Midweek Meals: Five hearty, nourishing dinner recipes to make in your slow cooker 

Give the airfryer a break and try these slow-cooker recipes for dinner this week

Midweek Meals for your slow cooker

Slow Cooker Bean Chilli

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond 

By cooking up a slow cooker meal I will have a pot of hot dinner on the go for when the kids eat.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 3 hours 31 mins

Total Time

 3 hours 41 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• salt and pepper

• 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

• 500ml passata

• 1 tin kidney beans

• 1 tin chickpeas

• 300g broccoli, finely chopped

• 1 yellow pepper, sliced

Method

1. Place the onion, garlic, spices, seasoning, carrots, and passata into a slow cooker. Stir well.

2. Add in the beans and chickpeas and stir so that they are coated in the sauce.

3. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook at high for 3 hours.

4. After 3 hours, add the finely chopped broccoli and sliced pepper then stir well. Cook for a further 30 minutes on high. This stops the softer vegetables from getting too soggy.

5. Serve with cooked rice or crusty bread. If you have any leftovers they will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for over a month.

Slow-Cooker Honey Chilli Beef Noodles

recipe by:Nathan Anthony

This is a quick and lean version of one of my favourite local Chinese takeaway dishes, and one of the most popular recipes I have ever shared with my online followers.

Servings

3

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 2 hours 20 mins

Total Time

 2 hours 30 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Chinese

Ingredients

• 400g (14oz) beef steaks, thinly sliced

• 4 tbsp dark soy sauce

• 5 tbsp light soy sauce

• 2 tsp rice vinegar

• 5 garlic cloves, crushed

• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce

• 3 tbsp orange juice

• 4 tbsp honey

• 2 tsp chilli flakes

• 1 tbsp cornflour, mixed to a paste with 1 tbsp water

• 1 red pepper, sliced

• 200g (7oz) dried egg noodles

• 350ml (12fl oz) hot chicken stock

• chopped spring onions and sesame seeds, to garnish

Method

1. Place all the ingredients, except the red pepper, noodles and stock, in the slow cooker and stir.

2. Cook on high for 2 hours.

3. Add the red pepper, noodles and stock, stir and cook for another 15-20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.

4. Garnish with spring onions and sesame seeds.

Vegetarian Lasagne

recipe by:Nathan Anthony

I aim for one Vegetarian day every week and when I'm craving pasta or something warming, this doesn't disappoint. I love lasagne and this veggie version is packed full of flavour after a long, slow cook. I never say no to lasagne.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 4 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 4 hours 20 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 120g (scant 4 1/2oz) pine nuts or other nuts

• 3 x 400g (14oz) tins of chopped tomatoes

• 1 tbsp red pesto

• 5 garlic cloves, crushed

• 2 tsp vegetable bouillon powder

• 1 tbsp dried oregano

• 1 tbsp dried thyme

• 1 tbsp tomato purée

• 1 courgette, finely chopped

• 1 red pepper, finely chopped

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 100g (3 1/2oz) mushrooms, finely chopped

• handful of fresh basil, chopped

• 1 aubergine, sliced

• 8 sheets of dried lasagne

• 1-2 tablespoons basil pesto

• 100g (3 1/2oz) ricotta cheese (or extra Mozzarella)

• 100g (3 1/2oz) Mozzarella, shredded

• 1 large tomato, sliced

• salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Place the pine nuts, tinned tomatoes, red pesto, garlic, vegetable bouillon, herbs and tomato purée in a food processor and blitz for 15-20 seconds until the pine nuts are in small pieces but still have some texture.

2. Place the mixture in a mixing bowl, season to taste and add the courgette, red pepper, onion, mushrooms and fresh basil.

3. Place one-third or the vegetable mixture in the slow cooker and top with one-third of the aubergine slices and one-third of the lasagne, breaking up the sheets to fit the pot. Dot with one-third of the basil pesto, one-third of the ricotta and one-quarter of the Mozzarella.

4. Repeat the layers until the ingredients are used up, finishing with the remaining Mozzarella and the sliced tomato on top of the final layer of lasagne sheets.

5. Cook on high for 4 hours. If you have an ovenproof slow cooker pot, place it without the lid under a preheated grill for 10 minutes to create a golden crust on top.

Slow cooker meatballs marinara

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond 

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.

Chicken and Peanut Curry

recipe by:Nathan Anthony

I adore anything with peanut butter in it. The lime, chilli and curry powder give this dish a great flavour profile and the long, slow cooking makes the chicken taste even more incredible. If you like a thicker sauce, add the optional cornflour paste in t

Servings

3

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 4 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 4 hours 10 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breasts or 6 thighs, cut into chunks

• juice of 1 lime

• 4 tbsp peanut butter

• handful of fresh coriander

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1 tbsp curry powder

• 400ml (14fl oz) tin of reduced-fat coconut milk

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1 red bird's eye chilli

• 1 tbsp cornflour, mixed to a paste with 1 tbsp water (optional)

• salt and pepper, to taste

• chopped spring onions, chopped peanuts, chopped red chilli and fresh coriander, to garnish

Method

1. Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker, stir and season to taste.

2. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours.

3. Garnish with spring onions, peanuts, chilli and fresh coriander.