Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CU Boulder chapter.

Fall is here!! Thank goodness because I am OVER summer! Yes, it’s beautiful, but fall means warm meals, pumpkins, and layers!

Besides the layers though, I am most excited for the endless crockpot meal ideas. So, here are some warm and yummy crockpot ideas! If none of these are up your ally, no worries! Here is the link to the website I got all of these from, and there are a ton of options!

Source//PrudentPennyPincher

1. Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Source//Pinterest

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 6 cups chicken stock

  • 1 cup wild rice

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 onion, diced

  • 3 carrots, peeled and diced

  • 3 stalks celery, diced

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter

  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup milk

  • 1 cup half and half*

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions:

  1. Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Place chicken into a 6-qt slow cooker.

  2. Stir in chicken stock, wild rice, garlic, onions, carrots, celery, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. Add mushrooms during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.

  3. Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred, using two forks.

  4. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk and half and half and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened (about 4-5 minutes); season with salt and pepper, to taste.

  5. Stir chicken and milk mixture into the slow cooker. If the soup is too thick, add more half and half as needed until desired consistency is reached.

  6. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

 

2. Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup

Source//RecipesThatCrock

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb extra-lean ground beef

  • 1 c onion diced

  • 14.5 oz diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, garlic

  • 2 c green peppers and/or red peppers chopped

  • 15 oz tomato sauce

  • 3 c beef broth

  • 1/2 t dried basil

  • 1/2 t dried oregano

  • 1 c cooked rice

Instructions:

  1. Brown your beef with your onion in a skillet over medium heat.

  2. Drain your beef and onions and place in your 6-quart slow cooker.

  3. Add your tomatoes (juice and all) and the rest of your ingredients.

  4. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

 

3. Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

Source//CremeDeLaCrumb

Ingredients:

  • 4 yellow onions, skins removed and thinly sliced into rings

  • 4 tablespoons butter

  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic

  • 8 cups beef broth 

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 6 slices crusty french bread

  • 8-12 slices gruyere or swiss cheese

Instructions:

  1. Add butter and onion rings to the largest pan/skillet and saute over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until onions are translucent and start to brown. Cover and cook about 5 minutes longer to let them caramelize a little more.

  2. Transfer onions to slow cooker. Add garlic, broth, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on high 3-4 hours or on low 6-8 hours (or up to 10).

  3. About 20-30 minutes before serving, preheat oven to 420 degrees. Place slices of bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place in preheated oven for about 5 minutes, then flip the bread slices over and return to oven for another 5 minutes or so until bread is dried and crunchy. Set aside.

  4. Place oven-safe bowls on the baking sheet. Fill each with soup from the slow cooker. Place 2 slices of swiss cheese (overlapping) on top of the soup so the edges are hanging over the sides of the bowls. Bake for about 10 minutes until cheese is melty. Serve with crusty bread and garnish with parsley if desired

 

4. Crock Pot Chicken and Stuffing

Source//TheCozyCook

Ingredients:

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, salted and peppered if desired.

  • 10.5 oz. cream of chicken soup

  • 8 oz. sour cream, (equivalent to 1 cup)

  • 6 oz. box stuffing mix

  • Âľ cup chicken broth

  • 2 cups green beans, fresh or frozen

  • 1 cup baby carrots

  • 1 teaspoon fresh parsley

Optional stuffing additions:

  • 1/2 cup onions, diced

  • 1/2 cup celery, diced

  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries

  • 1/2 cup crumbled sausage, (cooked or raw)

  • 2 teaspoons dry rosemary

Instructions:

  1. Place the chicken on the bottom of the crock pot and sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired.

  2. In a large bowl, mix together the soup, sour cream, stuffing, and *half* of the broth. Layer the stuffing mix over the chicken.

  3. To keep the vegetables separate from the stuffing, place a layer of foil over the stuffing, then place your vegetables on top of the foil.  Poke holes on the bottom of the foil to allow the moisture to circulate instead of collecting on the top of the foil. You can also layer the vegetables right on top of the stuffing if you’d prefer.

  4. Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 6-7. 

  5. Before eating, check on the stuffing. If you’d prefer additional moisture, add the rest of the chicken broth, stir, and heat for an additional 10 minutes.

  6. Garnish the chicken with parsley if desired! 

 

5. Slow Cooker Pesto Mozzarella Chicken Pasta

Source//TheMagicalSlowCooker

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts

  • 1/2 tsp. salt

  • 1/4 tsp. pepper

  • 1 cup jarred pesto I used Mezzetta

  • 1/4 cup salted butter

  • 1/2 lemon

These items don’t get added until the end

  • 1 lb. rotini cooked and drained

  • 1/2 cup parmesan

  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella

  • 1/4 tsp. dried basil to garnish

Instructions:

  1. Add chicken to the slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread over the pesto, squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken. Cut the butter into slices and lay over the chicken.

  2. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.

  3. Near the end of the cooking time, cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain well.

  4. Shred the chicken with 2 forks. Add the cooked pasta and parmesan cheese, stir everything until the pasta is coated with the buttery pesto sauce and the chicken is evenly dispersed throughout the pasta. Add the mozzarella cheese over the pasta. Cover for about 15 more minutes or until the cheese has melted.

  5. Serve and enjoy!

 

I hope you all love these recipes!!!

Katelynn Hughes

CU Boulder '21

Katelynn is currently a senior at CU Boulder, double majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology with a minor in Business. She is an undergraduate student researcher studying alcohol use in adolescence and has worked with public policy around juvenile justice. She currently serves as the Events Director for the CU chapter on the Senior Exec board. In her free time she loves movie nights with her girl squad and cuddling with her poodle.
Sko Buffs!