Make It Fast, Cook It Slow (14 page)

CREAMY BEEF OVER NOODLES

serves
6

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Put meat into crock; frozen is fine. Add the butter, milk, Worcestershire sauce, onion, broth, salt, pepper, and herbes de Provence. Cook on low 10 to 12 hours, or until the meat is tender. Stir in the cream cheese. Serve over hot buttered noodles.

The Verdict

I completely made this up using ingredients on hand, and did a happy dance when I tasted the end result. Usually we blow money on the weekends on takeout or dinners out, but instead we came home from a very busy Saturday filled with errands, swim lessons, and birthday parties to a wonderful smell and a hot meal.

CREAMY CORN AND SPINACH ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

serves
6

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded meat, creamed corn, cilantro, spinach leaves, jalapeños, and 1½ cups shredded cheese. Mix. You may need to use your hands to get the spinach leaves really wilty and coated with the creamed corn. This is your filling.

Place a corn tortilla into the bottom of your stoneware. Add a hearty spoonful of filling. Top with another corn tortilla. Repeat the layers until your crock is full. In a mixing bowl, combine the green enchilada sauce with the sour cream, and pour on top. Add the remaining ½ cup shredded cheese. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours, or on high for 2 to 4 hours. Let stand with the lid off for 20 minutes before cutting.

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

serves
6

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Combine chicken with enchilada sauce, and set aside. Starting with a corn tortilla (or 2 if needed), layer ingredients into stoneware: tortillas, chicken and sauce, chopped bell pepper, black beans, olives, cheese. Repeat layers. Finish with a handful of cheese and 1 tablespoon of water that you swirl around in the bowl that held the chicken and enchilada sauce. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a slice of avocado, if desired.

JAMBALAYA

serves
6

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Combine the broth, wine, and uncooked rice in your stoneware. Add the vegetables, frozen corn, black beans, canned tomatoes, and garlic. Add the sausage. I promise it’s enough liquid. Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for about 6 hours.

Before eating, stir in the frozen shrimp and turn to high until the shrimp are pink and slightly curled, about 30 minutes.

The Verdict

We ate this on Super Duper Tuesday—the very first time Super Tuesday collided with Fat Tuesday—and truly enjoyed our meal. The heat comes from whatever sausages you happen to use. I used 2 Louisiana Hot Links, and 3 garlic-artichoke turkey sausages. It was a great combination.

LASAGNA

serves
6

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Brown the ground meat on the stovetop, and drain well. Add the jar of pasta sauce to the meat. Save the jar, you’ll need it later.

Spoon some of the meat and sauce mixture into the bottom of your slow cooker. Cover with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. Smear some ricotta cheese on the noodles, and add some mushrooms, a handful of spinach, and some egg slices, if using. Put a few slices of mozzarella on top, and ½ cup or so of the shredded cheese. Add another spoonful of the meat and sauce mixture, and repeat the layers until you run out of ingredients, or the crock is full.

Put water into the empty pasta jar and shake. Pour the contents over the assembled ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Check about an hour before serving, and push down the top noodles into the liquid, if they are getting too brown and
crispy. The lasagna is done when the pasta has reached the desired tenderness and the cheese has melted completely and has begun to brown on the edges.

The Verdict

Lasagna is a family favorite around here, and I usually make it about once a month. I really appreciate the slow-cooked version, because I can assemble everything in the morning when I’m still fully awake. I like to sneak extra diced vegetables like zucchini and broccoli into my lasagnas. As long as there is enough cheese to hide the stowaways, my kids gladly eat it up.

MACARONI AND CHEESE

serves
6
to
8

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. This is one of those dishes you need to keep an eye on. It will cook quickly, and you will need to stir every so often. Spray the crock well with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, whisk egg and milk together. Stir in the seasonings. Add the cheese and noodles, and stir well to combine. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker. It will be very liquidy. Cover and cook on low for 2 to 5 hours, or on high for 1 to 3 hours, stirring every 30 to 45 minutes. Don’t wander too far away—I was quite surprised at how quickly our pasta got fork-tender.

The Verdict

We all really liked this. The cheese on top was bubbly and brown and had the neat texture it gets when baked in the oven. The pasta swelled and completely filled my round 4-quart cooker, even though I only used 8 ounces. There are over 80 reviews of this recipe listed at crockpot365.blog spot.com—I’d recommend reading them before making this dish. It’s rather “advanced” for a slow-cooked meal, and you might find the reader suggestions helpful.

QUINOA CASSEROLE

serves
6

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer under cold running water until the water runs clear. Dump the quinoa into the crock. Add the olive oil and mix around. Pour in the chicken broth, and add the salt and cinnamon. Stir in the almonds and cranberries. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, or on high for 2 to 4 hours. The quinoa is done when you can fluff it with a fork and it is tender. The liquid should be pretty well absorbed, similar to when rice is done. Fluff the quinoa with a fork, and add the tomatoes and feta cheese. Stir gingerly to mix. Add a large handful of baby spinach to the top of the crock, and close lid. Cook on high for about 20 minutes, or until the spinach has wilted. Stir again to distribute the spinach. The tomatoes, spinach, and feta provided a great “fresh” aspect not usually present in casseroles.

SHEPHERD’S PIE

serves
6

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Brown the ground meat and onion on the stovetop, and drain any excess fat. Stir the salt, spices, and garlic into the meat. Spray the inside of your stoneware with cooking spray. Put the meat into the slow cooker and stir in the frozen vegetables, and a cup of water. Add 2 cups of cheese on top. Press the mashed potatoes down on top of the cheese and meat. Sprinkle with a bit of paprika. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for about 3 hours, then remove the lid and cook on high for 30 minutes to release the condensation and allow the potatoes to brown a bit on top. Everything is cooked already, so you’re really just allowing the flavors to meld and the potatoes to brown.

SPANISH RICE

serves
4

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Brown meat in a skillet on the stovetop with the dried onion, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Drain. Put browned meat in your crock and add rice. Open the can of tomatoes, and drain the juice into a measuring cup. Add enough water to measure 2 cups of liquid. Add to the crock. Toss in the tomatoes. Cover and cook on low for 2 to 4 hours, or until rice is cooked and tender. This is best eaten as soon as the rice has finished cooking.

SUN-DRIED TOMATO AND CAPER PASTA SAUCE

serves
4

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Put the tomatoes, garlic, and onion into your stoneware. Add the Italian seasoning. Add ¼ cup whole sun-dried tomatoes to the crock. Chop up the remaining ¼ cup, and add. Stir in capers. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Stir in frozen peas, if using, 20 minutes before serving. Toss with hot cooked pasta, and garnish with shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired.

The Verdict

This is a wonderful recipe to use if you have a tomato surplus in your garden, and are looking to make something other than the traditional marinara. I didn’t happen to use tomatoes I grew, since I’ve never successfully grown anything except for the children. The tart bite from the sun-dried tomatoes and capers turned a boring pasta dinner into a pretty exciting meal.