Slow Cooker

Slow Cooker Beef & Vegetable Soup

June 13, 2015 by The Partial Ingredients

I used to eat alphabet soup with beef and veggies all the time as a kid. This recipe brings me back to those days. Even though this soup knocks anything canned out of the park, the flavors remind me just a bit of the soup I used to have back in the day. This recipe is easy to throw together, and then the slow cooker does the rest of the work for you. Something about the slow cooker really brings together the flavors of the beef, the vegetables and the herbs. I used high quality ground beef for the meat and fresh oregano and thyme for seasoning. While this soup is great for winter time, it also works perfectly year round as an easy weeknight meal.
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Beef Enchilada Soup

February 6, 2015 by The Partial Ingredients

Tex-mex food is awesome in pretty much every form, including soup! A lot of the U.S. has been dealing with some epic winter weather so to all of you fighting the deluge of snow (hey Chicago!), enchiladas are the perfect winter comfort food. This recipe is super easy to make with hardly any prep time involved. You can buy pre-made enchilada sauce at the grocery store but it’s fresher and easy to make at home. In my opinion it’s worth it to whip up a batch before you start cooking the soup. It can be made several days ahead of time as well if you’re short on cooking time. Possible toppings include: tortilla chips/strips, avocado slices, cilantro, lime slices, diced red onion, cheddar cheese, sour cream…I could go on. The end result was delicious with minimal effort. It can be easily converted to the slow cooker, just add everything into the pot on low and cook for 6-8 hours or 3-4 hours on high!
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Slow Cooker Shredded Pork Tacos

January 2, 2014 by The Partial Ingredients

Once I had a batch of Pickled Corn Salsa ready I took a nice pork shoulder and slow cooked it for some tasty tacos! The pork is marinated in tomatoes, onions and spices and slow cooked for about 4 hours in a crock pot. The pork ended up being succulent and fall apart tender. I was really happy with how soft and flavorful it turned out. The acids from the pickled salsa complimented the richness of the shredded pork. For garnish, I added a touch of lime and queso fresco.

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Tomato Curry Stew with Chickpeas and Potatoes

February 3, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

This stew is a staple recipe for me as it is easy to put together and is healthy and flavorful. When I want something light and healthy this is one of my favorite go to recipes. I use the slow cooker and all it requires is chopping the veggies and throwing everything in the crock pot to cook for about 8 hours. All the veggies get nice and soft and the flavors of the curry marinate until the stew is bursting with good curry flavor. I served it with warm curried rolls and topped with yogurt.
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Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Bean Soup)

December 2, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

Pasta e Fagioli is a traditional Italian peasant soup that translates to “pasta and beans.” It’s a soup that can be made with several types of pasta, usually tubettini, ditalini, or conchigliette. Prosciutto or pancetta is used for the base to give it a nice smoky flavor. I wanted to make a big batch so I used a slow cooker to cook the beans and broth. It turned out great, though I forgot to cut up the rosemary and it should really be finely chopped. Just before serving I mixed in the cooked pasta. I strained the rest of the noodles out before putting it away to prevent them from absorbing all the broth over night. The soup was great with a warm, crusty baguette and grated parmigiano reggiano.

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Pumpkin Soup with Pancetta and Sage

November 4, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

This soup is surprisingly easy to throw together and it creates such a delicious aroma in your house! The smell of pancetta and sage slow cooking for hours is how I think a kitchen should smell when it’s cold and damp during the Fall season. You could easily use canned pumpkin or make the pumpkin puree yourself with this soup. Also, substituting any kind of tasty winter squash would work well with this recipe. After dicing up the veggies and pan frying the onion and pancetta, you can sit back as the soup simmers for several hours on low heat. I garnished the soup with a little crispy fried sage and toasted pumpkin seeds.

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Red Bean Chili with Cashews

June 19, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

This chili is one of those dishes that regularly makes it onto the menu. I used to make it in a big sauce pan, but since I got a crock pot I have slow cooked it ever since. I like the way all of the seasoning marinates slowly for hours and the way the veggies and cashews become tender. The cashews add a sweet, nutty flavor that tastes great with the beans and veggies. I garnished the chili with extra sharp cheddar and green onion.

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Moroccan Lentil Soup with Preserved Lemon and Quinoa

March 26, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

It’s been raining a lot lately and I wanted to make something nice and warm from the slow cooker. One of my favorite recipes has been the Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons and I wanted to see if those flavors could translate into a stew. I figured red lentils and chickpeas would go well with the curry flavors of the dish, and it ended up being really good. The soup was pretty thick from the quinoa and needed extra chicken stock throughout cooking. I will probably be adding more later since the lentils and quinoa will keep on absorbing the liquid. This recipe makes a big batch so I will have a lot of leftovers (which won’t be a problem at all).

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Ham and Lentil Soup

December 10, 2010 by The Partial Ingredients

I have been sort of obsessed with my crock pot for the last few months. All I can say is get one (crock pot companies should be paying me for this advertising!) This soup is great for the slow cooker–the ham cooks nicely and flavors the broth without being too salty. I threw in the ham bone for added flavor. I liked how the lentils got really soft and almost dissolved in the broth. This soup turned out great and I will definitely make it again sometime.

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Chipotle Corn Chowder

November 21, 2010 by The Partial Ingredients

This is not the typical creamy corn chowder but a spicier, smokier corn stew. Unfortunately the season for good, fresh ears of corn has passed so I settled with store-bought bags of sweet corn. This recipe is perfect for sweet corn season and makes a great summer/fall soup. A fresh jalapeno is a good flavor addition to the smokey chipotle chili powder. I had some green bell peppers so I added those in for some extra veggies. I balanced the spiciness by adding sour cream and cilantro for garnish.

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