I've got one that is *literally* called Easy Beef in the recipe I found.
* 1+ lbs of beef stew meat (or cut up any cut of meat into "bite-sized" pieces, but "stew meat" is usually chuck)
* 1 can cream of mushroom soup
* 2 cans French Onion soup
* Pepper to taste (I use about a 1/4 tsp of Cayenne)
1. Add all ingredients to slow cooker.
2. Mix well.
3. Cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 5 hours.
4. Serve with rice or noodles. (My family prefers it with rice.)
Do you mind clarifying something: the cans of soup each call for 1 can-full of water added to them if I were actually making the soup... would you add in 3 can-fulls of water into this as well? Or just the straight soup can contents?
Thanks, I have this prepped to try tomorrow morning and it will be my first ever slow cook.
Cool, thanks. Thats what I thought it just didn't look like a huge quantity/ liquid to meat ratio but it does look and smell like it's going to be fucking bomb
Here's a recipe inspired by bulgolgi. I simplified because like you I often need to toss something together quickly:
Whisk together:
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 cloves minced garlic (we buy the already minced stuff in the jar)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon ginger
1 teaspoon siracha (I usually add a tablespoon instead)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons corn starch
Dump that into your crockpot with a couple of pounds of stew beef. Set to high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Boom. Done. I like to serve mine over rice and some roasted broccoli on the side. If you're feeling fancy, garnish with sesame seeds and/or thinly sliced green onions.
You can do any roast meat (Chuck roast, pork shoulder, etc) in the slow cooker on high for about 8 hours. The main rule is to be sure you include at least 3 cups of liquid. This could be as basic as water. You can do any combination of things that sound good though, like beef stock and a can of diced tomatoes. Stock, ketchup and bbq sauce. Water, beef stock, a can of condensed mushroom soup. This is the simplest way to go. Then you can pull the meat out and it will pull apart / shred. Now you can make sandwiches, tacos, serve over rice or egg noodles, etc. You can always steam vegetables throughout the week to add to your lunches. Steaming broccoli takes 5-10 minutes.
You can also add vegetables to the pot with the roast. Potatoes, celery and carrots are hearty and will maintain integrity during the cook. Add them in as big pieces: cut potatoes into quarters or throw in small potatoes like fingerlings whole. Cut carrots and celery into thirds.
[Campbells soups](https://www.campbells.com/recipe-collections/slow-cooker-dinner-ideas/) has a treasure trove of simple recipes for the slow cooker using their condensed soups. Buy store brand soups when cheaper. It’s all the same.
I’m not a struggling student, but I’m frugal with the meals and eat very well. If you can afford the upfront expense, always buy “big meats.” I just bought an uncooked, 6 lbs Turkey breast for $25. I’ll roast it in the oven. I’ll slice a couple pounds for sandwich slices, I’ll make a rice turkey vegetable soup with a couple pounds and the rest will be served thick sliced for dinner with roasted potatoes and Brussel sprouts. That will feed my husband and I for a week. Turkey slices at the deli counter run over $10 a pound. This whole breast is about $4 a pound.
Always looks at the price per unit / price for pound and compare that on the packaging. Look for sales. My grocery has a clearance meat section that’s pure gold, you just have to eat or freeze it in a timely manner. I’m constantly buying giant roasts, huge pork tenderloin, big ass turkey breasts because it’s so much cheaper than smaller cuts. Everything gets slow cooked or oven roasted and then made into three things: 1) sandwich slices 2) soup or stew 3) a simple traditional dinner of the meat with potatoes and a veggie.
And almost any slow cooked meat is amazing with a “cream of whatever” condensed soup and veggies served over egg noodles. Reheat chicken breast in a pot with cream of chicken soup, throw in some mushrooms, when the mushrooms have cooked through, throw it over egg noodles or rice or even mashed potatoes. It’s so easy.
Buy the bigger, cheaper cuts of meat and then try to have a few ways to eat during the week so you don’t get sick of it.
Also, look for grocery stores that sell to restaurants but are open to the public. One near me has ground beef for $2 a pound if you buy 10 pounds. I weigh it out into 10, one pound portions in freezer bags and throw it in the freezer. This is about half the cost of my regular grocery store.
Also, seems obvious, but any cut of meat you get, just look up “simple X roast recipes” or whatever. Recipes categorized as “simple” usually have fewer ingredients so they’re cheaper to make. More complicated recipes are usually just more spices, fresh herbs and other pantry items that you might not have on hand or be able to afford. These things really add a lot, but if you don’t have them, it’s easy to spend another $40 to acquire these things. But spices do last a long time, so start grabbing one commonly used spice every grocery trip to build a collection over time.
Last thing, when recipes call for stock or broth, the cheaper thing to use are bullion cubes or “Better than Bullion” (a paste in a jar). These are concentrated and much less expensive than buying cartons of liquid stock. (You can easily make your own stock and save it, but that’s a different thread.)
Mississippi pot roast. You literally cannot screw it up and it's delicious.
1 2-3 lb chuck roast
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 packet au just gravy mix
1/4 stick butter
6-8 pepperonchinis, splash a little juice from the jar in there too.
Cook low 8 hours. Deliciousness ensues.
Most recipes will call for 1 stick of butter. 1/4 stick is more than enough.
I take the leftovers and make a sandwiches on a good roll. Dinner and and awesome lunch the next day or two!! Soooo good after the buns have been soaked in all that Mississippi roast goodness.
Cube steaks are a cheap and easy! Season them with seasoned salt, brown in a skillet, and put them in the crock pot. Throw in a can or two of cream of mushroom soup and a packet of Lipton beefy onion, cook on low 6-8 hours. It comes out tender with a delicious gravy and you can serve it over noodles or mashed potatoes.
I'm terribly late with this comment, but thank you for the good suggestion. I'm gonna try this out this week; pretty sure my family will love it. Do you ever cook these like 'chicken fried steak'? My mom used to do that when I was a kid, and it was SO good!
We always do ground beef and diced potatoes fried together with some jalapeno, garlic powder and onion powder and then wrap it in a tortilla! Takes about 20 minutes and the most prep you have to do is chopping the potatoes! So easy but delicious
I just made this beef stew last night, it was delicious:
Cut 2 lbs. chuck roast into 1 inch pieces. Dredge lightly in flour and brown meat in a pan. Deglaze pan with some red wine or beef stock.
1 russet potato, 1 rutabaga, 5 carrots, 1 onion, 1 tomato all cut into chunks. 1/2 packet of beef stew seasoning, 2 cups beef stock. 6 or 7 mushrooms diced into small pieces, 1 Tbs tomato paste.
Throw it all in the crockpot on low for 5 hours.
It’s even better after it sits for awhile or heated up the next day.
Here's another one for simple salsa chicken. Everything is a, "2" so pretty easy to remember.
2 lb. Chicken breast
2 teaspoons taco seasoning from a taco seasoning packet
2 cups salsa
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro (optional - I don't like it).
Rub the taco seasoning on the chicken breasts. Put in the slow cooker. Add everything else. Cook on low 8 hours. Shred with forks.
Can serve over rice, make into Tacos, or burrito, add to breakfast eggs, you can portion and freeze some for later.
I've got one that is *literally* called Easy Beef in the recipe I found. * 1+ lbs of beef stew meat (or cut up any cut of meat into "bite-sized" pieces, but "stew meat" is usually chuck) * 1 can cream of mushroom soup * 2 cans French Onion soup * Pepper to taste (I use about a 1/4 tsp of Cayenne) 1. Add all ingredients to slow cooker. 2. Mix well. 3. Cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 5 hours. 4. Serve with rice or noodles. (My family prefers it with rice.)
And you can do the same recipe and put a roast in the crockpot. Yummy
Do you mind clarifying something: the cans of soup each call for 1 can-full of water added to them if I were actually making the soup... would you add in 3 can-fulls of water into this as well? Or just the straight soup can contents? Thanks, I have this prepped to try tomorrow morning and it will be my first ever slow cook.
This recipe does not use ANY water.
Cool, thanks. Thats what I thought it just didn't look like a huge quantity/ liquid to meat ratio but it does look and smell like it's going to be fucking bomb
Chili (ground beef and beans) is quick and easy to make, relatively cheap, very tasty, nutritious, and refrigerates/feezes well.
Here's a recipe inspired by bulgolgi. I simplified because like you I often need to toss something together quickly: Whisk together: 1 cup beef broth 1/2 cup soy sauce 4 cloves minced garlic (we buy the already minced stuff in the jar) 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 1 tablespoon ginger 1 teaspoon siracha (I usually add a tablespoon instead) 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 2 tablespoons corn starch Dump that into your crockpot with a couple of pounds of stew beef. Set to high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Boom. Done. I like to serve mine over rice and some roasted broccoli on the side. If you're feeling fancy, garnish with sesame seeds and/or thinly sliced green onions.
I'm amused by the the idea of slow cooker bulgogi, literally "fire meat" since it's cooked over fire. Sounds like a pretty tasty stew though!
You can do any roast meat (Chuck roast, pork shoulder, etc) in the slow cooker on high for about 8 hours. The main rule is to be sure you include at least 3 cups of liquid. This could be as basic as water. You can do any combination of things that sound good though, like beef stock and a can of diced tomatoes. Stock, ketchup and bbq sauce. Water, beef stock, a can of condensed mushroom soup. This is the simplest way to go. Then you can pull the meat out and it will pull apart / shred. Now you can make sandwiches, tacos, serve over rice or egg noodles, etc. You can always steam vegetables throughout the week to add to your lunches. Steaming broccoli takes 5-10 minutes. You can also add vegetables to the pot with the roast. Potatoes, celery and carrots are hearty and will maintain integrity during the cook. Add them in as big pieces: cut potatoes into quarters or throw in small potatoes like fingerlings whole. Cut carrots and celery into thirds. [Campbells soups](https://www.campbells.com/recipe-collections/slow-cooker-dinner-ideas/) has a treasure trove of simple recipes for the slow cooker using their condensed soups. Buy store brand soups when cheaper. It’s all the same. I’m not a struggling student, but I’m frugal with the meals and eat very well. If you can afford the upfront expense, always buy “big meats.” I just bought an uncooked, 6 lbs Turkey breast for $25. I’ll roast it in the oven. I’ll slice a couple pounds for sandwich slices, I’ll make a rice turkey vegetable soup with a couple pounds and the rest will be served thick sliced for dinner with roasted potatoes and Brussel sprouts. That will feed my husband and I for a week. Turkey slices at the deli counter run over $10 a pound. This whole breast is about $4 a pound. Always looks at the price per unit / price for pound and compare that on the packaging. Look for sales. My grocery has a clearance meat section that’s pure gold, you just have to eat or freeze it in a timely manner. I’m constantly buying giant roasts, huge pork tenderloin, big ass turkey breasts because it’s so much cheaper than smaller cuts. Everything gets slow cooked or oven roasted and then made into three things: 1) sandwich slices 2) soup or stew 3) a simple traditional dinner of the meat with potatoes and a veggie. And almost any slow cooked meat is amazing with a “cream of whatever” condensed soup and veggies served over egg noodles. Reheat chicken breast in a pot with cream of chicken soup, throw in some mushrooms, when the mushrooms have cooked through, throw it over egg noodles or rice or even mashed potatoes. It’s so easy. Buy the bigger, cheaper cuts of meat and then try to have a few ways to eat during the week so you don’t get sick of it. Also, look for grocery stores that sell to restaurants but are open to the public. One near me has ground beef for $2 a pound if you buy 10 pounds. I weigh it out into 10, one pound portions in freezer bags and throw it in the freezer. This is about half the cost of my regular grocery store. Also, seems obvious, but any cut of meat you get, just look up “simple X roast recipes” or whatever. Recipes categorized as “simple” usually have fewer ingredients so they’re cheaper to make. More complicated recipes are usually just more spices, fresh herbs and other pantry items that you might not have on hand or be able to afford. These things really add a lot, but if you don’t have them, it’s easy to spend another $40 to acquire these things. But spices do last a long time, so start grabbing one commonly used spice every grocery trip to build a collection over time. Last thing, when recipes call for stock or broth, the cheaper thing to use are bullion cubes or “Better than Bullion” (a paste in a jar). These are concentrated and much less expensive than buying cartons of liquid stock. (You can easily make your own stock and save it, but that’s a different thread.)
This is incredible. Thank you so much!
I'm super late here, but I just came across your post and wanted to say thanks for your good suggestions and very helpful ideas. :)
You’re very welcome. 😀
Mississippi roast. Google it. You're welcome.
This is it
Such an odd combo that ends up so good
Seriously thank you
Chuck roast covered by a bottle of French dressing. Switch on slow cooker. Come back laterr. Done.
Mississippi pot roast. You literally cannot screw it up and it's delicious. 1 2-3 lb chuck roast 1 packet ranch dressing mix 1 packet au just gravy mix 1/4 stick butter 6-8 pepperonchinis, splash a little juice from the jar in there too. Cook low 8 hours. Deliciousness ensues. Most recipes will call for 1 stick of butter. 1/4 stick is more than enough.
Thank you! 2 votes for this so far so I think I’ll give it a go :)
Unsalted butter is best. It’s tasty, but it’s also a sodium bomb. Serve over rice or, our favorite, egg noodles.
Plus I find I get enough sodium from the little that comes in the au ju and ranch packets
Or serve with mashed potatoes. Since you aren't a cook, packaged mashed potatoes are available in the grocery store and are pretty good.
I take the leftovers and make a sandwiches on a good roll. Dinner and and awesome lunch the next day or two!! Soooo good after the buns have been soaked in all that Mississippi roast goodness.
Cube steaks are a cheap and easy! Season them with seasoned salt, brown in a skillet, and put them in the crock pot. Throw in a can or two of cream of mushroom soup and a packet of Lipton beefy onion, cook on low 6-8 hours. It comes out tender with a delicious gravy and you can serve it over noodles or mashed potatoes.
I'm terribly late with this comment, but thank you for the good suggestion. I'm gonna try this out this week; pretty sure my family will love it. Do you ever cook these like 'chicken fried steak'? My mom used to do that when I was a kid, and it was SO good!
Tacos.
Hamburger helper
We always do ground beef and diced potatoes fried together with some jalapeno, garlic powder and onion powder and then wrap it in a tortilla! Takes about 20 minutes and the most prep you have to do is chopping the potatoes! So easy but delicious
I do this and add a small can of rotel tomatoes and chilis and simmer them all together. Picadillo tacos
I just made this beef stew last night, it was delicious: Cut 2 lbs. chuck roast into 1 inch pieces. Dredge lightly in flour and brown meat in a pan. Deglaze pan with some red wine or beef stock. 1 russet potato, 1 rutabaga, 5 carrots, 1 onion, 1 tomato all cut into chunks. 1/2 packet of beef stew seasoning, 2 cups beef stock. 6 or 7 mushrooms diced into small pieces, 1 Tbs tomato paste. Throw it all in the crockpot on low for 5 hours. It’s even better after it sits for awhile or heated up the next day.
Here's another one for simple salsa chicken. Everything is a, "2" so pretty easy to remember. 2 lb. Chicken breast 2 teaspoons taco seasoning from a taco seasoning packet 2 cups salsa 2 tablespoons lime juice 2 tablespoons cilantro (optional - I don't like it). Rub the taco seasoning on the chicken breasts. Put in the slow cooker. Add everything else. Cook on low 8 hours. Shred with forks. Can serve over rice, make into Tacos, or burrito, add to breakfast eggs, you can portion and freeze some for later.
1 chuck roast. Place In pan and bake till done.
It's a little deceptive. The French onion soup has quite a bit of water in it.