7 Easy Crockpot Meals
Easy crockpot meals are an ideal choice for everyone. For those who don't want to spend much time cooking, just place all the ingredients listed in the recipe into the crockpot and put it in the oven.
Easy crockpot meals are a practical answer when you want dinner to simmer without constant stirring. In this collection, crockpot means a clay baking pot with a lid, heated slowly in the oven. The walls warm evenly, so meat and fish stay tender and vegetables cook in their own juices. You can put the ingredients in as they are, or sauté them first if you like a deeper flavor.
The seven recipes cover chicken gizzards, chicken with rice, fish pilaf, pork baked with eggs, chicken in white sauce, zucchini in mushroom sauce, and a pot of hot chocolate. Keep a sensible ratio of liquid to solids: these pots cook by gentle simmering, not by boiling dry.
Braised chicken gizzards in a crockpot
Gizzards become tender after a long soak and a slow oven braise with root vegetables and sour cream. Season halfway through so the salt does not sit on the meat for the whole cooking time.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Soak the chicken gizzards in cold water for 2–3 hours, then rinse and place them in the crockpot.
- Coarsely grate the carrot and parsley or celery root. Dice the onion. Mix the vegetables and spread them over the gizzards.
- Pour sour cream and melted oil over the vegetables. Add the bay leaf. Cover tightly.
- Bake in an oven preheated to 160°C/320°F for 3–4 hours. After 2 hours, take the pot out, season with salt and pepper, and return it to the oven.
- Garnish the finished dish with chopped parsley.
Chicken fillet with rice in a crockpot
Marinated chicken and long-grain rice cook together in the clay pot. Start the pot in a cold oven so the rice hydrates as the heat rises.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Dice the onion and garlic. Cut the chicken into small pieces.
- Mix the chicken with onion, garlic, lemon juice, soy sauce, pepper, and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.
- Rinse the rice and place it in the crockpot. Add cold water so the water sits 1–1.5 cm above the rice.
- Add the marinated fillet with all its juices. Cover. Put the crockpot in a cold oven, heat to 180°C/350°F, and simmer until the rice is cooked, about 50–70 minutes.
Fish pilaf in a crockpot
Carp or pike fillet with rice, raisins, and dried barberry. The rice is cooked first, the fish is sautéed until done, then everything finishes together in the oven for 10 minutes.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cook the rice in a pot at a 1:2 rice-to-water ratio until done. Transfer it to the crockpot.
- Dice the onion and sauté in oil until half-cooked.
- Cut the fish into small pieces, season with salt and pepper, and sauté in oil until half-cooked. Add the onion, raisins, and barberry, and simmer until the fish is fully cooked.
- Transfer the fish mixture to the crockpot and fold it gently into the rice. Cover and bake at 180°C/350°F for 10 minutes.
Pork baked with eggs in a crockpot
Sautéed ground pork, onion, tomato, and beaten eggs baked under a lid until the eggs set. A simple layered pot dinner.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Pass the pork through a meat grinder, sauté in 2 tablespoons of oil, and place it in the crockpot.
- Dice the onion, sauté in the remaining oil, and spread it over the pork. Dice the tomato, scatter it on top, and season with salt and pepper.
- Beat the eggs with salt and pepper and pour them over the layers.
- Cover and bake at 180°C/350°F until the eggs are set, about 25–35 minutes.
Chicken in white sauce in a crockpot
Sautéed chicken strips baked in a sour-cream béchamel with grated cheese. The sauce is made on the stove, then the pot goes into the oven until the meat is cooked.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into strips and sauté in oil for 5 minutes.
- Toast the flour in a dry skillet, add 3 tablespoons of butter, and cook 1 minute. Gradually whisk in hot milk or broth and bring to a boil. Stir in sour cream and take off the heat. Season.
- Place the chicken in the crockpot, pour the sauce over it, sprinkle with cheese, and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
- Cover and bake at 180°C/350°F until the meat is cooked through, about 35–45 minutes.
Zucchini in mushroom sauce in a crockpot
Diced zucchini and carrots baked under a creamy mushroom sauce. The sauce is simmered on the stove first so the oven time stays short.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Slice the mushrooms. Dice the zucchini, carrots, and onions into small cubes.
- Sauté the mushrooms in oil until half-cooked, add the onions, and cook 5 minutes. Add 50 ml water and simmer 5 minutes more.
- Stir in cream, flour, pepper, salt, and chopped dill. Simmer 10 minutes.
- Put the zucchini and carrots in the crockpot, pour the mushroom sauce over them, cover, and bake at 180°C/350°F for 20 minutes.
Hot chocolate in a crockpot
Dark chocolate, cocoa, a pinch of coffee, and milk warmed slowly in a covered clay pot, then finished with egg yolk. A dessert drink rather than a savory meal, and the seventh recipe in this crockpot collection.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Grate the chocolate. Mix it with cocoa, coffee, cinnamon, and sugar in the crockpot.
- Pour hot milk over the mixture. Cover and bake at 100°C/212°F for 40–50 minutes.
- Beat the egg yolk and slowly stir it into the hot chocolate. Cover for a few minutes to thicken, then pour into cups.
How clay crockpots cook
These meals suit beginners if you keep enough liquid for a gentle simmer. Ceramic pots hold aroma well; cast-iron pots keep heat longer. You can leave out onion or swap spices for individual portions because each pot is a small, customizable vessel. Besides meat and vegetables, the same method works for fish, grains, and even a dessert drink.
FAQ
Why are easy crockpot meals so popular?
The even heat keeps food juicy. Meat and vegetables become tender without constant watching, which is useful on a busy day.
What meals can you make in crockpots besides meat and vegetables?
Fish, rice dishes, porridges, baked eggs, and desserts such as hot chocolate. Grains and sauces take on a lot of flavor in a covered pot.
What is the difference between ceramic and cast-iron crockpots?
Ceramic pots keep aroma and are ideal for slow simmering. Cast iron holds heat longer and suits dishes that need steady, even baking.
What ingredients are best for cooking in crockpots?
Vegetables, grains, meat, mushrooms, and spices. Vegetables release juice; grains and meat absorb it.
Do you put the crockpot in a hot oven or a cold one?
Follow the recipe. Rice with chicken starts in a cold oven so the grain hydrates as the heat rises. Most of the other dishes go into a preheated oven.
Best of the week — in your inbox
No spam. Only top Gosta stories. Unsubscribe in one click.
Comments