Do you own a slow cooker/crock-pot? It's one of my favorite cooking tools. It's especially great for easy meals that require little hands-on time. You can usually just throw your ingredients in the slow cooker and not look at it for hours. Sometimes, you have to pay attention depending on the meal, but even then, the required time to "pay attention" to what's cooking is limited and that's pretty nice. Especially if you have a busy schedule and/or work full time. I love starting a meal before leaving for work and coming home to a hot dinner.
I don't have many slow cooker recipes on my own blog. In fact, I only have one right now, but I'll be adding more eventually! Too many recipes to share and so little time.
My go-to slow cooker meal is jalapeño garlic beef; it's, hands down, my favorite recipe to make in the crock-pot. I've had people tweet to me when they make this recipe and it's always great to know they're enjoying it.
I recently retired my old crock-pot I've had for years and replaced it with my instant pot, which I got as a Christmas gift last year. Are you familiar with the instant pot? If not, you are in for a treat. This thing is a beast and I'm in love with it. Yes, I'm in love with an inanimate object. Jason can deal with it.
The instant pot is a programmable pressure cooker, but it's also packed with the following features:
- it's a slow cooker
- it has a saute feature
- it's a rice cooker
- it's a yogurt maker
- it's a steamer
For a while, I kept this and my old crock-pot, but I've decided I want to slim down on the amount of stuff I keep around (I'm currently reading Marie Kondo's "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" and it's making me realize I have too much crap. Seriously, I love this book and I don't even read that much!), especially because with this one, I can set an actual timer (my old one did not have that option). I also really love the ability to saute food in it before pressure cooking or slow cooking. Fewer dishes = win in my book. Side note: I hate doing dishes.
I've yet to make yogurt in this, but you can bet I'll be doing that soon!
To celebrate slow cooking and the awesome instant pot for both being in existence, here are 10 awesome slow cooker recipes you should make this season. /swoooooon
1. Crock-Pot Chicken Phở by Served From Scratch
2. Slow Cooker Chile Colorado Con Carne by Lexi Bites
3. Balsamic Brown Sugar-Glazed Pork Tenderloin by All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
4. Spiced Apple Butter by Oh, The Things We'll Make
5. Italian Crock-Pot Two Bean Chili Soup by An Italian in My Kitchen
6. Homemade Crock-Pot Marinara Sauce by Life Currents
7. Crock-Pot Mediterranean Chicken by Family Food on the Table
8. Slow Cooker Beer Ribs Tacos w/ Jalapeno Tzatziki Sauce by Peas & Peonies
9. Slow Cooker Roast Chicken w/ Char Sui Glaze by Little Kitchen Blue
10. Crock-Pot Pumpkin Pie Spiced Nuts by Sunny Side Ups
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Thank you for the feature, I love my Insta Pot, I use it weekly and plan on giving one to my best friend for her birthday! 🙂
You're very welcome! It's such a great gift. I was ecstatic when I got mine, haha.
Thanks for including my Slow Cooker Tacos! I have never heard of the Instant Pot, but now I'm intrigued. I actually have a separate slow cooker, rice cooker AND yogurt maker, but it would be amazing to streamline down to one single appliance. You should definitely give yogurt a try. I find homemade yogurt to be so much creamier and tastier than store bought. Thanks for this post; I can't wait to add these 9 other slow cooker recipes to my recipe box!
I first heard of it a while back and was eyeing it for months. I really want to try making yogurt and will get to it soon, I think! Right now, I'm spoiled because there's a local Greek market and the owner makes the yogurt herself and it's the thickest, creamiest, tangiest and just so gooooood. I have a harder time with regular store-bought now because of this place, so if I ever move, I will need to have a good yogurt recipe to get by. I'll have to hit you up for some yogurt tips when I do! I'll probably give it a try in a couple weeks or so.
Mmmm....I want to try every one of these! They look delish! Plus, now you've got me eyeing that instant pot! It may be going on my Christmas list! 🙂 Thanks so much for including my recipe!
Thanks, Anna! It's such an awesome tool. I hope you get it for Christmas. 🙂
I have 3 crock pots/slow cookers. A tiny one, a regular one, and a big hunka one. I love them. That Insta Pot sounds really cool. I'd love one for Christmas as well! Thanks for the round-up! And thanks for including my marinara; it's one of my favorites!
That marinara is really great and so are your photos. 😀 Thanks, Debi!
I am obsessed with my slow cooker at the moment. I can't wait to try that spiced apple butter - YUM!
Thanks for commenting on my blog 🙂
It's a good obsession to have! I loooove homemade apple butter; it's the best.