🌿5 Cozy Crockpot Meals for Busy Weeknights
By Hey Ivy !
When weeknight chaos hits, having a meal already simmering is pure magic. Crockpots or (slow cookers!) save time and sanity – all while providing a quick, hot meal on cool Fall nights. Here are five simple, comforting meals you can set and forget.
💡Pro Tip : Use crockpot liners to make cleanup super easy.
🌮Salsa Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
🌿3 chicken breasts (boneless/skinless)
🌿1 taco seasoning packet
🌿1 jar salsa (any heat level)
Instructions
🌿Place chicken breasts at the bottom
🌿Sprinkle with taco seasoning
🌿Top with salsa
🌿Cook on LOW for 6 hours, shred with forks.
Serve With: Tortillas, rice bowl with beans, nachos, salads – super flexible. My favorite way to eat this meal is by heating small corn tortillas on a cast iron skillet ( both sides ) with a little oil, fold and add beans, cheese and a little sour cream. So delicious !!!
🍝Homemade Meatballs
Ingredients
🌿2 lbs. ground beef
🌿1/2 cup breadcrumbs
🌿2 eggs
🌿 1 tbsp milk
🌿3 cloves garlic minced or the equivalent using paste, or powder versions.
🌿2 tsp Italian seasoning
🌿 1 tbsp grated parmesan
🌿 2 tsp onion powder
🌿1 tbsp dried parsley
🌿 splash or two Worcestershire sauce (optional)
🌿salt and pepper to taste
🌿2-4 tbsp olive oil
🌿32 oz. pasta sauce of choice, I typically use traditional or marinara
Instructions
🌿Toss all ingredients (except for the sauce & olive oil) into a large mixing bowl. Roll your sleeves up and mix evenly with clean hands. I personally use these food grade gloves to mix.. because it’s cold and gross on the hands in my opinion.
🌿Roll into golf-ball-sized meatballs or slightly larger if you prefer. Try to keep them equally sized.
🌿Add olive oil to a skillet and heat on med-high heat.
🌿Pour marinara or tomato sauce of choice in your crock pot, set on LOW 5-6 hours of HIGH 2-3 hours.
🌿Place meatballs into skillet in batches to avoid over crowding. You will need tongs or a spoon to rotate them. The goal is to sear them (do not fully cook them) on all sides before adding them to the sauce. This will add so much flavor !
🌿Once your meatballs have all been added to your sauce, give them a light stir to make sure they are covered by the sauce without breaking them. Just let them simmer for the desired temp and time chosen above.
Serve With: Pasta, on rolls as subs with a salad, or over mashed potatoes ! so cozy.
💡Use leftovers as a pizza topping on DIY pizza night !
🍗Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
🌿1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
🌿2 tsp minced garlic
🌿 1/4 cup honey or hot honey
🌿3 tbsp light brown sugar
🌿2 tsp minced ginger
🌿1/2 cup soy sauce
🌿2 tsp toasted sesame oil
🌿2 tbsp rice vinegar
🌿2 tbsp cornstarch
🌿1/4 cup water
🌿Optional add in sesame seeds and sliced green onions
Instructions
🌿Place chicken breasts in crockpot
🌿In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tsp garlic, 2 tsp ginger, 1/4 cup honey, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 2 tsp toasted sesame oil, 3 tbsp light brown sugar, and 2 tbsp rice vinegar.
🌿Pour mixture over the chicken breasts.
🌿Cover and cook on LOW 5-6 hours or HIGH for 3 hours.
🌿Remove your chicken breasts and shred using two forks.
🌿Pour the sauce mixture from the crockpot into a small sauce pan and heat on medium-high heat until it starts to simmer.
🌿In a small bowl, mix the water and cornstarch until it dissolves, then add that to your sauce. Bring it to a boil and cook for just a minute or two until it has thickened slightly.
🌿Set your crockpot to warm, then add your chicken and sauce back in. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and sliced green onions if you’d like.
Serve With: Rice and broccoli or on a sweet roll for a delicious sandwich.
🍲Hearty Chicken & Potato Soup With Bacon
Ingredients
🌿1 Rotisserie chicken, Take all of the good meat off and chop it into smaller bite size pieces.
🌿2.5 lbs golden potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch..ish size pieces
🌿4 cups chicken broth
🌿3 garlic cloves minced
🌿1 medium yellow onion chopped (about 1.5 cups)
🌿3 tbsp butter
🌿2 cups milk
🌿2/3 cup heavy cream
🌿1/3 cup all purpose flour
🌿2/3 cup sour cream
🌿 1 or 2 tbsp dried parsley *season with your heart on this one
🌿 Salt and pepper to taste
🌿1/2 tsp chili powder
🌿Top with these optional ingredients… shredded cheddar cheese (shred your own, it makes a huge difference) additional crispy bacon, and a dollop of sour cream.
Instructions
🌿Cut up your bacon and add to heated non-stick skillet. Cook till crispy, remove and place on a paper towel. Drain all but about 1 tbsp of the bacon drippings.
🌿add your butter and heat on low/med then toss in onions and cook till tender. Scrape the pan a little to get that goodness off the bottom while cooking the onions.
🌿add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, sprinkle in the flour and whisk until smooth
🌿Add in some of your broth, about half and keep whisking.
🌿 Pour your mixture into your crockpot with your chopped potatoes and chicken, add in the remaining broth, milk, heavy cream and seasonings.
🌿Cover and cook on low until potatoes are tender, approximately 3-4 hours depending on your crockpot.
Serve With: a hearty bread and top with optional ingredients listed above.
🌶️Chili
This is one recipe that has a lot of wiggle room for customization. I season with my heart in all of my recipes, especially this one. I will offer measurements as a guide but please have fun with it ! Once it has been simmering in the crockpot for a couple of hours give it a taste, you’ll know if you need to add in extra spices for flavor. Just add a little at a time and keep in mind that spicy seasonings tend to strengthen with time.
Ingredients
🌿2 lbs ground beef
🌿16 oz can of all 3… black beans, cannellini beans, red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
🌿32 oz beef broth
🌿1 yellow onion diced
🌿1 green pepper diced
🌿16 oz can tomato sauce (plain sauce)
🌿3 tsp of chili powder
🌿1 tsp of garlic powder
🌿1/2 tsp cumin
🌿Salt & pepper to taste
🌿1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
🌿Grab a nonstick skillet, add your 2 lbs ground beef and about 1/4 – 1/2 of the beef broth. Heat on med/high and really try to make sure you break it down while cooking. *think taco bell consistency, sounds yucky but remember you’re using real ingredients.
🌿While your beef is cooking drain and rinse your beans. The easiest way to do this quickly is to add all your beans to a strainer and rinse. Add them to your crockpot set to LOW.
🌿Add the tomato sauce, remaining broth, and seasonings to the crockpot, then add your ground beef.
🌿Add chopped onion and pepper to the skillet you cooked the beef in with 1 tbsp olive oil until tender. Add to the crockpot.
🌿Cover and simmer for about 4-6 hours on low heat. Taste test and add spices as desired.
At the end of a long day, there’s nothing better than knowing dinner is already simmering away-filling your kitchen with that cozy, home-cooked aroma. Crockpot meals are not just time savers- they’re little pockets of sanity in the midst of chaos. So pull on your comfiest sweater, grab a bowl, and let the slow cooker do the rest.
-By Hey Ivy
Disclosure Statement