Delicious and Affordable Slow Cooker Meal Ideas
I love slow cooker meals, and what I love even more is easy and affordable recipes. Today, I am making ten easy slow cooker meals in my mini crockpot. Here are my recipes for the best slow cooker meals that you can make on a budget.
I got all the ingredients I needed for $14.36. These include: 3.5 pounds of chicken legs, two small sweet potatoes, a bag of frozen broccoli floret, a chicken stuffing mix, a box of shell pasta, a can of cream of mushroom soup, a can of spinach, a can of tomato paste, two potatoes and a bag of brown rice.
I will also be using salt, pepper, bouillon cubes, Italian seasoning, ground cumin, onion powder, thyme leaves, basil and garlic powder.
Preparations for meatballs
1. Slice the meat off two chicken legs and set aside the bones to boil for broth later.
2. Add ½ cup stuffing mix into a bag and bang it with a rolling pin to make ¼ cup breadcrumbs. Add them to the chicken.
3. Add 1/8 teaspoon salt and mix well, then form balls. This should make about 14 meatballs. Freeze them to let them set up.
Preparations for chicken broth
1. Cut the meat off two chicken legs in chunks.
2. Put all the bones into the crock pot, add 8 cups of water and let it simmer for 8 hours.
3. Take the bones out, take the meat off the bones and strain the broth.
Potato broccoli chicken with stuffing
1. Place a chicken leg in the bottom of your crockpot, and add a potato cut into large chunks.
2. Add ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of thyme leaves and a bouillon cube. Add 2/3 cup of water, cover and let this simmer for about 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low.
3. During the last 15 minutes of cook time, add 2/3 cup of broccoli florets.
4. Pour everything onto a plate, then pour the liquid back into the crockpot and add in ½ cup stuffing mixture. Stir, cover and leave for about ten minutes to let it heat fully. Fluff it with a fork and pour onto the plate.
Creamy chicken sweet potato & brown rice
1. Add a cubed small sweet potato and 1/3 cup cubed chicken.
2. Add 1/3 cup cream of mushroom soup, one cup of water and ½ cup brown rice.
3. Add ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir well, cover and let it simmer for 2 hours on high.
4. Stir again and plate the meal. Top with a few chopped green onions.
Chicken meatballs & pasta in tomato sauce
1. Pop seven meatballs into the crock pot and add in three tablespoons of tomato paste.
2. Add a cup of water, ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning mix, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon garlic powder. Stir, cover, and let the meatballs cook thoroughly, for about 1.5 hours on high.
3. Add ¾ cup of the mac and cheese shells and ½ cup of canned spinach. Cover and let everything simmer and cook that pasta thoroughly for about 30 minutes on high.
4. Stir everything together, test meatballs to make sure they are cooked thoroughly, and plate.
Mushroom brown rice risotto & cumin chicken
1. Mix 1/3 cup brown rice, one cup of the chicken broth, ¼ cup cream of mushroom soup.
2. Add a chicken leg, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper, and ½ teaspoon ground cumin on top of the chicken. Cook covered for 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low.
3. Check the temperature of the chicken to make sure that it reached at least 165 degrees. Add ½ cup broccoli florets and steam for about 15 minutes on high with the kid on.
4. Stir well and plate. Feel free to add green onions on top.
Cheesy chicken meatballs and sweet potato
1. Add seven chicken meatballs, one small sweet potato, and ½ cup of chicken broth.
2. Add a tablespoon of the cheesy sauce mixture out of the mac and cheese box on top. Season with ½ teaspoon garlic powder and ¼ teaspoon salt.
3. Cook covered for 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low. Then stir the meatballs to get them coated in the cheese sauce.
4. When you plate, cut your sweet potato open and mash it out to flatten. Top with green onion.
Chicken stuffing & steamed broccoli
1. Mix 1/3 chunked chicken, one cup of chicken broth, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours.
2. Add 1 1/3 cup chicken stuffing mixture and stir. Place a small microwavable bowl on top of the stuffing. Add 2/3 cup broccoli florets and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover and steam for ten more minutes. Everything should be fully cooked, softened, and the broccoli will be steamed well.
3. Flip the stuffing up with the fork and serve.
Tomato potato spinach rice with chicken
1. Add cubed ½ potato and 1/3 cup brown rice. Add one cup of chicken broth, ¼ cup cooked chicken meat, and ¼ cup tomato paste. Cover and cook on high for about 2 hours. Feel free to add in a chicken bouillon cube during the cook time.
2. In the last ten minutes of the cook time, add ½ teaspoon ground cumin and ¼ cup spinach.
Cheesy potato broccoli rice soup
1. Mix cubed ½ potato with a tablespoon of the cheesy packet mix, 1/3 cup brown rice, ¼ cup cream of mushroom soup, two cups of chicken broth, ½ teaspoon garlic powder and a chicken bouillon cube. Stir, cover, and cook for 2 hours on high, or ideally for 4 hours on low.
2. Once the rice is tender, add ½ cup finely cut broccoli florets, ¼ teaspoon of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
3. Stir well and serve.
Chicken with cheesy garlic
1. Mix the remaining rice (almost a cup), ¼ cup cooked dark meat, two cups of chicken broth, 1/3 cup cream of mushroom soup, two tablespoons of cheesy mix, and a chicken bouillon cube. Stir and cook on high for 2 hours.
2. Stir again, add a small microwavable container on top of the rice mixture, with ½ cup frozen broccoli and some salt and pepper. Cover and steam for about 15 more minutes.
Tomato basil chicken & pasta
1. Add 2/3 cup tomato paste, 1 1/3 water, a bouillon cube, 1/4 cup chicken, a teaspoon of dried or fresh basil, ½ teaspoon garlic powder. Stir and cook on high for two hours.
2. Add a cup of water, 2/3 cup noodles, 1/4 cup of spinach and one more bouillon cube. Stir well, cover and cook for 30 more minutes until the pasta is cooked.
3. Add a teaspoon of ground cumin and some salt and pepper. If you like your pasta a bit sweet, add a packet of sugar. Optionally, top with green onion.
Slow cooker meals
Have fun making these easy slow cooker meals at home! Share your favorite slow cooker meal recipe in the comments.
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