Crockpot Pesto Lasagna

{photo and recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking}

1 (26-ounce) jar prepared pasta sauce
1 (10-ounce) box lasagna noodles
1 (11-ounce) container pesto
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 (12-ounce) bag baby spinach
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
16 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced
1/4 cup water

Put a spoonful of pasta sauce (about 1/4 cup) into the bottom of your slow cooker and swirl it around. Add a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (you're going to have to break them to make a layer). Smear ricotta cheese and pesto onto the noodles. Add a handful or two of baby spinach, and top with a layer of Parmesan and slice mozzarella cheeses. Repeat layers until you've run out of ingredients. The spinach is fluffy, so you're going to have to squish it down to make it all fit.

Before closing the pot, put 1/4 cup of water into the empty pasta sauce jar and close and shake. Pour this saucy water over the top of everything.

Now cover up and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for about 3 to 4. You'll know it's done when the top layer begins to brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly. It will also pull a bit away from the sides. Taste-test a noodle to check texture.

Uncover, and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

I love how fast and easy this is! Last Sunday I had Max assemble it right before we left for church, and it was ready to eat when we got home. I whipped up some super-fast breadsticks and we had a delicious dinner.

Crockpot Potato Soup

This recipe is from A Year of Slow Cooking. I am making friends with my crockpot and loving this blog.

5 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced in 1 to 2-inch chunks
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced (I use jarred)
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper (you might want to decrease this for less kick)
2 quarts chicken broth
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, to add at the end (I always use reduced-fat cream cheese)
crumbled bacon, grated cheese, and green onion as garnish

Use a 6 quart or larger slow cooker. Peel and dice the potatoes, and put them into the stoneware. Add onion and garlic. Sprinkle in the seasonings, and pour in the broth. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4. The potatoes should be fork-tender. You can use a potato masher to mash the potatoes in the soup, or a hand-held immersible blender. (I left a few chunks in mine.)

After smashing the potatoes, crumble in both packages of cream cheese, and put the lid back on. Cook on high for about 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is completely dissolved. Stir a few times during the 30 minutes.

Garnish with crumbled bacon, green onion or chives, and cheddar cheese. Serve with homemade bread if you really want to crank up the comfort food factor.

Crockpot Thai Coconut Chicken

Another recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking. Delicious! And Thai doesn't get any easier than this.

1 13.5-oz can coconut milk
1 T brown sugar
1 T soy sauce
1 T Thai red or green chili paste, or more to taste (I used red, and went with 1.5 T)
1 t fish sauce
1 yellow onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1/2 large eggplant
1 sweet potato
chicken thighs (I used 7 frozen boneless, skinless)
1-inch knob of ginger, peeled and grated.

Combine the sauce ingredients: coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili paste, and fish sauce in the bottom of your crockpot stoneware. Taste. If you think you need more chili paste, add some, carefully. It's hot stuff!

Add the chicken pieces to the sauce, flipping them over a few times so they get nice and saucy.

Wash and cut the vegetables, and add to the crock.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6. This is done when the chicken is fully cooked and the vegetables have reached desired tenderness.

Serve over white rice.

(The best thing about this was that Marc, Max and I all enjoyed the eggplant! I never cook with it, we didn't think we liked it. We liked it in this.)

Crockpot Apricot Chicken

Another one from A Year of Slow Cooking. Seriously fast and easy, and better than my old apricot chicken recipe! (oops, forgot to take a picture)

11 oz jar of apricot preserves

1 t dried minced onion flakes

1 T dijon mustard

1 T soy sauce

1/4 t ginger

1/4 to 1/2 t red chili flakes

6 chicken thighs or equivalent body parts
a few pecan halves, optional

I used frozen thighs. Drop the chicken into your crockpot.

In a small bowl, mix all the other stuff and pour on top of the chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, high for 4-6--if your chicken isn't frozen, your dinner will cook faster.

Serve with white or brown rice and veggies. (Toss on a few pecan halves if you like. We do.)

Chicken Tacos

This is the easiest crockpot recipe I've ever made. Just place:

chicken breasts (4?)
a jar of salsa
a can (or two) of black beans, drained
a can (or two) of corn, drained (you could also use frozen corn)

in crockpot and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

Take chicken breasts out and shred. Add chicken back to pot and stir. Serve with hot tortillas, cheese, sour cream, etc.