Midweek meals: Five comforting dinners to make in your slow cooker 

It's a wet and windy week ahead, but these slow-cooker delights will give you something to look forward to

Five slow-cooker meals to make this week

Slow cooker meatballs marinara

This is enough to feed your family for two meals, if you can stop them from eating the meatballs when your back is turned!

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 4 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 4 hours 10 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Italian

Ingredients

• 100g breadcrumbs

• 50ml milk

• 1 clove of garlic, crushed

• ½ tsp salt and pepper

• ½  tsp oregano

• 300g beef or turkey mince

• Sunflower oil for frying

• 1 onion, peeled

• 2 carrots, peeled

• 1 pepper, core removed

• 500ml passata

Method

1. Combine the breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl. Let the breadcrumbs soak up the milk (it’ll take about 5 minutes). Once the crumbs have soaked up the milk add the garlic, salt and pepper, dried oregano, and turkey mince to the bowl. Mix all these ingredients together with your hands or a fork. Once mixed thoroughly portion the mixture into ping-pong ball sized meatballs. Use the sunflower oil to fry the meatballs in a non-stick pan until golden brown on the outside.

2. Once the meatballs are golden brown pop them into a slow cooker set to high, leave the frying pan on low. Close the lid.

3. Take a food processor and pulse the onion, carrots, and pepper using the general blade until everything is puree style. Cook the puree off in the still-hot frying pan. This will take about 10 minutes to reduce the astringency of the onion. Pour the puree into the slow cooker and add the passata. Stir well.

4. Cook the meatballs in the slow cooker on high for 4 hours, until you have an unctuous sauce. Season to taste before serving. I like to add torn leaves of fresh basil on top of the meatballs mixture and serve them with penne pasta.

Slow cooker beef stew with bake-and-smash potatoes

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

This slow cooker stew tastes better the day after you make it

Servings

4

Cooking Time

 4 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 4 hours 0 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 400g lean stewing beef, cut into 3cm pieces

• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped

• 2 onions, finely sliced

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 litre beef stock

• 2 tbsp flour

• Bake-and-Smash Mash:

• 4 small potato/sweet potato

• 4 tsp maple syrup

• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

• salt and pepper

Method

1. You will need a slow cooker with 3.5-litre capacity. Preheat the slow cooker (if recommended by the manufacturer).

2. Place the beef, carrots, onions, garlic and bay leaves in the slow cooker. Use a whisk to blend the beef stock and flour. Pour the stock into the slow cooker, using just enough stock to cover the ingredients. Set the slow cooker to high and cook for 4 hours, stirring a few times.

3. Prick the sweet potato and bake at 180°C for 35-40 minutes or until tender. Mash with the maple syrup and the thyme, salt and pepper and serve with the stew.