Great Crockpot Meals You Can Make for Dinner Tonight

Just thinking about all of the great crockpot meals that we can make has got my taste buds singing. Chicken Parmesan, beef and broccoli, honey and garlic chicken, Ranch chicken…. tell me you’re not getting hungry.

The idea behind crockpot meals is that most people are extremely busy. That’s the name of the game isn’t it?! We all try to cram as much as we can into every second of the day. Even if you stay at home with kids, there are diapers and naps, playdates and learning, and we can’t forget the thousands of meals and housework that won’t end. If you work in or out of the home as well, then throw any spare time out the door.

Grilled cheese and carrots might be fine for the middle of the day, but when everyone comes together at the end of the day, they all want a nice home cooked meal, and someone has to make it. Who has the time! Enter the crockpot.

By utilizing your crockpot, you have a wealth of fabulous, healthy dishes that would impress even the pickiest eater in the house, right at your disposal. And if you can plan for the week, or the month, you won’t have to worry about meals for a while. You just pour the ingredients into the crockpot in the morning, set the temperature and walk away.

Here are some of my absolute favorites!

Crockpot Chicken Parmesan

2 chicken breasts
16oz pasta
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 pieces whole wheat bread

Sauce:
2 cups diced tomatoes
2 cups pasta sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon basil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt

Lay chicken in bottom of crockpot. Pour in all sauce ingredients. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8. When done, use two forks and shred your chicken breasts. Add in your pasta and make sure it’s covered in liquid. Cook for an additional 20 minutes or until the pasta is done. Top with mozzarella cheese and crumbled wheat bread. Cook for like 5 more minutes.

Crockpot Beef and Broccoli

1 1/2 pound flank steak
1 broccoli crown, chopped

Sauce:
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 carrots, diced
1/2 cup soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon peanut butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar (or coconut sugar)

Slice up your flank steak into small bite-sized pieces and pour into the bottom of your crockpot. Mix up the sauce and pour on top of your flank steak. Cook on low for at least 6 hours. Add in your chopped broccoli and cook one more hour after mixing well.

Crockpot Lasagna Soup

1 cup onion, chopped
2 zucchinis, chopped
8 lasagna noodles
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups ricotta cheese

Sauce:
4 tablespoons minced garlic
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups diced tomatoes
2 cups tomato paste
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt

Add chopped onions and sauce mixture into your crockpot. If you want hamburger meat in your soup, cook it first before adding it in. Cook on high 3-4 hours or low for 6-7. Then last 20 minutes or so, add in your chopped zucchini and broken up lasagna noodles and cook until noodles are soft. Finally top with Parmesan cheese and cook just a few minutes longer. When you serve, offer the ricotta for people to add and mix in to their soup if they desire to. Yum! This is one of my favorites.

Crockpot Creamy Mexican Casserole

4 chicken breasts
4 cups black beans
2 cups corn
2 cups salsa
2 cups diced tomatoes
12oz cream cheese

Lay chicken breasts into the bottom of your crockpot and top with all other ingredients. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6. Mix periodically so that the cream cheese and salsa can mix together. Just before its done, shred your chicken and mix well. Serve with rice or tortillas.

Crockpot Creamy Tuscan Chicken

3 chicken breasts
2 cups spinach, diced

Sauce:
1 cup diced tomatoes
8oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
4 cups heavy cream (or half and half)
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Lay chicken breasts in the bottom of your crockpot. Mix sauce ingredients on the stove in a medium saucepan. Melt and mix until smooth and creamy. Pour this mixture over the top of your chicken breasts in the crockpot. Cook on low for 3-4 hours. Add in diced spinach at the very end and mix in well. Cook for 10 more minutes until spinach is soft.

Crockpot Spaghetti Casserole

1lb ground beef
8oz dry spaghetti (or any pasta)
4 cups of pasta sauce (I prefer my homemade recipe.)
2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Start by cooking your hamburger thoroughly before adding it into your crockpot, top with dry spaghetti noodles and then sauce. Mix well. Add in more sauce if necessary. Finally, top with mozzarella cheese. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, until pasta is soft.

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings

3 chicken breasts
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
6-8 tortillas, sliced into 1 inch strips

Sauce:
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons thyme
Pinch of salt
3 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons flour

Lay chicken breasts in bottom of crockpot, adding veggies on top. Mix and pour in all sauce ingredients. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7. For the last hour or so, shred your chicken, and then add in your sliced tortilla strips and mix in well.

Crockpot Ranch Chicken

4 chicken breasts
6 potatoes, chopped
4 carrots, chopped

Sauce:
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 packet Ranch Dressing mix (preferably homemade)
1/2 cup milk

Lay chicken in the bottom of your crockpot with veggies on top. Mix up sauce and pour on top. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8.

Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken

2-3 chicken breasts
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, sliced
3-4 baking potatoes, chopped
2 cups fresh green beans
(any fresh vegetables can be subbed in that you’d like)

Sauce:
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup soy sauce or coconut aminos
1/4 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons oregano

Lay the chicken in the bottom of your crockpot and the veggies on top. Mix your sauce ingredients and pour on top. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 5-6.

Crockpot Pot Roast

2-3 pound well-marbled chuck roast
2 cups water

Pour 2 cups of water into your crockpot and set your chuck roast on top. Season as you’d like, but it’s not necessary. Cook on low for 10-12 hours, preferably overnight.

Crockpot Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup

2 cups cooked ham
4-5 potatoes, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 cups chicken broth

Cheese sauce:
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Pour your meat, veggies and chicken broth into your crockpot. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours. Just before done, make your sauce on the stove. First melt your butter over medium low heat in a small saucepan, and then mix in the flour. Slowly whisk in mix to get rid of all of the lumps. Add in your seasonings and keep mixing. Finally, add in your cheese and stir in with a spoon until melted. When your meat and veggies are done, pour the cheese sauce you made over the top and mix in well.

I just love all of these amazing dinner dishes that you can set in the morning and walk away from for the day. Not only do they make the house smell amazing, but I don’t have to figure out what to make for dinner at the end of the day. I can just soak in all of the wonderful smells and look forward to the meal at dinnertime.

When I’m trying to make dinner at the last second every evening, I end up making the same easy meals over and over, and they all usually contain chicken, because it’s so easy to work with. By setting up crockpot meals for the week, you can mix and match and really have some amazing meals prepared for your family every evening. You’ll have your spouse bragging to all of his or her friends everyday about all of the great meals they get to come home to every evening.

I said you could also prepare for the month. If you can pop all of the ingredients you’ll cook together into storage bags, you can slide them into the freezer and have meals for as many nights as you can get prepped. I’ll make sure to get another article published soon about freezer meals you can prep for your family so that you have meals for a month or more that you don’t have think about or work hard for. Dinner without any work or thought?! Exactly.

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