I’m so excited about the return of fall! I love the cooler days, the beautiful colours, and of course, the return of comfort food! I do use my slow cooker year round (in the summer it is a great way of cooking without heating up the house) but I love it most in the fall and winter when it is simmering soups & stews and making my house smell so delicious.
As a busy mom and homeschooler, the slow cooker is really a life saver! I can prep supper when I have a free moment in the morning, or even the night before — and supper is ready whenever we are. It is ready even if we have been out all day!
These are my top 5 favourite slow cooker recipes; at least one of them is sure to be on the menu at our house weekly:
Apricot Chicken
This recipe is actually my husband’s favourite dinner. Lucky for me, it is the easiest thing! Place 2-4 (depending on how many servings you want) cut up chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker. Throw on one diced red or orange pepper. Cover with a mixture of 1/2 jar apricot jelly mixed with 1tsp garlic powder, 1tsp onion powder, 1 Tbsp Ginger (or more!) and a squirt of soy sauce. That’s it. Less than 5 min of prep for this one! Cook on low for 4-6 hours. You can thicken up the sauce before serving with cornstarch if you want, but I never do. Serve over rice.
Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas
This one is actually even less prep. before putting it in the slow cooker than the previous recipe. A bit more effort required before serving though. Place 2-4 (depending on how many servings you want) chicken breasts in bottom of your slow cooker. Squirt some lemon or lime juice (1/4 cup at most) on top. Sprinkle with 1-2 Tbsp chilli powder and 1 Tbsp cumin. Cook on low for 6 hours. You can add chopped onions and peppers to it too — when I do I wait until a few hours before serving because I hate mushy peppers. Serve with all your favourite fixings (shredded cheese, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, etc).
Black Bean and Chicken Soup
I absolutely love this soup! This recipe is an adaptation this recipe from Pass the Fresh. Put 4 whole chicken breasts into your slow cooker. Add 2 cups chicken broth, 1 cup frozen corn, 2 cans rinsed & drained black beans (or equivalent of cooked, dried), 2 cups of salsa and 2-4 Tbsp taco seasoning. Cook on low for 6 hours. Remove the chicken breasts and shred. Return to pot. Stir in 1 cup of sour cream and 1 cup shredded cheddar (or save to add to the bowls when serving). Serve with corn chips.
Spaghetti Sauce
Ok, so this isn’t really a recipe. Just use your usual recipe, but cook it in the slow cooker! I use browned ground beef and onions, finely chopped veggies (peppers, zucchini, celery, etc) and canned tomato sauce. I add my own Italian seasoning mix. Easy. I make a huge batch and then freeze it in 1 litre ice cream buckets; the frozen sauce fits perfectly back into the slow cooker for an even easier supper at a later date.
Slow Cooker Lava Cake
This recipe has nothing to do with making supper easy and nutritious. But it is so very delicious! Mix 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup flour, 3 Tbsp cocoa powder, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1 1/2 tsp salt. Stir in 1/2 cup milk, 2 tsp melted butter and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Pour into slow cooker greased with butter. Mix 3/4 cup brown sugar & 1/4 cup cocoa. Sprinkle over. Pour 1 3/4 cup boiling water over top and cook on high for 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 hours. Scoop into bowls and serve with vanilla ice cream on top.
I’d love it if you’d share your favourite slow cooker recipe(s) with me!
