Crockpot recipes

[AJane]

Originally Posted by Bunny555

Has anyone ever cooked pasta in the crockpot? We're moving next Saturday and a few of my son's soccer teammates will be helping us move. The gas for the stove won't be turned on until 2 days later but I want to be able to feed these kids that are helping us. They've always raved over my tortellini soup in the past so I thought I would make a pot of that for them in the crockpot but I don't know how it would work without being able to cook the tortellini first. There's other things I can make, but I'm curious if pasta can be cooked this way.

I made lasagna in it today and it turned out great. The temperature outside shot up and I didn't want to turn the oven on, so I decided to give it a try in the crock. You layer your sauce, then your cheese mixture (I use cottage cheese and mozzarella), and break up a couple lasagna noodles on top (uncooked and the regular ones, not "oven-ready"), then continue layering like you normally would. I left it on low for 8 hours and then turned it off and let it sit in the pot for about 1/2 hr or so and it was perfect.

[Google]

 

[Bunny555]

Thanks AJane....That sounds almost too good to be true but I'll give it a go!

[canuckinchile]

Originally Posted by lildago

I do chicken and shrimp jambalaya in the crockpot.

1 lb chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1 Tbs sugar
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes, undrained
1 lb frozen cooked shrimp, thaw before use
Add cayenne pepper to taste.

Cook everything except shrimp on low for about 8 hours. Increase to high and add shrimp. Cook for about another 30 minutes or until shrimp is tender.

Serve over rice.

I have this in the crock pot now and does it ever smell good. I'm having a hard time waiting the extra couple of hours for my hubby to come home

[angelic_one2002]

I've made 'crockpot lasagna' numerous times, and its always a HUGE hit at picnics and potlucks. It's so much easier to make than the standard baked lasagna, and we think it tastes better, too. The flavors all cook together slowly and really blend together. I like the texture of the lasagna noodle better in the crockpot, too.

[ArchieComic Fan]

Originally Posted by AJane

I made lasagna in it today and it turned out great. The temperature outside shot up and I didn't want to turn the oven on, so I decided to give it a try in the crock. You layer your sauce, then your cheese mixture (I use cottage cheese and mozzarella), and break up a couple lasagna noodles on top (uncooked and the regular ones, not "oven-ready"), then continue layering like you normally would. I left it on low for 8 hours and then turned it off and let it sit in the pot for about 1/2 hr or so and it was perfect.

I love lasagna and can't wait to try this. So please clarify for me - you're saying don't use the "no boil" noodles? How many jars of sauce does it typically take? And if I use ricotta and mozzarella, would I add an egg like it says to on the box for traditional recipes? If using hamburger (or other ground meat), do you cook that first? And lastly, how many layers do people usually make for the crockpot and what would be the last layer? I think my pot is 5qt but not sure.

Sorry for all the questions but I've never made it this way so want to be sure I don't mess it up!

[myrosiedog]

Originally Posted by ArchieComic Fan

I love lasagna and can't wait to try this. So please clarify for me - you're saying don't use the "no boil" noodles? How many jars of sauce does it typically take? And if I use ricotta and mozzarella, would I add an egg like it says to on the box for traditional recipes? If using hamburger (or other ground meat), do you cook that first? And lastly, how many layers do people usually make for the crockpot and what would be the last layer? I think my pot is 5qt but not sure.

Sorry for all the questions but I've never made it this way so want to be sure I don't mess it up!

Archie, great minds, I was wondering the same thing.

[AJane]

Should have been more specific, sorry - no, I didn't use the "no boil" noodles. Use the regular ones that you would normally boil before baking the lasagna in the oven. They cooked very well in the crock, and what a timesaver not to have to boil them.

I'm not sure how big my crock is, I've had it for so long and I'm not that sure of imperial measurements...I'd guess it's maybe 4 qts? I used the same amount of sauce that I would in a regular oven-baked lasagna, which is one jar of pasta sauce (I'm too lazy to make it from scratch, and Newman's is delicious and apparently as good as an organic product) and around 1 lb of ground beef. You do have to brown your ground beef first. And of course you can throw in whatever you would normally into the sauce, onion, garlic, whatever.

I didn't mix an egg in with the cheeses (I do when making oven-baked lasagna). To be honest, I forgot. It wasn't necessary, though. As for layers, mine ended up being three layers - the top layer was sauce (I wanted to be sure all the noodles were covered with sauce so they would cook properly) and a couple fistfuls of just shredded mozza.

[Missyboxers]

Does anyone have a good Thai red or green curry crockpot recipe that they can make from scratch? I have a bunch of random Thai ingredients around the apartment, so if I can, I'd rather make the sauce from scratch. I tried to riff off of a recipe in another cookbook recently, and it came out okay, but I wasn't overwhelmed. It was also a good learning lesson for if I ever make the one pot recipe, because I doubled every proportion EXCEPT the curry and boy was it still spicy! Also, some advice on what veggies to use-- what would hold up well in the slow cooker-- would be excellent, or if I should stick to chicken and do the veggies separately.

The crockpot lasagna sounds fantastic-- now there's one to keep in mind for the winter.

[canuckinchile]

I make red and green curry from scratch but it's pretty time consuming since I toast the cumin, thai chiles, etc. and then grind them, along with all that chopped fresh ginger, garlic, cilantro and lemon grass. I don't know if that's what you are looking for. It keeps for a couple of months in the fridge and it's great to be able to just grab a couple of tablespoons, add coconut milk and have a great sauce for veggies, chicken etc. It is super spicy, but you just use less to suit your taste. I took a Thai cooking class and use this recipe (my husband loves the stuff).

Nam Prik- Green Curry Sauce

1/3 cup dried thai bird chilis
2T cumin seeds
5T coriander seeds
2T black pepper corns
2T ground turmeric
1/2 cup peeled chopped fresh ginger
1 cup cilantro leaves and stems
1/2 cup chopped garlic
3 lemon grass stalks (white parts only), chopped
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup fish sauce
1 cup medium shallots
2 cups peanut oil

In a small heavy skillet, combine the chilis, cumin seed, coriander seeds and peppercorns and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, just until the spices start to smoke, about 6 minutes. Using a spice grinder, grind the spices finely and reserve. In a food processor, combine the turmeric, ginger, cilantro, garlic, lemongrass, lime juice and fish sauce and blend to make a smooth puree. Add the shallots, reserved spices and a bit of salt (the original recipe called for a tablespoon and it was way too salty. I probably use about a teaspoon, since the fish sauce is salty). With the machine running drizzle the oil to make a paste.
Use or store. This keeps well for a couple of months. It makes a great dip with mayonnaise.

[myrosiedog]

I have crockpot lasagna cooking as I type this.