Competition – 3 litre or 1.8 litre slow cooker
It’s the season of casseroles and hearty, warming food. I love meat that’s been cooked long and slow. I think it really brings out the flavour, and that cuts that need long, slow cooking tend to have more flavour in the first place. That might just be because we didn’t have much money when I was growing up, so things like brisket featured on Mum’s menu. There’s nothing like the memory of Mum’s cooking!
But meat and casseroles is a long way off being the only thing you can make in a slow cooker.
I’m still learning great new ideas for a slow cooker. To my amazement, I discovered that you can even bake bread in one! This loaf was fabulous. Tasty, crunchy crust, nice chewy crumb. Really tasty, and very simple to make
just look at that crust!
Slow Cooker Competition
To that end, this months competition is all about slow cooker recipes. There is a family sized 3 litre slow cooker as a prize. Plus a more compact 1.8 litre slow cooker, perfect for smaller families or students
What I would like is your favourite slow cooker recipe, one that you know works. Or a recipe that you really like. It can be for anything, any occasion, for any number of people. A single serving, or a big old batch cook size. As this is a blog about eating for £1 a day, please make your recipe a maximum of 50p a serving (see the competition terms)
Put your recipe in the comments section, and don’t forget to register that you’ve done it on the competition widget, so you are credited with an entry. More than one recipe would be fabulous!
When the competition has ended, I’ll put all the entries in a blog post so we can all find them, and use them
Win this 3 litre slow cooker, or a 1.8 litre one
Good Luck Everyone
Your favourite slow cooker recipe
Winners
Congratulations to Tony Metcalfe, the winner of this competition, for his Pumpkin & Carrot Cobbler recipe which costs 38p a portion. Recipe in the comments
And to Celeste Gill for her Moroccan style lentil stew costing 53.5p a portion, recipe in Facebook comments.
Other Prizes
If you like entering competitions, – have a look here, where there are masses of really good ones
I often do mince beef stew with a pack of mince, an onion, any leftover chopped veg in the fridge. Also a cup of water, a couple of stock cubes and seasoning. To thicken it, we like to add some pearl barley and lentil (the broth mix packets you can buy in the supermarket). Boil the broth mix as per the instructions on the pack, drain then put in the slow cooker with the other ingredients.
For the beans
1 tsp oil
1 onion
, halved and thinly sliced
2 rashers streaky bacon, cut into large-ish pieces
1 tsp sugar
, brown if you have it
400g can chopped tomato
200ml stock from a cube
410g can cannellini bean
, butter or haricot beans in water
For the wedges
1 tbsp white flour (plain or self-raising)
½ tsp cayenne pepper, paprika or mild chilli powder
1 tsp dried mixed herb (optional)
2 baking potatoes, each cut into 8 wedges
2 tsp oil
Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. For the wedges, mix the flour, cayenne and herbs (if using), add some salt and pepper, then toss with the potatoes and oil until well coated. Tip into a roasting tin, then bake for about 35 mins until crisp and cooked through.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a non-stick pan, then gently fry the onion and bacon together for 5-10 mins until the onions are softened and just starting to turn golden. Stir in the sugar, tomatoes, stock and seasoning to taste, then simmer the sauce for 5 mins. Add the beans, then simmer for another 5 mins until the sauce has thickened. Serve with the wedges.
Pulled Pork
I use a gammon or ham, a bottle of cheap cola (full fat!) chop up an onion. Chuck it all in the slow cooker and leave until the meat falls apart in shreds…. Delicious and simple
One of my favourite and simplest slow cooker recipes – Rice Pudding.
Prices based on Asda today.
Serves 4 (or 2 if you’re greedy)
Ingredients
75g Pudding Rice (15p)
50g Caster Sugar (6p)
One Litre Whole Milk (49p)
25g Butter (15p)
Freshly Ground Nutmeg (15p?)
Method
Place rice, sugar and milk in slow cooker. Top with shavings of butter and grated nutmeg. Cook on high for 3-4 hours. Stir halfway through cooking time.
Wow, there are lots of great recipes to try, this is making me feel very hungry!
Lamb Couscous
1 onion ( cut into 4)
2 garlic cloves peeled
2 tomatoes cut into 4
2tbsp olive oil
600g leg of lamb cut into 2-3cm pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 3-4cm strips
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp cumin
1 beef stock cube
200ml water
100g tine of chickpeas, drained
fresh mint, salt and pepper to serve
Quick fry the onion, tomatoes and garlic.
Add this to the rest of the ingredients and cook in your slow cooker for at least 4 hours on high but can be left all day on a low setting.
Season to taste and serve with couscous
Slow cookers are the most fabulous invention.
My recipe is slow cooked sausage casserole.
2 red onions (10p)
4 carrots (20p)
1 sweet potato (30p)
Approx 400g sausages (70p)
400g tin tomatoes (28p)
1 tbsp tomato purée (31p for a whole tube that’ll last for ages)
1 stock cube (5p)
1-2 tbsp oil (no idea of cost, a couple of pence?!)
Optional herbs for seasoning (cost negligible as such tiny quantity used!)
Fry the onion in the oil over a low heat until it starts to soften (5 minsish) then put into slow cooker. Fry the carrots briefly and add them too.
Brown the sausages in the same pan – get a good colour cos slow cookers don’t give colour! Pop in slow cooker and add the sweet potato and tomatoes.
Put the purée in the frying pan. Add 250ml boiling water and swirl around to pick up all the flavour. Tip everything into the slow cooker. Add the herbs if using, stock cube and some pepper.Cook on high for 4 hrs or on low for 8 hrs.
Serves 4. Total cost about £1.75 so approx 44p per portion.
Oops, gave a frying pan cheap recipe 🙂
In the Slow Cooker we love to do our bolognese recipe, we literally put in our mince and any left over veg from the week chopped up small with dried herbs, beef stock, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree and chopped onions. Just leave it all day!
Spaghetti Carbonara
Cook the spaghetti
Fry up until crispy some onions (about 1/2 cup) and 4 slices of bacon chopped into small pieces
add 1/2 pack of soft cheese, a stock cube and a little bit of boiling water
Once all stirred up and creamy add about a cup of peas (frozen works best) and continue to cook for 2-3 mins
Then drain the spaghettini and mix up with the sauce and serve
Winter barley broth.
1 chopped onion
3 carrots, chopped
1 parsnip, chopped
2 sticks of celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
200g sliced mushrooms
400ml vegetable stock
200g pearl barley, rinsed
Some dried or fresh thyme and parsley
1 bay leaf
Basically add all ingredients except the herbs to a slow cooker and leave until cooked through. Add the herbs for the last few minutes of cooking time. Serve with homemade sourdough and butter.
Now I’m a vegetarian, I find this packed full of wonderful veg and quite a hearty filling and warming dish. You can add whatever veg you have as it seems to work with most things.
I’ve tried entering my details on the form but the box won’t submit
I would love to be able to make stews and casseroles for my family, unfortunately I have never owned a slow cooker to have a specific recipe though!
Pumpkin & Carrot cobbler
Ingredients
Serves: 4
For the stew
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
500g pumpkin or butternut squash – seeded, peeled and diced
500g carrots, diced
250ml vegetable stock
1 teaspoon caster sugar
2 to 3 sprigs rosemary, or 1 pinch dried rosemary
salt and pepper
For the topping
50g butter
150g self-raising flour
1 pinch salt
75g white cheese, crumbled
4 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary, or 1 pinch dried rosemary
4 tablespoons water
Method
Prep:45min › Cook:3hr › Ready in:3hr45min
In a large pan, brown the onions in the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the pumpkin, carrot, vegetable stock, sugar, rosemary, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, stirring.
Transfer to the slow cooker, cover with lid and cook on High for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Rub the butter, flour and salt together until they resemble breadcrumbs, mix in the cheese and rosemary, and stir in enough water to make a smooth dough. This can also be done in a food processor.
Pat the dough into a circle slightly smaller than the size of your slow cooker, cut into 8 segments and arrange on top of the cooked stew.
Replace the lid and cook for a further 20 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is well risen and puffy.
Serve and enjoy.
Beef stew
Cut up some beef
2 carrots cut up
2 onions
1 swede
1 parsnip
Cornflower
Black pepper
Salt
Gravy
Potato
Peas
Prep time 20 mins
Add some flour to thicken gravy
Cut up onions, parsnip, swede, carrots, potato and add to slow cooker
Heat on high and leave cook for around 4 hours.
Kidney bean and sweetcorn chilli with rice and vegetables
Ingredients for 2 portions
Half an onion
200g tinned kidney beans from 240g tin
320g tinned tomatoes from 400g tin
50g frozen sweetcorn
1 teaspoon of chilli powder
1 stock cube
Served with:
150g raw weight rice
100g frozen green beans
100g frozen carrots
40g natural yogurt
Soften half a chopped onion in a non-stick pan, then add all the rest of the chilli ingredients: kidney beans rinsed in a sieve under the tap, tomatoes, sweetcorn, chilli powder, crumbled stock cube and about 200ml of water.
Bring it up the boil and then simmer gently until it thickens, about 20 minutes or so.
Serve the chilli with rice and frozen veg cooked according to the instructions on their packets, and a dollop of yogurt on top. I ate it with green beans one day and carrots another night, for variety.
Easy Jacket Potatoes
6 large potatoes
Just wash and dry the potatoes leaving the skin on
Pop into the slow cooker and simply cook on high for 6 hours
Any not needed can be frozen to heat up when you need them
We do “Family Style Slow Cooked Chicken”
Ingredients
600 g skinless & boneless chicken thighs
100g chopped chorizo
100g mushrooms sliced
2 red onions sliced
1 yellow pepper
1 chopped courgette
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
150 mls chicken stock
4 tbsp tomato paste
5 cloves garlic crushed
1 chilli crushed
1 tsp dried Italian mixed herbs salt & pepper
Make up the sauce first and get the slow cooker hot. Add the chicken pieces and chopped chorizo straight into the cooker, making sure all ingredients are added now, leave for 6-8 hours on low, season to taste, serve with bread rolls, or garlic bread
Serves 6 people
Creamy Spinach and Mushroom – add spinach, mushrooms, chopped onions, tomatoes, broccoli, and some kale to water in the slow cooker and cook for a couple of hours, drain the veg in a sieve then return it to slow cooker. Add a pot of double cream, some peppercorns and black pepper to taste….let cook for an hour then serve. Delicious, creamy and very good for you
Slow cooker beef bourguignon
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
600g casserole steak, cut into large chunks
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
6 rashers streaky bacon, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
325g carrots, peeled and chopped
300ml red wine
250ml beef stock
2 sprigs thyme
steamed cabbage, to serve
mashed potato, to serve
1. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan. Season the meat and cook in the pan for 6-8 mins, until browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and put in a slow cooker.
2. Add the remaining oil then the onion and bacon. Sauté for 4 mins before adding the garlic and carrots and cooking for a further 3-4 mins.
Pour in the red wine and stir to help de-glaze the pan. Then stir in the stock.
3. Pour in the red wine and stir to help de-glaze the pan. Then stir in the stock.
4. Pour the vegetables and liquid over the beef in the slow cooker.
5. Pour the vegetables and liquid over the beef in the slow cooker.
Add the sprigs of thyme and cook for 8 hrs on a low heat, until the beef is very tender. Serve with steamed cabbage and mashed potato.
**My chili con carne recipe**
You will need the following ingredients:
1 kg of beef or Quorn mince
2 large onions
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp of gravy powder
1-3 tbsp of chili powder (depending on how hot you want it)
1 tbsp of cumin
1 tin of kidney beans
1 pack frozen mixed peppers
*Instructions*
1. Chop the onions
2. Cook mince and then drain the fat
3. Add the chopped onions to mince along with the mixed peppers
4. Drain the kidney beans and then add to the mince
5. Add the chopped tomatoes
6. Add the cumin and the chilli powder, stir and leave to simmer for a few minutes
7. Add the gravy powder to thicken.
Slow cooker meatballs in tomato sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp dried oregano or dried mixed herbs
¼ tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
1 dried bay leaf
12 ready-made fresh meatballs (around 375g/13oz)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
freshly cooked tagliatelle
grated Parmesan
Method
Heat the oil in a small frying pan and fry the onion for 4–5 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned, stirring regularly. Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds more.
Transfer the cooked onion and garlic to a slow cooker and add the tomatoes, tomato purée, oregano (or dried mixed herbs), chilli (if using) and bay leaf.
Pour over 400ml/14fl oz of water, season with a good pinch of salt and lots of ground black pepper and stir well. Add the meatballs and turn to coat in the sauce.
Cover with a lid and cook on low for 10-12 hours or until the sauce is thick, the onion is softened and the meatballs are tender. Serve with freshly cooked tagliatelle, and sprinkled with plenty of grated Parmesan
Chilli sin Carne (Chilli without the meat)
Ingredients: 70g (dry) basic long grain rice,50g basic kidney beans (drained), 50g basic sweetcorn (drained), 50g pride chick peas (drained), 1/3 tin value plum tomatoes, 1/2 small value onion, one tablespoon oil, seasoning (salt, pepper, cumin).
Instructions: Boil rice as per instructions on packet. Chilli: Fry the onions in the oil and cumin. Drain the beans and add them to the pan, along with the tinned plum tomatoes. Season with salt, and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes for optimum flavour.
Has to be my rice pudding.
1 cup of short grain rice to cup cups of full fat milk, a generous knob of butter , and1/2 a teaspoon of grated nutmeg, 1/2 a cup of granulated sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
VEGETABLE LASAGNE
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 onions sliced
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 large courgettesdiced (400g)
1 red and 1 yellow pepper
deseeded and roughly sliced
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tsp vegetable bouillon
15g fresh basilchopped plus a few leaves
1 large auberginesliced across length or width for maximum surface area
6 wholewheat lasagne sheets (105g)
125g vegetarian buffalo mozzarella, choppedHeat 1 tbsp rapeseed oil in a large non-stick pan and fry 2 sliced onions and 2 chopped large garlic cloves for 5 mins, stirring frequently until softened.
Tip in 2 diced large courgettes, 1 red and 1 yellow pepper, both roughly sliced, and 400g chopped tomatoes with 2 tbsp tomato purée, 2 tsp vegetable bouillon and 15g chopped basil.
Stir well, cover and cook for 5 mins. Don’t be tempted to add more liquid as plenty of moisture will come from the vegetables once they start cooking.
Slice 1 large aubergine. Lay half the slices of aubergine in the base of the slow cooker and top with 3 sheets of lasagne.
Add a third of the ratatouille mixture, then the remaining aubergine slices, 3 more lasagne sheets, then the remaining ratatouille mixture.
Cover and cook on High for 2½ – 3 hours until the pasta and vegetables are tender. Turn off the machine.
Scatter 125g vegetarian buffalo mozzarella over the vegetables then cover and leave for 10 mins to settle and melt the cheese.
Scatter with extra basil and serve with a handful of rocket.
Sausage and bacon casserole, tomato based sauce, includes rinsed baked beans, herbs, perfect for winter
Chilli vegetarian.
As with all my cooking, its just depends on however I feel on a particular day as to how long something cooks for, and what goes in and quantities, but I find a chilli is the easiest thing to do in a slow cooker. I tend to look at what ever is looking squishy in the fridge and put it in.
I tend to put in
3 tins of chopped tomatoes
2 tins of red or white kidney beans
3 carrots
2 onions
half a celery
1 chilli pepper
a half dozen potatoes, or 3 sweet potatoes, or a butternut squash(my preferred)
1 Chopped pepper
3/4 garlic cloves
a good sprinkle of cayenne pepper
a good sprinkle of Cumin
a good sprinkle of Paprika
a few dashes of Worcester sauce
a few dashes of Soy Sauce
salt
pepper.
First blend up on tin of tomatoes, the celery, the carrots, the chilli, the garlic, the seasonings and one of the onions, and any vegetables you want to hide (I have put broccoli in or cauliflower in).
Chop the other items up roughly and put them all in the slow cooker. If you need more liquid then add a little water or another tin of chopped tomatoes. Taste, it wants to be just slightly hotter than you want the final meal to be, if it isn’t add more spice.
Leave to cook for 3 hours.
Then cook up some plain rice to go with it.
Beef and Ale Stew – 1 diced onion 6 oz carrots 250 ml brown ale 2 fl oz water 2 tbs tomato puree and a pack of Schwartz Slow cookers Beef and ale stew mix. Place the onions carrots and beef in slow pot. Mix the sachet contents with the water, brown ale and tomato puree and stir into the slow cooker. Cook for up to 4 hours on high or 8 hours on slow.