Something for the weekend: recipes and top tips for the slow cooker
Slow cooker recipes that you'll want to make again and again.
Slow cookers are good value, economical to run, and a great way to cook on a budget. By employing a little know-how, you can make slow cooking a part of your weekly routine, and feed your family easily during the week.
Cutting your meat or vegetables into the same size will ensure that your slow cooker heat penetrates evenly
Lots of people prep their ingredients the night before, readying the meal to be cooked during the day. If you plan to organise yourself this way, then bring your ingredients to room temperature before turning on the cooker — that way your cook times will remain the same.
Slow cookers do not evaporate liquid thanks to their tight-fitting lid, so it's best to reduce your cooking liquid when using them. It's best to start with a slow cooker that is half to two-thirds full of liquid.
Because the sauce will not reduce in your slow cooker, you might like to add one teaspoon of cornflour mixed with one teaspoon of water at the beginning to ensure a thicker sauce.
Slow cooker sausage stew
This recipe is inspired by my constant desire to make really easy dinners that are toddler friendly
Servings
4Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
4 hours 0 minsTotal Time
4 hours 10 minsCourse
MainIngredients
1 tbsp olive oil
12 good quality sausages
2 carrots, roughly chopped
4 celery sticks, roughly chopped
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1.5 litres beef stock
1 tin of tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
6 sprigs fresh thyme
3 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
Method
Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat.
Add the sausages and cook until lightly brown on all sides.
Remove the sausage from the pan and chop into bite sized pieces.
Place all the ingredients into the slow cooker.
Turn it on to high and cook for 4 hours.
If you are out for the day you can pop this on low for around 8- 10 hours.
This is also a good recipe to do over night.
I suggest serving this with potatoes.
Slow Cooked Sticky Soy Chicken
I love to make this on busy days, it’s great because I can just pop everything into the slow cooker in the morning and when I come home there is a delicious healthy dinner waiting for me
Servings
4Preparation Time
5 minsCooking Time
4 hours 0 minsTotal Time
4 hours 5 minsCourse
MainIngredients
600g chicken pieces, on the bone
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp honey
Thumb-size piece fresh ginger, grated
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
Method
Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and set it to high. Leave alone for 4-5 hours. Alternatively, place all the ingredients in a large casserole dish and then put it on a low heat (150°C) in the oven for 2 hours.
Serve on warmed plates with sides of your choice or pop it in a reusable container once cooled and store in the fridge for lunch the next day.
Slow cooked beef curry
I often cook a big batch of this curry on the weekend and then enjoy the leftovers midweek when time is tight
Servings
4Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
4 hours 0 minsTotal Time
4 hours 10 minsCourse
MainCuisine
IndianIngredients
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
800g beef pieces, you can get these from your butcher
2 onions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2-inch piece of ginger, grated
3 tbs tomato paste
500g baby potatoes
1L passata
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
200ml water
200g natural yoghurt
Small bunch of fresh mint, roughly chopped
Handful of flaked almonds, lightly toasted.
Method
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the beef and cook until lightly browned.
Add the onion and fry until it starts to brown.
Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a further 2-3 minutes.
Add this with the tomato paste, passata, potatoes and spices to the slow cooker, along with the water and cook on high for four hours.
Once cooked, transfer to warmed serving bowls and top with the mint, yoghurt and almonds. Alternatively, allow to cool fully then store in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy!
Slow-cooked lamb with cannellini beans, tomatoes and rosemary
Bean stews make the perfect one-pot meal — comforting, filling and inexpensive. Gremolata is a fresh-tasting mix of chopped parsley, garlic and lemon zest. I use it to sprinkle over roast or braised meats, pastas or anything pan-grilled. Delicious If you’
Servings
6Preparation Time
30 minsCooking Time
1 hours 30 minsTotal Time
2 hours 0 minsCourse
MainIngredients
500g boned shoulder of lamb, trimmed of fat and cut into 3cm cubes
plain flour, for dusting
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
50g onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
225g carrots, finely diced
1 stick of celery, finely diced
2 bay leaves
a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 x 400g tins of Italian tomatoes, chopped
300ml white wine
300ml homemade lamb stock or water
2 400g tins of cannellini beans, rinsed in cold water and drained (*see note at end of recipe)
flaky sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
For the gremolata:
4 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 generous tsp grated or finely chopped organic lemon zest
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
flaky sea salt, to taste
Method
Dust the cubes of lamb with flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a casserole and fry the lamb in batches until brown. Remove the lamb to a plate and set aside.
Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery to the casserole and cook over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes until the onions are beginning to soften and are slightly golden. Add the lamb.
Reduce the heat to low and put in the bay leaves, rosemary, tomatoes, white wine and lamb stock or water. Bring slowly to the boil, cover the pan with a lid and simmer very gently for about one and a half hours, or until the lamb is tender. Add the cannellini beans 15 minutes before the end. Remove the rosemary sprigs and bay leaves from the lamb and check the seasoning.
To make the gremolata, mix all of the ingredients in a small bowl, season to taste with salt and serve soon.
Serve sprinkled with the gremolata and a big bowl of buttery scallion champ.
