Frugal and Delicious Slow Cooker Meal Ideas

Vegetable beef soup

1. Put in two large cans of crushed tomatoes, or just dice up some tomatoes pretty small.

2. Add two bags of mixed vegetables and one pound of ground beef.

3. Season with a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of Italian seasoning and add a little bit of water.

4. Cook it on high for three or four hours. You can also cook this on low, just simmering all day.

Soups are among the best slow cooker meals, and this one is basically dump and go, which is great for busy evenings.

Chicken and rice

1. Start by chopping up an onion.

2. In a bowl, mix together one cup of rice, one cup of chicken broth, and one cup of sour cream. Add one can of diced tomatoes and the diced onion.

3. Season with a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of cumin, and a teaspoon of chili powder. Stir well and try to incorporate the sour cream.

4. Lay out 1 ½ pounds of chicken tenders, or any other kind of chicken chopped up into small pieces.

5. Pour the contents of the bowl into the crock pot on top of the chicken.

6. Cook on high for about four hours, or on low for 7-8 hours.

This is this week’s best recipe, and it was a game changer for our family. I topped it with a little cheese and served it with green beans and tortilla chips, and it was such a satisfying winter meal.

We are definitely making this easy slow cooker meal again.

Easy beef stroganoff

1. Cook up around a pound or a pound and a half of ground beef.

2. To that, add a portion of homemade cream soup, or store-bought cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup.

3. Add one cup of sour cream, one diced onion, four ounces of cubed cream cheese, two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and one cup of chicken broth, or alternatively beef broth or beef bouillon.

4. Season with half a teaspoon of garlic powder, one teaspoon of salt, and one teaspoon of black pepper. Give it all a good stir and make sure to incorporate the sour cream as much as possible.

5. Add eight ounces of mushrooms. For the sake of consistency, cut them small and use the stems, too.

6. Cook on high for about four hours, or on low for 7-8 hours.

I served the beef with egg noodles and some vegetables I prepared in an air fryer. Every time I eat beef stroganoff, I am reminded of how delicious it is, so it should definitely go on the rotation.

White chicken chili

1. Place two chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker.

2. Add four cups of chicken broth, one bag of frozen corn and three cans of beans, navy or pinto.

3. Add a can of chopped green chilies, a half a teaspoon of garlic powder, half a teaspoon of onion powder, one tablespoon of cumin, two teaspoons of chili powder. Stir well.

4. Let it cook on high for 3 ½ hours, then add two cups half and half and let it cook for an additional half an hour.

5. At the end, get the chicken breast out, shred it up and return it to the chili. Add some texture to the soup by breaking up some of the beans with a meat masher.

This recipe is great by itself, but what makes it perfect is topping it with a little bit of cheese and sour cream, and chopping up an avocado on the side.

Chicken and rice casserole

1. Start by chopping up 1-1 ½ pounds of chicken breast. Once it is diced, put it in the crock pot and set it aside.

2. In a separate bowl, mix one large can of crushed tomatoes and a full can of water

3. To the tomatoes, add one cup of rice, one diced onion, one bag of frozen corn, and one can of green chilies.

4. Season with one tablespoon of cumin, one tablespoon of chili powder, and a teaspoon or two of salt. Mix it all together and pour it on top of the chicken in the crock pot.

5. Cook on low for eight hours, or on high for about four.

This dish was amazing with some sour cream and cheese on top. I think cheddar would be perfect for this recipe. This worked super well as a one pot meal – we did not have to make anything on the side at all.

Slow cooker meals

These are the five easy family slow cooker meals that I have tried and loved in the last couple of weeks. Give them a try and let me know how it goes!