Slow Cooker Meals for Busy Weeknights: Easy Plans and Safety
Slow cooker meals work best with thawed meat, a covered lid and a safe finish temperature. Here are easy weeknight ideas plus simple food safety rules.
Slow cooker meals suit busy weeknights because you prep in 10 to 15 minutes in the morning and dinner is ready when you get home. The safe way to do it is to use thawed meat, keep the lid on, cook on low for 7 to 10 hours or on high for 3 to 5 hours, and make sure poultry reaches 165°F (74°C) and whole cuts of beef, pork and lamb reach 145°F (63°C), with ground meat at 160°F (71°C).
What kinds of meals work best in a slow cooker?
Tough, inexpensive cuts and moist dishes work best, because long, gentle heat softens them. Good choices include:
- Chicken thighs with salsa or a jar of tomato sauce, served over rice or in tortillas
- Pulled pork shoulder with barbecue sauce for sandwiches
- Beef chuck roast with carrots, potatoes and onions
- Chili or taco soup made with ground meat browned first, or with beans only
- Lentil or split pea soup with vegetables and broth
- Pasta sauce with meatballs, with the pasta cooked separately
Lean cuts such as chicken breast dry out over a long cook, so use a shorter time or choose thighs. Delicate foods such as pasta, rice, milk, cheese and fresh herbs go in near the end or are cooked on the stove.
How do you prep a slow cooker meal on a busy morning?
Do the chopping the night before and store the pieces in the refrigerator in a covered container. Put the meat, vegetables and liquid in the cooker in the morning and start it right away. Place firm vegetables such as carrots and potatoes on the bottom and sides, where they get the most heat, and the meat on top.
Fill the cooker about half to two thirds full. A cooker that is too empty can cook food faster than the recipe says, and one that is too full may heat unevenly. Add enough liquid to cover the bottom, usually 1/2 to 1 cup (120 to 240 ml), because meat and vegetables release their own juices.
If you want a simple weeknight side, look at sheet pan dinners for busy families, which pair well with slow cooker mains on a different night of the week.
What food safety rules apply to slow cookers?
Start with thawed meat. Frozen meat in a slow cooker can spend too long in the temperature range where bacteria grow quickly, which is roughly 40°F to 140°F (4°C to 60°C). Thaw in the refrigerator the day before.
Keep the lid on. Each time you lift it, the cooker loses heat and the food needs extra time to recover. Do not use the cooker to reheat leftovers from the refrigerator, because it heats too slowly. Reheat them on the stove or in the microwave to 165°F (74°C), then move them to a cooker set to warm if you want to serve them over time.
Check the finished temperature with a food thermometer, not by color or by how soft the meat feels. The USDA publishes safe minimum temperatures for each type of meat on its Food Safety and Inspection Service site.
How long can slow cooker food sit out, and how do you store leftovers?
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours after the food is done, or within 1 hour if the room is hotter than 90°F (32°C). Divide large amounts into shallow containers so they chill quickly. Do not leave the food in the stoneware insert and put it in the refrigerator, because the thick ceramic cools too slowly.
Eat refrigerated leftovers within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for longer storage. Soups, stews and shredded meat freeze well in flat freezer bags, which also thaw faster.
What should you do if the power goes out while the cooker is running?
If you are home and the power is out for a short time, and the food was still cooking, keep the lid on and finish the food on a stove or grill once it comes back or once you decide to move it. If you were away and do not know how long the power was off, throw the food out. The USDA advises not to eat food when you cannot be sure how long it sat in the unsafe temperature range.
Which slow cooker habits make weeknights easier?
- Use a liner made for slow cookers to make cleanup faster, following the maker’s directions.
- Plan one slow cooker meal on the busiest day of the week, and keep a second quick option, such as one-pan skillet chicken pasta, for the next night.
- Cook a double batch of plain shredded chicken or pork and use it in wraps, bowls and soups later in the week.
- Check the manual for your model, because cooker sizes and heat settings vary.
- If a child is a picky eater, serve components separately. The ideas in easy weeknight dinners picky kids will eat fit well with taco bar and pulled meat meals.
Quick answers
Can you put raw chicken in a slow cooker?
Yes. Use thawed chicken, cook it until it reaches 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part, and keep the lid closed while it cooks.
Can you cook frozen meat in a slow cooker?
The USDA advises against it. Thaw meat in the refrigerator first so it passes through the unsafe temperature range quickly.
Is it safe to leave a slow cooker on while I am at work?
Slow cookers are made for long, unattended cooking when used as the manual describes. Place the cooker on a flat, dry counter away from the edge, with the cord clear of the heating surface and nothing flammable nearby.
Should the cooker be on low or high?
Low suits an 8 to 10 hour day and gives tender results. High suits a shorter window of 3 to 5 hours. Both settings reach the same final temperature, but low gets there more slowly.
