Crock Pot Meals That Don't Suck

[Anonymous]

I found a butternut squash chili recipe in the Fix It and Forget It cookbook that is super simple and delicious:

Layer ingredients in order and cook on low 6-8 hrs, then serve with a dollop of sour cream (not necessary, but I'm a fan of the creaminess it imparts.)

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 medium carrots, peeled & diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 tsp - 3 Tbsp chili powder (your preference)
2 14-oz cans diced tomatoes
4 oz can chopped green chilies
1 tsp salt (optional)
1 cup vegetable broth
2 16-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed

[Anonymous]

Chuck Roast, browned but not necessary. Onion and carrots. Can use store bought seasoning. Skip potatoes which tend to suck out of a crock pot.

[Anonymous]

Chicken tortilla soup

[Anonymous]

I've never liked chicken breasts cooked in a crockpot either - the meat dries out, even if they're sitting in a pool of juice or sauce.

Things I do like:
Pot roast
Beef stew
Pulled pork
Chicken thighs cooked in BBQ sauce or a chipotle-tomato sauce (dark meat only!)
Chili
Beans
16-bean soup with a smoked ham hock
Squash soup - simmer with chicken broth for several hours, then puree with an immersion blender
Tomato soup made from fresh tomatoes
Spaghetti sauce

[Anonymous]

Williams Sonoma has a crockpot/ slow cooker cookbook with excellent recipes. Bonus points in that it offers instructions for cooking the dish stovetop also.

[Anonymous]

Boneless skinless chicken thighs (or better yet, bone-in, skin-on) are great in the slow cooker. We do a delicious bbq style chicken thigh recipe. Double it, and shred the leftovers for enchiladas or tacos.

[Anonymous]

The whole "roasted" chicken from the test kitchen cookbook is a favorite at our house -- we eat it plain like rotisserie chicken the first night, and then use the leftovers for either a shredded chicken dish (like tacos) or make an chicken soup (with fresh broth in the slow cooker as well from the carcass).

[Anonymous]

Following are two slow cooker cookbooks that I highly recommend. Of the two, I prefer the first but I think both are excellent.

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Slow-Cooker-Exciting-Recipes/dp/0811859126/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418479681&sr=1-1&keywords=art+of+the+slow+cooker

http://www.amazon.com/Williams-Sonoma-Essentials-Slow-Cooking-Slow-Cooked/dp/0848732596/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418479772&sr=1-1&keywords=williams-sonoma+essentials+of+slow+cooking

[Anonymous]

To be successful with chicken it absolutely must have the bone. I can't imagine using boneless breasts in the slowcooker.

[Anonymous]

Apple sauce!

[Anonymous]

Crock pot chocolate cake? =)

[Anonymous]

These baked beans are pretty good:

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/slow_cooker_baked_beans.html