More Great Meals for Slow Cookers

Hot home cooked meals are soothing on cold nights, but often life gets too hectic to spend much time cooking. These slow cooker recipes are a great solution, providing you with hearty, comforting meals that are ready just when you need them.

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Vegetable Barley Soup Recipe

Yield: 10 Servings

Calories per serving: 170

You’ll need these ingredients:

• 1 cup of medium pearl barley
• ½ teaspoon of tarragon
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 cups of frozen corn
• 2 cups of frozen peas
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 14-oz cans of low sodium vegetable broth
• 4 cups of water
• 1 14-oz. can of seasoned diced tomatoes

To prepare the soup:

1. Pour all ingredients except the canned tomatoes into five to six quart slow cooker in the order given.
2. Cook on low, covered for six to eight hours.
3. Stir in canned tomatoes and liquid.
4. Cook an additional 15 minutes.
5. Remove bay leaf and serve.

Southwestern Black Beans Recipe

Yield: 14 servings

Calories per serving: 183

You will need:

• 1 pound of dried black beans
• 3 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of canned chopped chipotle in adobo sauce
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt
• 2 tablespoons of minced shallots
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese
• ¾ cup of chopped fresh cilantro
• ¾ cup unsalted shelled pumpkin seeds

To prepare the bean dish:

1. Wash the beans and heat them in a large pot with water on your stove. Make sure water level is two inches above the beans.
2. Bring water to boil and cook two minutes.
3. Remove beans from heat, cover and let cool for an hour.
4. Drain beans and place them in a three-quart slow cooker.
5. Stir in broth, onion, salt, garlic and chipotles. Cook on low for 10 hours or until beans are tender.
6. Stir in lime juice and garnish with remaining ingredients.

Crock Pot Lasagna Recipe

Yield: Six servings

Calories per serving: 576

Have these ingredients ready:

• 2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ¼ cup of fresh basil, finely chopped
• ⅓ cup of fresh oregano, chopped
• Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 2 cupsof ricotta cheese
• ½ cup chopped Italian parsley
• ¼ cup grated Romano cheese
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 12-ounce package of dry whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 1 bunch of Swiss chard, chopped
• 12 ounces of mozzarella cheese, grated

To make the lasagna:

1. In a medium bowl, mix tomatoes, garlic, basil, oregano and black pepper to taste.
2. Combine ricotta, Parmesan and Romano cheeses with black pepper to taste in a separate bowl.
3. Spoon one-third of the tomato mix into your slow cooker to line the bottom.
4. Add a layer of lasagna noodles. If necessary, break noodles to fit your cooker.
5. Add a layer of Swiss chard.
6. Top that with a layer of about one-third of the cheese mixture.
7. Repeat layering until you’ve used up all ingredients.
8. Cook on low for two to three hours, until lasagna noodles are tender.

So go to work, take your kids to their favorite activities and don’t worry about dinner. With a slow cooker and a little early preparation, dinner will be all ready when you get home.

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Resources:

• Calories for the above recipes were estimated using FatSecret's Food and Calorie Finder.
• Myrecipes.com
• busycooks.about.com
• allrecipes.com