NTR: Why do my crockpot meals suck?

aimeelv · May 2009

I've made four meals in my new crock pot and they've all come out uber bland. Is it just that I'm using bad recipes or is there some trick I don't know that helps meals to come out flavorful? Does anyone have a particularly savory recipe to share? My DH is starting to lose confidence in my crockpotting abilities!

teacherjess · May 2009

I suck on the crockpot as well. I made three meals in it and they were all so bad they were inedible and we had to eat something else. I'm blaming the crockpot.

To make things better, my DH had never used one before and kept calling it the "cockpot" on accident, which really made the whole thing a lot less serious.

carolinaem · May 2009

Mine have all sucked too. My husband vetoes crock pot meals now. Sad

franciscaz · May 2009

My rule of thumb is cook as if you were cooking a regular meal. I love spices, pepper, and of course salt so I always add extra to my recipes. Don't be afraid to experiment Smile

SpartanGirl · May 2009

I'm willing to bet it's the recipes. We've tried some really bad ones (like Applesauce Chicken - GAG!!). We have a few standbys that are always pretty good.

Crockpot Ravioli (the kids love this one)
1 (25 ounce) bag cheese ravioli
1 (26 ounce) jar pasta sauce
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2-3 teaspoons red pepper flakes
Italian spices and other seasonings to taste
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
(I also added sliced mushrooms and crushed garlic to the sauce and doubled the recipe so we would have leftovers)

Pour about half of the pasta sauce in the bottom of crockpot. Add frozen ravioli. Pour additional pasta sauce, tomato sauce, and red pepper over ravioli. Sprinkle Italian seasonings over sauces. Sprinkle cheese on top. Turn crockpot on low and cook for 4-5 hours (until ravioli are tender)

Salsa Chicken
1.5lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
16oz jar of salsa
sour cream
prepared rice
corn/black beans (optional)

Place chicken in crockpot, salt & pepper to taste. Cover with salsa. Cook on low for 6 hours (or longer if using frozen chicken). Shred chicken in pot with fork & add sour cream to taste (about 8 oz). Continue cooking until sour cream is heated through. Serve over rice.

We also do Pot Roast with potatoes and carrots. We add the pot roast, sliced potatoes and carrots and some seasoning, then add beef stock and red wine for the "juice." It always tastes so good.

Another favorite, that I don't have a recipe for is White Chili. It's basically chicken breasts, salsa, and beans. You could probably google a pretty simple recipe.

I joined a Crockpot Moms group on cafemom.com that has had some really good recipes (with reviews too). Good luck!! I hope you find some recipes that your family likes. The crockpot can be such a timesaver!

aimeelv · May 2009

Lol, I'm glad I'm not alone!! Someone has to have a good recipe to try, right??

Mrs Manners · May 2009

What have you made so far? My fav crockpot meal is taco soup:

1 lb. of lean ground beef (can also be made with ground turkey)

1 can of Pinto Beans

1 can of Kidney Beans

1 can of Black Beans

1 can of Great Northern Beans

1 can of Fancy Diced Tomatoes (or Petite Diced Tomatoes)

1 can of Whole Kernel Corn

1 can of Beef Broth

1 pkg. of dry Ranch Dressing (fat free)

1 pkg. dry Mild Taco Seasoning

Brown meat and drain, wash juice off of the Black Beans & Corn (only). Combine all of the ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for 3 hours (stirring occasionally). Excellent when served with Fritos or Tortilla Chips and topped with cheese.

aimeelv · May 2009

Thanks, SpartanGirl! I will definitely try your recipes

jenifairies · May 2009

Most of the recipes i've seen floating around don't have a lot of seasoning. so i add some. garlic goes in pretty much everything. as does pepper, and usually onion powder. sometimes seasoned salt or mrs dash.

what kind of meals are you cooking? i have one that is good and really easy that i got from a nestie if you want to try it.

slow cooker creamy italian chicken
3-4 boneless chicken breasts
1/3 c of water
i packet of italian dressing seasoning mix (i used the good sense brand)
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1 can cream of chicken soup (if you can find cream of chicken with herbs it has more flavor)
4 oz can of mushrooms or fresh mushrooms
shot of white wine
rotini noodles

put the chicken in the crockpot. mix the seasoning with water and pour on top, add wine. cook 3-4 hours on low until chicken is nearly cooked. then with a whisk mix the cream soup and cream cheese. pour on top. add mushrooms. cook that for about another hour until the chicken is done. make some noodles on the stove, then put your chicken and sauce on top.

the sauce of it tastes really good on mashed potatoes too. dh, who has been complaining about too much pasta and chicken lately, ate it up and thought it was great.

Happy2beMrsT · May 2009

This recipe is really good:

https://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Italian-Beef-for-Sandwiches/Detail.aspx

I serve the beef on hoagie rolls with peppers and provolone cheese....they are SO YUMMY!

FutureMrsDenman · May 2009

I make a Hungarian Goulash in mine that is pretty savory. I got the recipe from one of the Fix it and Forget it Crockpot Cookbooks. If you are interested I can find it and post it.

I made a version of the salsa chicken recipe above just today. I think I shoud have used a hotter salsa though ... I went with medium ... and it could have used a little more oomph. That said, the recipe I used called for a jar of salsa, a can of cheese soup (I used cheddar and would probably use nacho next time), and a 1/2 packet of taco seasoning, plus the black beans and corn if desired.. This recipe left out the sour cream. Other versions I saw called for 1 cup shredded cheese instead of the soup. We had ours in soft tortillas with the black beans corn and rice inside as well rather than just poured over rice. We have plenty of leftovers in the fridge, but both of us ate at least 3 soft tacos. I should say that I only used 3 chicken breasts, some recipes called for 4 I think.

LoriFalce · May 2009

Try starting pretty simple.

I have two crockpots and often have them both going at the same time, and one of them usually has my favorite chicken in it. I buy a big old package of chicken pieces. My husband likes dark meat, so I usually buy chicken leg quarters. I throw them in the crockpot with garlic, salt, pepper and minced onion. Use more than you think you'll need. I use a pretty heavy hand. Then I add a little wine, beer, water or broth, whatever I have around. Turn it on low and leave it alone. I often do this overnight so we have the chicken for lunch the next day.

The meat is very moist, and incredibly flavorful. It tastes like an $8 rotisserie chicken from the deli, and I only have about $3 in it. (I always buy meat on sale and freeze it.) Plus, I have all the broth that cooked out of the chicken to use for other stuff.

And my foolproof roast recipe? One beef roast, whatever cut works for you. One can of beer. One can of diced tomatoes. Salt, pepper, garlic if you like it. Turn it on, forget about it. Great shredded for sandwiches, or pot roasty with mashed potatoes topped with the tomato-y juiciness.

Tess12 · May 2009

I'll have to try some of these. I don't use my crockpot enough.

7/04Bride · May 2009

It's so funny that you posted this because I was going to post a question asking for good crockpot recipes to try. I need easy meals that I can prepare while DS is napping to make dinnertime easier. The only thing I've ever made in mine is the chili recipe that came with it and it was yummy. I actually make it on the stove most of the time now because I can double the recipe.

By the way, I LOVE your siggy pic!

FutureMrsDenman · May 2009

If you haven't seen it, check out this blog (https://crockpot365.blogspot.com/). She used her crockpot EVERY day for a year and wrote about the experience in detail with all the recipes. She also wrote reviews of how they turned out and what other people's reactions to them were (family, friends, etc.).

Hippinski · May 2009

I always add a TON of extra seasoning. We like food with strong flavors so I add more.

SpartanGirl · May 2009

FutureMrsDenman:

If you haven't seen it, check out this blog (https://crockpot365.blogspot.com/). She used her crockpot EVERY day for a year and wrote about the experience in detail with all the recipes. She also wrote reviews of how they turned out and what other people's reactions to them were (family, friends, etc.).

This is a really cool blog, but I warn you to avoid the applesauce chicken. She gave it good reviews, but it was awful. It didn't even smell good while it was cooking.

aimeelv · May 2009

Yay, I knew my nestie friends would help me out! I'll pick up the ingredients to try a couple of these when I do my grocery shopping next week. Hopefully I can prove crockpotting abilities to DH!

aimeelv · May 2009

Hippinski:
I always add a TON of extra seasoning. We like food with strong flavors so I add more.

We like strong flavors too, which is why I think DH has been so disappointed so far. I'll keep this in mind.

ougrad1 · May 2009

I absolutely HATE the crock pot but, recently made these and they are to DIE for. Be sure to read the reviews before you make them. Butter the bread and toast it before you make the sandwich and use lots of provolone! Oh. and you can't taste the beer in them. If you make one more meal in the crock pot-let these be it!

https://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Slow-Cooker-French-Dip/Detail.aspx

Yum!

msufan78 · May 2009

SFL

pamela-matt · May 2009

FutureMrsDenman:
If you haven't seen it, check out this blog (https://crockpot365.blogspot.com/).? She used her crockpot EVERY day for a year and wrote about the experience in detail with all the recipes.? She also wrote reviews of how they turned out and what other people's reactions to them were (family, friends, etc.).

I was going to suggest this site too. ?Great site.?

taylormillgirl · May 2009

I've made Salsa Chicken many times before, and it's fabulous. (Chicken breasts + 1 packet taco seasoning + 1 jar mild salsa + 1 can black beans). But instead of serving it with rice, I shred the chicken and serve it in tortillas.

I also like to make sweet and sour meatballs. Take a bag of frozen meatballs, toss them in the crockpot with a can of pineapple (with juice), one jar of S&S sauce, and a bag of frozen diced onion/bell pepper mix. Serve over rice.