom would make this in a fry pan (and it would take at least an hour). Now, you can put this all together in the morning in about 20 minutes and let it bake all day.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lg. potatoes, sliced
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 1 can green beans
  • 1 can tomato soup
  • 1 can water
  • 2 lbs. ground beef, browned
  • 1 medium white or yellow onion, chopped

Instructions:

Layer vegetables in crock pot. Season with salt and pepper. Brown hamburger with onion. Place browned hamburger on top of veggies. Mix soup and water and pour over all. Cook on low 5 to 6 hours. Serve with boiled egg noodles or white or brown rice.

Frugal Meals for On-the-Go Families

Crock Pot Low Carb Chili Recipe

Low carb recipes need not be tasteless or expensive. Here is a great chili recipe that we love - it is truly a crockpot easy recipe that you will come back to time and again!

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs of ground beef
  • 1 quart of water
  • 1 t. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 1 t. cumin
  • 2 t. salt
  • 2 mashed cloves of garlic
  • 1 T. cinnamon
  • 1/2 t. crushed red peppers
  • 1 t. black pepper
  • 2 T. chili powder
  • 1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 (4 oz) can of mushrooms (drained)
  • 1/2 t. allspice
  • 3/4 cup chopped green peppers

Instructions:

In a large skillet, brown the meat with the onions and drain the fat.

Add everything, plus the browned meat to the crock pot and simmer over medium heat for 4-6 hours.

Vegetarian Indian Curry

What if you are a vegetarian? Is crockpot cooking still for you? Absolutely! Just because my husband is a meat and potatoes kind of guy doesn't mean that there are not many delicious vegetarian crockpot recipes out there!

Vegetarian Indian Curry is especially tasty (it is also vegan). Check this out below - its hard to believe that anything could be simpler than this crockpot easy recipe!

Ingredients:

  • 3 potatoes, chopped
  • 1 cauliflower, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups green peas
  • 3 tomatoes, chopped
  • 3/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp curry
  • 1 cup water

Directions:

Simply place all ingredients into the crockpot and cook on medium heat for 4-6 hours.

If you are counting carbohydrates, you can lower the glycemic index on many of these recipes simply by switching from white pasta or rice, to whole grain pasta or brown rice. You can also choose to enjoy the meals without any pasta or rice at all!

Two of the biggest reasons people don't eat at home more often are: (1) time and (2) inconvenience. Cooking in a crockpot takes care of both of these issues and also gives your home a nice, warm aroma that you can enjoy when you open the door.

Cooking in a crockpot also makes it easy to transport meals to buffets and tailgate parties. Then you can simply plug it back in and warm up the food in a matter of minutes.

It wouldn't be a complete crockpot easy recipe hub if I didn't save room for dessert! Check out the 1 minute video below for the simple steps to make apple pie in your crockpot. I hate trying to make decent pie dough anyway...

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Comments

Constant Walker 3 years ago

Crock pots are a wonderful thing. it's my favorite way to make chili.

stephhicks68 3 years ago

I agree - yummy homemade chili in a crock pot can't be beat. I also love homemade meatballs. Dang - I forgot to include that recipe....

Constant Walker 3 years ago

Well, Girrrl, get on it!!  (You have to say that like Oprah for it to work...)

Also:  Hey, I liked your wisdom quote so much I included it on the "Sages" hub.  (the last quote - easier to add no ones there) Hope it's OK.

I do believe this officially makes you a Sage...

stephhicks68 3 years ago

A sage, me? Wow, I am very honored!! And yes.... I will get on it! :)

Constant Walker 3 years ago

Ha-ha! I've got to share this with somebody... I'm nibbling on a big piece of pistacchio cheesecake I gotfrom Safeway. It's incredible!! Who knew they could make REAL cheesecake?

stephhicks68 3 years ago

OMG - I love pistachio ice cream, and I love cheesecake. That sounds delicious - and like you said, who knew Safeway could make a tasty cheesecake! I guess I'll hop in my car and drive to Springfield... LOL!

countrywomen 3 years ago

Constant- I love the Tiramisu at Safeway for $9.99. Its one of my greatest weaknesses (My office colleagues surprised me with a huge Tiramisu on my Birthday which I relished for a week)....LOL

Steph- I have to now buy a crockpot and try these recipes (any idea if the longevity of the food is affected after the dish is done after 8 hours. I mean can it be eaten after 2/3 days kept in the freezer and heated with microwave)

stephhicks68 3 years ago

Hi countrywomen - some of the newer models of crock pots can turn off automatically after a number of hours, but if you are home within an hour or so afterwards, it shouldn't matter. Mine is an older model that does not turn off until I switch it off. And the leftovers are great! Just make sure that you refrigerate or freeze them promptly and don't put them in too large of a container. Hope you enjoy the recipes

hot dorkage 3 years ago

I'm gonna feature your vegan recipe on my blog. http://food.dorkage.net won't be for a while yet, I have a pretty good stach of recipes in the chute.

Mmmmmm..... thank you!

stephhicks68 3 years ago

Hey Hot Dorkage - thank you! Shoot me another message when you have it on the site and then we can link crockpot easy recipes up to your blog post. :) Steph

Constant Walker 3 years ago

Oh c'mon, no Safeway there? If not, there was only one left... Race you?!?!

Country, I have a tiramisu flavored liquid creamer which I've been enjoying. It's the first time I'd ever even heard the word. Now I'll have to try the real thing, eh?

countrywomen 3 years ago

Constant- You want to relocate to Italy and haven't heard of Tiramisu Cake now that's a sacrilege(thou shalt not go unpunished without having a mouthful of tiramisu)...LOL

Constant Walker 3 years ago

Trust me, I'll be looking for it now... especially now that I know Safeway is making it.  But, in my defense, I did look it up to find out what it was, so I KNEW it was an Italian pastry.

It IS a pastry, right?

stephhicks68 3 years ago

Mmmmmm.... how did we get from crock pot chili to tiramisu? Oh well, I don't care. Sounds delicious. And yes - we have Safeway here, but I just don't recall seeing the pistachio cheesecake! :)

Bob Ewing 3 years ago

I am about to purcahse a second crock pot and have some new recipes to try ,even more after reading yoru hub, thanks.

stephhicks68 3 years ago

Great Bob - so glad to hear that you'll be able to put that new crock pot to good use. :) Steph

countrywomen 3 years ago

Constant- Yes Tiramisue if sold separately in pieces would be pastry but in Safeway they sell it as a whole cake.

Steph- "crock pot chili to tiramisu" when we are dealing with CONSTANT nothing can remain constant anymore. OK I will stop now otherwise you will call me a CRO(a)ck POT...LOL

stephhicks68 3 years ago

LOL - Countrywoman - you are right!! Constant Walker is a wild card, isn't he??? Constant - here's another off-topic question - how to deal with/heal a stress fracture? Seems that the marathon and too much running afterwards has me gimped up. :)

Rochelle Frank 3 years ago

Interesting-- and though I have lots of crockpot recipes, I'll have to go through this again.

 Interestingly-- since I was going to be gone for most of the day, I put about 4 pounds of cubed beef ( nice and lean-- at a great price)in the pot this morning  with onion, bell pepper, celery, mushrooms and seasonings + broth and V-8 juice.  Nice  easy dinner tonight and some good planned-overs to freeze for when we have a housefull of family during the holidays.

Also-- as my sister learned once during a winter power outage-- if you have a removable crock (the ceramic part) you can put it on top of your woodstove and get a similar cooking result.

Nothing nicer than a big pot of chili-- during a snowstorm.

stephhicks68 3 years ago

Rochelle, I love V8 juice! Your recipe sounds terrific! I actually made up my own crock pot recipe a few weeks ago, starting with beef that was in my freezer and then adding things from my cupboard and fridge - stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, canned corn, garlic, lemon juice, chopped celery and fresh cilantro.

marisuewrites 3 years ago

I am a believer! I cook with crockpots all the time, it has saved my "bacon" many times as a parent of many and not enough time in the day. Even tho' our family has shrunk to just us, we still use the crockpot in smaller size. When the boys got out on their own, I bought one for each of them. Only one son uses it - but it's his main way of cooking.

Thanks for the recipes here - celebrate the slow cooker!!

stephhicks68 3 years ago

Yes! I am a believer too! Marisue, you are a great mom making sure that your kids have slow cookers/crock pots in which to cook! I got my crock pot out today and we are just about ready to have dinner! :) Steph

RGraf 3 years ago

Thanks for the reminder of my crock-pot. I love to use it and it is so easy.

stephhicks68 3 years ago

Thanks RGraf - crock pots are so easy to use and the ultimate in economic savings for fast... I mean ... slow food! :) Steph

betherickson 3 years ago

I agree with your crockpot idea! I tried one and is very effective. Thank you for this great recipe! Looking forward for more of your ideas! Thanks

stephhicks68 3 years ago

Hi betherickson - we cooked the beef stew recipe in our crockpot yesterday! The kids ate everything - there was not any leftovers. I appreciate your comments and glad to hear that you are using your crockpot too.

trish1048 3 years ago

Hi Steph! These recipes sound wonderful. I'll have to pull out my crockpot from the cupboard where it's been sitting unused for over a year! Shame on me lol,,,

thanks for sharing!

stephhicks68 3 years ago

Hi Patty - good to "see" you - yes, I will sheepishly admit that writing this hub spurred me onto take out the crockpot and whip up a few easy recipies recently. I hope you enjoy your cooking. :)

Steph

Latrelle Ross 3 years ago

What a great collection of frugal recipes, tips and tricks. Crockpot cooking saves a lot of time and money. Thanks for sharing :)

stephhicks68 3 years ago

Hi Latrelle, thank you so much for commenting. Crockpot cooking is a great way to save money and make delicious meals. I hope you enjoy the recipes. Best, Steph

Triplet Mom 3 years ago

I am a crockpot queen and these sound absolutely wonderful!! Thanks for these recipes. One of my favorite crockpot recipes is quick and simple. Mix 1 cup Brown Sugar, 1/2 cup ketchup and 1/4 cup horseradish sauce and pour over any meat. My kids love it with sliced up polska kielbasa and over rice. Keep em coming!!

Ebiz Tax Tips 3 years ago

I love my crockpot, and am always looking for new recipes. I hope you post your meatball recipe soon... that sounds good!

stephhicks68 3 years ago

Hi Triplet Mom - your life sounds busier than mine! But glad to hear that you are a crockpot queen! I love the sound of your recipe, which I will try this weekend.

Hi Ebiz Tax Tips - you are right. I need to dust off my recipe book and get my rear end back here to Hub Pages! :)

foodstorage 3 years ago

I use my crockpot a lot for main dishes. I've yet to venture much into desserts or side dishes. That apple pie just might tempt me to do so :)

stephhicks68 3 years ago

Hi foodstorage - I use the crockpot about once a week in the winter time. With the long holiday weekend ahead, I think I may try the apple pie too! Have a great one, Steph

earnestshub 3 years ago

hi STEPH. love the Crockpot.

I mentioned crockpots to an Australian Aboriginal friend of mine, and he said "Just what I need, something big enough to cook a crock in!

The crocks or crocodiles up here won't fit in an ordinary pot ". He loves crocodile meat, so unperterbed by the small size, he will catch smaller crocks!

stephhicks68 3 years ago

Hi Earnesthub - I am totally LOL at that comment from your Australian friend. Of course, cook Crocks in Crockpots! It makes perfect sense. I've never had crocodile meat, but I'm sure it would be excellent simmered for hours... :)

Steph

Chef Jeff 3 years ago

Great hub with some great ideas!

Cheers!

Chef Jeff T.

stephhicks68 3 years ago

Chef Jeff uses a crockpot? I love it! Thanks for the compliment!

Cheers, Steph

Chef Jeff 3 years ago

Yes, and also a pressure cooker! I cook my garbanzos & lamb that way! Makes for great soup as well as a meal!

Cheers!

Chef Jeff T.

Lgali 3 years ago

nice ideas check out I have one simple receipe too

Jana Dee 3 years ago

I am only scared that if I keep reading, I will keep eating! Not so good for me, but great job from you! Thumbs up :>)

stephhicks68 3 years ago

Ha, ha, ha! Jana Dee - its the season for comfort food in a crockpot. Summer is a long ways off. :)

Isabella Snow 3 years ago

I really wish they sold crockpots over here. Great recipes and the pics have made me very hungry!

stephhicks68 3 years ago

Thanks Isabella! Perhaps you could get a crockpot shipped to you? :)

hibiscus_mel 3 years ago

We bought a crockpot last month but never used it. I wanna try this with our new crockpot. Thanks for sharing a nice hub.;-)

RGraf 3 years ago

I love my crock pot and want to start using it more since we are on the go so much. Thanks for some delicious recipes to try.

stephhicks68 3 years ago

Hi RGraf, I put a pot roast into my crockpot this morning. Added some yummy vegetables. The house will smell great all day long! Cheers, Steph

Specificity 3 years ago

Sweet! I forget about my crockpot and use it too seldom. It can be such a timesaver!

stephhicks68 3 years ago

Right on! And did you hear that Crockpots are all time best sellers right now? Enjoy your homecooked meais.

blondepoet 3 years ago

Omg my tastebuds are going a hundred miles an hour.Haha seriously I am now on my way to the fridge as these mouth watering recipes have made me seriously hungry. There will be nothing in the fridge that comes close to these,sigh, I think I will have to settle for a bowl of cereal.I look forward to trying these out.

highway star 3 years ago

Great Hub!

Free-Tax-Filing 3 years ago

steph, I hate you. I am soo hungry after reading this hub. :)

stephhicks68 3 years ago

LOL - well, I'm glad to know that the recipes are making your mouth water. :)

Becca's Blog 3 years ago

Love these recipe. I use a dutch oven on the stove a medium low for a lot of these.... works.. still great recipes.

Mick Reade 2 years ago

I love the idea of the cheap meals, and I'm drooling over my keyboard reading this ;)

stephhicks68 2 years ago

So easy to make! Assemble your ingredients, drop into a crockpot and then drool all day while dinner cooks. :)

Granny's House 2 years ago

I too love my crockpot. Thank you for the recipes. I have one on my page for venison stew if you would like it. It is yummy. Look forward to more recipes.

akirchner 23 months ago

Hey neighbor - just saw these flashing through on the contest page and had to say yum! I use my crockpot all year long and love new recipes.

stephhicks68 23 months ago

Howdy right back neighbor! ;-) Crockpots are such an easy way to make a delicious dinner with little effort. We love ours too. During summer months, you can make really yummy berry cobbler with pickings from the season!

creativesavings 21 months ago

Cockpots are SO easy to use! Especially great for homecooked dinners on cold nights. I like to just put a roast in on top of some cut up potatoes and carrots. A little bit of water and garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper. Yum!

stephhicks68 21 months ago

We're getting toward crockpot season! Bring on fall, fall vegetables, and hearty meats and stews!

Rev. Akins 20 months ago

Yea! I am always looking for new crock pot recipes! Thanks! We use ours about once a week, it is great for days when prep time for dinner is very small. Thanks a lot, we will try the stew hopefully soon!

stephhicks68 20 months ago

Enjoy! I'm probably going to make some crock pot chili this weekend. We've had a bit of a cool spell and it gets me thinking about hearty dishes. Let me know how you like the stew. :)

amymarie_5 9 months ago

yum, now I'm hungry! Great recipes, they ALL sound good!

Peggy W 6 months ago

Crockpot cooking makes the house smell so good once it gets going. Your recipes sound great. A reminder to haul out ours and use it more often! Thanks!

stephhicks68 6 months ago

Hi Peggy,

I always look forward to the arrival of fall when I can use the slow cooker to make delicious meals during the day (somehow summer is just not the right time for hearty meals). Thanks for the comment, and I hope you enjoy pulling out the Crock Pot again! Best, Steph

stessily 3 months ago

Steph, I appreciate that you include vegetarian variations of meat recipes.

My crockpot sometimes seems like an extension of myself because I use it every week!

Thank you for sharing.

Kind regards, Stessily

alphagirl 33 hours ago

How does one not lose the flavor in the crock pot? I find the texture of chicken gets too stringy after cooking all day from 7am-5 and my teenage girls find it unedible. I have made stews and that is ok, chilis and soups, but anything after that looks like mush.

My kids will not eat thebove in the summer.

I wish we had a Safeway near by for tiamisu. I have made that and it is yummy. But i work all day and we are busy with sports all weekend. Grilling is faster in a pinch. You offer great tips for many!! Thanks.

moonlake 33 hours ago

They all sound like good recipes. I use my crock pot a lot. I hate the new setup without hubber pictures showing in comments it hard to find out if I have all ready commented on a hub. Hope I didn't. Voted.

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