1. 18 simple things to make in a
slow cooker
Meals for every occasion, and some just
for fun too
By Anthony van Poppelen

2. Slow Cooker/Crock Pot
One of these will run you
anywhere from $20 to
$50. It doesn’t matter
which model or make
you get, just be sure to
get one large enough for
however many people
you typically feed. Mine
is a 5 quart with
low, high and warm
settings. Every university
student should have at
least one of these.

3. These are my
favourite. Just
chop some
potatoes, add
some seasonings
and let them sit
on high for 4
hours. Super
simple and they
go with anything,
not to mention
they are cheap.
Potato Wedges

4. Roast Beef
This one is a classic. It
takes a while to cook
but it tastes great. Just
throw your beef and
vegetables in the
cooker and let it cook
on low for 6 to 8
hours. If you want
something different
you can add a can of
coke and a can of chili
sauce. Sounds weird
but it’s so juicy.

5. This is similar to the
roast beef, but use
cubes of meat and beef
broth. Add paprika,
mustard, black pepper
and garlic so the beef
taste doesn’t
overwhelm everything.
This gets cooked on low
for 8 hours so again
preparing in advance is
key.
Beef Stew

6. Turkey Brisket
I like
thanksgiving, but I
really don’t like the
horribly dry and
tasteless turkey my
relatives cook. Just
put the
turkey, some garlic
and paprika. 3 hours
on high usually does
cooks this one.

7. Scalloped Potatoes
Scalloped potatoes are
always such a pain to
make, but with a slow
cooker you can just add
the ingredients and
forget about them.
Potatoes, a can of
cream of mushroom
soup, water and
cheese are all that’s
needed. 3 hours on
high and then an hour
on low to make it
crispy.

8. For those that don’t like meat
there’s plenty of vegetarian
options like this one, that I will
actually eat. Peppers, green
beans, cram of mushroom soup,
spices and almonds if you feel
like them. Most important to
this recipe is a half teaspoon of
salt, the difference is night and
day without it. 3 hours on low
and it’s ready to eat.
Green Bean Casserole

9. Chorizo Chili
You can’t own a slow
cooker and not make
chili. This one calls for
ground beef, raw chorizo
sausages, a can of chili
beans and a can of diced
tomatoes. Depending on
the sausages you get it
can be quite spicy. Cook
on low for 7 hours, just
remember to skim the
fat before you eat it.

10. Yes, you can cook dessert with a
slow cooker. This isn’t my
preferred way of making cake but
it works quite well. Add milk and
cake mix, plus anything else you
want in there, crushed mints are
good. Cook for an hour and a half
on high and then eat it all to
yourself.
Chocolate Pudding Cake

11. Cherry Delight
In keeping with the dessert theme, this is an amazing recipe
I recently discovered. A can of cherry pie filling, a bag of cake
mix, butter and walnuts. This gets cooked for an hour and a
half on high. Definitely serve this with whipped cream.

12. Cherry Rice Pudding
This is actually the only
rice pudding I’ll eat. I’m
not normally a fan of
it, but cherries make
everything taste good.
It’s your standard rice
pudding recipe, so
eggs, rice, milk and
sugar but add dried
cherries and some
nutmeg. This gets
cooked for 5 hours on
low.

13. Apple Crumble
This one’s a little bit
more difficult but well
worth it. The difficulty
lies in not overcooking
the apples. Just your
standard apple
crumble recipe, but in
a slow cooker for 2
hours on high. Don’t
forget the allspice and
cinnamon though.

14. Chicken Cordon Bleu
This is another difficult
dish to make. I won’t go
into specific details, but
you essentially make
your chicken cordon
bleu, brown it in a
pan, put in in the slow
cooker for 2 hours on
low, then add oil, wine
and broth. Once
cooked, coat with
cornstarch and put it in
the browning pan. It’s a
bit more prep work but
it’s so good.

15. One of the better soups I’ve come
across is this one. Again, this has a
little more prep work involved
than other recipes. Make sausage
meatballs out of the Italian
sausages and add them to chicken
broth, tomato
paste, spinach, parmesan and
garlic. Cook on low for 5 hours.
Add pasta half an hour before it’s
done if you want pasta in it.
Italian Sausage Soup

16. Mushroom Barley Stew
Another sort of coup, this
one takes a while to cook
but doesn’t have much in
the way of prep. Olive oil,
onions, carrots, barley,
wild mushrooms,
vegetable broth and
some black pepper, then
cook on low for 6 to 7
hours. If you want it more
soupy then add a bit
more broth.

17. This is a good snack you can make in
very little time. Just add any
combination of pretzels, nuts, cereal
squares and crackers and then add
parmesan cheese, butter, dry ranch
salad dressing and some garlic
powder. This gets cooked on low for
2 hours, be sure to cover everything
with the liquids though.
Parmesan Ranch Snack Mix

18. Chicken Teriyaki
This is another quick
and easy recipe. Throw
boneless
chicken, pineapple
juice, soy
sauce, sugar, rice and
tomatoes, as well as
spices such as garlic
and ginger into the
slow cooker and cook
on low for 2 hours.
You’ll find yourself
making this at least
once a week.

19. If you’re a ribs fan you’ll like these.
Making them isn’t too messy either, an
added plus. A can of beef consomme,
some water, soy sauce, honey, maple
syrup, barbeque sauce and some pork
baby back ribs. Let it all cook for 6 to 8
hours on low. The meat will just fall off
the bone.
Honey Ribs

20. Macaroni and Cheese
Why make this when you can just make a box of KD? Because this tastes much
better, and you know exactly what’s in it. Add macaroni, a ton of cheese, some milk
and some salt and pepper and let it cook on low for 2 to 3 hours, stirring every half
hour or so. Add ham chunks if your diet is lacking protein, or even if the mood just
strikes you.