Hey! So I am breaking away from the usual and sharing some recipes today! Yep, that’s right, recipes! I asked my instagram friends on my story yesterday to send me over some of their favorite slow cooker recipes. You see, Josh and I have realized it’s immensely easier to eat dinner once the babies go down for the night, but let’s be honest, starting to cook dinner around 6:45/7 is hard! I’m tired and the last thing I want to do is make a big mess that we will have to clean up. (This is the slow cooker we use and we love it!)

So I reached out and so many of you sent me your go-to slow cooker recipes. Yay! Sidenote – I had no idea CROCKPOT LINERS existed until yesterday. You guys are rocking my world.

Will this formatting be pretty? No. Momma has limited time and want to get these all out there before I forget and because hundreds of you asked that I share what I got .. so follow along and I hope you are inspired to make your own crockpot recipes too! (And so many of you sent along awesome easy oven recipes or quick stove top recipes … love those too! Thank you!!!)

If you have any others, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE share below in the comments so we have an easy spot to come to when we need inspiration! Thanks all!

Crockpot Meatballs from Happily Eva’ After

• 1 lb ground Beef
• 1 Egg
• 3/4 cup Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs
• 1 small Onion, diced
• 1 Carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 15 oz can Tomato Sauce
• 1  15 oz can diced Tomatoes
• 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (I use Pecorino Romano– a sheep version), plus more for serving
• 1 Teaspoon ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 Tablespoon dried Oregano flakes
• 4-8 cloves garlic, peeled
• parsley, chopped (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, diced carrot, diced onion, parmesan cheese, and the salt and pepper.  Mix with hands until well combined.  Now start forming in to golf ball-sized meatballs.  As you form the meatballs, it may look like they’re “veggie heavy”.  Don’t worry! This is ok! They will cook down and work to make the meatballs so moist.  As you make each meatball, place them in the bottom of the slow cooker cavity.  You will probably have to add a second layer, depending on the size of your slow cooker.  This is fine, just make sure you’re placing the meatballs gently! Now dump both cans of tomatoes/sauce on top of the meatballs, sprinkle the oregano over the top, and scatter the garlic cloves over that.  Close the lid of the slow cooker, and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Mid way through cooking, open the cooker and with a wooden spoon slowly and gently stir the sauce and meatballs up to combine well.  When the meatballs are done, remove them in to a bowl with a slotted spoon.  Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.  Spoon the sauce over your pasta, and top with meatballs.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and parsley and devour immediately!

Shredded chicken tacos
I buy about 7 pounds of chicken every couple weeks from Costco. I buy Matteo’s salsa from there (we love it bc it’s not chunky)

1-2 lbs in the crock pot with about 1-2 cups of salsa low for about 6 hours and you are ready for tacos. Sometimes I add a little bbq sauce (adds a little sweet and savory).

I also will do bbq shredded chicken. Same amounts as the taco chicken just bbq sauce. I use organic everything so I buy organic sauce that doesn’t use high fructose corn syrup (I feel it tastes better without it). I also don’t buy spicy bbq so the kids can eat it

We do bbq chicken sandwiches with potatoes. Also great leftovers for the kids alone or in a quesadilla. Or you could do bbq chicken flatbread. ( there’s a flatbread you can buy at the store then just add more bbq and red onions.

Crock Pot Sausage & Cheese Tortellini

• 1 lb. Italian Sausage (We use HOT for the spice, but sub in the meat you’d like best!)
• 20 oz. Frozen Three-Cheese Tortellini (The Buitoni kind is in the specialty refrigerated case in the deli area of the grocery store. I pop them right in the freezer when I get home.)
• 32 oz. Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 2 Cans Diced Tomatoes – The kind that are seasoned with basil, garlic & oregano. If you don’t have the seasoned ones, you’ll need to add in your own seasonings.
• 8 oz. Cream Cheese or Neufchâtel Cheese – We use the low fat kind when using cream cheese.
• Grated Parmesan Cheese (not pictured) for topping!

1. Take your cream cheese or Neufchâtel out of the fridge, and let it sit while you quickly brown your meat.

2. Add the sausage and tortellini to your Crock Pot. Pour the tomatoes, liquid and all, and broth over the top. Add your cream cheese to the Pot in chunks.

3. Give your Crock Pot a good stir to get everything evenly distributed, making sure the liquids are adequately covering the tortellini.

4. Cook on LOW for a total of 3 1/2 – 4 hours. Stir at 1 1/2 hours, and again at 3 hours, removing the lid for the last 30 minutes of cooking. This will give the sauce some time to thicken up. You can leave the lid off longer if you need more thickening time, but stir every so often.

Crockpot Ranch Chicken – This is so so delicious! It’s so tender I just shred it with a fork and serve it over rice! .

Ingredients

• Chicken tenders or breasts (I used 1.76 LB chicken tenders)
• 1 Ranch Seasoning Dry Mix Packet
• 1 can Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom Soup (plus 1 can of water or milk)

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in crockpot and mix well.
2. Cook on low 4-6 hours.

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1/2-3/4 cup basil pesto
4 chicken breasts (thawed)
1.5 cups zucchini (cut into 1/2 inch slices)
1 cup yellow squash (cut into 1/2 inch slices)
1 cup grape tomatoes (halved)
1 cup red onion (about 1 small, cut into 1 inch slices)
1 green pepper (cut into 1 inch slices)
1 yellow peppers (cut into 1 inch slices)
8 ounces white mushrooms (quartered)
1 lb whole wheat rotini

1. Lightly grease crock pot with olive oil for easier clean-up, if desired. Thickly slice vegetables so they cook slowly.
2. Lay chicken breast in bottom of crock pot and top with 1 tablespoon of basil pesto each.
3. Top chicken with onions.
4. Layer vegetables on top of onions.
5. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.*
6. Check to make sure chicken in done. (There should be no visible pink, internal temperature should be 165°
Fahrenheit/75° Celsius.) Turn crock pot to “warm” setting.
7. Cook noodles according to package directions (in pan on stove top) and drain.
8. Turn off crock pot and remove chicken, slice into 1/2 inch slices.
9. Drain extra liquid in crock pot off of the vegetables and discard.
10. Toss vegetables, pasta, and remaining pesto(4 tbsp-1/2 cup) together. (I combine everything in the crock pot that is
turned off.)
11. Serve chicken on a bed of noodles and vegetables. (Serve with extra pesto and grated Parmesan cheese if desired.)

Easy potato crock pot soup
1 30oz. bag of frozen, shredded hash browns {I used Ore Ida}3 14oz. cans of chicken broth1 can of cream of chicken soup1/2 cup onion, chopped1/4 tsp. ground pepper1 pkg. cream cheese {don’t use fat free.  It WON’T melt!!!}In a crockpot, combine everything EXCEPT for the cream cheese.  Cook for 6-8 hours on low heat.  About 1 hour before serving, add cream cheese and keep heated until thoroughly melted.  Serve with cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, green onions, or whatever else you think would be good!!

Crockpot cheesy chicken chili:

2 chicken breasts, pkg ranch mix, 2 cans rotel, 1 can corn, can black beans rinsed & drained, 1 tsp of each-cumin,onion powder, chili powder, 1 Cup 8oz cream cheese & half block velveeta. Cook 6-8 on low. Sometimes I add more milk to make it “soupier”.  Also….obviously this isn’t any form of healthy haha but omg it’s so dang good!

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Salsa Chicken
Put some chicken breasts in the crockpot. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper, chili powder, and cumin over the chicken. Pour a jar or two of your favorite salsa over it. Add black beans and/or corn (both drained), if you want. Cook for 3-4 hours on high if you want less shredded-y chicken, longer if you want to be able to shred it easily. Serve over rice with more salsa on top!

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Pineapple Pork
You can do this with pork tenderloins or pork shoulder. I use tenderloins.
2 pork tenderloins
Rub pork with S & P to taste, 2 tablespoons smoked (or regular) chili powder, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and 1.5 tablespoons of garlic powder. I add about 1 tablespoon of dried minced onion on top, but you can also use 1/2 tablespoon of onion powder. Put the pork in the crockpot and pour 4 tablespoons of Apple cider vinegar over it. Dump in a 8 oz can of pineapple chunks in 100% juice, draining about 1/2 of the liquid before putting in crockpot. Cook for 8 hours on low. Shred. I serve it over baked sweet potatoes, but it’s great by itself too!

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Crockpot Quinoa Mexican Casserole from the Davis Duo 

Ingredients:

-1 tbsp olive oil

-1 lb ground turkey

-1 medium yellow onion, diced

-1 cup uncooked quinoa

-2 10oz cans Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce (medium or mild)

-1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

-1 15oz can diced fire-roasted diced tomatoes in their juices

-1 cup corn, fresh or frozen

-1 red bell pepper, diced

-1 green bell pepper, diced

-2 tbsp chili powder

-1 tbsp ground cumin

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese

-For serving: fresh cilantro, diced avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet then add the turkey and onion. Cook and stir until turkey is no longer pink then transfer to the bottom of crockpot.

2. To the crockpot, add the quinoa, enchilada sauce, black beans, tomatoes, corn, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and 1/2 cup water. Stir to combine then cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.

3. Remove lid and stir. Stir in 1/2 cup shredded cheese then sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

4. Cover and cook another 15 minutes, until cheese melts.

5. Serve hot with any desired topping! I chose avocado, a little more cheese, and some tortilla chips for scooping. Delicious and so easy!

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Nana’s 3 Ingredient Crockpot Meatballs

Ingredients:

-2 lbs lean ground beef

-1 can cream of chicken soup

-1 packet Lipton onion recipe soup and dip mix

 

Directions:

-Form the meat into meat balls. I make mine about the size of golf balls.

-Brown meatballs on each side in olive oil

-Put meatballs in crockpot and add cream of chicken soup, 1 packet of onion dip mix and 1 can of water

-Cook on low about 5-6 hours

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SLOW COOKER INDIAN BUTTER CHICKEN

Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken made with spices you already have in your cabinet with all the creamy deep flavors you’d expect from a restaurant.

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1 inch cubes)

SAUCE

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. In a large ziploc bag the night before cooking add the yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, salt and chicken (leave the chicken breasts whole here).
2. Zip the bag closed and work the mixture into the chicken until all incorporated. Refrigerate overnight.
3. Scrape off a majority of the marinade that is on the chicken and discard it. You’ll have plenty of the second sauce to keep the food moist and provide enough sauce.
4. Cut the chicken into two inch chunks.
5. When you’re ready to cook the chicken, add the butter, garlic and jalapeno into the bottom of the slow cooker.
6. In a small bowl add the 2 teaspoons cumin, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, tomato sauce and heavy cream and stir to combine.
7. Pour the sauce over the chicken, cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
   Stir the cornstarch into the one tablespoon of water and add to the slow cooker and stir (stir and pour quickly since you’re using more cornstarch than water it will settle quickly).
   Cook an additional 20 minutes on high.
   Top with cilantro before serving.

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Chicken Burritos (I add lettuce, tomato and ranchera sauce on top of my burrito with sour cream cheese). I make my Grandma’s Spanish rice to go with it, let me know if you’d like the recipe (quick 30 min thing to go with the burritos or make a true bowl)

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts $2.60*
16 oz. jar salsa $2.15
2 cloves garlic, minced $0.16
15 oz. can black beans $0.69
1/2 lb. frozen corn $0.73
1 Tbsp chili powder $0.30
1/2 Tbsp cumin $0.15
1/2 tsp dried oregano $0.05
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper $0.03
Freshly cracked pepper $0.03
6 cups cooked rice $0.60
8 oz. shredded cheddar $2.59
3 green onions, sliced (or fresh cilantro) $0.23

1. Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of a 5 quart or larger slow cooker. Drain the black beans and add them to the
slow cooker along with the salsa and corn. Add 1/4 cup water, plus the minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano,
cayenne, some freshly cracked pepper (about 10-15 cranks of a pepper mill).
2. Give the ingredients a brief stir to distribute the spices. Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8
hours or high for 4 hours.
3. After 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high, carefully remove the lid of the slow cooker. Stir with a fork to shred the
chicken (it should be very tender and will shred easily). Taste the chicken mixture and add salt if needed.
4. To build the bowls, place one cup of rice in the bottom of a bowl and top

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BBQ chicken for sliders (I add corn on the cob and salad for the sides)

 

2 lbs boneless, skinless  chicken breasts
1 cup  BBQ sauce
1/4 cup Zesty Italian dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
salt to taste

Directions

1. Season chicken breast lightly (a small pinch per breast)  with some sea salt and place in your crockpot.

2. In a mixing bowl combine BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until well combined.

3. Pour over chicken, cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours

4. Once time is up, you can serve the breast whole, or shred with 2 forks. If shredding, recover and let cook in sauce for about 10-15 more minutes to soak up all that delish flavor.

Serve on buns, over rice, in wraps, on a salad or eat a plateful as is!  Our favorite way is on fresh rolls, topped with coleslaw.

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Garlic mashed potatoes (to die for)

2 pounds red potatoes, washed and chopped into 2-inch pieces (you
don’t need to peel them)
4 tablespoons butter
½ cup sour cream (or plain greek yogurt)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried parsley
flakes)
½ teaspoon dried or fresh basil
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
¼ cup milk
Instructions
1. Add chopped potatoes to a greased slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low or 5-6 hours on low.
2. When potatoes are cooked and fork-tender, add all remaining ingredients (let the butter melt for a couple of minutes). Use a hand mixer or a masher to mash the potatoes. (*see note) Serve warm.

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Chicken tortilla soup (I add chips into my soup versus making my own)

• 3 whole Chicken Breasts
• 2 teaspoons Chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Chopped
• 1 whole Seeded Yellow Bell Pepper, Chopped
• 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Or Diced Tomatoes, With Juice
• 1 can Rotel
• 3 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth (more If You Like The Soup More Liquidy)
• 4 ounces, weight Tomato Paste
• 1 whole Chipotle Pepper In Adobo (may Add 2 To 3 If You’d Like)
• 1 can Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed
• 1 Lime, Juiced
• Fixins: Sour Cream, Avocado, Cilantro Leaves, Grated Cheese

Place the chicken in the slow cooker. Sprinkle on the chili powder, cumin, and salt and pepper. Add the onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato paste, chipotle, and black beans. Stir, place the lid on the slow cooker, and cook on high for 5 hours or high (or 8 hours on low.) Stir in the lime juice.

Using 2 forks, break up the chicken into chunks (or you may shred it more fine.) Taste and add more salt if the soup needs it.

Serve it piping hot in a bowl with avocado, sour cream, grated cheese, and cilantro leaves on top!

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Zuppa Toscana (I add bacon bits to save time)

• 1 lb. ground pork sausage
• ¾ c. onion, diced
• 6 slices bacon, diced
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 c. kale, thinly sliced
• ¾ c. whipping cream

1. Cook your sausage in a large skillet and brown over medium heat
2. Drain and set aside
3. Place your onion and bacon to the skillet and saute over medium heat until the onions are translucent.
4. Place sausage, onions, bacon and garlic in your crock pot along with broth and potatoes.
5. Cook on low for 4-6 hours
6. Add your kale and whipping cream to your crock pot and stir before serving

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And there you have it … If I missed one you sent, I am SO sorry! I tried to screenshot and keep track of everything but gulp, you know, life. Share below!

Happy cooking!

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