With cooler weather, school and fall sport schedules coming up, I'm looking for some tried and true Crock Pot recipes or ideas. I love to come home and have it smell like I've been cooking all day long! I also like to double a recipe or make enough for a quick dinner the next night of leftovers!

In the past we have normally done potroasts, meatballs, porkchops or chicken to shred for BBQ sandwiches. My DH is pretty basic, a meat and potatoes type of guy, but he's been getting better with trying new things.

So what are your favorite easy Crock Pot meals?

CROCK POT LASAGNA

8 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
28 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
1/3 cup water
1 small carton of fresh mushrooms (I omitted)
15 oz. ricotta or 24 oz. cottage cheese (can use low fat)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 red pepper (I omitted)
1 sweet onion

1. Break noodles. Place half in bottom of greased slow cooker or use a Reynolds Slow Cooker Bag and there's no mess.

2. Brown ground beef. Drain. Stir in Italian seasoning. Spread half over noodles in slow cooker.

3. Layer half of sauce and water, half of mushrooms, half the pepper, half of the onion, half of ricotta or cottage cheese and half of mozzarella cheese over beef. Repeat layers.

4. Cover. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. (You can also double these ingredients and make 3 layers.) With newer crock pots, 4 hours is enough.

This is another one we like. The granddaughters were crazy for it (and ate it for breakfast the next morning). It does not take 6 hours though. More like 4 hours on low. You could make it on weekends, though. I remember how busy weekends could be when I was working. This also makes a whole crockpot full.

CROCK POT SPANISH RICE

2 pounds lean ground chuck
2 medium onions, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces) tomatoes
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 cup water
2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup rice, (not Minute Rice)

Brown beef in skillet and drain off fat. Put all ingredients in CROCK-POT. Stir thoroughly. Cover and cook on Low 6 hours. (High: 3 hours). This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free. Note: Check after 4 hours; six was too long on low.

The perfect combination of flavors and can be prepped and frozen ahead of time for a meal at a later date!

Ingredients

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. mustard
1/2 cup crushed pineapple with juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 can pineapple chunks

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or stew in slow cooker for 4-6 hours. For the last 20 minutes of cooking time, dump in 1 can pineapple chunks, without the juice. Cook remaining 20 minutes.

Serve over rice.

**FREEZING DIRECTIONS: PLACE CHICKEN IN FREEZER BAG. POUR SAUCE MIXTURE OVER CHICKEN IN BAG. FREEZE.

I put a nice piece of sirloin in the crock pot, at 1 package of brown gravy, package of Italian dressing (dry), cup or enough water to cover everything and cook for a ocuple of hours....About an hour or so before dinner, I add the potatoes and carrots......If you want more liquid, put in a can of mushroom soup....
This makes the house smell so good and is good for when you're on the go all day......
Bake a loaf of bread and for sure the house would smell extra good........
Makes my mouth water just thinking about it......

I make this for Christmas to enjoy while opening presents that morning.

Slow Cooker (Crockpot) Beef Stroganoff

2 pounds beef stew meat
1 cup chopped onion
2 cans (10 3/4 ounces) condensed golden mushroom soup
1 Lipton Onion Soup pouch
1 tub of fresh sliced mushrooms (two cups or so)
Fresh ground black pepper
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
1 container (8 ounces) sour cream
6 cups hot cooked noodles or rice

In 3 1/2- to 4 1/2-quart slow cooker, mix beef, onion, soups, mushrooms and pepper.
Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours or until beef is very tender.
Stir cream cheese into beef mixture until melted. Stir sour cream into beef mixture. Serve over noodles or rice.

Makes 8 servings

I know my crock pot stew is there.

KT Gathering Place

I forgot to mention it is 4 of us, but my 2 DDs are
little, so they don't eat much. Although if hungry enough, my DH would eat enough as 2 people!

Now what happens if you put in raw hambuger? I never have, most recipes say to brown it first. I have used raw chicken, pork and beef. Just wondering what the texture would be or if it would be safe?

Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1/8 cup margarine
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

Directions

Put chicken, margarine and dressing mix in slow cooker; mix together and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
Add cream cheese and soup, mix together and cook on high for another 1/2 hour or until heated through and warm.
Pour over cooked egg noodles.

I didn't have the boneless chick breasts but I did have a bag of chicken tenders so I added a couple extra pieces.

patti

When I do pulled pork I buy the big packages of boneless pork carnitas, I slice up a few sweet onions put those in the slow cooker then the meat some garlic and I pour in a bottle of Sweet baby Rays bbq sauce I usually get the brown sugar one. Put the cover on and leave it cooking all night long on low. When ready to serve I take 2 forks and shred it right in the pot mixing all the onion in. Yummy stuff.