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  • Definitely not a single-serving recipe, but my favorite is chili.

    This was originally a recipe I found on chowhound, then modified it. I make this recipe in a 6qt slow cooker:

    • 2lb ground beef (I use 80/20)
    • 1lb chorizo (can be replaced with any type of spicy sausage or omitted)
    • 2 yellow onions
    • 6-8 chili peppers (I've used jalapenos, serranos, and habaneros before, or replace with 1 red/orange/yellow bell pepper)
    • 2 15oz cans diced tomatoes
    • 1 15oz can tomato sauce
    • 1 15oz can black beans
    • 1 7oz can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
    • 4 cloves minced garlic
    • 4 tbsp chili powder
    • 3 tbsp cumin
    • 3 tbsp smoked paprika
    • 2 tbsp cayenne pepper (for added heat, can be omitted)

    Brown chorizo and add to slow cooker. Brown ground beef and add to slow cooker. Dice onions and peppers, add to pan and let soften using the beef/chorizo fat, then add to slow cooker once beginning to caramelize. Puree or finely chop chipotle peppers and add to slow cooker. Add all canned items to slow cooker. Add garlic and spices to slow cooker. Stir to mix ingredients. Cook on low for 8 hrs or high for 4; 8 hrs is preferred, as chili benefits from longer cooking times for flavors to develop and meld.

    Chili is a great recipe, now that we in the northern hemisphere are headed into winter. It's also a great meal prep recipe, as 2nd day chili is better than 1st day IMO, it reheats well, and also freezes well.

    • De-glaze that pan with some liquid and add to slow cooker, don't let that fond go to waste!

  • Chuck. Chop it finely with a knife. Don't use ground meat. Add salt and pepper, sear it from all sides inside the crock pot.

    When it forms a fond add some random wine that you've been chugging. No sweetened wine, please. But red, rosé, white, it's all fine. Use it to deglaze the bottom.

    Then add onions, garlic, red peppers, all of them peeled and minced. And broth. If you don't have broth you do freeze chicken bones, right? ...wait, I should stop filling my freezer with chicken bones.

    As the beef gets soft add whatever veggies you have. Take into account cooking times. Potato, button mushrooms (you're now a veggie, get into the pot Nebby), carrot, cabbage. And tomato paste, I buy it by kilogram and then freeze it into ice cubes, I put "enough" of them there. Adjust seasoning as necessary.

    Near the end use your judgment. You can reduce it further, or add some thickener (I like to add brown roux), or leave it as is. Then eat it over polenta or cooked taters.

  • I quite enjoy mozzarella stuffed meatballs although it's not very healthy. Also the tortellini chicken soup thing that was popular elsewhere is nice although I modify mine quite a bit.

    Also just "meat and potatoes and whatever else" is a nice soup but sadly when it's good I've forgotten what what the everything else was.

  • I don't have exact measurements or anything but this is how I make pot roast stew:

    Braise your pot roast to give it a crust and get some fond. Put it in the pot.

    Deglaze the fond with about a cup of whatever liquid you want and pour it into the pot. I don't go out to buy things other than the meat for this (I make it when it's cold and I have vegetables that need to be used before they go bad), so if I have a red wine I'll use that, if I just have stock I'll use that, and if I don't have either, just water is fine. The wine is best, though.

    Toss in a couple potatoes, diced. Or use those little ones. I like those just because they can be tossed in whole.

    1 medium onion, peeled. Doesn't need to be chopped.

    Bag of baby carrots.

    Chopped celery.

    Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and MSG.

    Turn that sucker on and wait 6-8 hours. Stir it all up into a paste before serving because it'll be soft as hell and everything in there just melts.

  • Simple and tasty: 3-4 chicken breasts. Pour a jar of your favorite salsa over it. Cook.

    When ready to eat, shred the chicken, put it back in pot and stir it up with the salsa. Awesome tacos, burritos, nachos, chicken sandwiches, etc.

37 comments