Slow cooker wonders to keep you warm this winter
Slowly does it
Top slow cooker tips
Introducing a slow cooker into your kitchen can be a game changer and we've got a few handy tips to make sure it does its job right. Before adding any meat to the pot, sear it in a pan to brown it, and cook off any alcohol. For best results, keep an eye on your dish and stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking or drying out. Also, stagger ingredients – add quick-cook pasta, noodles, soft veg and dairy towards the end.
Cauliflower and spinach curry
With a coconutty red lentil sauce as its base, this aromatic vegan curry is warming, hearty and healthy. It's made using a North Indian spice mix called panch phoran, but don't worry if you don't have any to hand – you can easily make your own by combining fenugreek, fennel seeds, nigella seeds, cumin and black mustard seeds.
Barbacoa
Barbacoa is a Mexican dish of slow-cooked, spicy and smoky beef brisket, often shredded and served in tacos. Once the meat is ready, shred with two forks and let everyone build their own, piling salsa, fresh coriander and sour cream into hard-shell tacos or soft tortillas.
Barbecue chicken sliders
Chicken thighs are cooked until fall-apart tender in an easy sauce with a base of shop-bought barbecue sauce. Served with slices of avocado and a smoky chipotle mayonnaise, the meat is great in a bun or in flour tortillas.
Spaghetti bolognese
This slow-cooker version of spaghetti bolognese should be in everyone's repertoire. A family favourite, the dish requires minimal hands-on cooking time and can be left to bubble away until it's time for dinner. Cook the pasta separately when you're ready to eat and serve with the rich sauce and plenty of freshly-grated Parmesan.
Prawn curry
This aromatic Goan coconut curry becomes infused with rich, spicy flavours when it's slow-cooked, either on high for three hours or low for five to six hours. Add prawns, spinach, coriander and lime 10 minutes towards the end, turning up the heat in the final minutes.
Shredded chicken
Excellent in tacos, sandwiches, salads or even soups, shredded chicken is a versatile ingredient. Adapt the recipe below to a slow cooker by placing the chicken and veg in the pot with water and seasoning. Then cook on low for six to seven hours or high for around three, until the chicken is cooked through, tender and moist.
Smokehouse ribs
Beef short ribs need long, slow cooking so they're tender and falling off the bone, so allow your slow cooker to do the work. They need to be marinated overnight in an easy store cupboard marinade. Serve with crunchy slaw and fries.
Mushroom and brown lentil ragù
This earthy, flavourful vegetarian pasta sauce tastes even better the next day, so be sure to whip up a large batch for subsequent meals. Prep your ingredients in the morning, leave to bubble away in the slow cooker. and when you get home from work, all you'll need to do is cook the pasta! The ragù pairs perfectly with tagliatelle or pappardelle – or even polenta.
Pork lettuce cups
Chillies, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and fish sauce give pork mince its kick. Let the slow cooker do the hard work then serve in lettuce cups and add a topping of toasted peanuts, mint and shredded spring onion. This recipe can easily be doubled and frozen into handy portions.
Get the recipe for pork lettuce cups here
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Rum-spiced roast ham
A tender joint of ham with a treacle and spiced rum glaze is fabulous served hot with vegetables and makes the best leftover dishes ever. For a slow cooker version, set the slow cooker to medium and add all the ingredients and liquid. Then turn it down to low and cook for six to seven hours, topping up the water to cover if needed.
Chicken pho
This nourishing Vietnamese chicken noodle soup is perfect if you're feeling under the weather, and the slow poaching of the chicken in the spiced, aromatic broth can be done in a slow cooker. Cook it on high for four and a half hours, then take the chicken off the bone and add it, plus the broth, to the cooked noodles and garnishes.
Polenta with prawns, spring onions and bacon
Polenta is comforting and filling, especially when it’s flavoured with cheese. In this dish with prawns, spring onions and bacon, the polenta is made on the hob, but it can also be done in a slow cooker. Butter the pot generously first, then allow to cook for four to five hours on low, stirring once or twice. Once it’s ready, pan-fry the prawn topping and spoon on top.
Get the recipe for polenta with prawns, spring onions and bacon here
Lebanese lamb
This Middle Eastern-inspired lamb dish is ideal for a midweek supper. Leave it to cook while you’re out for the day, then come back to a tempting aroma. Roast the meat in a hot oven for the last 20 minutes to crisp up the skin, then serve with flatbreads, fresh pomegranate, coriander and plain yogurt.
Tarka dal
Filling and healthy, dal is made with spiced split peas or lentils. It can be made in batches as it freezes well and keeps for around three days in the fridge. Sauté the dry spices first to release their aroma, then add them to the pot with the other ingredients and water (no need to cook the pulses first). Cook on low for four hours until the lentils are soft and mushy, checking occasionally it's not too dry.
Pulled pork tacos
Follow this recipe for spicy, tender pulled pork, but instead of cooking the meat in the oven, let a slow cooker work its magic. Place all the ingredients into the pot and cook on low for eight hours until the pork can be shredded easily with a fork. Serve in a soft tortilla with avocado, onions and fresh lime.
Chicken fajita pasta
To achieve a better depth of flavour to the chicken in this family pasta recipe, marinate it the day before in a shop-bought fajita seasoning mix. Once the chicken has been browned and peppers, onions, tomato and stock are loaded into the slow cooker, it will be done in 10 minutes. Add some sour cream and grated cheese to serve.
Beef short rib noodle soup
This favourite Vietnamese noodle soup is fragrant, fresh and savoury, with a hint of chilli. It's a great winter warmer, prepared in just 15 minutes, with your slow cooker doing the rest of the work. Add the noodles and fresh herbs at the end of cooking to serve.
Chocolate cookie
Made with store cupboard ingredients, this giant cookie is sandwiched with a rich chocolate butterscotch filling, and it's all made in a slow cooker. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Lamb shoulder with stout
Lamb shoulder is a good choice for a slow cooker because it takes a long time to tenderise. The lamb in this recipe takes on all the sweet, honeyed flavours of the stout. To make in a slow cooker, brown the lamb joint then put it in the pot with the stock, stout and other ingredients. Cook on low for seven to eight hours or until the meat falls away from the bone. Use a boned-out shoulder of lamb.
Ancho pot roast chicken
Here's a spicy, fruity Mexican dish for pot roast chicken, easily adapted to a slow cooker. Marinate in a fiery spice rub overnight, then cook on high for two to three hours, or for four to five on low. It's served with orange coleslaw and crisps.
Carne asada nachos
Layers of tender beef, tortilla chips, melted cheese and guacamole make perfect sharing food. The beef, a joint of silverside, needs to be marinated with spices the night before, before being slow-cooked in ale until soft and shreddable.
Plum and apple crumble
A warming fruit crumble is the perfect antidote to a grey day, and it's easy to make it in a slow cooker. Place kitchen paper over the crumble to absorb any excess moisture and cook on a low heat for around three hours, removing the lid and paper in the last 15 minutes so the crumble topping can crisp up. Serve with vanilla custard or cream.
Spicy beef chilli
A really great chilli needs long, slow cooking, so it's a perfect recipe for a slow cooker. This recipe adds smokiness by using chipotle paste. Serve with tortilla chips or rice, guacamole, sour cream and grated cheese.
Espresso and cocoa nib banana cake
A favourite cake which works very well in a slow cooker, giving a soft, squidgy crumb, livened up with strong coffee and cocoa nibs. Butter then flour the pot of a slow cooker, pour the batter into the pot and cook on high for one and a half to two hours, checking with a skewer to see if it’s done.
Aubergine masala
This fragrant vegetarian curry is spicy, but not too hot, with a rich, creamy tomato sauce to mop up with rice or flatbreads. The aubergine adds an almost meaty texture to the dish. It's best cooked on high for two to three hours.
Beef buns with smoked chilli sour cream
Slow-cooked shredded beef, stuffed into a crisp bun with smoky, spicy chipotle cream, crunchy lettuce and fresh coriander is a winner for meat-lovers. Simply adapt the stovetop recipe by cooking the meat in the slow cooker on low for six hours.
Get the recipe for beef buns with smoked chilli sour cream here
Beef stifado
This is a classic Greek dish, consisting of chunks of marinated beef slow-cooked in red wine, warming spices and tomatoes with small pickling onions. For a slow cooker option, cook it on low for six hours. To make peeling the onions easier, cover them in boiling water for a few minutes, then drain. This is really good served with orzo pasta or rice.
Smoky chicken and black bean stew
Comforting tender chicken in a spicy, smoky sauce with black beans and chorizo. There's no pre-soaking of the beans either. Begin the recipe as directed, browning ingredients and reducing wine on the hob, then transfer to a slow cooker and cook on low for six hours.
Lamb tagine
Warming spices, honey and dried apricots give this rich North African lamb stew an irresistible flavour. It's made with store cupboard ingredients, best served with couscous or rice. Rather than baking it in the oven, cook it on high in a slow cooker for four hours.
Spiced lamb stew
This aromatic spicy and sweet lamb stew needs slow-cooking to tenderise the meat and bring out the flavours. It's cooked in ale, with dried fruits and spices creating a perfect balance. Cook it in a slow cooker for four hours on high, adding the fresh tomatoes and herbs for the final 30 minutes of cooking time.
Borlotti beans with onions and sausages
As long as you remember to soak them overnight before cooking, dried beans are more economical and have a better flavour than canned. In this recipe, the soaked beans are cooked with herbs, garlic and sweet onions, to serve with sausages. Cook the sausages separately and cook the beans in a slow cooker for four hours on high.
Get the recipe for borlotti beans with onions and sausages here
Pork curry
This Burmese curry is sweet, mild and aromatic. Cubes of pork shoulder need slow-cooking, so it's a perfect dish for a slow cooker. It's also made with store cupboard ingredients. Once the curry is ready to cook, set the slow cooker to high, then cook for three hours until the pork is pull-apart tender and the sauce is reduced and sticky. Serve with rice and stir-fried greens.
Beef bourguignon
A French classic, beef stew in red wine with mushrooms, bacon and baby onions is a labour of love which is worth the effort, with little hands-on time. The beef needs to be marinated the day before. Once browned, transfer the ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for seven to eight hours. Add the carrots and onions 90 minutes before the end of cooking, and for the last 30 minutes turn to high and add the mushrooms and bacon.
Poached pears in mulled wine
Tender poached pears in spiced red wine with orange and lemon is an elegant dessert. To adapt the recipe for a slow cooker, bring the poaching liquid to a simmer on the hob, then pour into the slow cooker with the pears. Cook on low for two to three hours until tender (test with a fork). The pears should be quite firm before cooking, as overripe ones will fall apart.
Beef shin ragù
Shin of beef is one of the tastiest cuts around. It's very savoury and rich, but it does require a long cooking time. Try this fantastic meat sauce in the slow cooker, adapting it to cook on low for six to seven hours. Serve with pappardelle or polenta, and lots of Parmesan.
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