The Kids Quick Cook series of recipes is especially for the young cook in the kitchen. The focus on the recipe selection is simple prep, uncomplicated steps and basic ingredients, but these recipes are great for every cook in the kitchen!
This article doesn’t have one single recipe in it, but links to many in the SchoolhouseTeachers Monthly Menu section. We’ve compiled a tasty selection of slow cooker recipes that should make the preparation time fairly minimal and just requires more action early in the day for those flavours to deliciously meld together.
Here’s your go-to slow cooker meals (all from the September menu) with a brief description for each to help you and your kids decide what’s going to be the pick for their turn making the meal:
Farmhand Supper requires browning ground beef and then layering with other ingredients in your slow cooker. The other main ingredients are potatoes, kidney beans (could be left out) and tomato sauce. This would be an easy one to add in a few other things you’d have in your pantry or fridge.
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dressing has just four ingredients: chicken (from your leftovers), stuffing mix, Cream of Chicken Soup and water. You can adjust the consistency by how much water you add. An easy do-it-yourself recipe for kids as young as ten.
Slow Cooker Cheesy Potatoes and Ham will be a bit like a scalloped potato dish. There’s a white sauce to prepare on the stove.
Sloppy Joes from Martha’s Family Cookery Book is a classic Sloppy Joe recipe, which can be made with any type of ground meat you happen to have on hand. This has eight ingredients that make the sauce – nothing too difficult but is a good one to give kids practice measuring and following the ingredient list to be sure everything is included.
Slow Cooker Chili is a dish every child should learn how to make, and this is a great recipe to learn from. Long-Lasting Refrigerator Batter for Rolls would be a great addition to this!
Slow Cooker Apple Butter is not a meal but is a fun one to make in the slow cooker – especially for kids. The most effort is spent on peeling and slicing the apples, then once in the slow cooker, it’s just got an hour of cooking time.
Easy Creamy “Lasagna” is an interesting take on the traditional lasagna taste. You’ll brown the beef and then add the other ingredients for the meat sauce. The ‘cheese’ layer is mimicked with a creamy mix of cream cheese, sour cream and milk. Then these two mixtures are layered in the slow cooker. Noodles are cooked on the stove, and the meat sauce is served over top.
Ratatouille is a classic dish that can be made with a mix of different vegetables. The gentle simmer of the slow cooker makes the flavours blend harmoniously!
Ginny’s Slow Cooker Beef Stew has the addition of Minute tapioca to the broth and lots of opportunity to practice chopping vegetables!
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Spice Latte will be an excellent addition to any potluck or family gathering. There’s ¾ cup of coffee to 2 cups of milk so the caffeine content is pretty low. This could be your next favourite for Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations.
Beefy Au Gratin Potatoes uses an Au Gratin potato sauce mix and two different kinds of canned cream soups. There is also ground beef to fry up on the stove before this all makes it into the slow cooker.
Taco Soup combines ground beef (again, a little scramble fry here before it hits the slow cooker) with pinto beans, corn, chopped tomatoes, salsa and taco seasoning for a Mexican flavour medley!
Come back here often to take a pick of quick preparation meals for cooks of all ages.
See more easy recipes for kids to make in the Kids Quick Cook article series page.
"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).