5 Family Friendly Crockpot Recipes to Make During a Busy Week
How many times do we come home tired from a long day of work to have to make a meal for our families? Yes, fast food or takeout are options but that can add up quickly and is not always the healthiest. Here are 5 easy recipes to make in the crockpot. It is the best feeling in the world to come home to a house that smells of an already cooked meal.
Tacos
Taco Tuesday just got easier with this recipe. This is a favorite in our house. This recipe does require some prep before putting everything in the crockpot.
Ingredients:
One lb of Ground Beef or Ground Turkey
One 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
One small yellow onion (diced)
Two tablespoons of Taco Seasoning (My favorite is Trader Joe’s Taco Season Packages)
One Tablespoon of Vegetable oil
Salt
Pepper
Add the vegetable oil to a large pan and brown the meat. Drain the excess fat/oil. Add the onion and diced tomatoes to the crockpot. Mix it up. Add the taco seasoning to the crockpot next and mix everything. Lastly, add the browned meat and mix everything up one last time. Set crockpot on low for 5 hours or high for 3 hours.
Chop up some tomatoes, avocado, and onions. Set aside hard-shell tacos or soft-shell tacos, shredded cheese, sour cream and make a taco bar. Enjoy!
Teriyaki Chicken
This recipe goes well with or without a side of rice to make a Teriyaki bowl.
Ingredients:
Three large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
One bag of Asian mixed vegetables Frozen
One bottle of Teriyaki Sauce (I recommend the No Soy added Teriyaki Sauce from Primal Kitchen)
Place the mixed vegetables on the bottom of the crockpot followed by the chicken breasts. Pour the Teriyaki Sauce over the chicken. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours. Shred the meat at the end of the cook time and mix everything up prior to serving.
Chicken Cordon Bleu
This recipe is easy and tastes like you spent a lot of time in the chicken making this gourmet meal. Don’t worry we won’t tell them that it was all made in the crockpot.
Ingredients:
Four Boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts
½ lb thinly sliced ham
½ lb of sliced Baby Swiss Cheese
10 3/4 – oz can of Cream of Chicken Soup
6-oz package of stuffing mix ( I prefer either the Italian seasoning one or the Chicken flavored)
Layer the first 4 ingredients in the slow cooker in the order listed. Prepare the stuffing mix as directed on the package and spoon over the ingredients in the slow cooker. This prep work may take about 10-15 minutes. Cover and then cook on low for 8 hours.
Chili
There have been a couple of cold nights lately. This crockpot recipe is perfect for some delicious chili.
Ingredients:
One lb of ground beef
One large yellow onion (diced)
Two 15-oz cans of chili beans
15 oz can of Mexican style corn (drained)
¾ cup of water
½ teaspoon of garlic powder
One package of Taco Seasoning (for this recipe, I recommend McCormick Taco Seasoning)
Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet. Don’t drain. Combine the remaining ingredients and beef mixture in the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Turkey Breast with Gravy
This recipe feels like Thanksgiving without the heavy work.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 onion (diced)
1 Carrot (peeled and chopped)
1 celery rib (diced)
6 garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)
1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
2 cups of low sodium chicken broth
1 cup of water
½ cup of dry white wine
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 (6 to 7 lb) whole turkey breast
Salt
Pepper
Melt butter in a medium-sized skillet. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and cook until onion is softened about 8-10 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in one cup of broth, scraping up the browned bits, and smooth the mixture. Transfer to the crockpot. Stir in the remaining broth, water, wine, thyme, and bay leaves into the crockpot. Season turkey with salt and pepper. Place in the crockpot. Cover and cook for 5-7 hours on low. Transfer turkey to cutting board and tent with aluminum foil. Let rest for 20 minutes. Remove the top fat layer from the remaining liquid in the crockpot. Transfer just the liquid from the crockpot and simmer in a saucepan for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Carve turkey and serve with Gravy.
