Six of the Best Things to Make in Your Crockpot
No time to cook?
Most of us don’t have as much time to spend in the kitchen as we would like. Between work, parenting, chores, and trying to find time for a social life, we're always on the lookout for quick ways to get a healthy, tasty dinner on the table.
A crockpot can help you to do this!
Just load it up in the morning, turn it on and by the time you get home, dinner is ready, with almost no effort from you. You can also use your crockpot for so much more than savory meals. Here are six of the best things to make in your crockpot!
Fruit Preserves
A crockpot can be used for all kinds of recipes, from dinners to desserts, or even things like this homemade pear preserves recipe you can make in the crockpot. I like to sub the brown sugar for monkfruit sweetener to help reduce the added sugars to the recipe.
You can use this same preserve technique for almost any fruit that is in season. I really like to do this with summer fruits so that we can always have a taste of summer even during the fall and winter months.
Soup
Soup is a classic crockpot dish and it’s a brilliant way to use up any vegetables that are past their best. Any vegetables that need to be used up can be chopped up and added to the crockpot with water and a stock cube. Add in some herbs and season well. You can also add chunks of meat. Almost any kind of soup can be made easily in a crockpot.
This Roasted Fall Vegetable Soup can easily be made in the crockpot. Use an immersion blender to puree it, or just puree in a blender in batches.
Chili
Chili is an excellent option for the crockpot as the slow cooking really enhances the flavors. Group meat, cans of beans, tomatoes and lots of herbs and spices all emptied into the crockpot are an easy way to make a comforting dinner that can be eaten with nachos, rice, or a baked potato.
Shredded Meat
Just about any meat can be made into a delicious shredded meat dish with your crockpot. Put a beef roast, or chicken pieces into the slow cooker and let it simmer away slowly. All you need to do is make sure that you use enough liquid to cover the meat while it cooks. When it’s cooked, the meat will be incredibly soft and tender so you will be able to shred it very easily with a pair of forks.
This Chicken and Lentil Curry is an easy and flavorful crockpot or Instant Pot recipe.
Stew
Stew is another useful way to use up any vegetables that are languishing in the vegetable drawer. Use some stewing beef, root vegetables, and button mushrooms for a tasty, winter night dinner. Add paprika for a smoky touch.
My family and I love this Heart Warming Stew on those chilly nights. It is super easy to make ahead and to can easily be made in the crockpot too.
Hot Chocolate
My list of the 6 best things to make in a crockpot would not be complete without CHOCOLATE!
Most people use their crockpot for things like soups and stews, but you can actually make hot chocolate in there too. I use a milk of choice, dark cocoa powder, monkfruit sweetener and sometimes a hint of vanilla or cinnamon to make it extra special. Allow the mixture to simmer gently, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Make sure to serve the hot chocolate in your favorite mug and with some fun toppings too. The kids love marshmallows on their hot chocolate and I love a few extra shavings of a stevia sweetened chocolate!
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