Whatcha Got Cooking’?

[title subtitle=”words: Catherine Frederick”][/title]

Busy days. Cool nights. What could be better than coming home to a warm, delicious meal you didn’t have to spend hours cooking? We’ve gathered up some our favorite crock pot recipes you and your family are sure to love!

BBQ Pork

• 1 pork loin
• 1 can Coca Cola
• Salt, pepper to taste

Salt and pepper pork loin. Place in crock pot. Pour Coca Cola in crock pot. Cook on high for 7 hours. Remove pork loin from broth. Shred pork. Coat with favorite BBQ sauce. Serve on your favorite roll or bun.

French Dip Sandwiches

• Chuck roast (sized to feed your family)
• 2 – 14.5 ounce cans Swanson® 100% Natural Beef Broth 
• 1 package Lipton® Recipe Secrets Onion Recipe Soup and Dip Mix
• 1 package raw white mushroom, sliced (optional)
• 1 bell pepper, sliced (optional)
• 1 onion, sliced (optional)
• Salt, pepper to taste
• Hoagie rolls
• Provolone cheese, thin sliced

Place roast, beef broth, salt, pepper, and soup mix in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or high for 4 to 6 hours. Add peppers, onion and mushrooms during the last 2 hours of cooking. Serve on hoagie rolls with provolone cheese.

Lasagna

• 1 lb. ground beef 
• 1- 26 ounce jar of pasta sauce 
• 1 cup water 
• 1- 15 ounces container ricotta cheese 
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella 
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg 
• 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped 
• 1 teaspoon pepper 
• No boil Lasagna noodles (uncooked) 

Brown meat, drain fat. Add sauce and water. In bowl combine ricotta, 1 ½ cups mozzarella, 2 Tablespoons Parmesan, egg, pepper and parsley. Add 1 cup meat sauce to bottom of crock pot. Top with a double layer of noodles, break to fit. Top meat sauce with cheese mixture. Alternate noodle, meat sauce, and cheese layers, ending with the meat sauce.  Cook on low 4 to 5 hours, do not overcook. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Cook 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted. 

Chicken Fajitas

• ¼ cup butter
• 3 to 4 chicken breasts
• 2 cups onion, sliced
• 2 cups peppers, sliced (red, green, or yellow) 
• 1 packet dry fajita seasoning
• ¼ cup salsa

Add butter, then onion, peppers, then chicken to bottom of crock pot. Sprinkle fajita packet over chicken. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. Shred chicken. Serve with favorite toppings and tortillas.

Cheese Tortellini Soup

• 1 – 19 ounce bag frozen or fresh cheese tortellini 
• 1 small bag of baby spinach 
• 2 – 14.5 ounce cans of Italian style diced tomatoes, drained
• 1- 8 ounce block cream cheese, chunked 
• 3 to 4 cups of chicken broth (start with 3, add 1 more if needed) 

Add all ingredients to crock pot. Stir to combine. Cook on low for 2 to 4 hours. 

Chicken Noodle Soup

• 4 carrots, chopped
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 – 32 ounce carton of chicken stock
• 1 ½ cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 cup milk
• Salt, pepper to taste
• 1 ½ Tablespoons dried onion flakes
• 1 Tablespoon dried basil flakes
• 3 to 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 3 large for my family of 4)
• 1 bag egg noodles 

Place soup, broth, water, milk, and seasonings in crock pot. Stir. Add chicken breasts. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. Add vegetables during last 2 hours. Cook egg noodles on stovetop during last 45 minutes. Rinse, drain, add quantity of noodles desired to crock pot. During last 30 minutes, remove chicken, shred, return to soup. Cook additional 10 to 15 minutes. 

Hambone Beans

• 1 bag pinto beans, rinsed thoroughly
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• ½ cup salsa
• 1 ham hock
• Salt, pepper to taste
• Cornstarch (optional)

Rinse beans thoroughly. Place beans in crock pot. Add garlic, salt, pepper, salsa and ham hock along with enough water to reach about an inch below the top of your crock pot. Stir to combine. Cook on high for 6 to 8 hours or until beans are tender. Remove and discard ham hock. To thicken beans, mix 1 Tablespoon cornstarch with warm water. Add to beans. Stir to combine. Cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until thickened. Top with shredded cheese (optional). Serve with corn bread.

Perfect Roast

• Chuck roast
• 1 package baby carrots
• Small Yukon gold potatoes (whole)
• 1 yellow onion, sliced 
• 1 package sliced mushrooms
• 1 packet Lipton® Onion Soup 
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup 
• Salt, pepper to taste
• Water

Salt and pepper roast. Place roast in bottom of crock pot. Surround roast with carrots, potatoes and onions. Top roast with sliced mushrooms, Lipton Onion Soup mix and mushroom soup. Add water to cover vegetables. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.