What's your favourite slow cooker meal?

[lucysmam]

I seem to be using mine less this year but I've just started a new position at work & would like to make my life a little bit easier.

Ta :)

Beef and ale stew.
Pulled pork.
Chicken casserole.
Bolognese.
Lamb curry.

None - mine all taste like the same sludge! Lurking for inspiration!

We like beef things the best, beef in red wine, goulash and a beef thing with garlic, paprika, mushrooms, cream etc.
Chicken is always over done in it and not much success with vegetarian options (although I probably cook them for too long)

Lately I've chopped up peppers, onions, carrots etc and place about 4 to 6 pork chops on top with either a fajita seasoning pouch or bbq sauce 5 hours

Also love roast beef - carrots onions etc
4 hours

Soup

Have you an airfryer ? You can cook a small chicken in 55 mins which is handy mid week

Tandoori Chicken which I serve with salad and rice.
Beef Stroganoff
Beef & Ale Casserole
Beef Biryani (just chuck everything in and serve with naan bread).
Black Bean Chilli
Curry

The only things that we like the slow cooker for is things that are saucy like:
Beef and ale stew
Campfire stew (it’s almost like a gammon and bean chilli- I add extra heat as we like it spicy)
Chicken casserole
Sausage casserole
Mustard chicken thighs

Moroccan chicken its delicious and a firm favourite in our household.

Beuf stroganoff can also be made beautifully in slowcooker
Spag bol (the bol part)

Gammon cooked in coke or apple juice

Look up slowcooker cook books too it does not have to look and taste of sludge

Beef massamsn curry! Absolutely delicious!!

Stew with dumplings
Soups
Bolognese
Korma
Chilli
Sausage casserole

I think the important thing with a slow cooker on the most part is that you still need to sauté veg before putting them in the slow cooker, or it all tastes pretty samey. The couple of things that you can just throw in are a whole chicken on a raw veg trivet (with a good glug of white wine or stock), or a gammon in coke or cider.

This Nigella recipe is my favourite pasta dish (the mint and feta do make it extra special)
www.nigella.com/recipes/slow-cooker-lamb-and-pasta

And this is a really nice easy ribs dish www.manilaspoon.com/2012/06/slow-cooker-asian-bar-b-q-ribs.html

Finally, this beef cheek recipe is melt in the mouth
www.recipetineats.com/slow-cooker-red-wine-beef-cheeks/

Oh, there’s also an INCREDIBLE sausage and onion casserole recipe on a site that may have a name slightly similar to this site, but is a bit yummy mummy dahling (please don’t cull me mumsnet admin! I only wandered to the dark side for that one recipe after a friend recommended it I have been here a long time, and only strayed the once, promise).

I made a banging beef bourginon last week in the slow cooker.
I enjoyed it even more as I’d used a liner so no scrubbing!

Brilliant, thank you all! There are definitely some new ideas here to try so hopefully it'll get some more use & I won't have to think too much about tea some evenings!

@Skyeheather would you mind sharing your tandoori chicken recipe, please?

@pegasussnail no, I don't have an airfryer...yet. My friend raves about hers so I have considered looking at them.

@2022sucksalready I have time for prep in a morning once the girls leave for school - I leave just under an hour after them, to get to work. I'll have a lurk on the other site & find the casserole recipe :)

I do chilli in the slow cooker and it’s delicious…

Half packet chopped frozen onions
Half pack chopped frozen peppers (obv can use fresh but I’m lazy!)
Large pack of beef mince
Whole jar of red jalapeños - juice and all! (Then fill jar with water and sling that in too)
Sprinkle of thyme
Sprinkle of chilli powder
Sprinkle of garlic powder
3/4 bovril/oxo cubes
Splash or Worcester sauce

All in slow cooker o low for 8 or high for 4 hours

Give it a stir, Chuck in a couple of cans of kidney beans and add a few gravy granules if it needs thickening up

Also nice for pulled pork

Put a Pork tenderloin (I cut visible fat off and remove the white stretchy bit, don’t know what it’s called!) and some chopped onions (frozen is fine) in slow cooker

In a jar mix enough Passata to cover with a few tbsp of balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp Worcester sauce, sprinkle of mustard powder, tbsp each of smoked paprika and cayenne, salt and pepper.

Check and adjust seasoning to taste, you might need a bit of sugar.

Pour over pork and cook on high for 4 hours.

Remove pork and shred, add back in and serve. sauce can be thickened on the hob if needed depending on what you’re doing with the pork…

@Chelsea26

I do chilli in the slow cooker and it’s delicious…

Half packet chopped frozen onions
Half pack chopped frozen peppers (obv can use fresh but I’m lazy!)
Large pack of beef mince
Whole jar of red jalapeños - juice and all! (Then fill jar with water and sling that in too)
Sprinkle of thyme
Sprinkle of chilli powder
Sprinkle of garlic powder
3/4 bovril/oxo cubes
Splash or Worcester sauce

All in slow cooker o low for 8 or high for 4 hours

Give it a stir, Chuck in a couple of cans of kidney beans and add a few gravy granules if it needs thickening up

Also nice for pulled pork

Put a Pork tenderloin (I cut visible fat off and remove the white stretchy bit, don’t know what it’s called!) and some chopped onions (frozen is fine) in slow cooker

In a jar mix enough Passata to cover with a few tbsp of balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp Worcester sauce, sprinkle of mustard powder, tbsp each of smoked paprika and cayenne, salt and pepper.

Check and adjust seasoning to taste, you might need a bit of sugar.

Pour over pork and cook on high for 4 hours.

Remove pork and shred, add back in and serve. sauce can be thickened on the hob if needed depending on what you’re doing with the pork…

Chilli sounds amazing…. Is it hot? With the jalepenios?

I do usual stuff like curries and stews. Never much else but might try few of these 😁

Meant to say
Gammon is lovely in the slow cooker lucysmam and very useful to have for say a dinner with spuds / sandwiches and any bits left over for pasta sauce or quiche

I do a hidden veg tomato sauce. Onion, garlic, Italian herbs, bay leaf, passatta, what ever Mediterranean type veg is in the fridge along with a carrot. Leave it all day, remove Bay leaf and blitz. I freeze to use for bolognese, chilli, etc.
Particularly good with beef meatballs. Put in raw, cover with sauce and leave. They are so soft and tender! While the pasta is cooking I mop up any fat with kitchen towel.

I do roast beef and gammon too. Sometimes a simple boeuf bourguignon which comes out well. I think sausage stews are good if sausages cooked on hob a bit first. Try just frying the sausages for a couple of minutes and then chuck in a tin of tomatoes and a tin of ratatouille (pinched this idea from a friend!). Veggie bolognese with lentils. Anything with lentils or pearl barley works quite well.

Chicken and butternut squash stew. Think it’s bbc good food

@sheeplikessleep

Chicken and butternut squash stew. Think it’s bbc good food

www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/slow_cooker_chicken_and_36746

Brisket. Bung it in. Pour bottle of beer over it. Leave it for 12-24 hours. Add juices to a gravy made on the hob and serve brisket as a roast or pulled in rolls

Hi @lucysmam hope works going well

We use our slow cooker loads. Tend to do the same things all the time though 🤣

Whole chicken is great, just literally pop it in. Easy for a roast with frozen potatoes and ready chopped veg. Gammon aswell. I tip a tin of pineapple chunks in juice and a glass of apple juice over it makes it nice and sweet. Do not eat the pineapple though as it absorbs the salt!

Pulled pork is a good one. Just a pork shoulder and a bottle of BBQ marinade or sauce. We get a ready glazed one from our butcher's. Serve with buns we like brioche buns and corn on the cob. Again really easy dinner.

Chilli always a winner especially a rustic style one with beef pieces instead of mince.

I also do a pork casserole I can't remember the name but it uses one of those Schwartz packets, maybe Somerset pork? I add carrots and butterbeans and then just serve with (frozen) mash

Ribs are another good one, good quality ribs, bottle of sauce similar to pulled pork. Serve witb jackets we use the frozen ones and coleslaw

My favourites are BBQ pulled pork, apple juice or coke gammon and sausage and bean casserole.

I thought of some more...

Chicken fajitas. Pop some chicken breasts in slow cooker. Slice some peppers and onions and add on top. Sprinkle over a pack of fajita powder mix (I don't use the whole pack as then it's too strong) and a jar of mild salsa. Stir then leave. This doesn't need all day though I tend to put it on around midday so dont know if that would work.

Soup is good. I do a nice butternut squash and lentil one. I use a recipe on YouTube if you search "Witt family slow cooker"it should come up. That's not me BTW 🤣 also on the same channel there's a really easy slow cooker chicken curry recipe we make quite a bit.

Placemarking for ideas

Our favourite is gammon in Coke. Literally a joint of gammon and 2 cans full fat Coke. Cook for 6 hours or longer on low. Sometimes if I'm feeling fancy I'll put a chopped onion in then blend to use in gravy once the gammon is being carved.

Need to think of more, I just got an instant pot and would like to use it (dd1 lives in her own flat now and has laid claim to the old slow cooker). Noting these ideas down. Are there any good slow cooker websites?