30 Deliciously Cheap Crock Pot Meals

We use our slow cooker a lot.

Like, a lot a lot. Lately, it’s probably at least 2-3 times per week.

I’m sure you already know this but, crock pots are awesome. They have this miraculous way of making food delicious, they do the cooking for you and if your slow cooker is big enough they produce a heap of leftovers that make eating for the next couple of days super convenient.

Did you know that you can even prepare your crock pot meals ahead of time and pop them in the freezer? Quite honestly, cooking delicious food can’t get much easier than that can it?

Seriously, slow cookers, crock pots whatever you wanna call them are a must have frugal kitchen essential. Keep scrolling because I’m about to share the most deliciously cheap Crock Pot meals with you.

These are recipes that we absolutely love and have made at least a dozen times each.

A few tips to consider before buying the perfect crock pot

We received the Crock Pot 8-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker (pictured above) as a gift some years ago and we absolutely love it. It’s BIG which means we can use it to make huge portions and save our leftovers for lunches and dinners throughout the week. Crock Pots come in all shapes, sizes and price points and at around 60 bucks ours does a phenomenal job! No need to spend a fortune on your pot! Having said that, there are a few features you should be considering before buying one.

Size

If you’ve got a large family, know you want to cook extras or plan on putting large cuts of meat in your slow cooker, then I highly suggest you buy a 7 quart Crock Pot at a minimum. I’m of the mindset that bigger is better when it comes to Crock Pots because you’re doing the prep work anyway. You might as well make extra and eat it throughout the week or pop leftovers in the freezer to use for convenient lunches or dinners when you don’t have anything prepared.

Temperature Settings

Most Crock Pots offer low and high settings. Another temperature setting that I think is super important is the warm setting. If you’re out all day and your Crock Pot finishes the cooking cycle you really want it to keep your food warm until you’re able to eat it.

Cleaning

Our first ever Crock Pot wasn’t dishwasher safe which sucked because I’d have to scrub it by hand. I eventually broke the stoneware insert because it was heavy and my clumsy hands dropped it on the floor. Our current crock pot is completely dishwasher safe which makes clean up a breeze. After a quick rinse, I pop the insert and the lid in the dishwasher and it comes out squeaky clean every time!

Price

You can spend a pretty penny on a crock pot folks. They come in all different sizes, colors and prices. Quite honestly, we’ve got a mid range 60$ programmable Crock Pot and it does the job just fine! If you’ve got the budget to buy a more expensive one great! If not, there are a TON of really affordable Crock Pot options out there that do the

 

30 Deliciously Cheap Crock Pot Meals

Slow Cooker Chicken Pie Soup via Baked by Rachel

Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings via Spending with Pennies

Mississippi Pot Roast via Belle of the Kitchen

Crockpot Sweet and Sour Chicken via Simple Green Moms

Slow Cooker Red Wine Beef Stew via Country Living

Crockpot White Chicken Chili via Genius Kitchen

Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli via Damn Delicious

Slow Cooker Mac N Cheese via The Food Network

Slow Cooker Honey Lime Ginger Pork via The Recipe Critic

Red Eye Brisket Soup via Country Living

Slow Cooker Garden Minestrone via Good Thymes and Good Food

Crockpot Million Dollar Pasta via The Country Cook

Slow Cooker Golden Chick Pea Soup via The Kitchn

Loaded Baked Potato Soup via The Chic Site

Slow Cooker Brown Sugar and Blasamic Glazed Pork via Foodtastic Mom

Slow Cooker Roasted Poblano Pepper Chili via Patricia’s Patti Cakes

Slow Cooker Thai Chicken & Rice via On The Woodside

Slow Cooker Frittata with Kale, Roasted Red Pepper & Feta via Kalyn’s Kitchen

Slow Cooker Sugar + Roasted Garlic Pulled Pork Sandwiches via How Sweet Eats

Crock Pot Lasagna via The Spruce

Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken via Foodie Crush

Slow Cooker Coconut Ginger Chicken & Vegetables via Simple Bites

Crock Pot Chicken Adobo via Table for Two

Crock Pot Bourbon Chicken via Spend with Pennies

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken via Dinner Then Dessert

Slow Cooker Shrimp Gumbo via Chow Hound

Slow Cooker Lemon & Dill Salmon via 5 Dollar Dinners

Crock Pot Meatloaf Recipe via Genius Kitchen

Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs via Cafe Delites

Slow Cooker Pesto Mozzarella Chicken Pasta via The Magical Slow Cooker

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I want to hear from you!

How often are you using your Crock Pot?