5 Easy Slow Cooker Recipes Every Busy Family Will Love

From the chaos of the school run to juggling work, after-school activities and weekends spent ferrying kids to various parties, we know what it’s like to be a busy parent. With so little time, cooking a nutritious meal that the whole family will like can be almost impossible. Swap the microwave meals, nuggets and chips for delicious and healthy slow cooker recipes that even the fussiest eaters will like.

Slow cooker turkey meatballs

These are a firm family favourite and they’re so easy to make. You can make them with beef mince if you prefer but turkey mince is lean and high in protein. Why not hide some extra veggies in the meatballs by adding grated courgette?

Serves: 4-5 | Preparation Time: 1 hour | Cook Time: 5 hours

Ingredients:

The sauce:

• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• 2 celery sticks, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 500g passata
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

The meatballs:

• 400g turkey mince
• 4 tbsp porridge oats
• Pinch of paprika
• 1 garlic clove
• Spray of oil
  

Method:

1. Heat the slow cooker. Lightly fry the onion, celery, carrots, garlic in the oil for a minute or so. Pour in the passata, add the parsley and stir before transferring the mixture to the slow cooker.
2. Now let’s make the meatballs. Add the mince in a large bowl then add in the oats, paprika, garlic and plenty of black pepper. Mix it all together with your hands.
3. Divide the mixture into 20 balls about the size of a walnut.
4. Gently fry off the meatballs in a pan until they start to brown.
5. Add your meatballs to the tomato base and cook on low for 5 hours.

Recipe credit: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/slow-cooker-meatballs

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Slow cooker chicken curry

Put down the takeaway menu, why not try making this slow cooker chicken korma at home? Serve up with warm naan bread and mango chutney for a proper fakeaway treat.

Serves: 4-6 | Preparation Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 6 hours, 20 mins

Ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves
• Thumb-sized piece of ginger
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• 6 skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ¼ - ½ tsp chilli powder
• 2 tsp sugar
• 300ml chicken stock
• 150ml double cream or creme fraiche
• 6 tbsp ground almonds
• Toast almond flakes to serve

Method:

1. Put your slow cooker on low. Make a paste out of the garlic, ginger and onions by whizzing them up in a blender with a splash of water.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and sear the chicken. Remove it from the pan and set aside before adding the paste to the pan. Fry on a medium heat for about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomato purée, spices, 1 tsp salt and the sugar, fry for 1 minute until aromatic, then put the chicken back into the pan and add the stock. Stir and bring to a simmer and then add to the slow cooker.
4. Cook on low for 5-6 hours until the chicken is cooked but still tender.
5. Stir in the cream and ground almonds and reduce for 10 minutes if needed. Top with flaked almonds and serve!

Recipe credit: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/slow-cooker-chicken-korma

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Slow cooker mac & cheese

Forget having to faff around making a white sauce, just tip the ingredients into your slow cooker, set it and forget it. Why not add in some finely chopped broccoli or kale for extra greens? An easy, veggie midweek dinner that everyone will love.

Serves: 4 | Preparation Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 mins

Ingredients:

• 350g macaroni pasta
• 600ml whole milk
• 50g butter, cubed
• 50g soft cheese
• 100g mature cheddar, grated plus extra for serving
• 20g parmesan

Method:

1. Pour boiling water over the pasta and drain, chuck everything into your slow cooker and stir well. Season, cover and cook for an hour on low.
2. Stir again, put the lid back on and cook for another 30 minutes until the pasta is cooked and the sauce has reduced.
3. Leave the lid off and reduce for the last 10 minutes if you need to, or add a splash of milk if it’s too dry.
4. Serve up with a smattering of extra cheese.

Recipe credit: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/slow-cooker-mac-n-cheese

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Save for later shepherd's pie

Looking for mince slow cooker recipes? Prep and freeze this shepherd’s pie filling and simply top with mash when you’re ready to serve.

Serves: 6 | Preparation Time: <30 mins | Cook Time: >2 hours

Ingredients:

• 500g lamb mince
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery stick, sliced
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 275ml lamb stock
• 3 tbsp tomato purée
• 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3-4 medium carrots, cut into chunks
• 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Fry the mince, onion and celery into a large frying pan over a medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Break up the mine as much as possible.
2. Tip the mixture into the slow cooker and toss with the flour. Mix the hot stock with the tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce and pour over the mince. Add the carrots and herbs and season with salt and lots of black pepper.
3. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 4.5-5.5 hours or low for 7-9 hours. Once cooked you can freeze this mixture for later.
4. To serve, top with creamy mash and cook in the oven at 220C for 25-30 minutes.

Recipe credit: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/slow_cooker_shepherds_48202

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Slow cooker brisket tacos

We’ve saved the best for last. If you’re looking for a brisket slow cooker recipe that goes a long way, then this is for you. Slow cook the meat until tender and serve up with warm tacos, guacamole and pickled onions for a winning Mexican night.

Serves: 6 | Preparation Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 10 hours

Ingredients:

• 900g beef brisket
• 250g salsa
• 4 tbsp taco seasoning
• 2 fresh limes, juiced
• Fresh coriander
• Soft tacos

Method:

1. Brown the brisket in a frying pan with a little oil. Transfer to the slow cooker and cover in salsa, taco seasoning and lime juice.
2. Cook on low for 10 hours or high for 5 hours.
3. Shred the brisket once cooked and then stir in the juices of the slow cooker.
4. Serve up with warm tacos, homemade guacamole, fresh coriander and pickled onions.

Recipe credit: https://www.eatingonadime.com/slow-cooker-brisket-tacos-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-24603

Why choose a Daewoo slow cooker?

We’ve got a range of slow cookers to suit every family. The 6.5 litre model is the perfect size for keen batch cookers or bigger families. For smaller groups cook up delicious curries, rich pasta sauces and more in the 3.5 litre cooker. For couples or those of us who are tight for space the 1-2 litre model is perfect. Simply load up your ingredients in the morning, select your heat setting and be ready to serve up at the end of the day! What’s more, all our models come with a 3-year warranty meaning you can rely on yours year after year.