Slow Cooker Caribbean Spiced Ribs

This is a very non-intimidating way to make ribs.
Ingredients

3	lb pork loin back ribs
2	tablespoons dried minced onion
1	teaspoon ground mustard
1	teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2	teaspoon ground allspice
1/2	teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2	teaspoon garlic powder
1	medium onion, sliced
1/2	cup water
1 1/2	cups barbecue sauce

Directions

1.	Spray inside of 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
2.	Remove inner skin from ribs if desired. In small bowl, mix dried minced onion, mustard, red pepper, allspice, cinnamon and garlic powder. Rub mixture into ribs. Cut ribs into 4-inch pieces. Layer ribs and sliced onion in slow cooker. Pour water over ribs.
3.	Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 9 hours.
4.	Remove ribs from cooker; drain and discard liquid from cooker. Pour barbecue sauce into shallow bowl; dip ribs into sauce. Return ribs to cooker. Pour any remaining sauce over ribs.
5.	Cover; cook on Low heat setting 1 hour longer.

Crockpot Lasagna

I’ve made this a couple times before but it’s been a while! Today, I used ground Italian sausage instead of ground beef. This is another easy dish that is ready for the crockpot in 15 minutes or so and then you don’t worry about it until it’s done!

Crockpot Lasagna

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, finely chopped (I also added green peppers and mushrooms)
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1 large jar spaghetti sauce (such as Ragu in the 1 lb. 10 ounce jar)
1 package (8 ounces) no-boil lasagna noodles
16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1 lb. ricotta cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan/Romano cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Brown the beef, onion, and garlic in a little oil in a frying pan. Drain off any grease.

2. Add the spaghetti sauce into the browned meat mixture. Mix well.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, milk, and egg.

4. Beat until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Then mix in the mozzarella cheese and the grated cheese, so that all the cheeses are combined.

5. Grease the slow cooker/Crock Pot with some vegetable shortening on the bottom and sides.

6. Put about 1/4 of the meat and sauce mixture in the bottom of the slow cooker/Crock Pot. Put a layer of noodles on top of that (break or cut them if needed). Put about 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top of that. Then repeat with sauce, noodles, cheese for another 2 layers. Top with meat sauce. Cook on low for about 3 hours or until noodles are tender.

From: About.com

Slow Cooker Barbeque Chicken

Ingredients

• 1.5-2 lbs chicken (I used boneless chicken thighs)
• 1 cup Italian dressing
• 2 cups barbeque sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

Directions

Marinate chicken overnight in Italian dressing. Place in crockpot along with remaining ingredients. Mix and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Slow Cooker Sausage and Rice

This is a very easy and affordable meal.  Scott and Austin loved it!

Slow Cooker  Sausage and Rice

Ingredients

• 8 ounces Kielbasa sausage, cut in quarter-inch slices (I used 14 ounces)
• 1 (14 1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium green pepper, diced
• 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced (omitted)
• 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
• 1 tablespoon steak sauce (I used two)
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon sugar (I used two)
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1 cup uncooked instant rice
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley

Directions

1. Combine sausage, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, celery, bouillon, steak sauce, bay leaves, sugar and hot pepper sauce in crockpot.

2. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

3. Remove bay leaves; stir in rice and 1/2 cup of water. Cook an additional 25 minutes. ( I just served sausage mixture over rice)

4. Stir in parsley.

From: allcrockpotrecipes.com

Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken Wings

This recipe was inspired by 40 Clove Garlic Chicken, a recipe I’ve seen for a while now and recently saw made in the crockpot on Beantown Baker.  It’s very much like the original recipe- I just used minced garlic instead of whole cloves and not 40 cloves worth because I was afraid Scott wouldn’t even come in the house if I used that much!

Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken Wings

Ingredients

3 pounds chicken wings
1 large onion, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon pepper
15 tsp minced garlic

dried rosemary, dried thyme

Directions

Place onion slices on the bottom of the stoneware insert. In a large mixing bowl, toss chicken parts with olive oil, salt, paprika, pepper, and all of the garlic cloves. Pour into crockpot, on top of the onion.

Do not add water.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6.

I sprinkled a little dried rosemary and thyme on the top during cooking.

From: Beantown Baker- Adventures in a Boston Kitchen

Slow Cooker Pizza Pork Chops

I made these pork chops a long time ago, not sure how well they would go over. Pizza pork chops? And you make them in a crockpot? But I made them anyway and Scott really liked them.  Even though he tends to like the traditional smothered or fried pork chops.  Today, I finally got around to making them again.  I was in the mood to make a slow cooker meal that was easy to prepare. You spend less than ten minutes getting these in the crockpot. 

The only thing I add is more seasoning to the sauce- italian seasoning, basil, garlic, whatever I have on hand.  Also, I serve it over white rice instead of orzo.

Slow Cooker Pizza Pork Chops

Ingredients

6	pork loin chops, 1 inch thick (about 2 1/4 lb)
1/2	teaspoon salt
1/4	teaspoon pepper
1	tablespoon vegetable oil
1	medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2	cups tomato pasta sauce
4	cups cooked orzo
1	cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)

Directions

1.	Remove excess fat from pork. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook about 5 minutes, turning once, until brown.
2.	Place pork in 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle onion over pork. Add pasta sauce.
3.	Cover; cook on Low heat setting 4 to 6 hours.
4.	Place orzo on platter. Top with pork and sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.

From: Betty Crocker website.

Crockpot Jerk Chicken

I’ve had this recipe saved for a while.  I am all about easy crockpot meals.  It doesn’t take more than five minutes to prepare the sauce. I only used a pound of chicken tenders. They were done in about 6 hours on low.

I made the huge mistake of not following the directions to wear gloves while cutting the habanero pepper.  I figured I’d save a pair of gloves since I was just cutting one tiny pepper. I scrubbed my hands for a while afterwards. An hour later, I rubbed my eye– ouch! I won’t make that mistake again! Anyway, I used the entire pepper and it made this chicken pretty hot; I wished I’d just used half of it. After tasting it, I added some brown sugar to try to balance it out a bit. I’m so glad I added it! I also added salt, cinnamon and thyme but didn’t measure any of them out.  So, this recipe was sort of a trial and error but ended up good in the end!

Crockpot Jerk Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 tablespoon minced crystallized ginger
• 1/2 to 1 habanero pepper, seeded, deveined, and finely minced (wear gloves)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 tablespoons dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons red wine or balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 3 to 4 pounds chicken tenders

Preparation:

Combine onion and ginger in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients, except chicken, and pulse until well blended.

Place chicken in a 3 1/2- to 5-quart slow cooker and cover with sauce. Cover, set on low, and cook for 6 to 8 hours. or until chicken is tender (3 to 4 hours on high).

From: About.com

Slow Cooker Baked Beans

Ingredients

• 3 cans (28 ounces) vegetarian baked beans, drained
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2/3 cup barbeque sauce
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground mustard

Directions

Mix all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low setting for 4-5 hours.

From: www.bettycrocker.com

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

This is one of my favorite crockpot meals. This chicken practically shreds itself and is great with rice or in tacos. There are various recipes for it and this is how I make it.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

Ingredients

• 3 large chicken breasts
• one can fiesta corn
• one packet low sodium taco seasoning
• one jar salsa
• two tablespoons fresh cilantro

Directions

Combine all ingredients, except for the cilantro, in crockpot and mix well.  Cook on low for about 8 hours or until tender. Sprinkle cilantro over chicken.

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

 

My love for the crockpot has really grown in the past year.  If I can plan a meal ahead and have the time to let it cook, I love using the crockpot.  Slow cooker recipes are so low maintenance once you’ve made the initial preparations.  I made this meal to welcome my parents who are visiting from Virginia. 

Ingredients 

 

• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak, thinly sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 bell peppers, sliced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons onion soup mix
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 cloves garlic – sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions 

Put everything in the crockpot, sprayed with cooking spray, and mix well. Cook on low 8-9 hours.