r/slowcooking

i've been trying to cut my grocery bill pretty hard, and the slow cooker has become one of the easiest ways to make cheap ingredients last

i keep seeing "budget" slow cooker recipes that somehow require three kinds of cheese, heavy cream and a bunch of ingredients i'll use once. that's not really what i'm looking for

i mean the kind of meal where a big bag of onions, some beans, lentils, potatoes, cheap chicken thighs or an inexpensive cut of beef can turn into dinner for several days

right now i'm rotating lentil soup with smoked sausage, salsa chicken over rice, and a basic beef stew with mostly root vegetables. all good, but i'm starting to get tired of seeing the same meals in the fridge

so what's your genuinely cheap slow cooker meal that you make because it tastes good, not just because it costs almost nothing?

bonus points for recipes that freeze well and don't require a trip to the store for 12 different ingredients

I have the gift of burning, over-spicing, and under-cooking… you name it. Jealous?

Please break down your simplest recipe and how to use the cooker so I’ll hopefully experience some success. I love beans and stews.

OR if there’s a must-have cookbook, etc. - that’s great too. Life is getting too expensive to eat out anymore.

My life would be easier if my family would eat more slow cooker recipes but nobody will eat shredded chicken. Has anyone mastered cooking chicken breast to the point where you can slice or cube it and it doesn’t becomes shreds? If so please share your tips. Thank you!

I’m dealing with the SoCal heat and no AC. I want to cook but don’t want to turn the oven or stove on. I don’t think a slow cooker would heat up the whole house. Any suggestions on meals to make in the slow cooker on a hot day that isn’t super heavy ?